As many of you know, we work at a university about 20 minutes away from Virginia Tech, so yesterday's tragic events seemed even more surreal. Although no one we know personally was involved, the effects will continue to have an impact on our campus and community for a long, long time.

Because I'm a writer of creative nonfiction and Tim has a journalism degree and oversees the student media here, one of our concerns is the way events are handled in the media. We're constantly frustrated by the nature of broadcast news, but occasionally a written piece will come close to the way we think journalism should be done--using narrative to make events more real, not hiding behind talking points and cliches:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041700437.html

It was this story, of all I've read over the last 24 hours, that brought me to tears. Our hearts go out to all of those involved and their loved ones.