A conversation with Nik Sharma, interviewed by Kathy Gunst.

A conversation about journalism ethics and activism.

Detroit Diaries chronicles the experiences of Feet in 2 Worlds Food Journalism Fellows at WDET in Detroit.

Growing up we moved a lot. I mean, every couple of years, if not more. A lot.

Three different elementary schools in my first four years of school. We moved every time my mom earned a new degree, every time she was hired somewhere and every time she was let go from somewhere else. It’s the cost of being a single mom, trying to raise two girls to be independent. Even though at the time — when we were on food stamps or living in Section 8 housing or forever being the new kids — it didn’t feel revolutionary.

It was the way my mom managed to find, in the pre-Amazon or Google days, bilingual picture books with illustrations of little brown and indigenous children sold in the corner of the tiny indie bookstore tucked away on the other side of town. How she told us the story of La Llorona over and over again instead of letting us watch garbage TV or scary movies. How we knew we were “Chicanas” even before we knew how to tie our shoes.

My mom was “woke” decades before that word was co-opted by wannabe social justice warriors. And it was in the way that despite all those moves across state lines that she created this Sunday ritual that revolved around packing our growing minds with knowledge. Sunday paper strewn across the floor, each of us with our respective sections (My sister and I started with the comics and the Target ads when we were really little and as each year passed we worked our way up to arts, culture, music and local news, eventually graduating to the all-important front page section). On these days, my mom sometimes liked to go for a doughnut run. And in the background — either in the kitchen from the little vintage radio that sat atop the fridge or from the dusty old speakers in the living room — our apartment would fill with the sound of public radio.

Sparking that inquisitive nature in me from an early age served me well (most of the time). It led me to be a part of the student walkout at San Fernando High my freshman year, and rallying trips to Sacramento to protest tuition hikes while a student reporter at the Valley Star. And now, years later, here I am with that public radio bug still ever-present, learning to capture natural sound and cut audio and conceptualizing scripts – telling immigrant stories through food.

In these first few weeks into the program, I’m getting to know each of the fellows, every one of us with a different back story that led us to apply to Feet In 2 Worlds. Very quickly, we’ve managed to bond over an endless text thread (no, you may not read it, fellows only). None of us are quite sure where the next step will take us. But I think in the big picture there’s this sense in all of us of wanting to disrupt the narrative that currently exists in mainstream media, of wanting — no, demanding — that we be the ones to tell our own stories.

And it reminds me of those revolutionary early days sprawled out on the floor, Sunday paper in hand, listening to public radio.

Support for the fellowship comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and through matching gifts from station donors, The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ foundation, The Culinary Trust, and its Growing Leaders Food Writing program. The Food Writing Program is funded with the support of the Boston Foundation.

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation, the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, an anonymous donor and readers like you.

Reflections on reporting at the intersection of social justice, race and gender.

Brittany Hutson speaks at the Fi2W food journalism workshop at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit in June 2018

Food is my life. Whether it’s eating, cooking, baking, or reading about it – I enjoy all of it. But it wasn’t until last Fall that I realized I could combine that passion with storytelling. For a long time, my perception of food writing was mostly restaurant reviews and recipes. It seemed out of reach for me to break in to, especially because I don’t have a culinary background. That is until I met cookbook author Julia Turshen when she was promoting her book, “Feed the Resistance.” Julia’s cookbook was something that I had never seen before, but it made an impression. It was physical evidence that food can be used as a tool to talk about the human condition.

Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t want to be a journalist. The joke was on me, because that was the path I found myself on. As a student at Howard University, I joined the school newspaper. In my junior year, I changed my minor to print journalism, and landed a summer internship at Black Enterprise magazine. Back then, I wanted to use my position as a black woman to write about issues that affected the black community. But, my relationship with journalism is…complicated. It’s a love/hate type of thing. I worked as an editor for print and digital publications for a couple of years, but the instability of the industry made me hesitant about staying with it. So I’ve kept one foot in, occasionally freelancing.

This year was a turning point. I started a blog, Fed & Bougie, as a way to get my feet wet in food writing. This past June, I was a participant in the Fi2W Telling Immigrant Food Stories workshop at the Allied Media Conference. I left that workshop feeling excited and inspired for the first time in years. I learned that it’s important how food stories are being told, and who is telling them. It reminded me of the motivation I had in college. From that workshop, I got a taste of the kind of education and access Fi2W could offer me as a new food journalist.

And so, the Fi2W/WDET Food Journalism Fellowship came right on time.

