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Hanna Kozlowska's avatar

The pitching and rejection cycle can be so lonely, and pieces like this make it just a little less so. Thank you Erica!

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Erika Hayasaki's avatar

Totally! I know we all go through it. Glad this may be helpful for some.

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Hanna Kozlowska's avatar

Ugh I’m so sorry about the typo in your name (I say this as someone who gets called HannaH more often than not)!

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Erika Hayasaki's avatar

no worries! :)

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Bonnie Ho's avatar

Learning from your detailing the behind-the-scenes process of getting a story told is what I appreciate about your substack so much. This post shares so much about your persistence and your drive. I know of a couple of journalists who want to tell stories about L.A. after the wildfires, and I hope to impart your wisdom to them from this post and another about why their local stories will continue to matter. The first photo of Edralina in this piece breaks my heart, knowing what happened to her the year following. Thank you for shedding light on what the toll has been for survivors.

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Erika Hayasaki's avatar

Thank you so much for reading and for this note, Bonnie. And if any journalists in the LA area have story ideas about the wildfires and are looking to pitch editors I am happy to make those connections. It's important to keep telling these stories after time passes and news moves on.

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Bonnie Ho's avatar

Thank you so much for your kind offer! These two journalists do have an affiliation with a local newsroom, but if I encounter others without a connection, I'll let them know. I may also reach out to you about this down the line!

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