By 
By: NICK WORT
Staff Writer
When I first walked into the Preface office, I was terrified. I had never wrote a news article in my life. I had never interviewed a single soul, and – as much as it pains me to say this – I had never even read an entire issue of The Preface.
So I did what anyone in my situation would do: I lied. (Well, sort of.) I didn’t say I had years of news writing experience or anything like that, but I did say I read newspapers all the time, and I did say I could get the style down without a problem. I didn’t even know what AP style was.
I went downstairs, grabbed a couple issues of the Preface and a New York Times, figured out the style as best as I could, and tried my hardest to emulate it.
Somehow, to my surprise, it worked.
And because it worked, that little lie ended up being one of the best lies I’ve ever told.
I got to experience so many great things because of The Preface. I interviewed the mayor. I got to talk to an incredibly drunk Andrew W.K. about Lil Bub the cat.
I’ve met community leaders, business owners and politicians. I’ve learned to work under deadlines, and how to fail at meeting those deadlines. I’ve learned to talk to strangers and even managed to make a few people mad.
My time at The Preface was one of the best experiences of my life, and it introduced me to so many interesting people.
I’d like to thank everybody on the current Preface staff and all the former Preface staffers who have already left. I’d like to thank Ken Klimek, for teaching me more than I ever thought I’d know about the media. I’d like to thank current editor, Celia Roeder, for putting up with my crazy schedule. I’d like to thank former editor, Sarah Emming, for letting me get away with turning a million stories in late, and I’d like to thank our new editors, Jordan Rae Lucas and Ryan Lohman, for keeping The Preface alive and having some of the best plans yet for next year.
I guess lying about your abilities isn’t the worst thing you can do after all.
