Random Connect Points:
Reba's Stories

Seems there's "day" for everything these days. Today it's #NationalPodcastDay. Seems fitting to fall on the last day of the month that my article on the topic is on the newsstands in Columbia Metropolitan Magazine. Read it here if you've missed it in your mailbox or in the grocery store line. This article gave me the chance to interview lots of interesting folks who are jumping on the podcast trend. From real life public radio podcasters Gavin Jackson and AT Shire to Laura Smith, a UofSC journalism professor who teaches a podcasting class, readers can learn about some of the really well-done local podcasts and find out more about what it takes to get a podcast launched. I also dig into music and lifestyle podcasts with interviews with Anne Smith of the But Not All at Once podcast and John Furr who hosts Cola Town Underground about the local music scene. who  Read the article here. And as a bonus for my RCP readers - I'm sharing one interview below that got c...

It's been three years ago today since I drove over to PetsInc in W. Columbia to walk dogs that had been evacuated from the coast during Hurricane Florence. I had no intention of bringing home a dog.  But my heart had different plans. ( Read that story here.) Since I was set on a golden - and figured it was pretty unlikely to find exactly what I was looking for that day – I wasn’t too worried about being tempted to bring a dog home. A series of God-winks, encouragement from a friend who happened to be at PetsInc that day, and a locking of eyes with this beautiful homeless dog allowed me to make the extremely impulsive decision to put this dog in my car and take her home with me. I named her Florence after the hurricane but quickly shortened it to Flossie which seems sassier and less formal. Three years later, Flossie brings a calm and sense of peace to our lives. Turns out she was perfectly pre-packaged for us with excellent manners, a calm presence and loving nature. She was my ...

It's National Record Store Day so I dusted off one of my favorite articles I've gotten to write for Columbia Metropolitan Magazine - it was  about record stores in Columbia.  Who remembers Meri's at Richland Mall? I got to interview Meri's son and gin up some great memories about the rite of passage to browse the bins and pick out a 45 to take home to spin on my "close and play" record player.

Columbia cookbook author Mary Martha Greene comes by cooking and storytelling naturally. Both are as an integral a part of her life as waking and sleeping. She grew up with meals made from handwritten family recipes, parties thrown using family china and silver, and tables lovingly set with crystal vases filled with fresh flowers. The people who know Mary best reflect on her love of telling humorous, inspiring and sometimes raucous stories about her family, their adventures and their cooking. This combination of food and stories produces the perfect recipe for Mary’s recently released cookbook, The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All, which hit bookstores around the country on Mother’s Day in May.  Mary's young years were spent in Beaufort where she cultivated her love of cooking. The pleasure she gets from sharing her cooking with others is directly attributable to her grandmother, her mother, and her two aunts whose names she bears and who are frequently referenced and credited thro...

Each year on May 23, I celebrate my “adultiversary,” the first day of my first “real job.” I was a week out from getting my journalism degree at USC. That day, I arrived on Capitol Hill sporting big hair, a shoulder-padded power suit and aspirations to be a press secretary. That first job was the front office receptionist for a freshman Congressman from Florence, SC. I’ve always been grateful for the fact I was able to land my dream job as my first job (or at least the "foot in the door" job that got me to my dream job). Every year on my “adultiversary,” I update my list of career lessons to share with new graduates. Last year, I dedicated the list to my UofSC students who were graduating and struggling into the work world amid COVID. This year, my list goes out to my nephew, John Peters. He graduated in April from Belmont University with aspirations for success in the film industry. I couldn’t be more proud of this young man! He followed his creative and professional d...

Ever wonder why Malfunction Junction at I-20 and I-26 is the mess that it is?  It's actually a pretty interesting story that I got to research for an article in the March issue of Columbia Metropolitan Magazine . The whole project, now named Carolina Crossroads, will span 14 interstate miles with 43 new bridges, seven reconstructed interchanges and 132 additional lane miles. In the article, I interviewed Jenny Boulware who lives in Chapin and works in downtown Columbia. She gave her tips and tricks for navigating this strip of interstate (pre-COVID anyway). It was interesting to note that the whole Carolina Crossroads project will be finished when her seven year-old daughter gets her driver's license.  Read the article here to get the whole story .

I've been an associate member of the SC Press Association for more than 20 years. This membership has kept me connected to the news media community around the state through job transitions and now into retirement. I always encourage my fellow communications colleagues to join the Press Association - if for no other reason to get a copy of the their excellent membership directory! Recently, I started contributing to the SCPA's news exchange that provides content for its member newspapers. And just last month, I found out that my article for Columbia Metro Magazine about hemp farming was recognized the Press Association with an award for business writing.  I was pretty excited when last week's Press Association newsletter featured a short article about my connection to the organization. You can read it here (scroll down to the second story).