Click here for the answersAt the crossroads of journalism and storytelling...
“Narrative Nonfiction & Journalism, Cunning Companions” is carefully bound in the Writer’s Institute of Connecticut’s Writer’s Guide for 2010 (www.writersbookstore.com) A half dozen journalists and book writers tell the story of this form of nonfiction writing. Mystery writer and former Wall Street Journal editor Ken Wells said, “Serving the readers is the whole purpose....write in a way that people can read.” (www.bayoubro.com)
Former LA Times reporter now full time book writer Sonia Nazario says about this form: “it’s a wonderful way to get people to go into worlds they wouldn’t otherwise see.” (www.sonia@sonianazario.com)
San Antonio Express- News Editor Bob Rivard said, “Storytelling is the cream on the milk. Good narrative reporting is investigative reporting humanized.” (www.expressnews.com) Ken Fedarko, former Senior Editor of Outside Magazine and now a freelance adventure writer said of the story form, that it requires “Sticking to the truth, absolutely.”
Bill Marvel of Dallas who turned his talents from newspapers to magazines and books said, “writers have always used techniques of fiction to write nonfiction. He believes that “the Golden Age of narrative nonfiction is now.”
George Getschow of the University of North Texas journalism school and Writer-in-Residence for the annual Literary Nonfiction conference in Grapevine said: “America’s greatest writers came out of the newspaper field... a literary tradition. (www.themayborn.unt.edu)
Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism prof, journalist and book writer Michele Weldon wrapped up the discussion this way: “More investigative work, enterprise work” will be needed from serious writers “to differentiate themselves from citizen journalists “ in online media. “People are looking for great storytelling in text or multimedia to connect to the individual. The character is the portal into the journalism.” (www.micheleweldon.com)
Celebrating with Carol Buchanan (center) of Montana who won Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best First Novel with a gripping historical novel, God’s Thunderbolt, The Vigilantes of Montana and Ann Ayers of North Texas (left). Ann’s bronze sculpture of 1915 rodeo cowgirl Bonnie McCarroll stands at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Now she’s working on a book about the cowgirl. Quite an art Ann created.
Click on the words "bronze sculpture" to read more about Ann and the sculpture.
Click on the title of Carol's book to go to her Web site.
Pages that come alive
My Texas Women’s stories continue to find homes in anthologies like…
Wild Women of the Old West, Fulcrum Publishing
The Way West, Tor Publishing
And there’s more, but ‘tis too early to crow just yet.
Click on the title below to go to the Web site:
Wild Women of the Old West
The Way West