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2 GROUNDCOVER NEWS GROUNDCOVER from the DIRECTOR'S DESK LINDSAY CALKA Managing director It was Ken Parks’ turn to speak at the Groundcover News Article Review. Instead of sharing insightful reflections on one of the most recent articles, he shared that he had ran out of time to listen to an article from the issue. Yes, listen to an article. On Tuesdays, office volunteers would read a selection from the paper to him; he then would share a summation and reflection of that article during our biweekly article review meeting. This is a routine he had started when his macular degeneration, or “Mac-D” as he calls it, had gotten worse. It generally worked well for one piece every two weeks, but he was consistently missing out on large chunks of the Groundcover News $2 issues. Parks is not alone in the reality that the print size of Groundcover News is too small to read without a visual or auditory aid. A physical newspaper is more “accessible” when it comes to the digital divide — but it prevents zooming in, enlarging text size, and requires about a 5th grade reading level. The quest to solve this accessibility problem inspired an exciting partnership with the Ann Arbor District Library’s 5th Avenue Studios. We are excited to announce Groundcover Speaks, a blind and print-disabled accessible audio archive of Groundcover News. It’s not technically a Groundcover podcast, but it will exist on most podcasting platforms in a biweekly episode format. 5th Avenue Studios supports local podcasters, musicians and audio creators in the Ann Arbor area, and has helped bring Groundcover News’ accessibility one step closer to where it needs to be. The added benefit is that the Groundcover stories, news reports, poems and more will be spoken aloud by the authors themselves. Hearing the first draft of the June 29 Groundcover Speaks episode, I fully realized the gift it is for our customers to really hear the voices of Groundcover contributors. I know most writers quite well, and can hear their stories “in their voice,” so to speak. But I had never heard the actual sound — the emotion, the inflection. Spoiler alert: it is powerful, and moving. You can access Groundcover Speaks many different ways. Scan the QR code printed in the paper, which links to our linktr.ee, where you can choose which method works best for you: • Listen online on the AADL’s website • Listen online to the Groundcover News website under the tab “Groundcover Speaks” • Stream through Apple Podcasts or Spotify Right now, in the pilot phase of this project, we will be releasing the audio version of Groundcover News two weeks after print publication. To begin, we have the past three issues (June 29, July 14 and July 28) available as three separate episodes. The audio recording of this issue — and yes, this article — will be available for listening on August 25. There is a sound bite at the beginning of each episode that communicates an AUGUST 11, 2023 important message: “If you consistently enjoy ‘Groundcover Speaks,’ continuing to buy physical newspapers from Groundcover vendors ensures that we can sustain production. The physical paper and in-person interaction is at the heart of our work.” This couldn’t be more true. We have waited this long to digitize and expand our media footprint because it is important that we do not jeopardize the in-person sales of Groundcover vendors. This is a project that aims to enhance the physical paper, not to replace it. We hope to deepen, not change, the fulfillment of our mission with the production of Groundcover Speaks. Happy listening. CREATING OPPORTUNITY AND A VOICE FOR LOW-INCOME PEOPLE WHILE TAKING ACTION TO END HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY. Groundcover News, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in April 2010 as a means to empower lowincome persons to make the transitions from homeless to housed, and from jobless to employed. Vendors purchase each copy of our regular editions of Groundcover News at our office for 50 cents. This money goes towards production costs. Vendors work selling the paper on the street for $2, keeping all income and tips from each sale. Street papers like Groundcover News exist in cities all over the United States, as well as in more than 40 other countries, in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of homeless people and combat the increase in poverty. Our paper is a proud member of the International Network of Street Papers. STAFF Lindsay Calka — publisher Cynthia Price — editor Layla McMurtrie — deputy editor ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Susan Beckett John Buckley Jim Clark Izzy Hedin-Urrutia Dalon Eaton Mike Jones Lit Kurtz Joshua Lee Ken Parks Will Shakespeare Denise Shearer Scoop Stevens GROUNDCOVER NEWS ADVERTISING RATES Size 1/8 1/6 1/4 1/2 full page Black/White $110.00 $145.00 $200.00 $375.00 $650.00 Color $150.00 $200.00 $265.00 $500.00 $900.00 Dimensions (W x H in inches) 5 X 3 or 2.5 X 6.5 5 X 4 5 X 6.25 5 X 13 or 10.25 X 6.5 10.25 X 13 PROOFREADERS Susan Beckett Elliot Cubit Zachary Dortzbach Anabel Sicko Sandy Smith VOLUNTEERS Jessi Averill Logan Brown Luiza Duarte Caetano Glenn Gates Alexandra Granberg Harleen Kaur Robert Klingler Mira Simonton-Chao Alex Tarbet Melanie Wenzel Mary Wisgerhof Max Wisgerhof Claude VanValkenburg Navya Yagalla Emily Yao CONTACT US Story and photo submissions: submissions@groundcovernews.com Advertising and partnerships: contact@groundcovernews.com Office: 423 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor Mon-Sat, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Phone: 734-263-2098 @groundcover @groundcovernews DONATE, PITCH A STORY + LEARN MORE www.groundcovernews.org linktr.ee/groundcovernews PACKAGE PRICING Three Months/Six Issues: 15% off Six Months/Twelve Issues: 25% off Full Year/Twenty-four Issues: 35% off Only run for two weeks/one issue: 40% off Additional 20% discount for money saving coupons

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