Tuesday, September 30, 2008
News Hollis heads to Atlanta Magazine
Posted by Ken Edelstein on Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 5:20 PM
So I'm telling the staff yesterday about our parent company filing for bankruptcy protection, and all of a sudden Hollis Gillespie is knocking frantically on the sliding glass door to the conference room.
She's carrying a box full of MoonPies. Grant Henry aka Sister Louisa is behind her wearing a baseball cap with a picture of himself on it wearing a baseball cap with a picture of himself on it wearing a baseball cap with a picture of himself, and so on. He looks a bit embarrassed.
Hollis doesn't look embarrassed at all. I sort of stare blankly at her and then back at the staff — to whom I've just unloaded the news from the corporate guys down in Tampa — and then back to her, beginning to shake my head ... no, now's not the time ... no ... but she barges in anyway and says: "Hey, it's been a great run. But I'm leaving you. I know you guys need the money, and I'm expensive, and I got the back page column at Atlanta Magazine. And, hey, anyway, I've got MoonPies." Or something like that.
We all applaud her (particularly because of the MoonPies). I get up. She hugs me. It turns into a big, long, sweet hug; she won't let go (I have that effect on the ladies, y'know), until I whisper, "You're embarrassing me."
She says she wants to write a goodbye column for next week's paper (it'll go up a week from tomorrow). Grant apologizes, I think, to everyone for interrupting our meeting. They both leave. It was actually a nice, funny respite from the bankruptcy news. But we and our readers will miss Hollis.
A lot of readers surely will think she's leaving CL because of cutbacks related to the company's bankruptcy filing, but that wasn't the case. It happened like I wrote above. The bankruptcy filing actually stabilizes our Edit budget — honest. I wouldn't exactly say the money's gushing through here, but we're continuing to put out the same paper. Except without Hollis.
We'll continue to point readers to her columns and various projects, but we're also going to be looking for some great new columns. Maybe, you, fellow reader, would like to contribute with Soapbox columns about hot issues in Atlanta — for, um, free. Please feel free to submit them here.
Bye, Hollis. It has been a great run: eight years of columns, three books, and maybe a TV show in the works. We love you. See you at the trailer park.
Comments (10)
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Ken - You must hire Dale and I both to write Douche/CounterDouche. I would like to be CounterDouche but will leave that up to you, boss.
OK. Douche/CounterDouche. Which is which, in the eye of the beholder. The renumeration (as mentioned above) is rather slim. Email me Mr. T. And wherever you are DaleC, we'd love for you to write an occasional post or Douche/CounterDouche column; after all, you remind me of Hollis (in that there's an 'l" in the middle of your name.
I think T and I would make an interesting occasional feature.... we seem to have entertained a few readers in the past. I work cheap. Press redentials for live music would be enough haha
and a proof reader to catch things like "edentials" and my congenital malformation that casues me to type "becasue" instead of "becasue". dammit I mean "Because" That took three tries, I swear. Plus, I get call dibs on "Mr T., you ignorant slut".
Damn, just yesterday I told Dale to start a blog and he jumps to the big time. No money, but still.
I vote for Douche/CounterDouche, they crack the hell up out of me and I have the same malformation when I type "becasue." I've only been able to cover it up over the years due to diligent editing of CL's part. BTW, I love you, too, Ken! MoonPies anytime!
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