THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS Literary jourNAlism
VOL 5 NO 4 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR LITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES FALL 2011
FUTURE IALJS OUR JOURNAL be available in all libraries which subscribe to EBSCO. Nevertheless, TheCONFERENCE following future IALJS conventionSITES we will ensure that the journal will venues are confirmed and/or planned. REACHES OUT For more information, please see Another forum for LJS. continue to be openly accessible via
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2012 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN CANADA’S COMMERCIAL CAPITAL The many unique attractions of Toronto. By Hillary Lindwall, Northwestern University (U.S.A.)
efitting its places in Toronto that are CITY place as off the beaten path attract SIGHTS Canada’s visitors. For example, Fort largest metropolis, York is an open-air mili- Bthe city of Toronto tary museum that is free is rich in both of charge. Originally erect- business and culture. Originally settled by ed during the War of 1812, British and French fur traders in the late museum staff now holds sixteenth century, Toronto is now the guided tours of the block- financial center of Canada while it retains houses, barracks and offi- its picturesque ravines, hills and small cers’ quarters located in rivers. In addition to its open green the fort. They also show spaces and parks, Toronto boasts great demonstrations of what shopping as well as historical sites. military life was like dur- The CN Tower, located in ing the war. AN EXCLAMATION POINT ON THE TORONTO SKYLINE, THE CN TOWER WAS COMPLETED IN 1976. IT Toronto, is the tallest freestanding struc- For a day of outdoor fun, ATTRACTS MORE THAT TWO ILLION VISITORS A YEAR. ture in the world and is also home to the Toronto Island offer a great escape from 360 Restaurant and Horizon Bar. The the hustle and bustle of the city. Only a also many fresh farmer’s markets and incredible views make it a favorite spot 15-minute ferry ride from Harbourfront, other forms of outdoor entertainment. for The Islands are home to the Centreville Once the “meeting place” of American tourists. Amusement Park, beaches and in-line Indians, Toronto is now the focal point of The Roy- skating paths. Paddle boats and bikes are Canadian business and culture. This com- al Onta- also available for rent on the Island. bination provides the perfect opportunity rio Mus- Harbourfront also offers entertainment. for visitors to experience Toronto as a o eum, Sports fans visiting the city truly unique city. Canada’s should be sure to visit the Hockey Hall of largest Fame, which is located north of IALJS-7 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SUMMARY museum, Harbourfront. It acts as both a hall of Wednesday, 16 May 2012 is also fame and a museum dedicated to the his- popular. As with Le Louvre in Paris, a tory of ice hockey, holding many exhibits Session 0 16.00 – 18.00 Executive Committee Meeting modern architectural element called “The about teams, players and the National Thursday, 17 May 2012 Hockey League. Crystal” was added to the original Sign in 8.00 – 9.00 Pick up conference materials Romanesque building in 2007, paid for by A multicultural city, Toronto Session 1 9.00 – 9.15 Welcome and Introduction Session 2 9.15 – 10.45 Work-in-Progress Session I a $30 milllion donation from Canadian prides itself on being vibrant and full of Session 3 11.00 – 12.00 Keynote Speech financier Michael Lee-Chin. life. The city is waiting to be explored, Lunch 12.00 – 13.15 Session 4 13.15 – 14.45 Research Paper Session I While visiting traditional from the great shopping in Yorkville and Session 5 15.00 – 16.30 Panels I and II tourism spots like the CN Tower and Easton Centre on Yonge Street, allegedly Session 6 16.45 – 18.15 Work-in-Progress Session II Royal Ontario Museum is a must, many the longest street in the world. There are Session 7 18.30 – 20.00 Conference Reception Friday, 18 May 2012
DANIEL LIBESKIND DESIGNED THE DRAMATIC Breakfast 7.30 – 8.30 Breakfast for Your Thoughts (per reservation) ADDITION TO THE ROYAL ONTARIO Session 8 9.00 – 10.30 Work-in-Progress Session III MUSEUM (ABOVE). OPENED IN 1965, TORONTO Session 9 10.45 – 12.15 Panels III and IV CITY HALL’S FUTURIST/MODERNIST Lunch 12.15 – 13.30 STRUCTURE (RIGHT) WAS QUITE UNLIKE ANYTHING Session 10 13.30 – 15.00 Research Paper Session II THAT TORONTONIANS HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE. Session 11 15.15 – 16.45 Work-in-Progress Session IV Session 12 17.00 – 18.00 President’s Address & Annual Business Mtg Dinner 19.00 – 21.00 Conference Banquet (per reservation) Literary Journalism FALL 2011 Vol 5 No 4 Saturday, 19 May 2012 Editors: Bill Reynolds and David Abrahamson Session 13 9.00 – 10.30 Work-in-Progress Session V ISSN 1941-1030 (print) Session 14 10.45 – 12.15 Panels V and VI ISSN 1941-1049 (online) Session 15 12.30 – 13.00 Closing Convocation © 2011 The Newsletter of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. All rights reserved.
