Telling your stories

I’m curious about you and your community.

I’ll be here for you when you see a problem in your town.

I want to hear about your community’s unsung heroes; the men and women you feel deserve recognition.

Use me to shine a light on an issue close to your heart.

The new Sun Rise editor has your best interests in mind, but I’ll need your help.

I have newspaper experience, working at weekly and daily newspapers in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts for more than 15 years.

Five years ago, I quit my last newspaper job to start my own business and spend more time at home, helping to raise my 10-year-old son, Max.

I cherished the flexible hours that permitted me to take my son to school, and pick him up after, from his first days in kindergarten, through the pandemic, and into the fourth grade.

I coach his North Providence Little League team. Coaching a team of youngsters has been challenging, but incredibly rewarding.

Over the past few years, however, I missed journalism badly. The lure of the newsroom was too great, so I started looking around for a new gig.

Finally, I found one in my own backyard.

Your local paper needed a new editor.

When I discovered the Johnston Sun Rise was searching for someone to take over, I knew instantly it was a perfect fit.

I live in North Providence, which shares a border with Johnston. I had already been spending a great deal of time in the town, eating veal parmesan subs at Luigi’s and sipping java at Brewed Awakenings.

I already had questions about the community. I craved a chance to highlight the quirks and charms of Johnston.

Now, I have the chance to ask the questions, and provide the answers to my readers.

My interests are diverse. I love to read and write. I’m a photographer, addicted to capturing everyday moments, and finding art in the ordinary.

I love flea markets and baseball. I collect great literature and Garbage Pail Kids. I listen to heavy metal, rap, The Beatles and David Bowie.

We named our dog, a terrier-mixed mutt, a skittish little blond rescue pooch, Ziggy, after Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

I abhor injustice and always root for the little guy.

Born in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal region, I went to Penn State after high school and graduated in 2000 with a degree in media studies.

All I knew for certain was that I wanted to write for a living.

So I first turned to my local newspaper for employment after college. Three years later, I started my own newspaper.

Eventually I went back to work for another Pennsylvania daily, and then found a new job in New England.

I met my wife, Ashley, on the job. We were both reporters. She still works in newspapers.

I spent the next decade working for the same company, at several different papers.

Ashley and I had a son.

Eventually, I landed in Rhode Island, my wife’s home state.

I started my own business online selling rare books and collectibles from my youth. I sold everything from Mark Twain first editions to tiny plastic GI Joe weapons.

Operating with surprisingly high overhead and razor-thin profit margins, my online store, the Rhode Island Hoverboard Shop, did not survive the earliest months of the pandemic.

When the front door closes, it’s time to open a window.

I’ve long tried to find inspiration in failure, opportunity following misfortune.

I heard the call back to community journalism. The folks at Beacon Communications saw potential in my past experience.

I view this position as a public service opportunity. I have no axes to grind; no grudges, no neighborhood prejudices.

Over the next few months I’ll meet many of you for the first time. I’m dying to tell your story. If you have a spare moment, shoot me an email or give me a call. Stop me on the street and tell me what I need to know.

I’m here to write for you.

Rory Schuler, editor of the Johnston Sun Rise, can be reached at rorys@rhodybeat.com.