#1 Lilly Lopez

From Lilly’s Blog

My name is Lillian Lopez but feel free to call me Lilly. Until recently I reported for Ephton Valley’s local paper.  I became a journalist because I wanted to report on the things that mattered and I wanted to report the truth. I did not want to write propaganda for a paycheck. If they won’t afford me that opportunity, I will forgo their paycheck and report here.

I am going to start by telling you about myself. I want you to know who I am, so you can decide for yourself if you want to trust me or not.

Lilly's Notebooks

My parents moved to Ephton Valley in 1980. Most people have been here for generations and most of them are not Latinos but my parents fit right in. By the time I was born in 1985 their restaurant had become quite the social hub. I spent much of my childhood hanging out in that restaurant, even though few people noticed because I was so quiet. My parents thought I was daydreaming but they were wrong. I was very much present, taking in the sights and sounds, watching the people, listening to them, curious about their lives and how they intersected.

At night I would sit in bed with my notebook and write about everything I saw. I never told anyone about those notebooks; I guess I assumed they’d think I was some kind of creepy little kid voyeur. Through my writing I began to see a bigger picture emerge. For instance, one day I wrote down that the grocery store owner had been short and rude to the lady who ran the stationary store. A few days later I jotted down a conversation at school in which one boy told another that the stationary store was selling sodas cheaper than the grocery. Suddenly the truth of the previous encounter emerged.

There were also happy stories. Once I wrote about a particularly sweet encounter when the mailman was extra nice to one of our waitresses. Later, I heard from the kitchen staff that she was recently single again. No wonder the mailman was being so nice! They went on to get married.

Reporting has always been, to me, about seeing the bigger truth through the small moments. That excites me, that makes me happy. At the same time I understand the power it can have, so I believe it must be used responsibly.

I left Ephton Valley for college and thought I would never return. I had grown bored. Why settle for the stories of a small town when there were so many more stories and a bigger picture to decipher in a city? My arrogance lead me to believe my skills would be put to better use elsewhere. If only life was not so intent on proving us all wrong! I was happily working in a city for three years out of college when my dad called. My mother was sick, he said. I came running home. Luckily, my mother recovered and a disaster was averted. But what I came home to was not the town I grew up in. Things had changed. The big picture was no longer the same. My curiosity grabbed hold of me. I poked around and did not like what I saw. Since I could no longer get away with being a nosey kid hanging out in a restaurant, I got a staff job at the local paper. When they refused to publish a profile I wrote, for fear of retribution from the local business “tycoon” who also owns them, I quit.

And so I have come full circle. Only now I’m not keeping notebook stashed under my bed. This time around I want people to have the opportunity to read this. You may not like what it reveals about us or the world around us but the truth really will set you free.

If you got this far and are still with me, I can promise you an interesting ride. See you tomorrow.