Jan. 31 is my last day as the editor at QCity Metro, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next.
I’ll be taking on the role of lifestyle editor and deepening our coverage of people-centered stories.
As a former social worker, people’s experiences have driven my work for the better part of a decade. Since joining QCity Metro as editor in 2022, I have focused on supporting our team across all beats. I’ve helped manage our news and lifestyle coverage, and it’s been challenging in all the best ways.
From health to restaurant reviews and everything in between, I’ve seen firsthand the power of storytelling in Charlotte and how our readers connect with the issues we report on.
But time and time again, it was the people-centered stories that stuck with me the most.
It was writing about a mother’s love as her son announced he was foregoing college to pursue music, speaking with Black entrepreneurs, learning the key to a 70-year marriage — stories like that — that felt innately like what we should be covering more of. I wanted to find ways to do more of that.
Our publisher, Glenn Burkins, has long wanted QCity Metro to increase our coverage of what it’s like living in Charlotte through strong, people-centered storytelling, and I’m excited to announce that he’s given me the opportunity to focus on that effort — something I’ve been petitioning over the last six months.
Beginning Feb. 1, I will become QCity Metro’s lifestyle editor. In this role, I will manage our lifestyle coverage, including things to do, restaurants, entertainment and the scope of living in Charlotte, as well as finding powerful stories about people that should be told.
But I need your help.
I’m looking for stories that are either interesting and totally unique or reflect what it’s truly like living in Charlotte.
Here are a few past examples:
Some immediate questions I’d like to answer are: (1) How expensive is Charlotte? What does a person’s budget and day-to-day really look like? (2) How do people find friends in Charlotte? What’s it like for newcomers? (3) What does Charlotte’s Black immigrant population look like in Charlotte? (4) What keeps an entrepreneur going in today’s social/political climate? (5) Where do aging people socialize and fit into Charlotte as it grows? (6) Are longtime Charlotteans considering exiting at the rate new people are moving here? (7) What does a day in the life in Charlotte look like for different people?
I have many questions, and I’d love to talk to you if you can answer one of them. I’d also like to hear your story it’s interesting, unique and something we should be telling.
Send me an email — or send Charlotte’s most interesting folks my way — anytime: madeline@qcitymetro.com
-Madeline