From Stan Stapp:

Congratulations to Clayton and Susan Park, publishers of the Jet City Maven, for the fine North Seattle community newpaper they have been producing for the past two years. It is nice to see a young couple, with the necessary energy and know-how, working together to produce a product which benefits the entire community.

I first became acquainted with Clayton in 1984 when he was editor of the Fremont Forum, and later the Seattle Press. At first, I helped with production, but soon began writing a column. Last year, when the Press went out of business for awhile (until Tom Herriman came along and purchased it), I joined the Maven staff.

A little over two-and-a-half years ago, Clayton married Susan Brehme - getting himself a nice wife and experienced newspaper person in one bundle. She previously worked for the Seattle Times as a graphics artist, learning to lay out beautiful ads and newspaper pages. Together, they decided to launch a newspaper of their own, naming it the Jet City Maven.

(Clayton explains the name: "Jet City" refers to Seattle's old pre-Emerald City nickname; "Maven" is a slang word for "neighborhood know-it-all," which is we thought was a good description for a community newspaper).

In quitting her job to run the Maven on a full-time basis, Susan has learned to sell advertising, write the news, take the photos - and on and on. Meanwhile, hubby brings home some eating money as Business Editor of the Eastside Journal in Bellevue, while helping Susan out on weekends by writing stories and editing copy.

Between them, they have been turning out a monthly newspaper that not only is interesting to read - all the news is local - but which is reported very accurately, too.

Best wishes for a successful third year of publication.

From THE PUBLISHERS:

OK, it's the question on everyone's minds: how will the Seattle Times' plans to switch to morning circulation affect the Jet City Maven?

When you figure out the answer, be sure to let us know.

Actually, the Maven prides itself on being similar to a "mini" version of the Sunday Seattle Times devoted exclusively to North Seattle.

Seriously though, that is the key to any publication's survival in this day and age: knowing who your audience is and making sure serving that audience is your overriding purpose.

In our case, our mission is producing a community newspaper whose focus is covering North Seattle neighborhood news.

This past year has been filled with milestones. In April, we added popular longtime local columnist Stan Stapp, who has also been serving as a mentor to us. In August, we doubled our circulation and expanded our coverage area to include many of the neighborhoods west of Aurora, including Fremont, Wallingford, Phinney Ridge and Greenwood. In November we moved the Maven out of our home into a "real" office space.

We appreciate your patience when we lose your press release behind the file cabinet. Thanks for your understanding when we show up bleary-eyed and a little disoriented from staying up all night meeting another deadline.

Most importantly, we are grateful to all of the wonderful folks who have volunteered (or practically volunteered) over the past year. Some of you have moved on to bigger and more wonderful lives.

And thanks especially to our families who never see or hear from us, except for the monthly Maven's in the mail. Thanks for not disinheriting us - we really are alive and I swear we'll mail those Christmas gifts!

CAROL MARSH:

Freelance journalist Carol Marsh, who has been writing Seattle community news and travel articles for a variety of publications, including the Jet City Maven, moved to Yakima in November to work as a copy editor for the Yakima Herald-Republic.

This move is a return to full-time work on a daily newspaper after a gap of 30 years, Marsh recently wrote in an e-mail sent to the Jet City Maven. In the 1960s, she worked for daily newspapers in California, the Corona Daily News and the San Rafael Independent-Journa, and in New York, the Suffolk Sun on Long Island.

"If I'd started out in journalism in any decade but the '60s, I'd have spent my life as a journalist," she said. As it was, she quit news work in 1968 to join the movement against the Vietnam War, and spent much of the next two decades as a political activist. She kept up her news skills as a writer and editor for alternative newspapers, including Common Sense and Frontline in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also wrote for the syndicated Pacific News Service.

"For money, I did a lot of different jobs, from typesetting to office work," she recalled. "As an activist, I wasn't thinking 'career.'"

Marsh moved to Seattle from the Bay Area in 1994, and over the past three years she has been writing for a broadening circle of publications, including the Jet City Maven, the Seattle Press, the Olympian, the Anchorage Daily News, and Northwest Travel Magazine.

"I'll miss Seattle," she wrote, "especially the rain and the trees, and my friends. I haven't loved a place so much since I left Marin County" north of San Francisco. "But I'm thrilled to be working for a daily newspaper again."

The Yakima Herald-Republic is owned by the Seattle Times. (

From NICK SLEPKO:

I joined the staff of the Jet City Maven a few months ago for a couple of reasons: One, it enabled my habit. I love local news, there's so few impeachments and trials that seem to dominate its focus. Two, Susan and Clayton Park had a vision for Community.

Unlike a lot of media in this city, they understand neighborhoods. There's more to the outlying communities than the constant Downtown vs. Neighborhoods articles that Big Media seems to revel in. Writing about these communities also helps build their identity.

After spending some time campaigning all over North Seattle, I had been able to see the effects and the impacts that this "North Seattle Community Paper" was having.

The Maven is great. As an advertising representative for the paper, it's like being able to sell community (at reasonable rates, might I add) everyday I get up. It's a chance to be able to talk with businesses and people in Wallingford in the morning and bring information that they've learned up to Lake City as the sun is setting. And every month we distribute a compilation of what's going on. I can't imagine having a real job - although health care would be niceŠ

In the next year of publication, I've been given the opportunity to focus on what's going on with people of faith up here in the North. In starting a new section (that debuts in April) called "Soul Food," I plan on covering everything from the Buddhist Temple in Greenwood to new churches being planted all over the area.

We'll also get a chance to explore Green Lake, Roosevelt, and Ravenna in an upcoming piece called, "Let's Get Meta-Physical."

There's a ton of things going on locally in the faith community. How many people are involved in civic and religious organizations are good indicators as to the health of a neighborhood.

Don't hesitate to send us info on what's going on - or ad revenue to help us go there.

Nick Slepko is a Roosevelt resident.