Ruth Hammond will be stepping down as AAN's editorial director on Dec. 23 to take a job as a senior copy editor with The Chronicle of Higher Education. During her two years at AAN, Ruth participated in the launch of AltWeeklies.com and kept the site running; she also administered the AltWeekly Awards contest, including the contest's move to an online format last year. In reflecting on her work at AAN, Ruth says, "what strikes me most is how much teamwork went into all my projects."
A 33 percent increase in the monthly traffic count enabled AAN's collaborative news site to pass the quarter-million mark in unique visitors. AltWeeklies.com traffic has increased exponentially since April, when the number of unique visitors was less than 10,000. Most of that growth has come from AAN members who run AltWeeklies.com teasers, which have also increased traffic on their own sites.
This year AAN put out no ordinary awards book. Among the honored first-place entries is a Pulitzer Prize-winning story by Willamette Week's Nigel Jaquiss. "Best AltWeekly Writing and Design 2005" offers a wide selection of riveting reading, produced by some seasoned writers and others just beginning to make their mark. The bookstore-quality volume is designed to reach a wider audience than ever.
Months ago, AAN Editor Ruth Hammond was carried away by a flood of tearsheets and PDF files. She reappears with this behind-the-scenes look at the Alternative Newsweekly Awards contest, for which she's served as administrator and medic.
