In July, we shared some exciting news with readers.
That month, we began publishing at least one bonus section a day on MyAJC.com and on our AJCePaper. Even though that’s the replica edition of the printed newspaper, we’ve been able to add sections and update stories in ways that aren’t always possible in our printed newspaper.
We’re on pace to publish 305 of these sections – ranging from our Travel Extra, to our Falcons and Braves extras, to our special digital section on Ebola. It’s all part of our commitment to help readers, like you, make the most of your subscription.
Throughout December, we’ll be offering subscribers another gift.
In addition to our normal lineup of bonus sections, we’ll “publish” an extra digital section each day for the next 31 days. These sections appear exclusively on our AJCePaper and provide the perfect opportunity to revisit the stories, columns, photos, cartoons and front pages that made you laugh, made you mad or brought a lump to your throat.
It all begins Monday, with a special digital section called, “Where in Atlanta Am I?”
Think you know Atlanta? Peruse our unique photos of the city to see if you can guess where they were taken. (Don’t worry, we’ll provide the answers.)
Later that week, we’ll begin sharing the best work of 2014 from each of our photographers.
In addition to viewing the powerful images that shaped our stories, you’ll also meet our staff of photojournalists, such as John Spink.
“I enjoy giving the public a ringside seat to events of importance in today’s news,” Spink writes in an introduction to the section featuring his best photographs of the year. “I want people to stop and take notice. I figure if my work carries my name under it, it better be something that’s noteworthy to publish.”
Each Saturday of the month features some of our favorite Personal Journeys of the year.
Do you remember reporter Misty Williams’ first-person account of navigating the health care system while caring for her severely injured boyfriend? You can revisit that story on Dec. 6.
How about “Mondays with Mr. Collins”? That story focused on a troubled child who barely spoke when he was in the first grade – that is, until Mr. Art Collins came into his life. It appears on Dec. 13.
Or our story on the homecoming queen who gave birth to a son at 18? Her father was a judge, and she gave up her child and kept silent for years until the two eventually reunited. It runs on Dec. 20.
And what about our Personal Journey on a former seminary student and church deacon-turned-folk artist who owns a wildly popular, religious themed (some would say sacrilegious) bar that was named the best themed bar in the world? It appears on Dec. 27.
On Wednesday, Dec. 24, we have a special treat for readers.
That’s the day we’ll publish some of our favorite columns from our favorite columnists: Celestine Sibley. Lewis Grizzard. Furman Bisher.
Here, you can enjoy, once again, those simple yet elegant slices of life that made Sibley, Grizzard and Bisher so memorable. You can also relive the moments that shaped Atlanta’s history.
There’s this, from Sibley, who was driving along a Mississippi road when she heard the heart-breaking news that shocked us all: “So I fiddled with the dial hoping for news and then I got a fragment or two about a shooting somewhere. It was many minutes before the crack of the lightning and the roar of wind and rain let the whole story come through. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a kind man, an eloquent man, gone.”
Or this, from Grizzard, on his beloved black Lab named “Catfish,” who was just as famous, it seemed, as the writer himself: “Catfish had a good life. He slept indoors. Mostly he ate what I ate. We shared our last meal Tuesday evening in our living room in front of the television … He was smart. He was fun. And he loved to ride in cars. There were times he was all that I had.”
And this, from Bisher, on that magical October night in 1995 when Atlanta became the City of Champions: “The world stopped turning last night. The sun came up at midnight. Atlanta turned the other cheek and didn’t get slapped. The Braves went to bed – if they went to bed at all – champions of the baseball world.”
The sports world has left an indelible mark on this city, so throughout the month, we’ll be revisiting some of our best sports stories, too. On Sunday, Dec. 21, we’ll look back at the stories that shaped the past 50 years in metro Atlanta.
At the end of the month, we’ll look back at some of our most memorable front pages of the year (Dec. 26); Mike Luckovich will share his favorite cartoons of 2014 (Dec. 28); and we’ll revisit some of the year’s top stories (Dec. 30).
Finally, on Dec. 31, we’ll share some great adventures that you might consider for 2015 – from a train ride through Colorado to a motorcycle journey through Alaska.
As you can see, it’s an exciting month – one you don’t want to miss.
If you’re a subscriber, don’t forget that full digital access is now included with your subscription at no extra cost. Simply go to ajcdelivers.com to register for digital access. As you spend time with these sections, and as you engage with all of the other enhanced content that we offer on MyAJC.com and the AJCePaper, please continue to share your thoughts.
After all, your feedback only helps us improve.
Happy holidays!
