GirlWords

a blog and portfolio and stuff
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Our Recent Posts

Thinking About Meaningful Editorial Work

It's Tough Being a Woman in Tech (Riverfront Times)

Thinking About the Resilience of My Media Friends

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Five St. Louis Karaoke Bars in Five Days: The Diary of a Sing-Along Addict (Riverfront Times)

Digital story, Riverfront Times, April 23, 2013 Five St. Louis Karaoke Bars in Five Days: The Diary of a Sing-Along Addict By Allison Babka You'd best prep your favorite Barry Manilow, Nelly and Journey songs, because you're entrenched in National Karaoke Week. Seriously, this is a thing; I'm not making it up just to jump back into the karaoke-writing game, though it's sure convenient. National Karaoke Week happens through Saturday, and it's a BFD in some parts of the country

SLU Newslink and Grand Connections (Saint Louis University)

When Saint Louis University hired me in 2002, the internal communication channels weren't all that robust. A daily email and website for faculty and staff members existed, but they largely lacked images and relied upon reader submissions -- submissions that weren't even edited. There also was a faculty/staff newspaper that was separate from the news site, and while it had a few original features, it broadly reused items from the digital product. So I got to work. I began addi

Glad Grad (Saint Louis University)

Short story for Universitas magazine, Saint Louis University, Summer 2005 55 Years After He Started His Master's Degree, Stanley Mills Is One Glad Grad By Allison Babka Photo by Kevin Lowder Sometimes we get an unexpected nudge to fulfill a lifelong dream. Stanley Mills certainly did; in fact, he received several. The 84-year-old Mills, originally from Yonkers, N.Y., received his master’s degree in philosophy May 14 during Saint Louis University’s commencement exercises. What

Construction Under Way for Research Building (Saint Louis University)

Short story for Universitas magazine, Saint Louis University, Fall 2005 Construction Under Way for Research Building By Allison Babka Photo by Paul Sableman via Flickr Creative Commons After two years of planning, Saint Louis University broke ground on its Research Building June 2. The signature building in Midtown St. Louis will provide a new front door for Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center and will make it possible for SLU scientists to make research discoveries

World-Class Glass (Saint Louis University)

Short story for Universitas magazine, Saint Louis University, Fall 2005 World-Class Glass SLU's museums shimmer thanks to a generous gift of glass. By Allison Babka Photo by Paul Sableman via Flickr Creative Commons In May, Saint Louis University received an exquisite glass collection worthy of the world’s finest museums. Eleanor Turshin of Ladue, Mo., had bequeathed the collection to SLU. She died in 2004. Catherine Gidlow, Turshin’s daughter, signed the large collection ove

Brothers in Song (Saint Louis University)

Feature story for Universitas magazine, Saint Louis University, Summer 2006 Brothers in Song SLU's all-male a cappella group has brought a new beat to campus. By Allison Babka Photo by Steve Dolan They play practical jokes. They argue with a spirit the Survivor cast would be proud to possess. They sing through the wee hours of the morning. No, they’re not family, but close enough. They’re the Bare Naked Statues, SLU’s only all-male student a cappella singing group. Formed by

Who Will "Have the Balls" to Host the Air Guitar Competition in St. Louis Next Year? (Rive

Digital story, Riverfront Times, July 14, 2014 Who Will "Have the Balls" to Host The Air Guitar Competition in St. Louis Next Year? By Allison Babka Courtesy photo by Harvey Brown St. Louis sure likes to talk smack on Kansas City's sports teams and entertainment options, but when it comes to air guitar, we may just have to concede defeat. On August 9, our cross-state rival will host the national finals for U.S. Air Guitar, the official air-guitar association of the United Sta

Recap: St. Louis Achieves 'Airness' in First Official Air Guitar Competition (Riverfront Tim

Event recap, Riverfront Times, July 1, 2013 Recap: St. Louis Achieves 'Airness' in First Official Air Guitar Competition By Allison Babka Courtesy photo by Casey Fatchett Photography No notes were played by the artists on stage, but the message was loud and clear anyway: air guitar in St. Louis was here to stay. As noted in our cover story last week, the Firebird hosted St. Louis' first-ever official qualifying event for U.S. Air Guitar on Friday, June 28. With paid travel an

Dr. Pepper Teams with Air Guitar Champion for Commercial Deal (Riverfront Times)

Digital sidebar, Riverfront Times, June 28, 2013 Dr. Pepper Teams with Air Guitar Champion for Commercial Deal By Allison Babka Photo via YouTube screengrab Musicians often deny it, but many dream about nailing a hit song and riding it straight to Endorsementland. Influencing the general public to buy shaving cream, mattresses and minivans is big business, and it's a level of stardom that the majority of musicians fail to achieve. Imagine, then, how those losers must feel kno

Shred Like a Pro: Air Guitar Tips from the Champs (Riverfront Times)

Digital sidebar, Riverfront Times, June 27, 2013 Guitar Zero: The Search Is on for St. Louis' 'Air' Apparent By Allison Babka Courtesy photo by Miriam Doan for U.S. Air Guitar Musicians do quite a bit of prep work before performing a face-melting show. After all, there's makeup, costumes, choreography and (sometimes) fake blood to consider. To the surprise of many, air guitarists make the same intensive provisions. "[Air guitarists] give countless hours to creating characters