Letters
(cont.)
Championing Local Writers In 2001, I went to Melissa Ashabranner with a vague but insistent desire—at age 50—to finally “be a writer.” We chatted, she listened—and then she suggested that I cover local authors. Fifteen years later, I’m still going strong—and she and the Hill Rag are still among the local literary scene’s most enthusiastic champions. From my first “Hill Authors” interview—with the redoubtable Martha Grimes—to this month’s “Literary Hill” column, the Hill Rag has supported not only my work but also the work of hundreds of local writers. In the true spirit of inclusion, they have given space to New York Times best-selling authors, self-published
memoirists, and poets thrilled to see their work in print for the first time—all of whom live right here on Capitol Hill. In 2010, the Hill Rag eagerly lent its sponsorship to the Literary Hill BookFest, an annual festival based on my column that celebrates Hill authors, publishers, booksellers, and libraries. This popular event at Eastern Market, with its lively book talks, children’s corner, and poetry readings, embodies all that we love about Capitol Hill—and about the Hill Rag, which, as always, is at the center of it all. Here’s to another 40 years! Karen Lyon
Birth of the Hill Rag: Peter Halpern Remembers Forty years ago, Jean-Keith Fagon and I played tennis on a public school court in Southwest DC pretty regularly after work, that is, my work. He’d beat me consistently while urging me not to be discouraged. One day Keith came up to me looking pretty grim. I probed, “What’s wrong? Feeling ill? Afraid I’ll outplay you today?” “Nothing like that,”he said. “I’ve got to go to work.” Searching for a comforting response, I blurted out, “There’ve been greater tragedies, pal. Come over to the house for dinner tomorrow and we’ll talk about it.” Elizabeth prepared dinner, set the table for three and lit candles. He came – two weeks later and then without warning. When we greeted him at the front door, ready to chew him out, he waved a sheet of yellow paper. This paper, he said, would be his business. A community advertising and information business. He called it the Hill Rag. He spelled out his vision for the Hill Rag. It would become an indispensable adjunct to every business on the Hill and every resident seeking local goods and services. Every month The Rag would be delivered to every residence and business on the Hill and eventually to every Congressman. I was dubious he could earn a living from that. I warned him: Starting a business is a dicey affair. It requires adequate capitalization of which you have none. There are printing costs, distribution costs, material costs, legal costs, rent to pay, etc., etc. Maybe you ought to get a job and let someone else endure the headaches that come with building and running one’s own business. But Keith could not be dissuaded. He had a formula for success: In the first year, there be no cash flow. All transactions would be done by barter. In exchange for an ad in the paper the client would provide free printing, material, legal services, dry cleaning service, clothing, food at the grocery and meals at the restaurants. As ads grew, the paper would grow, and the barter system would give way to cash revenues. Interns and volunteers would be paid, and the production would be put in the hands of a trained and competent manager--enter Melissa Ashabranner. I found Keith’s vision, enthusiasm, determination and imagination irresistible. So I volunteered to help get the ball rolling. My contribution as a business advisor was miniscule. The development of the Hill Rag from that one sheet of paper to the indispensable, highly informative, engaging magazine it has become is a JeanKeith Fagon creation worthy of celebrating 40 years later. Peter Halpern
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Jean-Keith Fagon – Forty Years And Counting For The Hill Rag He was tall and skinny (by my rotund standard, anyway). He had dreadlocks and a Jamaican accent. He was selling ads for a one page handout that looked like it had been mimeographed (for those of you who can remember what that would be). The maybe-mimeographed page had a banner head that read: Hill Rag. “You’re kidding, right? Steve Cymrot put you up to this, right? Pretty funny! Now, who are you, really? “ And that is how I met Jean-Keith Fagan exactly forty years ago. I liked the guy. He was real, if unlikely. I bought an ad. The rest is history. Now the Hill Rag is the most read and influential publication on Capitol Hill. If you want to know what is happening or where to go to get what you want, you will never miss a word or page of the 200 or so page Hill Rag. And it’s still free! What’s not to like. And to think, I used to be able to call Mr. Fagon, Keith. And he still has the dreadlocks, too. Larry D. Quillian