PAGE 2 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
CALL FOR PAPERS International Association for Literary Journalism Studies
“Literary Journalism: The Power and Promise of Story” The Seventh International Conference for Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS-7)
Ryerson University School of Journalism Toronto, Canada
17-19 May 2012
The International Association for Literary Journalism Studies invites submissions of original research papers, abstracts for research in progress and proposals for panels on Literary Journalism for the IALJS annual convention on 17-19 May 2012. The conference will be held at the School of Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.
The conference hopes to be a forum for scholarly work of both breadth and depth in the field of literary journalism, and all research methodologies are welcome, as are research on all aspects of literary journalism and/or literary reportage. For the purpose of scholarly delineation, our definition of literary journalism is “journalism as literature” rather than “"journalism about literature.” The association especially hopes to receive papers related to the general conference theme, “Literary Journalism: The Power and Promise of Story.” All submissions must be in English.
The International Association for Literary Journalism Studies is a multidisciplinary learned society whose essential purpose is the encouragement and improvement of scholarly research and education in literary journalism. As an association in a relatively recently defined field of academic study, it is our agreed intent to be both explicitly inclusive and warmly supportive of a variety of scholarly approaches. Information on previous annual meetings can be found at http://www.ialjs.org/?page_id=33.
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CALL FOR PAPERS Continued from previous page
I. GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
Submitted research papers should not exceed 7,500 words, or about 25 double-spaced pages, plus endnotes. Please regard this as an upper limit; shorter papers are certainly welcome. Endnotes and bibliographic citations should follow the Chicago Manual of Style. Papers may not be simultaneously submitted to any other conferences. Papers previously published, presented, accepted or under review are ineligible. Only one paper per author will be accepted for presentation in the conference’s research sessions, and at least one author for each paper must be at the convention in order to present the paper. If accepted, each paper presenter at a conference Research Session may be allotted no more than 15 minutes. To be considered, please observe the following guidelines: (a) Submission by e-mail attachment in MS Word is required. No other format or faxes or postal mail submissions will be accepted. (b) Include one separate title page containing title, author/s, affiliation/s, and the address, phone, fax and e-mail of the lead author. (c) Also include a second title page containing only the paper’s title and the paper’s abstract. The abstract should be approximately 250 words in length. (d) Your name and affiliation should not appear anywhere in the paper [this information will only appear on the first title page; see (b) above].
II. GUIDELINES FOR WORK-IN-PROGRESS PRESENTATIONS (ABSTRACTS)
Submitted abstracts for Work-in-Progress Sessions should not exceed 250 words. If accepted, each presenter at a conference Work-in-Progress session may be allotted no more than 10 minutes. To be considered, please observe the following guidelines: (a) Submission by e-mail attachment using MS Word is required. No other format or faxes or postal mail submissions will be accepted. (b) Include one separate title page containing title, author/s, affiliation/s, and the address, phone, fax and e-mail of the lead author. (c) Also include a second page containing only the work’s title and the actual abstract of the work-in-progress. The abstract should be approximately 250 words in length.
III. GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS FOR PANELS
(a) Submission by e-mail attachment in MS Word is required. No other format or faxes or postal mail submissions will be accepted. (b) Panel proposals should contain the panel title, possible participants and their affiliation and e-mail addresses, and a description of the panel’s subject. The description should be approximately 250 words in length. (c) Panels are encouraged on any topic related to the study, teaching or practice of literary journalism. See http://www.ialjs.org/?page_id=21.
