It takes a village to run a newspaper. Writers, editors, illustrators, and photographers of all varieties each have to pull their own weight to make ends meet and create a cohesive product before the next publication date. With all the different moving parts constantly in play, it’s easy to overlook certain positions that remain more behind the scenes than others. Teague von Bohlen, The Sentry’s faculty advisor, is one of these crucial figureheads that makes the paper what it is today. Teague has had an incredibly multifaceted career that spans through various newspapers, literary journals, and other publications, and is able to use his wisdom to help guide the student staff to create their own newspaper and grow as journalists and people.
Teague had amassed an impressive array of writing experience at a young age. From winning different Young Author contests in grade school, to writing scripts for the teleprompter at his local news station his senior year of high school, his life was seemingly always shaping up for a successful career in writing, whether he knew it or not. “I could always write, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do yet,” says Teague. “I had some fear about jumping into writing and teaching careers both, but I ended up taking the chance on both of them, and it’s worked out.”
Teague’s official jump into the field was marked by his time studying at the University of Arizona in the late 80’s, unsure of what he wanted to do with his career or even what to major in. He mostly focused on taking classes he enjoyed and living a fulfilling college experience living on his own. A couple of years into his studies, he met with his advisor to see what the best options were for him to graduate sooner rather than later. “She said I could surprisingly graduate on time if I [majored] in Creative Writing, “says Teague. “I’d taken so many English classes and workshops, just because I liked them, that the major worked out.” This decision began Teague’s focus on journalism, where most of his time after receiving his undergrad was spent between freelancing and “working my way up through local academic systems and publications.”
Flash forward to today and Teague is a man of many faces. He works at CU Denver’s English department as a fiction professor and advises The Sentry due to his experience in the field and dedication to the art of print media. He is also a fiction editor for CU Denver’s literary journal, Copper Nickel, and a writer for various sections in Denver’s alt weekly, Westword. He is also an award-winning novelist, a passionate flash-fiction writer, and has interviewed well-known figures such as Bruce Campbell, Cheech Marin, William Shatner, and Kevin Smith. Luckily, Teague is a fan of the many hats one must wear when working in journalism. “It’s a lot, but it’s the way a writer has to be in these modern times… I don’t really have any desire to be ‘“just“‘ one thing, you know?” he says.
With the current state of print media, things often appear bleak. Those who may be interested in journalism are likely to be hesitant to pursue a career in the field. For those still passionate about interviewing and storytelling, Teague has this to say: “First and foremost, don’t write it off because of the state it’s in today. We need passionate, intelligent, principled writers and editors to come into journalism in order to right the listing ship it’s become…Yes, journalism is changing. The old ways are falling. But the new has to rise, and it will. We need people devoted to the cause—not the field, or the process, which might be temporary—because the cause of journalism is fairness and honesty, and that’s never going away.”
