Trumpet Magazine Theme Announcement

The next issue of The Trumpet Magazine (May/June 2010) will spotlight the Faubourg St. John neighborhood and focus on music, art and culture in New Orleans.

The deadline for submissions is April 20th and should be sent to: thetrumpet@npnnola.com.

Here are some story ideas:
-interviews/profiles of local musicians or artists
-directory of art galleries
-stories related to cultural aspects that are specific to New Orleans
-your favorite New Orleans traditions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What format should I send my story in?
Literally, ANYTHING. You can hand write and snail mail to 4902 Canal st. room 301, email as a doc, docx or text file, or simply copy/paste into the body of the email. If I knew how to read morse code, you could send it that way as well.

How long should my story be?
The IDEAL perfect length (in terms of easy layout) is 400-500 words plus a photo. However, feature-length stories can run up to 1,000 words and blurbs as small as 250 words are great too. Don't worry if yours is too long or too short though, we've got an excellent team of volunteer copy editors who have their red pens ready!

Do you pay writers?
No. Unless you count getting published and having the satisfaction of sharing your story, thoughts and ideas with others a type of payment.

I don't have time to write a story; what else can I submit?
Besides articles and opinion pieces, we take photos, recipes, mini-blurbs, neighborhood updates...

I have a great idea for a story, but I'm not a "writer." Should I still try?
Absolutely! Most of our submissions are not from trained journalists, they're from regular people who just have something to say or share. You can even set up an appointment with the editor (me) to have an in-person "writing session" where I can help guide you in framing your story. Just email megan@npnnola.com

I work for a non-profit - can I submit a press release about my organization and the great work that we are doing?
We'd rather you didn't. The Trumpet Magazine represents "community voices orchestrating change," and is not a "catch all" free PR publication. We would, however, love to hear about SPECIFIC initiatives your non-profit is working on and how our network can BENEFIT from it. You can also submit recent success stories that will inspire and encourage neighborhoods and other non-profit groups.


Will my story be printed exactly as I wrote it?
Maybe. Maybe not. By submitting your story to The Trumpet Magazine, you are giving us permission and authority to correct it for spelling, grammar, length and redundancy. Don't worry - we won't take away from your message, we just want it to be presented in the best, most readable format.

Can I re-submit my story to other publications?
Absolutely! It's YOUR story. (And hey, we didn't pay for it).

311 Call Center - Dissolved

Effective Immediately - the 311 phone reporting system that handled city issues and problems has been dissolved. Here's the new system for reporting issues and problems in New Orleans;

Call 658-2299 and follow the prompts:

Press #1 for Public Works (potholes, clogged drains, missing street signs and traffic signal outages)

Press #2 for Housing / Code Enforcement (status of a hearing, report a blighted structure)

Press #3 for Environmental Health (vacant lot with high grass)

Press #4 for Department of Revenue (property tax, sales tax, occupational license, sanitation fee removal)

Press #5 for Parks & Parkways (City tree trim request or downed trees)

Press #6 for Emergency Preparedness (house elevation, hazardous mitigation, city assisted evacuation plan, Dept of Homeland Security)

Press #0 for all other Department / Agencies

To report streetlight outages, call 658.2299 and follow the prompts for streetlights. You will be directly connected with Robinson Industries, the City's contracted streetlight repair vendor.