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Are you X-Team material?
By GRETCHEN LETTERMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 7, 2001
Attention, all ye who have a way with words!
It's the time of year when we scour the ends of the Earth for bright young writers to be on the St. Petersburg Times X-Team. (Well, actually the ends of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties!)
The X-Team is the group of journalists ages 9-17 who write for Xpress, bringing you fun stories, news and views about subjects of interest to you. A new team is selected from applicants every summer to serve the following school year.
If you're a faithful Xpress reader (and we KNOW you are!) you'll remember some of these stellar stories from the current X-Team:
One X-Team writer-photographer pair told you about a Tampa teenager whose volunteer work earned the notice of singer Christina Aguilera and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno (both X-Teamers accompanied the girl to an Aguilera concert)! Another writer delved into the controversy over how much homework is too much, and another tackled the tough subject of how to talk to people who are gravely ill or grieving the loss of a loved one. From tours of entertainment parks to the fears of getting braces, the X-Team has been all over the story.
If this sounds like a job for you, then read on. APPLICANTS MUST FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED.
Here some important requirements for being an X-Team member:
- You must have a talent and love for writing and a wide variety of interests.
- You must be full of good story ideas about people, places, things and events that are happening (no fiction) and be comfortable interviewing people for your stories.
- You must be able to meet deadlines without editors having to nag you.
- You must be comfortable with editors who will be conversing with you regularly by phone and in person as well as by e-mail, to assign you stories and edit them with you.
- You must have a parent or guardian willing to drive you to and from X-Team story assignments and occasional group meetings at the Times' offices, if you're not old enough to drive yourself.
- You must be age 9 to 17.
- You must fill out the coupon printed in Xpress in the St. Petersburg Times AND write a letter describing why you are the best person for the job. What would being on the X-Team mean to you? What special talent would you bring to the Xpress page? Please include five fabulous story ideas, some samples of your written work (non-fiction stories if you have any) and a photo of yourself. (Sorry, we cannot return your material.)
- You must write legibly and follow directions. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
DEADLINE: Applications must be postmarked by June 4. The 2001-02 X-Team will be selected and notified during the summer.
We look forward to hearing from you.
- Gretchen Letterman, lifestyles editor
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
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