Charlene Arsenault, Patch Staff

E-mail: Charlene.Arsenault@patch.com                       

Phone: 508-736-7708

Hometown: Central Massachusetts

Birthday: June 29, 1970

Snapshot: Married, keyboard player, animal activist who started the Pet Rock Festival, writer, night owl, chatterbox, kind of sporty, adventurous, bad at math and eating small portions.

I grew up in Leicester, MA, and graduated with an English degree from Fitchburg State College in 1993. Out of college, I landed a small weekly music column called The Beat Goes On (yeah, I didn't name it) under the tutelage of editor Sandy Bowles, who was also an editor at Patch.

But my first "real" job was at Worcester Magazine, which I nabbed not long after. Spending days in the news room, where then the pages were still tacked to the lightboard in the production room, typing led to becoming a music column, and ultimately to an editor position.

As a reporter Worcester Magazine, the Telegram and Gazette, Central MA News and a host of other publications, I have covered just about anything imaginable. 

Politically, I'm unusual, especially in Massachusetts. Unusual in that I'm gay, yet I most often vote conservatively. I consider myself socially liberal and fiscally conservative and generally subscribe to the Libertarian way of thinking.

I am very concerned about never letting biases get in the way of presenting an objective story. In the end, the story is about the subjects—not me—and I always let them talk.

Over the years, I've gotten quite a few letters and comments that compliment my ability to be fair, my concern over anonymity (when it is requested) and sensitivity to keeping a comment in context.

I edit and provide content for Massachusetts Patch sites.