SHOE LEATHER: Reported Stories



Shoeleather June 2009 is a collection of projects reported and written by graduating seniors in the honors program of the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.
Brooke Kroeger, editor

Contributors

William Bredderman
Aisha Gawad
Michael Gluckstadt
Issie Lapowsky
Dan Lebiednik
Lyndsey Matthews
Jennifer Monteagudo
Megan Stride
Stephanie Wu

William Bredderman Portrait

William Bredderman

Will Bredderman's work has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, on The New York Observer's Politicker.com site, and on inthefray.org. Will hunted for the unseen side to the expansion story for seven months, meeting with past and present Harlem residents, Columbia students, and local business owners. Will holds a degree in journalism and English from New York University.

Read Will's article, Uptown and Gown.

Will can be contacted at

Aisha Gawad Portrait

Aisha Gawad

Aisha Gawad is a writer based in New York. She spent seven months trailing after some pretty impressive ladies--following them around in mosques, classrooms, shopping malls and even tanning salons. Her work has been published in places such as The American Muslim, The Brooklyn Paper, The New Presence, The New York Press, and The Prague Monitor. She has a degree in journalism and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies from New York University.

Read Aisha's article, Into the Boy's Club.

Aisha can be contacted at aisha.gawad@gmail.com

Michael Gluckstadt Portrait

Michael Gluckstadt

Michael Gluckstadt is an editor at Gelf Magazine and host of the Media Circus speaking series. His piece on hyperlocal journalism serves as the thesis for his self-designed major "Media and the Marketplace."

Read Michael's article, Hyperlocal Express.

Michael can be contacted at

Issie Lapowsky Portrait

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky is a journalist based in New York. She spent eight months working with the Darfuri people of Brooklyn, accompanying them to their weddings, homes and rallies in and around New York. Issie was impressed with their hopefulness and their willingness to welcome her into their cultural family, despite the pain and disappointment she saw them face. She has previously written about victims of political exile for Inc.com and has also been published in Philadelphia and BlackBook. She now works for the New York Daily News.

Read Issie's article, A Place Called Home.

Issie can be contacted at

Dan Lebiednik Portrait

Dan Lebiednik

Dan Lebiednik spent seven months reporting the Cuban community in New Jersey's Union City and Miami, eating black beans, drinking stong coffee, and working on his Spanish. His travels throughout South America and internship at the State Department led to an interest in Cuba, its politics, and its people. He has a degree in journalism and Latin American studies from New York University.

Read Dan's article, Havana on the Hudson.

Dan can be contacted at

Lyndsey Matthews Portrait

Lyndsey Matthews

Lyndsey Matthews is a journalist based in New York with a background in religious studies. She bounced between the budding Latino Muslim communities in North New Jersey and New York over the past eight months. A piece she did on Muslim t-shirt companies was carried by Interpress and appeared on Arabamericannews.com, thenewblackmagazine.com and translated into Spanish on WebIslam. Her travel writing and photography have appeared on Praguemonitor.com and Prague.tv. Her photography has also been featured on the cover of CMJ New Music Monthly and published online on Gawker, SPIN.com, and Baeblemusic.com. See more at www.lyndseymatthews.com.

Read Lyndsey's article, The Latino Crescent.

Lyndsey can be contacted at

Jennifer Monteagudo Portrait

Jennifer Monteagudo

Jennifer Monteagudo spent eight months interviewing radicals, attending bike rides, and chopping food with New York City's anarchists. The story idea struck her after a stint in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, where anarchists squat buildings and run petting zoos. Her features, opinions, and music reviews have been published in GO Magazine, 9479.net, Superficialgallery.com, and the College Music Journal. With two degrees from NYU in journalism and politics, a minor in creative writing, and an A.A. in English, she hopes to one day be paid.

Read Jennifer's article, Smash the State Potatoes.

Jennifer can be contacted at

Megan Stride Portrait

Megan Stride

Megan Stride is a freelance writer living in New York City. She recently spent eight months researching teen pregnancy in America, talking to sociologists and public health experts and reading studies and personal histories from the past twenty years. She shadowed an increasingly pregnant teenager -- who was miraculously honest and made this article come alive-- and then cooed incessantly upon meeting her baby daughter. Her work has appeared in Newsday, amNew York, The Daily Gorilla, Gelf Magazine, The New Presence and on mediabistro.com.

Read Megan's article, Pregnant Without Pause.

Megan can be contacted at

Stephanie Wu Portrait

Stephanie Wu

Stephanie Wu spent eight months dashing between fashion shows, boutiques and various makeshift coffee-shop offices. It wasn't as glamorous as it sounds. She is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Marie Claire and Esquire's bi-annual style manual. She is also the editor of Mochi magazine, an online publication for Asian American teens. For this piece, she interviewed more than a dozen young fashion designers, as well as boutique owners, showroom directors, stylists and various industry figures. Find out more at www.stephanielynnwu.com.

Read Stephanie's article, Minding Their Business.

Stephanie can be contacted at

NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute