I am Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, or adriennewrites, as I’m known on Twitter.
Writer. Editor. Culture Critic. That’s me.
I am an award-winning journalist with over 10 years of experience covering everything from Hurricane Katrina to Department of Defense contracts. I am currently the senior editor of Ebony magazine. There, I edit, write and assign stories for the Your Career, Health & Fitness and Arts & Entertainment sections. I also wrote November 2009’s cover story on Diddy and several other cover stories on Taraji Henson and Viola Davis, Tyra Banks, Ludacris and Boris Kudjoe. My favorite Ebony piece has nothing to do with celebrity. It’s called “Guess Who Sells Your Weave?” It delved into the business behind Korean-American-owned beauty supply stores that cater to the African-American community. It also won several awards, including a 2009 Salute to Excellence nod from the National Association of Black Journalists.
I’m a former Globie (The Boston Globe,) a former St. Peterite (the St. Petersburg Times) and a former reporter for Ma Herald (i.e. The Miami Herald.) I’ve covered international news, including the actions of the United Nations. I’ve covered fashion. I’ve covered sports. I’ve covered murders. I’ve covered presidential elections. I’ve covered regional, national and international tragedies. I’ve also covered lots and lots and lots of politics.
I have a rather large set of Rolodexes.
Along the way I’ve had tons o’ fun. I flew with the Navy Blue Angels and lived to write about it. I hunted for whale poachers with the Coast Guard and drove the Cutter while I was at it. I discovered why the Department of Defense spent millions and millions with a small community college in St. Petersburg, Fla. I penned (in my opinion) one of the best obituaries of Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams. I’ve had lunch with Tyra Banks and been a featured expert on her show. I’ve been into the Ludaplex and broke bread with Ludacris. I drove through the backwoods of South Carolina, Iowa and Illinois while covering the election of President Barack Obama. I met the president of Senegal at his house. I wrote a large portion of Ebony’s coverage of the death of Michael Jackson. I’ve even eaten at a place called Lizard’s Thicket.
Journalists lead interesting lives. Mine has barely started. Stay tuned to learn more about it.
p.s. Need I even say that everything on this blog is copyrighted material? If you copy and use my words without my written permission, out of context and/or without full attribution, then, well, we’ll have big, big problems. Being a writer also means being honest. If you have to steal words or ideas, find a new profession. Alright then! Carry on!
p.s.s. To go to my actual blog, click on Adriennewrites!