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CALL FOR PAPERS Continued from previous page
IV. EVALUATION CRITERIA, DEADLINES AND CONTACT INFORMATION
All research paper submissions will be evaluated on: originality and importance of topic; literature review; clarity of research purpose; focus; use of original and primary sources and how they support the paper’s purpose and conclusions; writing quality and organization; and the degree to which the paper contributes to the study of literary journalism. Similarly, abstracts of works-in-progress and panel proposals will be evaluated on the degree to which they contribute to the study of literary journalism. All submissions will be blind-juried, and submissions from students as well as faculty are encouraged.
Please submit research papers or abstracts of works-in-progress presentations to:
Prof. Isabel Soares, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal) 2012 IALJS-7 Research Chair; e-mail:
Please submit proposals for panels to:
Prof. Rob Alexander, Brock University (Canada) 2012 IALJS-7 Program Co-Chair; e-mail:
Deadline for all submissions: No later than 1 December 2011
For more information regarding the conference or the association, please go to http://www.ialjs.org or contact:
Prof. Alice Trindade, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal) IALJS President; e-mail:
Prof. David Abrahamson, Northwestern University (U.S.A.) IALJS Secretary; e-mail:
Prof. John S. Bak, Nancy-Université (France) Founding IALJS President; e-mail:
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2012 IALJS CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM 17-19 May 2012 Ryerson University School of Journalism, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Please indicate 1.a. PRE-REGISTRATION FEES (MUST BE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE 31 MARCH 2012) the applicable amounts: Current IALJS Member – $120 (rate for those already having paid their 2012 dues) Current IALJS Member retired – $100 (rate for those already having paid their 2012 dues) Student with research paper on program – $30 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Student without paper on program – $60 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Non-IALJS member – $170 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Spouse/Partner – $50 (This fee is required only if a spouse will be attending scheduled research sessions and/or panels)
1.b. REGISTRATION FEES POSTMARKED AFTER 31 MARCH 2012 (Note: Meals & special events may not be available to those who register after 31 March 2012)
Current IALJS Member – $155 (rate for those already having paid their 2012 dues) Current IALJS Member retired – $135 (rate for those already having paid their 2012 dues) Student with research paper on program – $65 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Student without paper on program – $95 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Non-IALJS member – $205 (Includes a one-year IALJS membership) Spouse/Partner – $85 (This fee is required only if a spouse will be attending scheduled research sessions and/or panels)
1.c. ON-SITE REGISTRATION – $180 for IALJS members, $230 for non-members (includes a one-year IALJS membership). NOTE: Meals & special events may not be available to those who register on site.
2. SPECIAL EVENTS: Please indicate the number of meals required next to each item below Number of meals needed: Regular Vegetarian "Breakfast for Your Thoughts" (Friday morning) Number attending x $20* Conference Banquet (Friday evening) Number attending x $60 *NOTE: Breakfast on Friday is FREE to students, who, in a collegial IALJS tradition, have a chance to present their work and career goals to the IALJS's faculty members. Make registration checks payable to “IALJS” TOTAL ENCLOSED: For a reservation at the convention hotel, BILL REYNOLDS, Hilton Garden Inn, Toronto/City Centre Please return completed form IALJS Treasurer with a check or bank transfer School of Journalism IALJS-7 special reservation web site: payable to “IALJS” to >>> Ryerson University http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/Y/YYZCCGI-IA7- 350 Victoria St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 20120516/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG To register on-line via PayPal, CANADA see “Conference Payments” at Tel: +01-416-979-5000 x6294 IALJS room rates – Single/Double: $157.07 CAD (tax incl); Breakfast - $15 CAD/person WWW.IALJS.ORG Fax: +01-416-979-5216 Phone: 1-877-316-9951 toll-free; 1-416-362-7700 local; +1-416-362-7706 fax [email protected] E-mail: [email protected], IALJS Group Code: “IA7”
3. REGISTRATION INFO Name: Address/Department School/University City, State, Zip, Country Phone E-mail Address Name of Spouse (if attending)
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Call for Papers for Special Issue on African American Literary Journalism
