Now accepting applications for North State Voices

The Enterprise-Record is accepting applications for our next round of “North State Voices” columnists.

This weekly feature has been a popular part of our Opinion page for nearly 20 years, and with 2021 coming to an end, we’re looking ahead to who is going to be a part of the page in 2022.

Once again, whoever we choose will have four tough acts to follow.

This year, we’ve had a great mix of stories from Voices columnists Bonnie Pipkin, Amber Woodward-Gravitt, Lizi Lee and Sarah Peterson Young — everything from Amber’s “Killer instincts” column on hunters and house flies to Bonnie’s revelation that she was the “naked waitress” who gained national fame for disrobing during her final shift at a Brooklyn pizzeria.

In short, you never knew what was coming next with this group. And now, we will see what’s coming next — from you.

North State Voices runs on our Opinion page every Thursday, with columnists taking turns. So, each columnist ends up writing 13 columns in one calendar year.

The key is, we want your words on things that impact your life on a day-to-day (or, even year-to-year) basis. We really don’t need more viewpoints on Washington or

Joe Biden or national politics or even “Let’s go Brandon” — we have plenty of those elsewhere on our Opinion pages, from a variety of sources. (That’s not to say we wouldn’t listen if you have a particularly powerful personal story about how something on that level has impacted your life, but, generally speaking, we’re more interested in real-life, firstperson stories.)

The application process is quite simple. First, put together a cover letter, telling us a little about yourself and why you’re interested in becoming a North State Voices columnist. We’ll also need two sample columns — approximately 600 words apiece — as well as at least three other column topics you’d like to tackle during the year.

That’s it. You can email your submission to voices@chicoer.com. Just write “North State Voices” in the subject line. Please send the entry as straight text in your email; no attachments.

You can also mail your application packet to: North

State Voices, Enterprise-Record/Mercury-Register, P.O. Box 9, Chico, CA, 95927.

The deadline is Friday, Dec. 3.

And by the way — if you’ve applied in the past and not been selected, please don’t let that stop you from trying again. In each of the past three years, at least one North State Voices columnist submitted applications without being chosen in the past, only to be chosen on their most recent entry.

Once the entries are received, we’ll convene a panel of judges and notify the four winners by Monday, Dec. 13. (We are also accepting applications to be a judge; email us at “voices@ chicoer.com” if you’re interested.)

You can expect our first “new” North State Voices columnist to appear Thursday, Jan. 6.

And, by following the steps outlined above, it just might be you.

The key is, we want your words on things that impact your life on a dayto-day (or, even year-toyear) basis. We really don’t need more viewpoints on Washington or Joe Biden or national politics or even “Let’s go Brandon” — we have plenty of those elsewhere on our Opinion pages, from a variety of sources.