The Paper and the Sonoma County Stump

Since I've discovered that I can now backdate my old blog posts that were crammed into the years 2007, and 2008, when I first began blogging, I've been rearranging old posts. However, they no longer have context. So here's a bit on the newspapers I worked for during the 1980s and 1990s, to give you some kickoff perspective.

See also Old Posts, New Posts

The Paper was first launched in 1979 by Elizabeth Poole and Nick Valentine, in Guernewood Park, and later moved to Monte Rio. After Bliss Buys and Joe Leary's Sonoma County Stump folded around 1981, Simone Wilson and I began working for The Paper. Somewhere along the way, it became the West Sonoma County Paper. Nick Valentine, or the new owner, John Boland (of KQED fame) may have changed the name again. John Boland moved The Paper from Monte RIo to Forestville to Freestone, to Santa Rosa and it became the Sonoma County Independent.

It was purchased in 1994 by Silicon Valley-based Metro Newspapers Group (a chain of 10 weeklies: AAN Metro Silicon Valley and Metro Santa Cruz).  Soon after that, I left The Paper, the thrill was gone, micromanagers and myopic editors, and turfy journalists including Gretchen Giles, ran roughshod over us. I didn't survive the politics. The jerk with whom I was sharing darkroom duties (I was on the road a lot in those days) stole my negatives and  job. And that was that.

The Sonoma County Independent morphed into the Northern California Bohemian in 2000, or rather, The North Bay Bohemian. Alas, the archives only date back to November of 1995. I use the same name throughout, though I worked for at least three iterations of the paper. I got some good stories, I learned a lot. For that I'm grateful.

More here on The Paper.    THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011

Remembering Nick Valentine & Phil Osborn at The Paper

Activist Mary Moore wrote to the Bohemian editor: Your birth was in Monte Rio around 1979 as The Paper and I still have many articles saved from that time. With Nick Valentine as editor and Tom and Elizabeth as publishers, this brave little weekly with beautiful graphics and extraordinary layout (before computers) became must reading for all us counterculture types. It replaced Bliss Buy's previous paper, the Sonoma County Stump as the activist publication, and was one of the reasons that we were so successful in 1980, the first year that we protested at Bohemian Grove. It took us through the early 1980s protests at Rancho Seco, Diablo Canyon and the Livermore labs as well as covering all our doings here at home.

Impossible to find anything online about The Sonoma County Stump. But I found this:

Patrick K. Lanzing, Editor/Photographer/Life StudentSonoma County Stump1972 – 1975 (3 years) Russian River, California
Learned how to run a local-area community newspaper in the beautiful Russian River region of Sonoma County, CA, alongside one of the great unsung heroines of the American Free Press: Bliss Buys (ne: Cochrane). Helped organize a benefit featuring the Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter Bands. Photographed the Russian River Rodeo and stomped grapes with folks who nowadays own their own wineries. Walked in the redwoods, happy but dirt poor. Wrote stirring editorials and knew my community. Then I went to the big city and got a "real" job.

I found this reference in the March 1978 Oak Leaf: Jerry Garcia Band and Robert Hunter’s band Comfort will be appearing at the Sebastopol Veterans Auditorium on March 22 to do a Benefit for the Sonoma County Stump, a local newspaper. Tickets are on sale now so if you’re interested, go get ’em while they’re still available.

I don't remember him, we probably met at the Stump office above the Mexican restaurant in Forestville. 
But it gave me another lead to search out Bliss—her name, Cochran. And I found this: 
Bliss Cochran | LinkedIn

Publisher with 40+ years experience producing small periodicals, including Sonoma County Stump weekly newspaper, Cochran's Antiques & Collectibles monthly and Cochran's Collectors' Guide, an annual travel-size map guide to antique stores from WA to AZ provided in hardcopy and also online at our website, www.cochrans.com. Singer and rhythm guitarist performing with two bands in Mexico.Specialties Sales, photography, copywriting, customer relations, singing.

Around 1979*, I began writing. I took a few classes at Sonoma State while I was finishing up my art degree. Something clicked. I'd found what I wanted to do. Many of the earlier pieces that are not news stories are from David Bromige's poetry classes, and Elizabeth Herron's fiction classes. I discovered I couldn't write fiction, but I could write prose poems.

Simone Wilson, Bliss Buys and Joe Leary at the Sonoma County Stump offices above the Forestville Inn & Cantina, 1980. Alternative was our middle name.

I had a camera, I happened to live near the Sonoma County Stump office, I wandered in once day to see what I could see, and next thing I knew, I was given the centerfold to create a double-truck spread on Sonoma County poetry, and a deadline—and the rest is history.

When the Stump went under in January of 1982, Simone and I marched to Monte Rio and got hired by The Paper. My salad daze. When I moved to The Paper, I was Phil Osborne's assistant, and developed dozens of rolls for each issue. I needed a stepladder to reach the PMT camera exposure dials.

These are working notes by which to put some context to my writing during the early years. I don't have much to show for from the early years. It was during  the pre-computer era. And to add insult to injury, the work I did eventually transcribe over to bytes, is locked away behind obsolete technology. Some of it I was able to open. Most of it is cyber-gobbelygook. Oh, why did I use DiskDoublr and not unpack my writing as I moved it from floppy disks to CDs and hard drives? And if a piece did make it to the digital format, it's not the final version that appeared in print...

Me at the Sonoma County Stump office, Forestville, 1980. I was the poetry editor. I began to illustrate the poetry centerfold page. Then I began to seek out poets to publish, then I began to take photos with an old Minolta...Joe Leary developed my negatives and one thing led to another...perhaps even a touch of insanity, I mean, The Poet.

As I find more bits, I will revisit and update the backend of this blog. Until then.

                              —Maureen Hurley, Feb 26, 2014

* I took David Bromige's poetry class during the fall of 1978; most of what I wrote, was regrettable but by winter of 1979, I was beginning to find my voice (but unfortunately I hadn't yet lost my adverbs and adjectives.) However, by posting them here, I am also getting rid of a lot of paper! Hope I don't regret the no hard copy thing. But, really, I never, ever look at them, Ever. At least I can track my work this way.