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Let's turn these pitches into home runs!

Hey Arts gang! It's Tom here, back with another batch of sweet, sweet pitches.Thanks to everyone who came to the pitch meeting yesterday. It was a super fun conversation and you all gave me some great ideas for the section. It was one for the history books! Just a few announcements this week, so let's hop right in. If you're interested in getting a physical copy of the magazine, we recently published pickup/delivery info here on the site. The magazine is a big part of what we do at The Gateway, and we would appreciate you supporting us by getting a copy! We're also excited to announce that on February 11 at 5:30 p.m. we're having a guest talk from Jason Herring of the Calgary Herald! Herring is a former student journalist at The Gauntlet, U of C's student magazine, and he'll be talking about how to transition from student journalism to professional journalism, as well as sharing some tips and tricks for writing. I'll send out the link closer to the day but mark your calendars for now!Lastly, next week's pitch meeting will feature a workshop on Writing for an Audience from yours truly. There are definitely some key differences between writing for the public and writing for yourself, and I'll be sharing some of the tips I've picked up. I should also have some updates on the Booze Bracket (👀) for those who expressed interest. And now for the recurring columns:

• The Hobby Hole: Tell us about any unique hobbies you have or give a fresh take on an old favourite. It could be a passion project or an activity you do when you want to lay back, unplug your brain, and watch the hours fly by.

• Paddling up the Livestream: Wax lyrical about your favourite livestreams, put us onto some hidden-away gems, or give your hot-takes on livestream culture!

• The First Time: Try something totally new and write about your experience. It could be a cuisine you’ve heard great things about, an unfamiliar type of music, or an activity you've never tried before. Tell us about it all from the POV of a complete novice.

• Dream Team: Write about your ultimate dream collab! It might be a Stephen King children’s books series or a Billie Eilish x Tyler, the Creator supergroup. Tell us what makes your dream team such a gamechanger.

• Off-Campus Gems: Tell us about a local gem in and around the University area. It could be a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, your favourite bar, or even your go-to convenience store. Celebrate all things U of A and Old Strathcona!

• Gateway to Gastronomy: Know any fun and easy to follow recipes? Share it in this recurring segment.

• Exploring Edmonton: Do you know any cool places around Edmonton that people should visit? Write about them in this new series!

• Lunch Break: An Arts & Culture series where we share fun recipes with humorous commentary. It's wholesome and lowkey, so check it out and send an installment over!

• Brew Crew/Vino Bitches: A fun, short review of your favourite (or not-so-favourite) beers, wines, or other alcoholic beverages of choice.

• Noodle Nation: Who loves noodles? You (might) love noodles! Write a column on your favourite noodles or noodle haunts.

• Pot Thots: Write about your favourite strains, equipment, dispensaries, and more in our column on the world of legal weed.

• Eating Edmonton: Write about your favourite (or not-so-favourite) local haunts in this miscellaneous foodie column. A great way to spotlight local restaurants in a time when they really need it!

• DatApp: Have an app that’s been a gamechanger? Wax eloquently about it (or a few of your favourites) in this column.

• Top 5: Top 5 streaming shows, places to cry in public, work-from-home tips...you name it, you can write a Top 5 on it!

• Diss Track: Are there 3-4 songs that grind your gears in the worst way possible? Diss the crap out of them in this column.

• Doin’ You: Everyone has something they do exceptionally well. Wanna teach others your wizardry? Walk us step-by-step through the process of a master for this column.

• Playlists: Have killer musical taste? Share it on The Gateway with a curated playlist.

• Retro on Retro: Is some classic piece of media on your mind? Reflect on it with the distance of time in this column. Discuss the qualities, staying power, and impact of your favourite old movie, video game, album, book, play, or whatever else!

• Double Take: Love spitting fire-hot takes on pop culture? You and a friend (or foe) can team up to write opposing takes on some piece of art/entertainment/media.

• ...AND MORE! I'm always open to any pitches you might have for me!

U of A PhD student creates video game to prevent sexual violenceIt’s Your Move is a video game developed by Kenzie Gordon, a PhD student at the U of A. The award-winning game has users play as a bartender and implement training techniques to respond to possible instances of assault. It's Your Move is currently part of a training program offered at the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton and the U of A’s Sexual Assault Centre. Gordon is also the creator of Flourish, a resource app for survivors of domestic violence in Edmonton. Let me know if you would like to interview Gordon about It's Your Move!

89.3 The Raven launches in Edmonton89.3 The Raven is an Indigenous language radio station recently launched by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA). The station will feature programming in Cree, Dene, Nakoda Sioux, Blackfoot, and Michif. It will also broadcast news and cultural programming. Founder and CEO Bert Crowfoot says that he hopes the station reaches both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. Let me know if you would like to interview Crowfoot about this exciting new radio station!

Profile the FAB Gallery's Hostile Terrains 94 exhibit Hostile Terrains 94 is a global exhibit running from Feb. 23 - Mar. 19. The exhibit highlights the humanitarian crisis at the Mexico-U.S. border. It includes thousands of handwritten tags with the information of people who died crossing Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Participants can also sign up for workshops where they will create tags. Sign up for a workshop and write about your experience or let me know if you would like to interview the curator, Jamie Heilman.

NFB celebrates Black History Month with Kenbe la, Until We WinThe National Film Board recently kicked off Black History Month by featuring Will Prosper's award-winning film Kenbe la, Until We Win. This is a Francophone film (English subtitles available) following late Haitian artist Alain Philoctète as he travels from Quebec back to Haiti to develop a permaculture project with local farmers. There's an opportunity to interview Prosper about the film, and possibly even in French! This is the second week in the email for this pitch, but I'm really hoping it gets picked up.