Athol Daily News – A Message from the Editor

I want to share the news that I’m going to retire from journalism, which means quitting my job as editor at Pioneer Valley.

My last day will be January 7, which in my opinion will give the newspaper management enough time to find my replacement.

At the end of 2020, when I was asked to expand my role overseeing the media coverage of the Greenfield Recorder and the Athol Daily News to include the Daily Hampshire Gazette, I said I would do so for a year.

My hope was to help bring stability to newspapers after what was unmistakably a difficult year due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the loss of jobs for both newsrooms and the closure of the printing plant in Northampton.

In fact, this will be the second time that I have retired from the news business.

I did this in New Mexico, where I worked for The Taos News for 10 years, almost all as an editor. When I left I taught creative writing to a fourth grade class, helped adults complete their HiSET (GED), and started writing a mystery series – number five will come out early next year.

My husband, Hank, and I returned to western Massachusetts four years ago to settle in Shelburne Falls. One day in December 2018, I saw an ad in the Recorder for the position of editor. I applied, believing I had something to offer the newspaper, and luckily Aaron Julien, who was the publisher at the time, accepted.

I felt honored to lead the media coverage of Franklin County and North Quabbin. And, it was a homecoming for me at The Gazette, where I started 36 years ago as a Worthington correspondent, before becoming a full-time journalist, columnist and then editor. I moved to New Mexico in 2006.

As editor-in-chief, I divide my time between the Greenfield and Northampton newsrooms.

My last day is over three months away. I look forward to what I will miss, certainly being immersed in news from our vast area of ​​coverage and engaging with readers. I will also miss the camaraderie of the hard-working journalists in our newsrooms and of my colleagues in other newspaper departments.

However, I will gladly abandon the deadlines and responsibilities that come with this role.

So what are my plans after I leave? Spending more time with my big family and traveling are priorities. I will be able to concentrate on my own writing. And who knows what exciting opportunities might present themselves. You can also expect to see my writing continue in our Pioneer Valley newspapers where I will have a regular column.