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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Reader puts Porch out to pasture

The Spokesman-Review

The name has changed, but the column remains the same.

The feature previously known as the Front Porch is now being called Vocal Point, thanks to Janene W. Johnson of Spokane Valley, who won our renaming contest and will be receiving a “Wake up and Read It” coffee mug, just as soon as we rinse it out.

We hope that the new name will better reflect the lively writing and wide-ranging interests of our contributors than the old one, which seemed a bit, well, wooden.

Our thanks go to everyone who offered suggestions, which ranged from the ancient (“The Agora”) to the avian (“From My Perch”), from the somewhat disturbing (“The Voice Within”) to the quite alarming (“Shouts from the Rooftop”).

We also thank the gentleman who provided about 300 submissions, including, “Henpecked and Drunk,” “Under the Pony’s Tail,” and “The Angry Hemorrhoid.” (Sir, you can stop now. The contest has ended.)

While the column has a new name, it still has the same purpose: to give readers a place to write about community issues. If you’d like to contribute, please call Richard Miller at 459-5487 or send an e-mail to Richardmi@Spokesman.com. We pay a small stipend for all published columns.