Posts Tagged ‘Narrative’
Five Books of Narrative History
As a teen, I fell in love with narrative history — the use of classic storytelling techniques, such as characters, scenes, and dialogue — to write compelling histories. My first crush was on Barbara Tuchman, a journalist-turned-author who won the Pulitzer Prize for her books The Guns of August and Stillwell and the American Experience…
Read MoreNary a nod to Tom Wolfe…
One thing I didn’t hear anyone mention at this year’s Nieman conference was the “New Journalism” – that movement pioneered in the mid-1960s by Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Gay Talese, Jimmy Breslin. Perhaps because there seems to be a growing sense that at least some narrative nonfiction writers have gone too far in plucking techniques…
Read MoreLooking for Teachers: The Nieman Conference
This weekend, I spent 48 hours in Boston’s Prudential Center without venturing outside once. Yes, the fat snowflakes that drifted down past our hotel window Saturday morning were an enticement to venture outside. But not enough of one to convince me to miss any of the conversation taking place inside, at the Nieman conference. Making…
Read MorePracticing History Without a License: Adam Hochschild
Photo by Spark Media When I first listened to the book King Leopold’s Ghost on tape a few years ago, I was mesmerized by the true story of the Belgian King’s rule of the Congo. I can still remember standing in our little kitchen long after I’d finished the dishes; hands clad in yellow plastic…
Read MoreSandy Tolan’s History in Disguise
Photo by Nubar Alexanian As a reporter, I often find that the most important conversations with sources came when I snap close my reporter’s notebook and started heading to the door. That’s what I discovered yesterday. The second day of the Nieman conference was packed with smart, funny and inspiring speakers. Ann Hull and Dana…
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