How a small-town writer, Lorianne Swanson, aspires to use writing to humanize the Palos community in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.
By Nadiah Alyafai | February 15, 2023
Image courtesy of Lorainne Swanson
Chicago, IL – Lorraine Swanson has worked in many careers. Dedicating her life to writing at the age of twelve, she went from working in a tree nursery to a conservative book publisher to the public relations sector and at a nonprofit. However, it was only in her mid-thirties that she found her true passion for writing in a local newspaper known as the Palos Patch.
“I had no idea how to support myself when I got out of college. I had no idea what I could do with my liberal arts degree” Lorraine Swanson says, “So I started working, in very entry-level jobs, but always at the back of my mind, I, loved reading newspapers ever since I was a kid. I think I was just looking for, a day job that I could plug my talents in.”
Lorainne Swanson
And that day job is exactly what she found!
Aspirations and Career Upbringings
From an early age, Swanson’s dream was to become a writer. She was encouraged to pursue her literary ambition by her high school English teacher who suggested looking into the Iowa Writers Workshop, one of the best programs in the country. Going into the Iowa Writing Workshop, Swanson highlights the key role the program played in the development of her future career at the Palos Patch.
“I think it’s given me, an edge. It’s made me approach everything, all the professional assignments I have had from a different perspective just in terms of putting a story together and even technical writing, it just made it a little more interesting.”
Settling for the Patch
Swanson started working at the Patch in 2010 covering only news in the suburbs of Oak Lawn. However, in 2014 Palos Patch was two weeks from shutting down forever. The company was quickly saved by a man named Charles Hale. Since then, Lorraine has focused on six main local news coverage sites, including Palos, Oaklawn, Crestwood, Evergreen Park, Beverly, and Mount Greenwood.
Although she never thought she was the type of person to work at home, Swanson has enjoyed the company of her dogs as coworkers since 2008!
“I just got sick of sitting in a corporate office and I wanted to wear jeans and get out and get some fresh air and walk onto a crazy situation and, cover it and figure it out.” Said Lorainne Swanson
“I never know what’s going to happen from day to day. You could be having a very peaceful afternoon and then all hell breaks loose and you gotta jump into your car and go cover a breaking a fire or, something else.”
In search of a career that offered stability, a constant income, and insurance, Swanson finally found a job that could handle her and that she could handle the job.
Effect of Writing Across the Globe
Through her time working at the Palos Patch, Swanson is known for her informative and heartwarming stories that have gained attention worldwide. A particular story was featured in 2012 where Swanson covered the Republican congressional primary for what was then the third district of Illinois. The candidate, Arthur Jones, was one of the individuals with whom Swanson was speaking to at the time.
“One of the people running, a friend of mine’s like, you know, that guy’s a neo-Nazi right? And I was like WHAT? I ended up calling him, and he immediately started yelling about the Jews. He denied that the Holocaust happened, and my jaw was on the floor.”
Immediately Swanson drafted a story about Arthur Jones, the candidate who was a Holocaust denier and former member of the American Nazi Party, and put it on the Patch. Instantly she gained media attention around the world, getting international calls from Europe and within the States.
“I had one guy call me from New York. He was just sobbing, and he was telling me if you’re ever in New York and you need a place to stay, call me. I mean, it was just amazing.”
Unfortunately, Arthur Jones received 30% of the votes in the district. Devastated and shocked, Swanson published, “Who voted for the Nazi in the 3rd Congressional District Race”, listing those who gave a Former Nazi, a holocaust denier, and a white supremacist a vote.
“I just racked up all the numbers and people were very angry. They were like, well, we didn’t know this. They were like, why are you informing us of this now? And we’re like, we wrote like six stories about this guy leading up to the election, and other news outlets had picked it up.”
Lorraine reflects on the outcome and provides advice to her community.
“If nothing else, I, I hope people learn it. Just do a little bit of research before you go in the voting booth.”
A Lasting Impact
There are so many more stories that Swanson published that created a lasting impact beyond her community, covering stories from community members like Dave who does reptile shows around the area, to interviewing and documenting histories and experiences from independent, supportive living residents for seniors during Covid. Narratives and the written word are important, and Swanson emphasizes through her continued effort highlighting the need for proficient writing.
“Words are powerful, and they can be used as a tool for good. I wrote grants and helped organizations get money for important things, for families and older people. And I always tried to write it like a story and maybe, there’s that workshop training me. Instead of something dry with statistics, we are trying to persuade, to convince them why our mission is so worthy.”
The importance of writing is clear: To document and encourage change
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