Let’s Hear it For the Writers!

Leslie McManus reflects on freelance writers, and how grateful she is for them and the work that they do.

By Leslie C. McManus
Published on October 12, 2021
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by Bob Artley

People often ask where we get story ideas for Farm Collector. I don’t want to drill too deeply into the answer to that, as it starts looking rather like the process of making sausage, but suffice to say that the freelancers who write for the magazine come up with a lot of great suggestions for us.

The vast majority of the articles in Farm Collector are written by freelancers. When it comes to full-time, permanent writers on our staff, well, that would be an extremely small number, and that’s why I depend on an intrepid band of freelancers. Some contribute articles so regularly that you may feel like they’re old friends. Others drop in more sporadically.

Which is why, as I consider all of them in this issue that will land in your mailbox just before roast turkey and cranberries land on your dinner plate, I find myself particularly grateful for freelance writers.

Some have particular interests; others are generalists interested in anything pertaining to traditional farming methods. Each has their own voice, their own style and their own way of sharing an interesting story. I never know what ideas they’re going to pitch my way, or where those ideas might take us.

In this issue, you’ll read an article by the inimitable Josephine Roberts, who brings us a view of the old iron hobby in Wales. Knowledgeable about everything mechanical, Jo weaves bits of Welsh culture and history into her columns, giving us wonderful insights into her country.

Elsewhere in this issue, Fred Hendricks introduces us to an Ohio man who blends a collection of models with both nostalgia and a bit of outreach. In the process, he helps build bridges between people, as folks learn about the Amish approach to agriculture.

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