SPJ’s ‘Will Write For Food’ This Weekend in Hollywood

While most college students will take off to the beach this three-day weekend, 23 college journalists will spend it with SPJ South Florida in a homeless shelter.

Staff and advisors from Will Write For Food, 2011

Cover of 2011’s special Homeless Voice Issue.

Students from across the nation – from Arizona to Tennessee – will come together this Saturday, September 1, to take over the Homeless Voice, the second-largest homeless newspaper in the country.

Now in its 4th year, the annual Will Write For Food program – co-sponsored by SPJ South Florida, SPJ Region 3 and the Florida College Press Association – takes students inside the Hollywood homeless shelter as they take over and assemble an entire 24-page issue in 36 hours over Labor Day Weekend.

We begin Saturday afternoon at a nearby hotel and then head over to the shelter to dine with the residents. In the evening, the students will put together a budget and start their work first thing Sunday morning. They will write, record, edit, and design a complete issue – all before dawn on Labor Day.

SPJ President John Ensslin

Advisers from the SPJ South Florida Pro board will be on hand to assist students in crafting stories for both print and web. Our board is also extremely excited to welcome SPJ National President John Ensslin, who will be flying in to spend the weekend with this year’s staff as a special guest adviser.

Follow the entire Will Write for Food program – and all the behind-the-scenes footage – on Tumblr and Twitter all weekend. SPJ South Florida Vice President of Membership, Dori Zinn, will be on hand to capture every moment of the unforgettable weekend.