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closeEditor's column: Let me introduce the 2010 guest columnists
By Heather Meier/of The Herald
Each year, when a new crop of guest columnists start writing for The Herald, I know virtually nothing about them.
Most columnists I only get the chance to meet once, during an introductory gathering with each new guest columnist panel before they begin. Occasional phone calls aren’t times to chit chat, just chances to clarify points made in a column.
But, as their columns start trickling in and the weeks pass by, their personality and interests begin to emerge through their words.
And then the next year’s columnists start sending in their columns and I can’t wait to see what they have to share with The Herald, the community and me.
With that, here are the 2010 Herald guest columnists:
Nancy Simpson, whose column you will get the chance to read in the first issue in January, describes herself as an “incredibly personal person.” For two years she has been working on her first novel and hopes to have it published this year. Additionally, she’s working on a children’s series. Naturally, Nancy is an avid reader; her favorite authors are Jane Austin and Suzanne Collins. Nancy, her husband and their two children recently moved to Puyallup, hailing from Nevada, and she finds the area refreshing. An interesting, odd, irrelevant fact about Nancy: Her father took her to her senior prom. She was on the planning committee and her date got into a snafu, so dear ol’ dad stepped in. He took her to her first gourmet meal and it was a lovely evening.
Tom Layson may be a familiar face — he was part of The Herald’s 2008 guest column panel. He loved the experience so much he has applied for every panel since then. He has a child at Cascade Christian and another in college. Tom spent 23 years in TV news and then bounced around for a bit before recently starting his own business. His passion really revolves around media in all forms, though it is currently focused no the Internet. During this times he turns attention away from work, he enjoys fishing (particularly fly fishing in Yakima) and golfing. He hasn’t golfed Chambers Bay yet but it’s on his list.
In her daily life, April Walker is the “nice one,” but in her column, she plans to call things just as she sees them. She has been in Puyallup for eight years, coming here from St. Louis, Mo., with two of her three children and pregnant with a fourth. When his company closed its doors, her husband joined her in the Northwest. April has worked in a number of fields, including 12 years with the U.S. Census Bureau, owning her own daycare and teaching dance. Currently, she works as a tax professional. She dreams of some day owning a home in Washington where she can plant some flowers and enjoy her garden. Mostly, though, she wants to see her two youngest children, her daughters, get an education and live comfortable lives.
With three children, Heather Stinson doesn’t have much free time. What time she does have is spent shuttling her three children to Girl Scouts, sports and other events. During those rare moments when she can find time for herself, she spends it making jewelry or digital scrapbooking. She also tries to sneak in a moment to read, she’s especially drawn to memoirs. Heather is the planning manger for the city of Bonney Lake and has a goal of some time getting her PhD, perhaps in organizational leadership. Her family moved her from Eastern Washington to be closer to the activities Seattle has to offer but finds the traffic prohibitive. She tries to get involved in her community, even participating in Bonney Lake Idol. Her interest in singing also developed into a chance to sing the National Anthem at a Tacoma Rainiers game.