Renee Peck
Encyclopedia
Renee Peck is an American writer, best known for her weekly column in The Times-Picayune titled "This Mold House." Peck spent three-plus decades working as a feature editor and reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, covering everything from food to TV to home and garden.
in Dallas, Texas, where she graduated in 1971. She graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College
with a degree in English Literature in 1975, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While attending Kenyon, she worked for the Kenyon Collegian
. She met her husband, Stewart F. Peck, attorney at Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin, & Hubbard lawla.com while attending Kenyon.
, a regional history museum and research archive on Royal Street in the French Quarter.
In 1977, she was hired as the food editor for The States-Item, the afternoon daily newspaper in New Orleans. When The States-Item merged with The Times-Picayune in 1980, she was retained as food editor of the new, larger paper.
In a 32-year career as a feature editor and writer at The Times-Picayune, Peck worked in a variety of capacities: as an associate features editor, TV Focus editor (the Sunday TV magazine), Lagniappe editor (the Friday entertainment tab) and InsideOut editor (the Saturday home and garden magazine). She focused on lively, topical subjects intended to explore the quirky lifestyles of New Orleans. She also began the paper's parenting page, Internet page, and worked on a small team tasked to create its first web site.
"My first assignment was a re-entry story," Peck remembers. "What do you do when you're coming back after the flood? Do you need tetanus shots? Do you need hepatitis (shots)? What do you do if there are snakes in the water?"
Her answer was to chronicle her own rebuild (her house was destroyed by flooding when the levees breached after the hurricane, then was hit again by a freak tornado in February of 2006) in a weekly column called This Mold Househttp://blog.nola.com/reneepeck/. She discussed her own problems and emotions during the rebuild in a deeply personal manner, discussing real issues, but through the scope of humor in every situation. In doing so, she made her stories readable while relatable all the while.
National media outlets, including Newsweek
, National Public Radio, and The New York Times
, wrote articles on Peck and her now famous column. For example, Newsweek
wrote a story on the writer, in an article entitled A City Floods and its Paper Sails. http://www.newsweek.com/2007/08/28/a-city-floods-and-its-paper-sails.html The article described Peck's record popularity, writing "Today, [Peck's] section is fat with advertising, a rare example of robust growth in the otherwise moribund newspaper business." Newsweek recognized Peck's unique ability to employ humor in describing her efforts to rebuild. "It requires a certain sense of humor to keep living in the Big Easy," and through that humor, Peck was able to deeply connect with her readers. In noting this, the article wrote: "More remarkable still: people stop her, a newspaper editor, in public to tell her their stories. [Her weekly column] really struck a chord with them."
Early Life
Peck was born on December 22, 1953, in Houston, Texas. At the age of 3, she moved to DeRidder, Louisiana, where her mother June West Brandt was from. Peck's family owned the national chain West Brothers, which was started by her grandfather W.D. West. Peck attended highschool at The Hockaday SchoolThe Hockaday School
The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls located in Dallas, Texas, USA and surrounding areas...
in Dallas, Texas, where she graduated in 1971. She graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
with a degree in English Literature in 1975, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While attending Kenyon, she worked for the Kenyon Collegian
Kenyon Collegian
The Kenyon Collegian is the official student newspaper of Kenyon College. The paper is published weekly from Peirce Hall. An alumni group of past Collegian staffers has formed. Notable Collegian alumni include Matt Winkler of Bloomberg, Renee Peck, Jay Cocks and P. F. Kluge, the paper's current...
. She met her husband, Stewart F. Peck, attorney at Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin, & Hubbard lawla.com while attending Kenyon.
Early Career
Upon graduation from Kenyon, Peck moved to New Orleans, La., where she took a job as a curatorial assistant for The Historic New Orleans CollectionThe Historic New Orleans Collection
The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region of the United States. It is located in New Orleans' French Quarter. The institution was established in 1966...
, a regional history museum and research archive on Royal Street in the French Quarter.
In 1977, she was hired as the food editor for The States-Item, the afternoon daily newspaper in New Orleans. When The States-Item merged with The Times-Picayune in 1980, she was retained as food editor of the new, larger paper.
In a 32-year career as a feature editor and writer at The Times-Picayune, Peck worked in a variety of capacities: as an associate features editor, TV Focus editor (the Sunday TV magazine), Lagniappe editor (the Friday entertainment tab) and InsideOut editor (the Saturday home and garden magazine). She focused on lively, topical subjects intended to explore the quirky lifestyles of New Orleans. She also began the paper's parenting page, Internet page, and worked on a small team tasked to create its first web site.
This Mold House
During Hurricane Katrina's awful wake, Peck was part of the story she was suddenly covering."My first assignment was a re-entry story," Peck remembers. "What do you do when you're coming back after the flood? Do you need tetanus shots? Do you need hepatitis (shots)? What do you do if there are snakes in the water?"
Her answer was to chronicle her own rebuild (her house was destroyed by flooding when the levees breached after the hurricane, then was hit again by a freak tornado in February of 2006) in a weekly column called This Mold Househttp://blog.nola.com/reneepeck/. She discussed her own problems and emotions during the rebuild in a deeply personal manner, discussing real issues, but through the scope of humor in every situation. In doing so, she made her stories readable while relatable all the while.
National media outlets, including Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, National Public Radio, and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, wrote articles on Peck and her now famous column. For example, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
wrote a story on the writer, in an article entitled A City Floods and its Paper Sails. http://www.newsweek.com/2007/08/28/a-city-floods-and-its-paper-sails.html The article described Peck's record popularity, writing "Today, [Peck's] section is fat with advertising, a rare example of robust growth in the otherwise moribund newspaper business." Newsweek recognized Peck's unique ability to employ humor in describing her efforts to rebuild. "It requires a certain sense of humor to keep living in the Big Easy," and through that humor, Peck was able to deeply connect with her readers. In noting this, the article wrote: "More remarkable still: people stop her, a newspaper editor, in public to tell her their stories. [Her weekly column] really struck a chord with them."