On the beat with Devyn-Marshall Brown, and Pride Month Mixer 🎶🎉
Meet member Devyn-Marshall Brown, checkout a free panel, and more opportunities inside!
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Meet TJA member Devyn-Marshall Brown
Most people pick a lane. Devyn-Marshall Brown picked two and figured out they were always going in the same direction.
By day, he's the social justice reporter at the Chicago Reader, covering labor issues, queer workers navigating hostile workplaces, and the ways marginalized communities build their own infrastructure when the government won't. By night — and weekends, and whenever a song demands to be written — he's the frontman of DMB The Etymology, a band whose January release 'More Care to Stay' features the track, "Vocal Chords", opens with a declaration that doubles as a professional philosophy: "I scream confessions from the rooftops, I am not afraid."
Brown describes the two vocations with a clarity that makes them sound less like a balancing act and more like a conversation. "Journalism is how I make sense of the world," he says. "Songwriting is how I make sense of me."
That distinction matters — and it shows up in his work. His personal essays at the Chicago Reader read like a journalist who never forgot what it felt like to write a song: specific, vulnerable, unwilling to take shortcuts. One reported essay in particular stands out, about whether to start testosterone and the fear of what it might do to his singing voice. He reported it out, interviewing trans people who loved what hormones did to their sound, and others for whom it simply wasn't the priority. The entry point was personal. The journalism that followed was rigorous. That's not a coincidence, but Brown's methodology.
"My identity as a songwriter serves as a check," he explains. When he finds himself rushing through a story, his musician's instinct kicks in — slow down, sit with the lead, treat the language like it matters. He'll be the first to admit his love of allegory and multiple metaphors keeps his editor busy. But that poetic orientation is also what makes his journalism worth reading.
As a performer embedded in Chicago's queer Black scene, Brown doesn't buy the traditional notion of a wall between journalist and community. Being in the room — at the show, at the union meeting, at the transmasculine social group — is how he earns the kind of trust that produces real stories, not just quotes. His Chicago Reader Pride issue bylines include a feature on the rise of transmasculine social groups and a story on Chicago LGBTQ+ hockey players pushing back on discriminatory rules, both reported with nuance and care in mind.
This Black Music History Month and Pride, Brown is proof that the best storytellers rarely work in just one form. The notebook and the guitar aren't competing — they're collaborating. And if you need to know what that sounds like, he's already written the song. ~ Written by Daria Cottingham
Join us for a Pride Month membership mixer
Whether you're a longtime member or new to the community, we invite you to come connect with fellow TJA members from across the industry in an informal, welcoming space.
This remote gathering is a chance to meet colleagues, expand your network, share experiences, and celebrate in community together. Bring your favorite beverage, settle in, and spend some time with journalists and community members who understand the unique joys and challenges of our work.
Square away your online data
Catch up on an online safety training hosted by TJA with EasyOptOuts. Watch the video for practical strategies for protecting your personal information online and reducing risks associated with data exposure. Bonus: Contact TJA for a discount code for online safety services provided by EasyOptOuts.
Out and about with TJA
Our Executive Director Tre’vell Anderson will be joining the Woodhull Freedom Foundation for a panel conversation, “Checking the Facts: Challenging Common Myths About Trans Lives,” on June 30 at 3:30 PM ET, streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Register here — it’s free!
Opportunities Listing
- Applications are open for the Poynter Brain Health Reporting Fellowship, a fully funded year-long fellowship designed to help journalists deepen their reporting on brain science and scientific research. Travel, lodging, and fellowship costs are fully covered, and fellows who successfully complete the program receive a $3,000 stipend. (Deadline: September 22, 2026)
- The Fund for Investigative Journalism is accepting proposals from freelance journalists, staff reporters, and media outlets for grants of up to $10,000 to support nonpartisan investigative stories across any medium, including print, broadcast, podcasts, and documentaries. Seed grants of up to $2,500 are also available for preliminary reporting. (Deadline: September 14, 2026)
- InStyle’s Video team is seeking a contract Social Video Director / Producer / Writer to develop and execute social-first video content across Instagram and TikTok. The role is 40 hours per week, in-office at the NYC People Inc. Office, at $40–44/hr, starting ASAP through December 30, 2026, with possibility of extension.
- The Alicia Patterson Fellowship, now administered by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, supports significant, in-depth written reporting on subjects of public interest. Six-month fellowships pay $20,000 and 12-month fellowships pay $40,000. Applicants must be print journalists with at least five years of professional experience. (Deadline: October 1, 2026)
Check out our jobs listserv for additional opportunities. If you're an active TJA member, you can find a link to the listserv on your member dashboard.
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