When Truth Meets Craft: Practicing the Art of Literary Journalism

For a while, journalism has been trending away from "just the facts" to a more overtly crafted, subjective form. First-person journalism both reflects an awareness of the impossibility of objectivity and acknowledges the power of story to enliven data. When does the reporter's experience illuminate our reading of nonfiction, and when does it detract? Conversely, how does a writer infuse a personal narrative with relevant facts, signaling to the reader the contextual dance between the two? In this course students will learn and practice essential elements of powerful first-person journalism. Readings to inform discussions on craft, voice, stance and method include Ted Conover's, "The First Person in Journalism Must be Earned," as well as essays by Sy Montgomery, Drew Lanham, Kathryn Schulz, Hanif Abdurraqib, Leslie Jamison and David Foster Wallace.



Helen Whybrow has a master's in journalism from Harvard and studied literature at Amherst College. She has been an editor for W.W. Norton and at Orion Magazine, and is currently editor-at-large for Milkweed Editions. She's working on her third book../