Features

We want to have locally written columns of all kinds.  

We’re delighted to announce that we have Susan Parker, who has written for the East Bay Express and San Francisco Chronicle, on board as a columnist. 

In addition, Susan Cerny has agreed to continue her very popular columns on Berkeley’s world-famous architectural heritage. Go to the Rediscovering Berkeley button at the left to read her latest. Other categories which have been suggested include: local history, food, home maintenance, gardening, travel, health, education, environment, human rights, conflict resolution, landlord-tenant relations, film and books. What categories can you suggest?  

In each category, we’ll look for contributions from a variety of writers. These could contain information, advice or opinions. For example, on gardening, one writer proposed an informational column about UC Berkeley’s sick plant clinic. Another suggests a column on caring for your street trees, with some pointed criticism of how poorly the city maintains them. No rigid lines between advice and opinion on this topic! (We promise never to run garden filler pieces from national sources on protecting your roses from snow.)  

The new Planet will also seek “foreign correspondents” from near and far. Berkeleyans would like to hear about the peace movement in Indiana. They’re interested in how Santa Cruz is handling medical marijuana. They travel a lot, and want reports from exotic places, but they also want to know what’s going on in Albany, especially as it affects our shared shoreline. Can you suggest correspondents?