S.B. Columnist

Nick Welsh

Santa Barbara Independent, independent.com

“What does it mean to be named best columnist? Yet another reason why Starshine needs to come out of journalistic hibernation. Other than that, I’m the last tree standing in the forest,” writes Nick Welsh, the Independent’s Angry Poodle. “I have the coolest job in S.B. journalism. I get to let syllables collide and connect dots that may or may not be there. I am told the great, great Jean-Luc Godard once said, ‘Every story needs to have a beginning, middle, and end, though not necessarily in that order.’ I hadn’t heard that line until he died this week, but it pretty well explains the DNA of my columns. Since he’s dead, I’ll adopt it as my motto and credo. The Poodle happens like this: I sit down at the typewriter at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. By 8 a.m., the Poodle is written and turned in for editing. A whole lot of fussing and fretting happens afterward. A whole lot happens the night before. On a good morning, lightning strikes, and the column has a life of its own. On a not-so-good day, I’m laying bricks. The good news is that readers allow me the license to go out on a limb and saw off the branch I’m sitting on. For that, I’m a very lucky man. Or dog.” 

Runner-Up: Matt Kettmann