Literary Journalism Studies, a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS), invites sub- missions for a special issue on African American literary journalism of the nineteenth, twentieth and/or twenty-first centuries. Working with a broad def- inition of literary journalism as fact-based, timely prose that employs literary technique (symbolism, dialogue, scene construction, character development, narrative structure, etc.), we are interested in manuscripts of 5,000 to 8,000 words that investigate African American-controlled venues hospitable to liter- ary journalism as well as individual writers and their texts. While we welcome scholarship on the literary journalism of academics, poets and fiction writers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Alice Childress and James Baldwin, we are also seeking manuscripts that focus on writers who primarily or even exclusively were or are journalists. Please direct questions and send submissions to Roberta S. Maguire
Published by the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies
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LITERARY JOURNALISM IN THE ARAB GULF It is a matter of hurdles and prospects. By Ibrahim N. Abusharif, Northwestern University (Qatar) iterary journalism in the Middle ence to the customs of privacy. In another opinion or longer forms. It does not East is, at best, seriously underde- article, a woman jumped to her death require a whole lot of analysis or imagi- veloped. There are reasons for this, from a hotel balcony. The article does not nation to conclude that if literary journal- a couple of which will be mentioned here, mention the name of the woman, the ism has any hope to flourish in the area, Lparticularly with regard to a region, the hotel, or other facts that we’d expect to the legal barriers will have to be Arab (or Persian) Gulf, where I have been read in, say, the United States. The point addressed. living and work- is: if details are left out of news stories, But there is also clear reason for ing for the last how, then, does this bode for literary jour- hope. Much has been written about what three years. The nalism that requires solid reporting and a has come to be known as the Arab Spring Arab Gulf is often great deal of facts to move along the nar- of 2011, and more undoubtedly will come. said to be among rative? The revolutions in the Arab world lend the most conserv- Now to the subject of repressive themselves to commentary, given the his- ative regions of press laws. If Reporters Without Borders’ toric nature of these events. It’s still not the Middle East. “Press Freedom Index” is reliable (and it certain, however, what final outcomes This may be true, appears to be so), then the Middle East will eventually emerge from the democra- AROUND THE but it is also struggles with tight press media laws. tic disruptions and resulting tumult; in developing (in a Only two Middle East nations are in the effect, what form of governance—and, WORLD Western pattern of more importantly, what level of freedom development) at a of expression—will come forward. What pace that is out- Much has we do know is that the call for freedom of stripping any other region in the Middle the press sounds nonnegotiable. It is, East and North Africa. been written about the however, one of the few key demands of There are a couple of obstacles in Arab Spring the revolutionaries that has remained the Arab Gulf that resist the kind of infor- of 2011, and more undoubtedly constant and vociferous. mation, facts and depth of reporting that will come This is welcome news in the inform literary journalism. One of the region for obvious reasons: the flow of obstacles is a rather firm sense of “priva- news and information, as well as the larg- cy.” The other concerns “law”—or more er relationship between a free press and a pointedly, press law and self-censorship. free people. But this also relates to the While privacy is a universal value, its top one hundred list of nations in the prospects of literary journalism in the conception and practice differ among var- freedom ranking, and many nations in the Arab world. The people of the region ious people and regions. In the Arab Gulf region are actually quite low on the list. have stories to explore and tell, and they the idea of “shame” is important and The threats of legal repercussions put a simply want the protections and proper o imbedded in the notion of privacy, partic- chill on journalism—whether it’s news, venue in which to tell them. ularly the sticky issue of what the culture dictates should not be revealed in the public. Now this directly affects the role of journalism and its observance of close- ly held cultural sensitivities. It is a practice, for example, for local papers, when covering a crime, to keep out facts that Western readers expect to read. A case in point is a recent pub- lished article about two men (adult col- lege students) who stole a luxury car from a swank hotel. The following was not mentioned: the names of the men, the col- lege they attended, the hotel’s name and the make of the car itself, which the article curiously mentioned as being expensive. (In other words, the car was not a Hyundai.) What’s important to note is that these omissions were made in defer-
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ALICE CHILDRESS’S “CONVERSATIONS FROM LIFE” Notes toward an African American tradition in literary journalism. By Roberta Maguire, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh (U.S.A.)
