Find that Feature Lead: Spring 2009 Access mag.

These leads were taken from SJSU’s spring 2009, Access magazine.


1 . “The End is Near” by Jasmine Duarte

In the 21st century, people live their lives day by day, not really thinking about what they want to do in the next year or even next week. But what if you knew the world was ending in four years? What if a thousand years ago, an ancient civilization predicted that the end of the world was coming? That day, “doomsday,” may be coming closer and soon it will be December 21, 2012, or as the Maya know it: The end of the world.

This is a direct address, startling statement lead. The writer is using second-person to speak to the reader directly. The statements made, about how the end of the world might not be so far in time, are quite startling.


2. “Eighth story sunset” by Justin Perry

Silence, or close to it. Gentle sounds counterpoint the subtle drone of air conditioning and the insect-like buzz of fluorescent light fixture that needs replacing. Gently rustling pages, a dropped pen, chair legs dragged across carpet, a muted cough, a gliding zipper, all punctuated by the soft chime of the elevator arriving at its destination. The monotonous hum of the downtown streets below is muffled by the eight-story distance and the great curtain of double-paned glass

This is clearly a scene-setter lead. The entire paragraph is a detailed description of the environment from the use of sound and sight.