Aisha Sultan loves to write about dirty diapers, working mothers and grocery shopping. And she loves that her own experience with motherhood led her to becoming a columnist and editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"I figured if I cared about a subject that much, I could write about i
t and touch people," she said.
The road to becoming one of the first South Asian columnists in U.S. didn't follow a marked route, Sultan said at a session during the SAJA convention. Sultan studied sociology at Trinity University in Texas, and started writing when she found a job at her school newspaper.
She remained a sociology major until on her way to obtaining a doctorate degree she found that she wasn't sure.
"I really missed the ink, I missed journalism," she said.
When The Wall Street Journal offered her an internship, she couldn't turn it down. Eventually, the experience led her to her job with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a reporter.
After ten years of reporting and two kids, Sultan's big idea began to unfurl. She realized that her life as a young working mother was under represented in the news.
With her personal experience in mind, Sultan crafted a pitch that included a column, blog and interactive forum for parents. It was subject matter that had not really been explored at other publications. After thorough research and a digital presentation, she was ready to put her thoughts in motion.
"I became like Al Gore with my Power Point," she said. "Every editor I found, I grabbed and made them watch."
Her efforts did not reap immediate benefits. The idea was well received but not seriously considered. Sultan said she watched in frustration as other media groups launched their own parenting Web sites and programs.
The pace picked up after Sultan attended the SAJA convention in 2007. Soon the "mommy" pitch became a reality. Her column, Dirty Laundry, premiered in January this year, complemented by a blog. Her Web site is still being developed.
As part of her new resposbilities at the paper, Sultan takes the added charge of becoming the home and family editor for the lifestyle section of the paper. Sultan said the compromise was worth being able to express her new ideas.
"I feel like I have the best job in journalism right now," she said. "I get to write about exactly what I want."
Please post comments. Photo: Preston Merchant
