Sixteen months ago I packed my office belongings into boxes and loaded them into my car during an unforgiving snowstorm. The day seemed fitting. Other office items had been sold or moved by then; the last things to do were vacuum the gray carpet and turn the lights out. I stayed until the very end because I didn’t want it to be real.
The Fargo-based media and publishing company I worked for closed its doors thanks to the economy, the flood of 2009 – which stalled cash flow and hampered working efforts earlier that year – and other factors.
After some soul searching and a winding path, I found my voice as a freelance writer and now, I hope you will join me.
Effective today, colleague Ann Arbor Miller, who experienced the reality of her employer’s bottom line two years ago today, and I announce The Bottom Line.
This bottom line is a documentary project. It seeks to tell the stories of 29 individuals whose employment in Fargo has been or is being impacted, reduced or eliminated due to economic reasons. Our intent is to give a face and voice to people in our community who know all too well about the bottom line. We believe a community conversation about the recession, recovery and economic realities is valuable and worthwhile. We believe stories about real people are important.
Our search starts in Fargo, but we hope to expand our efforts to include more of the metro area: including Moorhead, West Fargo and other communities in Cass and Clay counties.
We invite anyone interested in submitting their story for consideration to click here and complete this informational questionnaire and submit it by May 10, 2011. We encourage everyone to join us on Facebook and spread the word about The Bottom Line.
Click here for today’s news release.
If you have questions or comments, post them on The Bottom Line Facebook page or email us at TheBottomLinefargo@gmail.com.
We look forward to hearing from you.
great work Sarah as always. I look forward to the outcome and know that it will be put together with class an integrity. Best wishes on the new project!
Sarah, this is fabulous. I am excited to see something positive come out of a bad time in history for so many.
And just when I thought I couldn’t love you more..Bravo!
One of the smartest things I’ve heard in a long time… and you even managed to keep it from me at coffee. Well done.
Love this! I will look forward to updates – let me know if there is anything I can assist with (or, as a true English major would say,”if there is anything with which I can assist.”)
You rock!
I’m glad I didn’t ask about this on the phone the other day. It was a nice surprise. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
can’t wait to see the finished product and hear the storie! I bet it goes National – the midwest recession story hasn’t been told