Reserve This Date, Y'all

Best line of streetwise philosophy heard on the tube recently:
"Yeah, everyone's your brother---least till the rent's due."

Here's hoping that you can carve out a night to spend with a few dozen, perhaps as many as 100, of the most interesting folks in Cleveland. On May 15th, at 6 p.m. in the tasting room of the Great Lakes Brewery, we'll be putting on a celebration of local web journalism/blogging/choose the term you like best. For those who've known me for awhile, consider it this year's installment in my series of annual journalism events, where me and a few partners in crime try to feature what's new and interesting and vital in journalism, and pack the room with all the best minds we can find to host a group conversation that might just enhance our sense of community. Come to think of it, we kind of missed last year's event, but no matter...
In years past, the Press Club of Cleveland has been kind enough to serve as the official convener, and we hope they will collaborate on this one as well. But the initial main sponsor this time is an equally serious and dynamic group, the Cleveland chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. And the main champion is my longtime friend and colleague, and one of Cleveland's leading writers for more years than I can count, Jay Miller, who has done nothing but remove hurdles and otherwise help plan this event.
The panel of four is an all-star cast: longtime music writer and now hyperblogger Eric Olsen, veteran urban planning strategist Don Iannone, and code-writing king and regional community development/blogging activist George Nemeth. Finally, there's a special guest, a guy who I think of as an average Joe citizen, a transplanted Clevelander actually, who just decided about five years ago to begin commenting on Cleveland events and politics on the web. I think of Mark Schumann and his Cleveland pages as something of an e-Tom Paine of Cleveland. Lots of folks (though hardly enough) have read him for years, and I wrote a bit about him in the Free Times a few years ago. But for the first time ever, we'll all get to hear him talk about his work.
And here's the other agenda: to demystify the journalism/writing aspect for the techies, and to demystify the publishing technology for the writers and journalists, we'll be inviting a handful of technology groups to co-sponsor this event. Fast Company Magazine's Northeast Ohio Company of Friends group is the first of these fine orgs to jump aboard and join the fray (thanks to the smooth servant leadership of our zen genius Jack Richiutto), and we'll next be talking to Cleveland Clicks, the Association of Internet Professionals and NEOSA. If you have a similar, like-minded organization that you think ought to be involved, please let us know.
Here's looking forward to seeing you all on May 15th. For more information, don't hesitate to buzz me, either at jettorre@voyager.net or at 216.382.6548.
--John Ettorre