Ripped from the headlines
There are not words to describe how elated, excited, and, most of all, thankful I am at the news I have to share today.
I have accepted a new job — my dream job. Beginning July 2, I will be the director of the Cardinal Newman Society's new Love and Responsibility program. That means I'll be moving to the Washington, D.C., area at the end of this month.
Founded in 1993, The Cardinal Newman Society's mission, as it states on its Web site, is "renewing and strengthening Catholic identity at America's 224 Catholic colleges and universities." Its projects include promoting Eucharistic Adoration, monitoring commencement speakers, and campaigning to stop Catholic campuses from hosting Eve Ensler's play that reduces women to their anatomy.
The Love and Responsibility project is a truly proactive initiative aimed at restoring the assumption of chastity on participating campuses. As director, my job will include assembling experts to develop a program that will engage Catholic colleges' students and faculty in transforming their campus environment to encourage chastity. As the society's Web site states, the aim is to reclaim the campus culture, providing students with "a clear understanding and respect for Church teachings on sexuality, marriage and human life."
It is with great joy that I add that I will continue to write and speak about chastity as I have been doing since the release of The Thrill of the Chaste. Such activities, which I formerly could do only on the side, are now part of my job — making this position a true vocation.
* * *
On the job at the Daily News' national edition, summer 2005,
as seen on Bravo's Tabloid Wars"Almost from the time I received my faith in October 1999, it has been my dream to work for a Christian nonprofit. However, being in the New York City area, I had a hard time finding such an organization, let alone one that would take a former popular-music historian. Instead, I wound up being a closet Christian at a pair of Jewish organizations, working for nine months as communications director for the JCC Association and managing editor for the Jewish Book Council. When I was laid off from that job in 2001, I had the wonderful job of doing publicity for a series concerts by stars of the 1950s and 1960s. That series ended August 28; I was supposed to do publicity for a new series in the fall, but the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history
put an end to that.
That's when my friend and webmaster Joshua Tanzer (now
a documentary filmmaker) recommended me to the
New York Post's copy chief. After being put off for several weeks, I was finally invited for a tryout, was called back the following week, and was called back again. This went on, and I eventually realized I had gotten my foot in the door as a regular freelancer. My weekly shift was on Sunday, and for most of my years in New York City newspapers I would have to work on that holy day.
In September 2003, 20 months and many part-time jobs after starting at the
Post (one of which was co-creating and hosting the Baggot Inn's
Tuesday Night Trivia, still going [without me] five years later), the copy chief hired me full-time on the 3-10:30 p.m. shift.
It was while at the
Post that I made a commitment to chastity (following some false starts) and wrote about my growing understanding of it on my blog during the wee hours after arriving home from work. I also blogged exposés of Planned Parenthood, which gained me notice from
Michelle Malkin and National Review Online's
Corner. That led to vicious attacks from feminist bloggers such as Pandagon's Amanda Marcotte (years before her notoriety as a John Edwards staffer) and the ladies of Feministe, Feministing, et al. That in turn led to my being labeled a "born-again" Christian by the scatological gossip site Gawker (a label I hadn't applied to myself, preferring "small-'e' evangelical"), which led to my firing, when
Post reporter Susan Edelman printed up online evidence of my pro-life and Christian views for the paper's editors.
What I did to arouse Edelman's ire is described in
my LifeSite interview. My actions were wrong, as I've said many times, but Edelman's publicizing my blog entries and my Christianity played an undeniable role in my firing at the hands of editor-in-chief Col Allan. My boss, Barry Gross, later told the
New York Observer's George Gurley, "Probably the second most surprised person in the office the day she was fired, after Dawn, was me. I'm still not pleased about it, but the call wasn't mine."
Out of the trauma of the firing came a shower of blessings. I made the decision to enter the Catholic Church (also detailed in
my LifeSite interview), got temporary editing work from Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review Online, and was profiled by Gurley. The latter led to my book deal for
The Thrill of the Chaste and a job at the
Daily News. It is not for nothing that I thank Edelman and Allan in my book's acknowledgements, writing, "When I think of you, I think of
Genesis 50:20."
The job as assistant news editor of the
News' national edition came about through then-editor-in-chief Michael Cooke, a sunny, sharp-witted Englishman with a whimsical streak, whose presence I miss dearly. He and then-editorial director (now editor-in-chief) Martin Dunn were impressed with my
Post headlines (
one of which won a New York State Associated Press Award) and with technical skills I'd developed at my former job.
For those readers unfamiliar with the
News' editorial stance, my hiring was in no way due to my being a conservative, pro-life Christian, but was rather in spite of it. While I was qualified for the job, I considered my hiring miraculous, given the dearth of conservative Christians or pro-lifers among the newspaper's staff.
Soon after I was hired at the
News in April 2005, Cooke offered me a side gig writing the paper's first-ever column about blogs. "Blog On!" ran for several months, until I retired it to take over the paper's "Big Town" series — likewise a side job to my full-time work. Jay Maeder had recommended me to succeed him as the editor of the series, which, though not an advertorial, was a sponsored page that was under the jurisdiction of the paper's advertising department.
"Big Town" was originally a historical series, and had most recently covered the city's musical history under the name "Big Town Songbook." Advertising wanted to change the focus to local heroes — people who go above and beyond the call of duty to help others — which was happily in line with my desire to edit human-interest stories. I assigned and edited the series for nine months, until I left the position in order to have time to promote my book (while continuing in my full-time
News job) . (Sadly, the redesigned
News site omits the Big Town archive, but you can see
a PDF of one article on an outside site.)
Last spring, Dunn promoted me to deputy news editor of the
News' weekly borough editions for Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, the position I am now leaving. Although the job doesn't involve writing, the
Queens News editor did graciously let me write and choose photos for one special story, a spread on
the history of a Queens Catholic girls' high school. (Make sure to check out the photo gallery.)
* * *I went to Washington, D.C., last week to interview with the Cardinal Newman Society and other organizations on the advice of
Father C. John McCloskey, to whom I had shared my desire for a job that would be not just a job, but a vocation. Father C. John recommended Washington because of the think tanks and other conservative organizations there, and because the city's culture in general is more friendly to people of the faith and values that I hold.
As I was planning my trip, I contacted the head of a Catholic nonprofit in hope of making an appointment with him. He said that he would see me, but he added that he would try to talk me out of leaving the New York City newspaper world.
"We need to have someone in the belly of the beast," he said.
I have heard that line, or variations on it, many times since my
Post days.
The truth is that the longest anyone on record has survived in the belly of a beast is three days. And Jonah wasn't there to be a positive influence on the whale. The entire purpose of his presence there was to catch a ride to where he was supposed to be.
I am now where I am supposed to be. The ride wasn't easy, but I am grateful for it just the same, and very thankful to those readers who have helped me along with their prayers. Special thanks to the friends who prayed at my request that I would get a job where I wouldn't have to work on Sundays.
12:01 AM
