Lonnie Lee Hood has retired Bitchin’ Pitchin’, their well-respected newsletter aimed at helping journalists learn how to successfully pitch stories.
But what hasn’t changed is Hood’s passion for good storytelling, using their platform — whatever that might be at the moment — to highlight important stories from voices often overlooked by mainstream media. Does that make them an activist?
“If you have any kind of niche, if you have any beat you’re covering consistently, you’ll probably be labeled an activist in that beat,” they said from their home in Tennessee. “I’ve always said I don’t always feel the need to share my opinion online. My work speaks for itself. … I always tell people, if you want to know how I feel about queer rights, if you want to know how I feel about Appalachian sustainability, if you want to know how I feel about marginalized groups of people in labor organizing, the work is all there. You can look at my portfolio.”
While they’ve taken a step back from focusing full-time on journalism — Hood now works as a teacher covering middle and high school English and Appalachian history at The Farm School, located on the commune where they live — the urge to share good stories remains a priority.
Journalism is an addition. “It’s something I will probably never let go of entirely. I do still freelance,” they say. “I want to help my students learn how to provide for themselves. We have students interested in writing. It’s still a piece of my life.”
This change away from journalism to teaching hasn’t absolved Hood from having the occasional feelings of jealousy and concern from watching other content creators have success.
“I sort of don’t mind embracing a wider idea of what journalism is and can be,” they say. “In the beginning, I struggled with jealousy with those creators. Here I am, I have been published in the New York Times, which was the pinnacle for me. I had a book deal … that project died in edits. I look at creators making these hugely viral video essays and I was jealous. This is not journalism. But the thing is, that is the content people want, it’s the content people want to engage with. Sometimes it can be really deep and thought provoking.”
And to answer the most pressing question that some listeners familiar with the podcast might have, especially if they remember the last time Hood appeared on It’s All Journalism: “I do still have my pig! She’s 260 pounds now. She’s not very mini, but she’s still considered miniature.”
Listen: 468. Bitchin’ Pitchin’ creator talks freelance tips, moral and ethical convictions
Writer and English instructor Lonnie Lee Hood discusses their passion for journalism and their experiences being a trans, freelance journalist in Tennessee.
