Courtney Lewis, media relations for the Kansas City Public Library, answers The Pitch‘s questionnaire
Name: Courtney Lewis
Occupation: Media relations for the Kansas City Public Library
Hometown: Thomaston, Connecticut
Current neighborhood: Valentine
What I do (in 140 characters): I have an awesome job: I get to promote the fantastic Kansas City Public Library. It’s the coolest thing to get paid to tell everyone about all of the amazing programs going on here.
What’s your addiction? Weekend matinees at the movies by myself. I hate to share popcorn.
What’s your game? Baseball. I’m a die-hard Red Sox fan, and 2013 was unexpectedly surreal. I still get chills knowing that we won. But the Royals are my second favorite, and I just got my first season-ticket package last year. Two months to pitchers and catchers!
What’s your drink? Whiskey and Coke
Where’s dinner? McCoy’s. The skillet enchiladas are the best comfort food, and I can always get them to put either UConn basketball or Red Sox baseball on the TV.
What’s on your KC postcard? The bookshelf parking garage here at the Central Library, the view from Liberty Memorial and Kauffman Stadium.
Finish this sentence: “Kansas City got it right when … “ It relocated the Central Library to our gorgeous building at 10th Street and Baltimore. And I thought this even before I started working here.
“Kansas City screwed up when … ” The Kansas City Public Schools lost accreditation.
“Kansas City needs … ” To please figure out how to not have all the construction projects happen at the same time. I love downtown, but just being able to get around has turned into a survival skill.
“In five years, I’ll be … ” I wish I knew! I just switched careers from television news to media relations, so I’m still trying to figure out next week!
“I always laugh at … “ The Mitchell episode of MST3K. “Never corner an angry Mitchell.”
“I’ve been known to binge-watch … “ Battlestar Galactica (the new one) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
“I can’t stop listening to … “ The Moth podcast. I always wonder what story I would tell if I had the chance to get up there in front of an audience.
“I just read … “ Revenge Wears Prada, the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. It was such a letdown, I didn’t even finish it.
The best advice I ever got: Wherever you go, there you are (from my dad).
Worst advice: “You’re fundamentally a New Englander. Why don’t you just stay here?” (from a Boston-based friend).
My sidekick: A filled cup of coffee. I probably drink too much of it, but meh.
My dating triumph: I ran Brew to Brew solo a few years ago, and I started talking with another (very cute) solo runner. He ended up tracking me down through my e-mail, and we dated for a few months. I thought it was pretty impressive that I got a date looking all sweaty and deathlike in the middle of a 40-plus-mile run.
My brush with fame: When I was a producer, I met a lot of famous people. But my favorite was during college in 1997, when I got to hang out with Widespread Panic on their tour bus, and we watched the NBA playoffs together.
My 140-character soapbox: I truly believe you never know who you really are until you get outside of your comfort zone and live far from home.
What was the last thing you had to apologize for? The typos in my text. I have meaty thumbs, and smartphone keyboards are my enemy.
Who’s sorry now? An ex-boyfriend who said, “If you walk away from this, you’ll never be happy again.” That was more than 12 years ago. I’ve never been happier.
My recent triumph: Leaving a 15-year TV-news-producing career to start over in a job I have coveted for a while. It feels pretty exhilarating to make a new start.
