December 2011
1 post
Hello to all my new followers. FYI, I do all of my tweeting from my professional handle, @mpvdna. Feel free to folo me there.
November 2011
1 post
Been a while...
Yeah, it’s been a while. Been working up a storm at DNAinfo.com. In the past week, I’ve been quoted in several media outlets about our experience covering Occupy Wall Street. I was in The Washington Post and The New York Observer. What I told the Observer was then reprinted by The New York Times.
April 2011
2 posts
Life, the universe, and everything — The Village... →
“What if space isn’t the final frontier? What if beyond our galaxy, far, far away, there is a whole other universe parallel to ours, perhaps in another dimension? Fans of comic books and science fiction have long fantasized about such possibilities. Remember Superman’s Earth-One and Earth-Two? Or how that transporter malfunction brought us an evil Kirk and Spock? Turns out such...
Those Who Can, Teach — Back Stage →
This piece in Back Stage deals with actors who want to teach and the job market they face. - MPV
November 2010
2 posts
Friendly Neighborhood Deathtrap - Back Stage →
Latest piece for Back Stage. It deals with actor safety. - MPV
My story ‘Windmills of the Mind’ from the Village Voice was anthologized here. http://bit.ly/cRXGeh
July 2010
3 posts
Naming Names - The Village Voice →
This piece is about the creation and elements of CUNY’s new system-wide sexual assault policy. - MPV
The Best Cigar Bars in New York City - Time Out... →
Really enjoyed reporting this piece because it reminded me how much I love a good cigar. Some of the other places I checked out for this story landed on the cutting room floor, so shoot me a note if you need additional recommendations. - MPV
Despite the economic slump, theater towns large... →
First piece on the street now that I’m back in the writing game appeared in Back Stage. It deals with theater construction and the impact new and newly renovated spaces have on local actors.
June 2010
1 post
Back to work...
After taking some time off to finish my degree and settle in to a new job, I’m getting back in the writing game. First up, my old friend, the Village Voice. Look for my story in late July.
April 2010
1 post
Get in the game, Manhattan media people! Newsy iPad apps are lacking. http://bit.ly/cgGlmd
February 2010
1 post
Working Miracles With Disabled Actors - Back Stage →
Latest piece for Back Stage. It was a challenge to report this story and I’m grateful to Dan for the assignment. Opened my eyes to issues that I don’t often encounter. Issues that definitely need more coverage. - MPV
January 2010
3 posts
City Universities Are Part of Bloomberg's Green... →
My latest piece for the Village Voice’s education supplements deals with how local universities figure into Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to green the city and grow green jobs here. I focused in particular on a program at NYU-Polytechnic. But what makes this story, really, is the image. Bloomberg as a leprechaun dancing on a path of fairy dust: priceless! -MPV
F Train Cat Finds Home at East Broadway Subway... →
Late one night I saw this cat sitting calmly at the edge of the platform at the East Broadway subway station. Luckily, DNAinfo has supplied me with a PowerShot that I carry around at all times, so I was able to snap a photo of the cat. Sorry it’s not the best photo ever, but the story turned out well. Here’s Gothamist’s reaction to it.
Awesome! RT @suzannebma: DNAInfo: Moose or Caribou? Manhattanites Busted For Animal Ignorance After LES Lawsuit - http://bit.ly/6UnIby
I love this video. Suzanne did a great job with it. She and I talked about how to do something creative with this story about an animal head that fell on a woman at a Lower East Side restaurant and the reaction we were getting from users who complained that the...
December 2009
8 posts
More Brooklyn Paper love, including shout outs from Brooklyn Beer: http://bit.ly/8RzJ7K and No Land Grab: http://bit.ly/7FhUWr
Belated discovery of blog love about Brooklyn Paper stories: http://bit.ly/77JYzg
“I can’t understand why anyone would write fiction when what actually happens is so amazing.” Ditto for me, Nora Ephron.
