International Association for Literary Journalism Studies
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Literary Studies Journalism Return address: Literary Journalism Studies Literary Journalism Studies State University of New York at Cortland Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2013 Department of Communication Studies P.O. Box 2000 L Cortland, New York 13045-0900 J U.S.A. S Special issue: African American literary journalism Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2013 2013 Fall 2, No. 5, Vol. Published at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University 1845 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, U.S.A. The Journal of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies 000i-ii_Cover F 13 vmm2jh3.indd 1 11/21/2013 8:56:05 AM On the Cover Our cover reflects the five African American literary journalists we explore in this issue. Clockwise, starting upper left, is Richard Wright, Isabel Wilkerson, Langston Hughes, Ollie Stewart, and, center, Sylvester Monroe. 000i-ii_Cover F 13 vmm2jh3.indd 2 11/21/2013 8:56:05 AM Literary Journalism Studies The Journal of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2013 ––––––––––––––––– Information for Contributors 4 Note from the Editor 5 ––––––––––––––––– Special Issue African American Literary Journalism: Extensions and Elaborations Roberta Maguire, Special Issue Editor 8 “Just People” are Just People: Langston Hughes and the Populist Power of African American Literary Journalism by Joshua M. Roiland 15 The Afro-American’s World War II Correspondents: Feuilletonism as Social Action by Antero Pietila 37 Unreading Modernism: Richard Wright’s Literary Journalism by William Dow 59 In Their OwnVoices Celebrating Brothers: Black and Poor—A True Story of Courage and Survival, 25 Years Later by Isabelle Meuret 91 An interview with author Sylvester Monroe 101 An Interview with Isabel Wilkerson Author of TheWarmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Kathy Roberts Forde 111 Notes toward a Supreme Nonfiction Keynote address, IALJS 2013 by Robert S. Boynton 125 An Appreciation: At Home in the Many-roomed House of Misfits by Anthea Garman 132 Book Reviews 135 ––––––––––––––––– Mission Statement 162 International Association for Literary Journalism Studies 163 2 Literary Journalism Studies Copyright © 2013 International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. All rights reserved. Website: www.literaryjournalismstudies.org Literary Journalism Studies is the journal of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies and is published twice yearly. For information on subscribing or membership, go to www.ialjs.org. Member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals Published twice a year, Spring and Fall issues. Subscriptions, $50/year (individuals), $75/year (libraries). ISSN 1944-897X (paper) ISSN 1944-8988 (online) 3 Literary Journalism Studies Editor John C. Hartsock State University of New York at Cortland, United States Special Issue Editor Roberta Maguire University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, United States Associate Editors Lynn Cunningham Ryerson University, Canada Miles Maguire University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, United States Book Review Editor Nancy Roberts University at Albany, SUNY, United States Publisher David Abrahamson Northwestern University, United States Editorial Offices Literary Journalism Studies State University of New York at Cortland Department of Communication Studies P.O. Box 2000 Cortland, New York 13045–0900 United States Email: [email protected] Published at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University 1845 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States 4 SUBMISSION INFORMATION ITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES invites submission of original scholarly L articles on literary journalism, which is also known as narrative journalism, liter- ary reportage, reportage literature, New Journalism, and the nonfiction novel, as well as literary and narrative nonfiction that emphasizes cultural revelation. The journal has an international focus and seeks submissions on the theory, history, and pedagogy of literary journalism throughout the world. All disciplinary approaches are welcome. Submissions should be informed with an awareness of the existing scholarship and should be between 3,000 and 8,000 words in length, including notes. To encourage international dialogue, the journal is open to publishing on occasion short examples or excerpts of previously published literary journalism accompanied by a scholarly gloss about or an interview with the writer who is not widely known outside his or her country. The example or excerpt must be translated into English. The scholarly gloss or interview should generally be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long and in- dicate why the example is important in the context of its national culture. Together, both the text and the gloss generally should not exceed 8,000 words in length. The contributor is responsible for obtaining all copyright permissions, including from the publisher, author and translator as necessary. The journal is also willing to consider publication of exclusive excerpts of narrative