Newspaper print editions ended but you can still find my columns/books in print

This weekend saw a flurry of social media posts about the publishing of the last print editions of Alabama’s largest newspapers, The Huntsville Times, Mobile Press-Register and The Birmingham News. The main things I have to say about that:

1. AL.com has lots and lots of news stories from across Alabama. I am honored to continue to work with some of the best journalists in the nation, and their recent awards show how talented they are.
2. I knew the print editions would end when the ad revenue scales tipped. It was a business decision and one I can understand.
3. You can still find my previous stories and columns on AL.com and SouthernThing.com. Photos from my road trips around the South will be posted here at my personal blog, kellykazek.com. My personal blog is being redesigned and will be mainly used to showcase my books and speaking engagements but I will still post stories from time to time.

My day job has changed quite a bit in the past month but not because of the end of the print edition. The timing was coincidental.

My job changed because of the popularity of the series of children’s books I’ve written for It’s a Southern Thing. Most folks are aware of IAST but for those who are not: It is a sister company to AL.com that creates humorous videos and content about Southern culture. See some videos here. I work with some of the funniest people on the planet!

2022 was an incredible year for me, career-wise. I won first place for humorous commentary from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, I saw the publication of several new books, my children’s book Y is for Y’all topped 30,000 in sales, and I developed a new game for IAST, called That Dog Won’t Hunt.

In January of 2023, I officially stopped writing content (columns and stories) for IAST and I now only write books for the company. In addition to writing several series of children’s books, I also wrote The Southern Thesaurus: For When You’re Plumb Out of Things to Say, a book for grown folks that sold out before Christmas and just came back in stock.

Another fun part of my new job is developing products about Southern culture. In April, IAST will begin to sell merchandise for individual states, starting with Texas, Alabama and Georgia. I wrote state-specific children’s books – What Makes Texas Texas? – and the IAST store will sell baby onesies, shirts, mugs and more with fun sayings about those states. We’ll continue publishing the state books in coming months and years.

I also get to do readings of my books for various events and I do lots of public speaking about the South. If you’re interested in inviting me to come speak to your group, email me at kkazek@southernthing.com or kellykazek@kellykazek.com.

If you have questions about my new job, just ask. Oh, and my new job title is Creative Marketing Specialist/Author for It’s a Southern Thing. In my personal life, I am wife/mom/blogger/author. Find me on social media!

Published Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, in the last print edition of the Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile newspapers.