Writer Wanted — One-Day Human-Experience Project
A one-day seminar - 900 to 1000-word editorial describing what it feels like to be an average taxpayer walking through a city’s annual budget process.
The Gig:
- Date: November 13, 2025
- Time: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Location: SPC Epicenter, 13805 58th St N, Clearwater, FL 33760
- Pay: $300 for attending the seminar (paid in cash after the session) and $300 for the completed 1000-word essay (paid in cash on delivery)
The Assignment:
Spend the day as an observer in Largo's city budget seminar. Come early, get coffee, and listen to the city managers’ pitch pie charts, numbers, and slick videos. Other attendees will include all seven commissioners and roughly 30 city directors and staff.
Your job:
Sit back, relax, and experience the session as a simple-minded taxpayer, build rapport with city employees (optional), and then write a 900 to 1000-word editorial (first-person preferred) that will be mailed to 60,000 households. The piece must be punchy, and readable by people who often stop at the headline. It must be truthful with the intent of promoting civic discourse and raising community awareness.
Requirements for the editorial:
- Have prior writing experience in narrative nonfiction.
- Byline and author photo included.
- Tone: sassy, witty, edgy, and entertaining—use anecdotes to get readers laughing and thinking.
- Try to explain why civic engagement is low, and why ordinary citizens rarely influence the process.
- Preserve the satirical/observational voice while remaining publishable.
What to expect during the seminar:
- A staged, professional presentation: polished visuals, rehearsed lines, academic-corporate engagement, and a formal Q&A structure.
- You cannot ask the presenter questions during the session — this is an observational assignment.
- Expect a fair bit of performative rhetoric: “stakeholders” will be mentioned frequently, community input will be claimed as solicited, and commissioner/staff input may appear minimal.
- Fair warning: there will be moments of pseudo-profundity, visible facial contortions, and occasional vertigo-inducing jargon.
Political/ideological fit:
This project favors a pragmatic, fiscally conservative voice. If you strongly support unaffordable progressive climate initiatives such as the Green New Deal or a rapid 2030 carbon-neutral roadmap, this may not be the assignment for you. We’re looking for a writer who is a pragmatic, critical thinker, comfortable with skeptical, small-government-leaning satire.
This should be a fun, irreverent ride through municipal theater.
Optional: Interview with commissioners and or candidate commissioners. ($100 per interview)
Thank you.
Also check out other Arts events in Pinellas Park, Literary Art events in Pinellas Park, Workshops in Pinellas Park.
