The beautiful thing about writing on deadline is sometimes you get in this zone where it all comes out in one camera-ready stream. You've found the right thread to string through far-flung thoughts and the piece just hangs together effortlessly.
Then you take a step back and realize you forgot to do something major...
That realization usually arrives by jackknife at 3 a.m. What I realized I'd forgotten in today's column was to mention the Web site where a St. Joe's anti-violence project lets teens command the conversation about themselves.
Maria Kefalas, a sociologist, runs the Philadelphia Youth Solutions Project. Her snappy-looking pages include places for "important discussions," an "open mic," and a "wall," for posting what teens think of the violence around them.
The idea for the site was for her and her colleagues to step back and let the kids run the conversation. I caught a taste of it last week when I visited the Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School as a drama class was preparing a PSA about sexting.
Not too late to mention what I wish I'd mentioned.