Tarquinio wins AEJMC award for business story
University of Arizona School of Journalism student Shayne Tarquinio’s profile of the Raging Sage coffee shop captured first place nationally in the 2019 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Student Magazine Contest in the specialized business category.
“Shayne wrote a meticulously crafted profile of exactly what a small business story like this should be,” judge Rob Marvin of PC Magazine wrote in his comments. “The reader comes to understand the unique history and mindset of the entrepreneurs who opened Raging Sage and the family business it has blossomed into, and how it has become a local mainstay in the community over the past two decades.”
Tarquinio will receive $100 for the story along with a certificate from the AEJMC annual conference in Toronto in early August.
She wrote the story, “A coffee shop where the range of Tucson mingles,” in Professor William Schmidt's feature writing class. It was published on the school's Arizona Sonora News website on April 10. Raging Sage is at 2458 N. Campbell Ave.
The judge said her story is “steeped in rich descriptive details that help you pictures the sounds, smells, and tastes of the coffee shop’s atmosphere.”
“It’s easy to imagine tables full of everyone from old hippies and local craftsmen to young hipsters and professionals all nestled around tables filled with fragrant drinks and flaky pastries, all surrounded by the buzz of relaxed, intellectual conversation,” Marvin wrote.
“Little flourishes, like how the coffee shop reluctantly added Wi-Fi, also help to ground the story in a relatable narrative about a local spot trying its hardest not to change with the world around it.”