Arleen Spenceley likes to talk about sex. And as a Catholic young adult who is also a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times, she is very good at it.
I first came across Arleen's writing by way of a link to her blog, and the first thing I noticed was how disarmingly charming her writing is. She reels you in with a story and a laugh and is the farthest thing from preachy. But her work doesn't aim merely at making you laugh (which she does very well) but also at making you think.
Tampa is my home town, so when I found out that she writes for the Tampa Bay Times and is promoting chastity and the truth of Christ through the local news of my hometown, I was pumped to say the least - "You go Catholic writing girl you! Talk about that sex and how awesome chastity is!"
Arleen graciously agreed to answer some questions that have been on my mind ever since being exposed to her writing, and I think you will enjoy her answers. The Catholic Church needs more evangelists like Arleen who are in the world but not of the world spreading the message of the Gospel with charm, wit and joy.
How did you become a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times and what about writing makes you most passionate?
Believe it or not, the short answer to part one of this question is fried chicken. Here's the long answer: In high school, I worked as a cashier at Popeyes Chicken (where we do good 'bayou'!). One afternoon, a customer came to the counter, and he looked totally familiar. I remembered while I took his order that he was a local paper's publisher, and recently, he had given a talk to my school newspaper's staff. I told him I was going to be a journalist. He told me he needed writers and gave me his card. That high school kids could write for a paper hadn't dawned on me 'til that day. I was so excited by the opportunity, so, I called him and left a voicemail. No response. So I sent an email. No response. I never did hear back. Bummed, I brought it up to my school newspaper's sponsor, who suggested I call an editor at the other local paper. So I did. A couple days letter, I met face to face with an editor at the Times. A few days after that, he gave me my first assignment as a Times correspondent. I wrote as a correspondent for the second half of my senior year of high school through the summer before I graduated with my bachelor's degree in journalism. In the spring of 2007, I applied for a staff position and after a short series of interviews, I joined the staff in July the same year.
In answer to part two of this question, while I am passionate about writing, I think I write because I'm passionate. And I love grammar.
What has been your experience expressing such strong Catholic values in the Tampa Bay Times, and what kind of feedback do you receive when you write?
All the essays you've listed are actually among the ones I've loved writing most. While I also write feature stories, opinion is my preference. As a Roman Catholic Christian, I can't not infuse what I write with my faith and every time I do it, it's absolutely exhilirating. When I wake up on a Sunday and remember that well over 400,000 people are at their breakfast tables eating their waffles and reading about why I'm saving sex for marriage, I'm humbled and amazed and grateful for the privilege.
The feedback is always overwhelmingly positive. Especially when I write about sex (twice for the Times since 2009), I get a lot of notes and calls from people who are Christians - Catholic and Protestant - who are encouraged, or want to encourage me, or who are compelled to share their own stories with me. I've actually been moved to tears by some of it, like the lovely voicemail I got from a 90 year old man, who's been married for 70 years to his 90 year old wife. Both were virgins at their wedding. It's responses like his that make the bad feedback bearable (i.e., "You're a virgin because you're probably not a hot babe." and "Who gives a #&$! why you've never been laid?").
In your opinion, how is engaging local news media outlets a good way of engaging the culture and bringing a Catholic presence to mainstream media?
Depending on the publication, you're really handed an incredibly large platform on a figurative silver platter. I remember the day my first Times story appeared in print. While I drove to school that morning, I saw the Times wrapped in plastic at the ends of all the driveways. It was so surreal to know that I, some random person, got to tell a story to all these people I don't even know. While that story wasn't earth shattering (it was about an amateur country music club), I realized that whatever I wrote would be hand delivered to the culture. So when the opportunities began arise to write essays about my lifestyle (which is profoundly part of my faith in Jesus Christ as a Roman Catholic Christian), I couldn't imagine a better way to engage the culture and bring a Catholic presence to the mainstream media.
I'm wondering how many other good Catholic writers are doing what you do, and why there aren't more Catholic writers out there speaking up in secular newspapers. What's your take on this as someone who does it on a regular basis?
This is a really good question. I'm stumped! There are plenty of practicing Catholics and plenty of newspaper writers, but my guess is that "practicing Catholic who writes for a newspaper" is such a specific niche that we really are just that few and far between.
How can Catholics go about engaging their local news either online or in print?
So many ways! When your church or ministry hosts an event that's open to the public, send a press release about it to your local paper. If something's happening at church that might be a story, pitch the idea to a reporter. (And give us at least a couple weeks' notice.) Write letters to the editor (lots of papers will print them!) when an opportunity arises to explain or clarify what the church teaches. Leave comments on stories online that model the kind of life Christ leads us to live.
How can readers support good writers such as yourself who write for the newspapers they read?
Pray for us! Share what we write with your families and friends, your students, your ministries. Facebook, Google+ and tweet the heck out of our stories. And send us feedback. I can't speak for every writer, but I always appreciate knowing how what I write impacts the people who read it.
What is your advice to budding Catholic writers who are trying to develop their writing skills in order to engage the culture and take part in the New Evangelization?
If you can write, write more. The more you write, the better you'll get. Start a blog. Ask writer friends to proof-read and criticize your work. And read. Read stuff written by good writers. Sometimes, before I write, I pull up my paper's archives and read features by a couple colleagues who are a Pulitzer Prize nominee and winner, respectively. It inspires me, and gives me something to emulate. The better we write, the more likely readers will read what we write to the end. And when what we write is part of the New Evangelization, we absolutely want them to want to finish reading it.
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So get to work! Support good writers in your local newspaper, start writing, and start engaging the local news and spreading the Gospel!
You can find Arleen and all her published writing at www.arleenspenceley.com where she also blogs regularly. And be sure to go support her by giving her a LIKE on her facebook page.
These are a few of my favorite pieces by Arleen:
### It stinks to be outside the loop. You miss things when you are outside the loop. The loop is exciting and if you subscribe to this blog you are smart, funny, attractive - and in the loop.
What does Jesus' scourging, an old married Rabbi, and dragons have to do with relationships and marriage?
This week I had the great privilege of writing for Arleen Spenceley's series "Relationship Tips". Go give it a gander and be sure to check out some of Arleen's writings too, they are well worth your time.
