Back on the beat

So yes, the Little Things took a temporary hiatus this summer while I worked on a journalism project called #0085cf; text-decoration: none">News21 here in Chicago.

Although I wasn’t blogging here at the Windy Citizen much, I was still reporting on religion locally and posting links to the stories on the site.  In case you missed ‘em, here are some highlights:

-       I grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon and stopped in at local missions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I found lots of Hispanic converts to Mormonism. The church’s #0085cf; text-decoration: none">young missionaries shared their experiences testifying to Spanish-speakers in areas like Logan Square and Pilsen.

-       I rocked out with Al-Thawra, a local band that plays experimental punk with a Middle Eastern twist, and discovered the #0085cf; text-decoration: none">Muslim punk movement among young, second-generation Americans.

-       In Chicago’s Southwest Side, I met Ahlam Said, a DePaul grad working for a social justice nonprofit called IMAN, or the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.  In a #0085cf; text-decoration: none">series of videos, she discusses how faith informs her approach to race and economic disparity in Chicago.  At an event held by IMAN, musical and spoken artists #0085cf; text-decoration: none">tell stories of their Muslim experiences.

-       I learned about the Salvation Army’s missions beyond thrift stores by visiting the Evangeline Booth Lodge, a homeless shelter the organization runs in Uptown, and attending church at the Norridge Citadel Corps, where I sung along to big-band tunes with Kirsten Aho, a #0085cf; text-decoration: none">23-year-old artist called to serve as an “officer” in the Salvation Army.

Spending every day looking into religion stories made me realize how important I think these issues are in a changing America.  The balances of belief and non-belief, secular and spiritual, and tradition and progression matter for us each day, both as individuals and as institutions. 

Sadly, though, specialty beats like religion are increasingly being cut by newspapers. Boston Globe religion reporter Michael Paulson lamented the lower attendance at last week’s Religion Newswriters Association convention and #0085cf; text-decoration: none">discussed the potential future for religion news on his blog, Articles of Faith.

In light of such disheartening news, I’m pledging to make a better effort to seek out the religious and spiritual (and not-so-religious and not-so-spiritual … that’s you, atheists/agnostics/humanist-types!) and bring their stories to light.

So if you’ve got an event you think I should attend, a leader or friend I should talk to, or an issue you want to read about, please let me know. 

Check back soon and thanks for reading!

Kate Shellnutt
I’m a freelance religion reporter and blogger for the Little Things. I majored in religion and journalism as an undergrad, and I'm now completing my master's in journalism at Medill. More