Looking for info on education and the green economy. Plus, how schools are dealing with shrinking endowments and growing enrollments. Ideas?
Unbelievable. And sad. RT @donnamairoldi: Nielsen shutters Editor & Publisher and Kirkus. http://bit.ly/5NTCZ3
If you search for Michael P. Ventura on The Huffington Post, you’ll see my Brooklyn Paper stories. Now how about me sending a check, HuffPo?
PS Got new assignments from the Voice. Back to work!
Apparently, all my work for The Brooklyn Paper was also republished on The Huffington Post. Can I then say my work appeared on HuffPo?
November 2009
26 posts
30th Anniversary of The Brooklyn Paper →
For the 30th anniversary edition of The Brooklyn Paper, I was asked to write up how 10 neighborhoods and five projects had developed over the past three decades. For the neighborhoods, there’s Bay Ridge, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Red Hook, Fort Greene, Greenpoint/Williamsburg, DUMBO, Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn and Coney Island. For the projects, there’s the Gowanus...
Atlantic Yards nears its climax - The Brooklyn... →
At Brooklyn Bridge Park, lots of fits, but few... →
Still looking up Downtown - The Brooklyn Paper →
Along the Gowanus, a sense that past is prologue -... →
The rise and fall and rise of a great public pool... →
Coney Island: At Coney, is the past prologue? -... →
Photo by Allyse Pulliam / Brooklyn Paper
Bay Ridge: The new ethnic mix - The Brooklyn Paper →
Prior to reporting this story, I thought Bay Ridge was strictly an Italian neighborhood. Wasn’t aware of its strong Scandinavian, particularly Norwegian, ties. - MPV
Red Hook: On the waterfront, but not ‘On the... →
Carroll Gardens: An enclave holds on - The... →
Had a fascinating chat with Buddy Scotto for this piece.
Brooklyn Heights: The story of Brooklyn Heights?... →
Williamsburg/Greenpoint: Have a beer and hear a... →
Park Slope: The epicenter of the brownstoners -... →
Fort Greene: Crime is gone and all are welcome -... →
DUMBO: A long journey from warehouse to hothouse -... →
Downtown Brooklyn: From Retail to Residential -... →
One of a broad series of neighborhood profiles I wrote for the Brooklyn Paper’s 30th anniversary edition. The history of Brooklyn’s various neighborhoods is fascinating. It was really fun to report this story.
‘The years when it all came together’ - Second piece for #Brooklyn Paper. This one’s about development projects. Enjoy! http://bit.ly/4W9GFG
‘Thirty years of covering Brooklyn’ - I got 2 stories in this week’s #Brooklyn Paper! My first pieces for them. http://bit.ly/4W9GFG
Bars Close to the Subway - Time Out New York →
Enjoyed reporting this piece. Hit bars in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Blackout, seen here in a photo by Anna Wolf, is the new hotspot in Greenpoint. — MPV
In 1911, BK-ites thought they’d be rid of “evil smells given forth by the murky waters of the Gowanus Canal.” -NYT 100 years, still waiting.
So great! Yay! RT @DNAinfo: NYMag approves!!! http://bit.ly/3hvHEm #dnainfo
Latest for @TimeOutNewYork: Bars near subway. Really enjoyed reporting this w/ @donnamairoldi. Cool bars out there! http://bit.ly/3FL4VE
Some new stuff: Bio page on @DNAinfo http://bit.ly/3liRN3 And Fan page on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1S7HCN
Interviews and research about Brooklyn neighborhoods all through the weekend for piece in the BP.
Site where I freelance is now live. RT @DNAinfo: DNAinfo.com is now live! Your go-to place for Manhattan news and information. #DNAinfo
Voice shout! RT @villagevoice: Columbia built a huge skyscraper- directly in the sight-line of their space observatory http://bit.ly/1vjUTo
October 2009
10 posts
Feverishly working last minute assignment for Brooklyn Paper. Then, time to fire pitch barrage and clean up some written pieces to submit.