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Some exciting things have been going on here in this little corner of the Interwebs, and I have some news. I'm eager and excited to finally share it with you. 

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You might have caught wind of what this is all about from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tashadoestulsa/posts/247577915258109">my little leak on Facebook</a>, or maybe you already snagged the full details at <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/2011/07/tulsa-blogger-meetup-open-mic-edition-2/">the most recent Blogger Meetup</a>, but in case you missed it, here's the deal: 

In April I signed on as associate editor with <a href="http://www.thislandpress.com/">This Land Press</a>, where the mission is to explore the nooks and crannies of life in middle America through courageous, compelling stories, told in the most suitable medium - whether that means web, print, audio, video, or a combination of the four. 

"Wait," you're thinking. "That's it? So you got a day job. In case you missed the memo, most of us have them. What's the big damn deal?"

It's this: I was brought on by the folks at This Land to help design and edit a big, bright, shiny, new, bad-freaking-ass culture and events calendar. We'll be covering Tulsa events like never before, like no one else in town. You'll be blown away. And also really, really busy, because I have a lot of ideas for ways you all can do Tulsa over the next couple of months. We're calling it Do What?, and at the end of this month you can find it <a href="http://www.thislandpress.com/">on the front page of ThisLandPress.com</a>.

Plus, I'll be working on a column called <i><a href="http://thislandpress.com/read/?cat=done-that">Done That</a></i>, a place where I'll write about stuff that goes on here in our boomtown river city in a narrative style, beyond the typical who-what-when-and-where of your run-of-the-mill community calendar. I think you'll dig. 

What this means for TashaDoesTulsa.com: <b>This site will return to its roots as a blog not just for, but by the community</b>. It will be a place where you as bloggers, as writers, as photographers, as videographers, as audiophiles can submit your work for publication, for the opportunity to be exposed to a large, local and fiercely loyal audience. And no, you won't have to work for free. This ain't HuffPo. All accepted submissions will be paid. 

It will also be a portal to submit work to This Land Press, where they have already attracted the attention of <em>Harper's Magazine</em>, <em>The Daily Beast</em>, <em>NBC's Today Show</em>, <em>TIME</em>, <em>Al Jazeera</em>, <em>Columbia Journalism Review</em> (which called This Land "The New Yorker with balls") and more. 

And that's just been in the year since they started printing. Late last week we launched <a href="http://thislandpress.com/">our new website</a>, which delivers a true multimedia, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media">new media</a>, Oklahoma-centric experience. 

In other words, we want your words. And we're ready to share them with our fellow Tulsans, with Oklahomans and more. 

More news: You can continue to tune in on Friday mornings to <a href="http://www.krmg.com/">the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley</a> for my Friday updates on local weekend entertainment. 

Yet more news: <b>With the help of This Land Press, TashaDoesTulsa.com is hosting this year's Oklahoma Blog Awards</b>. We're still working on the details, but you'll hear how we'll kick off the nominations very soon. 

I'm so excited about the changes to TashaDoesTulsa.com, my work with This Land Press, what it means for how I can serve Tulsa and how I can learn more about and interact with all of you, my readers who have filled their calendars and charted their gastronomic adventures and procrastinated at the office by following this blog since that first post in March 2007. None of this would be possible without you or my advertisers, each of them locally owned businesses that have supported this website with the money they earned by bringing their ideas into reality and choosing to take that chance right here in Tulsa. My humble and profuse thanks to all of you.

Now, let's get to work. 

<b>Got an Okie-relevant story and want to submit a pitch to This Land?</b> <a href="http://thislandpress.com/submissions/">Send your article idea, video, audio and poetry here</a>. 

<b>Want to submit a pitch to TashaDoesTulsa.com?</b> <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/contact/">Contact me here</a> or <a href="mailto:tasha@tashadoestulsa.com">shoot me an e-mail</a>.

<b>Want to learn more about This Land?</b> Check out some of our latest work: 
<a href="http://thislandpress.com/06/27/2011/mother-orpha/">Mother Orpha </a> (my big hello in the print edition of This Land);
<a href="http://thislandpress.com/06/26/2011/gluedobbing-it-2/">Gluedobbing It</a> (the piece produced by Abby Wendle which aired earlier this week here in Tulsa on KWGS);
<a href="http://thislandpress.com/06/21/2011/indian-elvis/">Indian Elvis</a>, a short-form documentary by the This Land video team, Sterlin Harjo and Matt Leach
<a href="http://thislandpress.com/about/">Learn more about what This Land is all about, the staff and how to subscribe here</a>

That's all I've got. I look forward to hearing from you all.