Praise for “What They Said: 25 Years of Telling Stories”

“Mike DeMasi’s collection of articles from 25 years of journalism belies the notion that newspaper stories are here today, gone tomorrow. His stories, bringing to life the characters of upstate New York life, are very much still here. From artists to mayors, bicyclists to jewelers, he has met them all and has kept them alive through his sympathetic reporting. The newspapers in which the stories first appeared may molder away, but the people portrayed in them live on in this book. May there be a Volume 2.” 

— Carl Strock, retired columnist at The Daily Gazette

“Mike DeMasi has worked for three papers and has written more than 10,000 articles in a 25-year career as a newspaperman. He has an eye for offbeat characters, possesses empathy and writes with a straightforward style. He captures telling details about his subjects, from mayors to street people, because they trust him. One of his mentors was the late, legendary Schenectady reporter, Marv Cermak. Marv gets the last word.”

— Paul Grondahl, director of The New York State Writers Institute and former reporter at The Times Union

“This is a very readable collection of Michael DeMasi’s favorite stories written as a reporter at three local newspapers. Some of the stories in this collection include a man who dressed like a police officer and drove around town serving eviction notices, and a wealthy socialite who dressed like Cinderella on Halloween and handed out candy bars, including a dozen with a $100 bill tucked inside. This is what good journalism does best; it informs and entertains.”

— Jack Rightmyer, Books columnist, The Times Union