Tom's Blog
From the OWAA Headquarters in MISSOULA, Mont. – Wellfleet, Mass. resident Tom Keer earned prestigious Excellence in Craft awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, with recognition to be made at OWAA’s annual conference to be held in Lake Placid, N.Y., September 16, 2013.
Keer received three awards. He was awarded first place in the Conservation/Nature category, Magazine contest, which recognizes excellence in communicating articles with an emphasis on successes or challenges within conservation; interesting new discoveries within nature; or a fascinating tale about a creature, plant or ecosystem. His first place submission, “Open Water Catch and Keep?,” was published in the Spring 2012 issue of The Flyfish Journal. The Nature/Conservation contest is sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Keer also won two awards in the Blog contest. His submission “National Fishing and Hunting Day: The Cast and Blast,” published Sept. 27, 2012 on TakeMeFishing.org, placed third in the Hunting/Shooting Sports category, which recognizes excellence in communicating hunting for both large and small game, and competitive or recreational shooting, including archery, firearms and other methods. The Hunting/Shooting sports category is sponsored by Crosman Corporation. Keer’s submission “Yes We Have No Bananas,” published Aug. 27, 2012, also on TakeMeFishing,org, placed third in the Blog contest, Humor category which recognizes excellence in communicating humor in outdoor related subjects.
In addition to running his international marketing company, Keer is a widely-published freelance writer and regularly writes for Sporting Classics, Covey Rise, Gray’s Sporting Journal, The Ruffed Grouse Society, Fly Rod and Reel, among others. He is also a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Editor for Fly Rod and Reel and a Contributing Editor for Fly Fish America. He’s been a member of OWAA since 2008.
The Outdoor Writers Association of America is the oldest and largest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. It was organized in 1927 by members of the Izaak Walton League of America and includes professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. OWAA’s professionals include writers, photographers, outdoors radio and television show hosts, book authors, videographers, lecturers and artists. The association is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. Visit www.owaa.org for more info.
For more information on this award, contact Angela Keer, PO Box 2023, Wellfleet, MA 02667; angela@thekeergroup.com; 508-349-3473.
Tom's Blog
Author Tom Keer gets the word out about fall fishing and boating opportunities on behalf of TakeMeFishing.org in a satellite media tour with coverage from over 20 TV and radio stations across the country.
Tom's Blog
The other day I cleaned my old roll-top writing desk. What prompted me to clean it was that I could no longer see the chipped and stained wood because it was littered with scraps of paper. The desk was chock-a-block with notes and ideas for future pieces and character sketches, and I found a setting description for a novel I’m writing. There were a few short stories, and a mess of fish/hunt ideas that hopefully would find a home somewhere someday.
My regular desk was filled up, too. On it was body copy for eblasts, a content calendar for social media posts, text for press releases, drafts of editorials, spec creative and outlines for brochures. While I tried to determine how I’d sort it I realized that we are living in a Golden Age of Content that remarkably resembled what occurred during the early part of the last century.
From the 1920’s through the 1950’s, writers, artists, illustrators, and designers were busier than ever. Print media like books, magazines, and newspapers spread all the news that was fit to print. Many towns published both morning and evening newspapers that communicated the local-regional goings on in a timely fashion. Advertising grew in leaps and bounds and copywriters and commercial artists were hired in leaps and bounds. Radio scripts were badly needed, and as film grew in popularity screenplays were in high demand. Other types of writing were needed like plays for live theatre and text books for schools, but suffice it to say there was a tremendous need for content.
The digital age has reawakened that demand. From websites to eblasts to ezines and youtubes and blogs, written and visual content is in high demand. Read it on a desktop computer or in your car on your smartphone, there is no shortage to the volume of words and pictures that are consumed by audiences every day. Everyone has a voice, and many are choosing to use them. And like in the past, the better ones find themselves in high cotton. Ours is a very exciting time indeed.
Tom's Blog
It’s late July and I took my English setter Rowdy for a pre-season workout. It’s been hazy, hot and humid, so our sessions are very early in the morning and then again in the evening. There isn’t anything more miserable for a setter wearing a fur suit than to run hard, so I pick the cooler times of the day for our training.
After her run we returned to the shade found in our front deck to cool down. I sat next to Rowdy while her huffing and puffing slowed, and I stroked her back. Every time I pet her a clump of white fur with brown spots pulled off. She was shedding.
Shedding normally occurs when spring becomes summer. The continuously rising temperatures combined with the increased daylight trigger their hair disassociation. For whatever reason Rowdy missed shedding earlier in the year. Her fur was falling off in big clumps at a time that was approaching the autumnal instead of the spring equinox.
I told my wife about it as she passed me a curry comb. Every three strokes filled up the comb to a point where I needed to clean it, and then it was back for more. In short order there was about as much dog hair as would fill up a small pillow. If we were in Colonial times we’d save it and stuff a mattress or use it to patch a hole in a wall.
And it occurred to me that Rowdy’s shedding fur was a lot like good writing. Some times it happens when I want it to and sometimes it does not. The game is long. Patience is key as is knowing when the time is right. I think that’s called Grace.
Tom's Blog
Tom Keer has been writing for two and a half decades. With almost a thousand published pieces under his belt, it’s hard to chronicle them all. But at www.tomkeer.com you’ll find a selection of both his readers’ and his personal favorites from the years plus all of his newest work.
