Joan Garrett McClane has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007.
Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama.
Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, she wrote for the The Shelby County Reporter, the The Tuscaloosa News, The Anniston Star and the Hartford Courant.
This year, she was named as a national finalist for the American Society of Newspaper Editors' Award for Distinguished Writing on Diversity. She is also the 2010 winner of Society of Professional Journalists' Green Eyeshade Award for feature writing and the 2010 winner of the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors' award for feature writing.
Joan enjoys watching Lost on DVD, driving, eating spaghetti and listening to country music, but her true love is telling stories in newsprint.
Contact Joan at 423-757-6601 or jmcclane@timesfreepress.com.
Recent Stories »
Q. Whatever happened to Darryl Linticum?
The halls are quiet at Big Ridge Elementary.
A basketball arena at UTC was named for him. Millions of his dollars went to local schools, charities, ball fields and individuals.
Q Whatever happened to former Hamilton County Sheriff Billy Long?
During recess the kids at Orchard Knob Elementary School eat parsley. They eat those stems and leafy herbs by the handful.
The last time Georgia state Rep. Jay Neal saw LaFayette's new library, the spot was nothing but a shell at the end of a street of government buildings.
Her grandmother did not teach her to quilt. Neither did her mother.
John Craft is nervous about preaching from the Bible next week.
Overall crime was down by 4 percent on college campuses last year, but the number of violent crimes jumped dramatically, according to data published by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
