I'm a recovering hard-news reporter doing my best as a feature writer to bring attention to overlooked people, places and slices of life. After 30-plus years in the biz, I have found my true calling. 

I spent five years covering national politicians in Washington (I still have my White House press pass to remind me that I've spent enough time covering self-important VIPS) and another 15 years covering state government agencies and statewide stories all over Texas.

I've busted bureaucrats. I've exposed the neglect, abuse and wrongful deaths of many disabled and elderly people in institutions. And I've covered so many Texas controversies I lost count, but will never forget two big stories that sucked so much out of me I thought about quitting my job: The black man dragged to death behind a pickup in East Texas and my year, more or less, of living out there to cover the aftermath. And the armed renegade claiming to be the president of Texas holed up in the rugged West Texas mountains for three weeks in a dangerous stand-off with the Texas Rangers. That one cost me 10 pounds and 10 fingernails and three weeks of sleep.

By the year 2000, I needed a break from bureaucrats, courtrooms and disasters. So I jumped to features and never looked back.

Now, my beat is wide open. I can write about anything and anybody. My mind's the limit. I can walk to work, notice something on the way and turn it into a story: a drugstore sign that everyone's car always backs into, or lottery litter, or a giant dirt pile dumped by the city to molder in the most visible spot in Austin.

There's a whole wide world out there just waiting to be written about, and I'm going as fast as I can. It took me this long to live up to the parting advice of one of my favorite OU professors, historian David Levy. He told me, "There's a big world out there waiting to be illuminated, so go out and illuminate."

If you need background details:

 -Born and raised in OKC

 -Attended OU journalism school 1974-78

 -Worked 5 years in Daily Oklahoman's Washington bureau, covering Okla and Colo delegations

 -Austin American-Statesman since 1984

 -Japan Society Fellowship to live in Japan for four months, 1995

 -Awards. Yes.

My own fave features from Austin American-Statesman: "The Road Home" 6-24-01, "The Final Roll Call" 12-12-04, cold case about a guitar, some photographers and the murder of an Austin musician 4-2-06, Bush loving bald men 8-7-03, elevator at the Capitol, 3-16-03, law school dean cutting sunflowers, 5-21-04, and a first-person about picking up can litter from 8-06 (goes with the photo I'm sending).

Best feature writers in the biz? Lane DeGregory, St. Pete Times; Hank Stuever, Washington Post; Kelley Benham, St. Pete Times; Larry Bingham, Baltimore Sun; Kevin Robbins and Brad Buchholz, my esteemed colleagues at Austin American-Statesman.

Denise Gamino

Staff Writer

Austin American-Statesman

305 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, TX  78741

(w) 512-445-3675