literary journalism accepted for publica- tion by major publishers. Email submission (as a Microsoft Word attachment) is mandatory. A cover page in- dicating the title of the paper, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact information, along with an abstract (50–100 words), should accompany all submis- sions. The cover page should be sent as a separate attachment from the abstract and submission to facilitate distribution to readers. No identification should appear linking the author to the submission or abstract. All submissions must be in English Microsoft Word and follow the Chicago Manual of Style (Humanities endnote style)<http://www. chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html>. All submissions will be blind re- viewed. Send submissions to the editor at <[email protected]>. Copyright reverts to the contributor after publication with the provision that if re- published reference is made to initial publication in Literary Journalism Studies. OOK REVIEWS are invited. They should be 1,000–2,000 words and focus on Bthe scholarship of literary journalism and recent original works of literary jour- nalism that deserve greater recognition among scholars. Book reviews are not blind reviewed but selected by the book review editor based on merit. Reviewers may sug- gest book review prospects or write the book review editor for suggestions. Usually reviewers will be responsible for obtaining their respective books. Book reviews and/ or related queries should be sent to Nancy L. Roberts at <[email protected]> 5 Note from the Editor… In this special issue we turn to the subject of African American literary journalism. The African American presence in liter- ary journalism is one that has not been studied nearly enough. But it is no surprise that the African American community has engaged in its own literary journalism because literary journal- ism has as its focus those who too often were consigned as the cultural other. In this issue we see how African Americans spoke for their community. Some will be more familiar, such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. But Ollie Stewart was known for the most only in the African American community when he wrote for the Baltimore Afro American. Meanwhile, changes are afoot at LJS. I will be stepping down as editor after next spring’s issue. It will have been five-some years since a group of us started the journal (and eight since its planning began), and it is time for me to move on. But the journal will be in good hands. Bill Reynolds from the School of Journalism at Ryerson Uni- versity in Toronto, who is the outgoing president of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies, the parent organization of the journal, will be “stepping up” to the journal as the new editor (I consider it a promotion from being president). Last year, a search committee put out a call for nominations. And I’m pleased to say that Bill was the unanimous choice. He has been a member of the association since our first conference in Nancy, France, in 2006, and his efforts reflect the selfless dedication so many members have contributed to make this organization such a success. Finally, I would like to welcome our newest associate editor, Lynn Cunningham, also of Ryerson University. Lynn brings much needed professional skills to the journal as our chief copyeditor. Lynn is an associate professor at Ryerson’s School of Journalism. Prior to joining the faculty she spent twenty years as a book and magazine editor. At Ryerson she has been closely associated with the multi-award-winning Ryerson Review of Journalism, produced by graduating-year students. Lynn is now our arbitrator of style, a position I happily cede Lynn Cunningham to her. One cannot express enough just how important this func- tion is. And perhaps I was getting just a little too old fashioned. I have really found it difficult to accept that the abbreviation for the U.S. in Chicago Humanities style is now US. I suppose that was driven by the trend to abbreviate the United Kingdom as UK. But somehow I am uncomfortable with “us” and “uk.” That is why I am happy that I won’t have to arbitrate over the style issues. Thank you, Lynn, for delivering us and uk from Babel. And now to our special issue on African American literary journalism. John C. Hartsock Literary Journalism Studies Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2013 6 Literary Journalism Studies African American literary journalism page 7.indd 1 12/9/2013 12:27:17 PM 8 Literary Journalism Studies Special Issue African American Literary Journalism: Extensions and Elaborations Roberta S. Maguire University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, United States Roberta S. Maguire is professor and chair of the Department of English at the University of Wiscon- sin Oshkosh, where she teaches courses on African American literature and culture and literary the- ory. She has published on the narrative nonfiction of Albert Murray, Alice Childress, and Anna Julia Cooper, and has a forthcoming article in Global Literary Journalism: Exploring the Journalistic Imagination (Volume 2) about African American literary journalism in the 1950s. She is also the editor of Conversations with Al- bert Murray (University Press of Mississippi, 1997).