StateCollege.com columnist Russell Frank was recently honored for his work by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
Frank received first place for the category of Commentary-Non Daily in the SPJ Keystone Chapter Spotlight contest. Honors were presented on May 20 at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Press Conference in Lancaster.
Three of Frank’s StateCollege.com columns from 2016 were reviewed by members of the SPJ Kansas City chapter, who served as judges for the Pennsylvania contest. The columns ranged from a humorous look back on an attempted post-holiday diet, to a reflective look at the case of Bowe Bergdahl, to an insightful view of a mother who died still hoping her son would get a new trial more than 30 years after he was convicted of murder.
– The Key to Better Health: The Pastrami Cleanse
– In a Way, We Are All Bergdahl
– A Mother Dies Without Seeing Her Son Go Free
In October, Penn State University Press will publish ‘Among the Woo People: A Survival Guide for Living in a College Town,’ a collection of Frank’s columns and essays.
‘This humorous peek at life in a college town smack-dab in the middle of rural Pennsylvania chronicles a changing community over the course of two eventful decades,’ Penn State Press’ fall and winter guide says. ‘From tales of missing porch furniture and red plastic cups in the bushes to a ‘Nude Year’s Eve’ run by an octet of forty-somethings to the sweet relief of summer, Frank’s hilarious, insightful essays are indispensable for anyone who wants to survive, appreciate, and enjoy college-town life.’
Frank is an associate professor in Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications, where he has been on faculty since 1998. He was previously a newspaper reporter and editor. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania and in 2011 authored the book ‘Newslore: Contemporary Folklore on the Internet,’ published by University Press of Mississippi.