I was a little apprehensive about applying. I’m a rookie in food journalism, and I have no audio experience. I doubted that I would be considered. Thankfully, I was wrong about that too. Over these next 6 months, I’m excited to learn new storytelling skills and produce new content. Especially as it relates to Detroit. As a transplant, I want to represent the residents of the city with integrity since mainstream media has failed to do so. I’m certainly stepping out of my comfort zone, learning how to handle equipment, capture sound, cut and mix audio, and write scripts. On top of all that, the most invaluable gift of this fellowship is having access to a community of journalists. That includes my co-fellows. I love that all four of us have a common purpose – to bring more diversity to local food media.

Support for the fellowship comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and through matching gifts from station donors, The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ foundation, The Culinary Trust, and its Growing Leaders Food Writing program. The Food Writing Program is funded with the support of the Boston Foundation.

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation, the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, an anonymous donor and readers like you.

Reporters to focus on Detroit food stories under a fellowship for immigrant journalists and journalists of color.

The deadline to apply for this fellowship has passed.

Are you a journalist or media-maker from an immigrant background interested in covering food and related subjects in metro Detroit?

Do you want to develop your skills as a storyteller in a variety of formats including audio?

Do you have unique story ideas at the intersection of food, immigration and Detroit communities?

Feet in 2 Worlds, an award-winning website and journalism training project and WDET,  Detroit’s public radio station have teamed up to offer a limited number of food reporting fellowships to immigrant journalists and media-makers in metro Detroit. This is a unique opportunity to learn new skills while covering stories about critical issues in food including food culture in immigrant communities, child nutrition and education, labor and employment, anti-hunger efforts, sustainability, climate change and government food policies.

Fellows will work in the WDET newsroom and will be mentored by experienced audio producers. You will produce stories for Feet in 2 Worlds’ website and for broadcast on WDET and online distribution on WDET’s website.

Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis.  The fellowship starts in late September and continues to the end of 2018. This is a paid fellowship open to staff reporters and editors, and freelance journalists.  The fellowship is structured to allow maximum flexibility for journalists with full-time jobs or other obligations.

Fellows receive the following:

•      Training in all phases of audio production for broadcast and podcast.
•      Training in story development from concept to publication.
•      Exposure to the WDET newsroom, and the opportunity to contribute to WDET’s on air and online streams.
•      Training in the use of social media as a journalism tool.
•      Access to Feet in 2 Worlds’ international network of immigrant journalists.
•      Opportunities to pitch stories to nationally distributed public radio programs.
•      Use of field recording equipment and access to audio editing software at WDET.
•      A $3500 stipend.

To apply send a cover letter, your resume, samples of your work and three story ideas to contact@feetin2worlds.org.  Include the words “Detroit Food Fellowship” in the subject line of your email.

The deadline to apply is Monday, August 20th, 2018.

Support for the fellowship comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and through matching gifts from station donors, The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ foundation, The Culinary Trust, and its Growing Leaders Food Writing program. The Food Writing Program is funded with the support of the Boston Foundation.

A conversation with an emerging voice in food journalism.

2017 Food Workshop participants Sarahlynn Pablo and Yewande Komolafe; photo: Rachael Bongiorno

Feet in 2 Worlds is hosting a one-day food journalism workshop designed to help journalists, journalism students and culinary professionals improve their skills telling stories about food from immigrant communities.

Immersive and intensive, the workshop will focus on developing your narrative journalism skills and help you make valuable professional connections. At the end of the day, participants will pitch their story ideas to a panel of editors from prominent national and local media outlets.

Fi2W’s technical director and senior producer Jocelyn Gonzales teaching audio editing at the 2017 Food Journalism workshop; photo: Rachael Bongiorno

When: Thursday, June 14, 2018

Where: The workshop will be held at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit. Workshop fees are included in the conference registration but participants need to register for the workshop with us prior to the conference.

Who should apply? Journalists who cover immigrant communities, culinary professionals and journalism students interested in telling stories about the diversity of food found in America today.

Space is limited.   

Click here to apply today.

Deadline extended to May 4, 2018.

The Fi2W workshop gave me practical advice on scripting, recording, editing as well as thought and consideration of big-picture approaches to my work as an audio storyteller. It lit a fire under me to get out in the field and start pitching stories again after a bout of inactivity. [It was] just the burst of confidence I needed to put myself out there and chase down the stories I care about”. – Mia Warren, 2017 Food Journalism Workshop Participant 

Participants from Detroit are especially encouraged to apply.

For more information email: contact@feetin2worlds.org

Funding for the workshop comes from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,  Allied Media Projects, The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Foundation, The Culinary Trust, and its Growing Leaders Food Writing program. The Food Writing Program is funded with the support of the Boston Foundation. 

Highlights of our recent food journalism workshop at The New School