The Charleston City Paper this week welcomes eight journalism graduate students who will be the backbone of the newspaper’s amplified arts coverage during the 2024 Spoleto Festival USA and its Piccolo Spoleto counterpart.
“Thanks to the combined efforts of our staff and the Syracuse students, the Charleston City Paper will have the best and most extensive coverage of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto over the next 17 days,” said editor and publisher Andy Brack. “We’re thankful to be a living journalism laboratory for these talented students, but people in the area should be more thankful because of all of the locally-produced arts news and information they’ll receive.”
The festivals open Friday and continue through June 9. To keep up with coverage daily, check out the special Spoleto + Piccolo section online (www.CharlestonCityPaper.com) or sign-up for daily emails to enjoy the latest.
Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications Program at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications, said the students’ reporting during the arts-rich festivals allows them to put into practice what they’ve been learning all year.
“They shed their Syracuse snow boots and walk the peninsula armed with sunscreen, a notebook and endless curiosity,” he said. “They interview cellists and acrobats, griots and ballerinas, tenors and tap dancers.
“And then they embark on their post-college lives, stuffed with too much ice cream and the memories that will position them to better make sense of the beauty and the complexity that awaits them.”
This year’s contingent of festival journalists include six studying arts journalism and two on a news-related track. Arts students (in alphabetical order) include:
Shirin Gupta, an entertainment and music enthusiast from India, says she is passionate about exploring the world through creative storytelling and captivating soundscapes.
Sarah Merke, a graduate of Binghamton University, has worked as a life and culture reporter in Syracuse and a production assistant for ESPN.
Rayshaun Sandlin, a North Carolina native and graduate of Catawba College, seeks to amplify marginalized voices, particularly within the Black and LGBTQ+ communities. He has a rich tapestry of experiences in the entertainment industry, such as working at the Apollo Theater and The Public Theater.
Ethan Stinson, who grew up near Watertown, N.Y., says has had a lifelong passion for the arts, especially for film. A graduate of SUNY Oswego, he said he hopes to spread awareness for the arts as a newspaper or magazine writer.
Brandon Wallace is a writer, museum professional and student with a passion for the arts who grew up in Texas. He says he is particularly interested in the visual and performing arts and how storytelling is woven into creative processes.
Jaden Wilson, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, says she has a passion for storytelling, music and creativity. In the future, the Nova Southeastern graduate said she hopes to create content for pop culture/entertainment news outlets.
The two graduate students concentrating on news and feature profiles for the newspaper are:
Za’Tozia Duffie, a graduate of Lake Forest College, says she enjoys writing and filming stories about underrepresented communities and nonprofit organizations. She expects to pursue a career in community journalism and entrepreneurship.
Greta Stuckey, a Pennsylvania native who graduated from Marist College, says she has a passion for telling people’s stories, especially related to mental health and human rights issues. After getting her master’s degree, she hopes to work as a news reporter.
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