Ann Ipock
             Humorist, author, speaker

 

 
Columns
  


Georgetown Times

It’s a good life: I have a new book, The Times has a new look

By Ann Ipock                                                       September 13, 2006

The past few months have been busy for both Georgetown Times and me. It’s nearly fall and we both have reasons to celebrate: They have a new name — The Times and I have a new book — “Life Is Short, So Read This Fast!”
They’ve recently changed to a five-day a week newspaper with a new format, expanded coverage, AP capabilities, more content and home delivery. I’m awfully proud of them. I’m a newspaper hound (and read several a week) and I’m impressed with the new color, fonts and graphics.

It’s hard to believe, but I’m now into my ninth year of writing for The Times. My first columns appeared in the fall of 1998, under the main title of “What Was It I Was Saying?” After pitching the idea to John Burbage, (publisher at the time) he immediately sent me to Jesse Tullos, who invited me to write a weekly column for a year.
That year quickly turned into two, and then three, and so on. When Jesse asked me to pick a title I came up with that one because — well, it’s something I said a lot to my husband, Russell. What with my A.D.D., poor memory and ditziness — I’d be talking a mile a minute, then get distracted, then flustered, and say to Russell, “What Was It I Was Saying?” to which he promptly replied, “I don’t know. I wasn’t listening.” Men.

When I contacted John late in the summer of ’98, I had about eight columns already written. They touched upon the human race: life lessons, victories and defeats, accidents and wonders, and my Southern heritage.
I didn’t set out to write humor in 1991 (when I was laid off from GTE — now Verizon); but I joined a writer’s group and after writing fiction, short stories, poetry and essays, humor was always my favorite.
In one short year, I had enough columns to produce my first book, appropriately titled, What Was It I Was Saying? That book is out of print and I treasure the dozen or so I have safely stored away. My second book, titled “Life Is Short, But It’s Wide” continues to do very well. This book contains reprints of the Georgetown Times’ columns, and also Sasee Magazine and Pee Dee Magazine (now South Carolina Magazine).

Obviously, I’ve begun a series; but my goal is to have a trilogy — and I’m getting closer and closer to yet another batch of columns for publication. One final milestone: I started my own publishing company, named Goody 2 Shoes Publishing.
Looking back over the last eight years, I want to share one incident in particular that stands out. It was the very first day my column appeared. I hurriedly drove over to Food Lion on the South Causeway because I knew the Georgetown Times’ rack was on the sidewalk out front. I drove up there, pretty as you please, parking in the fire lane (since I was in a hurry) with a fistful of quarters.

Oh! I could not wait to see my name in print and to show all my friends and family. I put in a quarter and removed a paper. I glanced at the column and nearly passed out from the adrenaline. I put in another quarter, but the door was jammed and wouldn’t open. I put in another quarter and this time it opened. Just in case it jammed again, I removed six papers at once. Then I stuck in five more quarters, alternately opening and closing the door.
By now, a certain businessman came outside, nosing around, asking me what I was doing. I explained it to him, but I’m not sure he believed me. I do know he stood at the window and watched me drive off.
I’m prouder than I’ve ever been to be a Southerner, to live in the awesome Lowcountry (“God’s country,” many folks claim) and to be a humor columnist for The Times. It’s a good life.

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