he 1950s are acknowledged as a “dry spell” for literary available to African Americans. By turns empowered and journalism in the United States (Sims 20; Hartsock 14; embittered, united and divided, the black community in the Forde 52). Coming after the Great Depression of the 1950s struggled to determine how best to respond to these 1930s, when literary reportage enjoyed a heyday, and before the events, a struggle its journalism likewise engaged. Ttumultuous 1960s, when the New Journalism burst on the One writer in the thick of that crisis was Alice scene, the Cold War of the 1950s, as Kathy Roberts Forde has Childress, recognized today for several plays and the 1973 noted, appears to have had a chilling young adult novel A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich. In the effect on the country’s literary jour- 1950s, when Childress was the first black woman to have a nalism: “[P]redicated as [the Cold play professionally produced in the U.S., as well as the first to War] was on a nearly monolithic anti- win an Obie Award (Off Broadway’s version of the Tony), she communist, pro-capitalist ideology, was working on Paul Robeson’s radical monthly newspaper American political and cultural elites Freedom, whose offices were on 125th Street in New York’s (and perhaps even a weary and fear- Harlem. Known as a “quality alternative to the conservative- ful public) needed the authoritative, leaning [black] publications” of the time such as Ebony maga- soothing voice of the traditional zine (Balaji 323) and treated as a supplement to the weekly report” (52). Yet if we can accept John black papers, Freedom appeared from November 1950 until Hartsock’s argument in his History of August 1955 with a three-month hiatus in 1954. Childress’s RESEARCH American Literary major contribution was a column entitled ESSAY Journalism that “Conversations from Life,” which featured the form since the The column Mildred, a domestic worker living in late nineteenth featured Mildred, a domestic Harlem, talking with her friend Marge, century has thrived in times of “social and whose voice is never directly represented. cultural transformation and crisis,” when worker living in After Freedom folded, the weekly “an objectified rhetoric” proves “inade- Harlem, talking to her Baltimore-based Afro-American picked up quate” to capture the meaning and experi- friend Marge the column, running it from 1956 into ence of that crisis (167), perhaps looking 1960. Not long after it began appearing in beyond mainstream publication venues the Afro-American, Childress collected her might point us to some fertile ground for columns and found a small, New York American literary journalism even during firm to publish them. The volume the 1950s. I propose that we look to African appeared in 1956 under the title Like One American journalism—news publications owned, managed and of the Family . . . conversations from a domestic’s life and then written by African Americans primarily for an African sank, as the blues song goes, like a rock in the sea, reviewed American readership. only in Masses and Mainstream (Mammies xxxiv). For several While for mainstream America, after the Great decades it was out of print, until Trudier Harris reissued it Depression large-scale social crisis didn’t erupt again until the with a critical introduction in 1986. Upon reissue, Harris 1960s, the 1950s were pivotal years in the black community. assigned it a genre—fiction, a novel even—and that is how the Two major events insured a period of cultural crisis and trans- book is viewed today. formation: The first was legal desegregation of public places, But I don’t think it is a novel, and in that I’m almost sporadic during the early 1950s and culminating in the 1954 not alone. Mary Helen Washington notes in a recent article Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. A major how she “always found [the] novel problematic and was reluc- legal triumph, Brown v. Board was painfully slow to translate tant to teach it in [her] classes” (189) because it was “static,” into broad-based, real-life change. As Manning Marable notes lacking “complexity.” Washington continues: “What I now in his new biography of Malcolm X, working- and middle-class realize is that it is important to read the Mildred monologues “blacks couldn’t understand why” and so could not accept that as they first appeared . . . in a left-wing newspaper in the “the laws weren’t being enforced” (123). The second crisis-mak- midst of Cold War tensions, dramatically transformed by their ing “event” for African Americans was, ironically, part of what position on the page and by their dialogic relationship to their made 1950s mainstream culture so dull: the decade’s Red Scare audience and to the other stories in the paper” (189). I couldn’t had an outsized impact on blacks by effectively conflating calls agree more. But here I’d like to take Washington’s insights a for racial justice with communist agitation. Two revered lead- step further to argue that the newspaper columns and, follow- ers—W.E.B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson—were even denied ing that, their collection and expansion in Like One of the Family passports for the majority of the decade. The “deeply rooted, are, rather than fiction, part of a possible African American stubborn, oppressive conformity” that Norman Sims notes in True Stories plagued the dominant culture (221) was not readily Continued on next page
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CHILDRESS Continued from previous page
tradition of literary journalism. [than mainstream journalism] precise- that they and issues directly affecting Furthermore, what that discussion will ly because its purpose is to narrow the them were important. Take Robeson’s also reveal is that the techniques distance between subjectivity and the Freedom: The front page featured Childress uses in her literary journalism object” (132), making possible what he Robeson’s own column, “Here I Stand”; are especially appropriate for the social calls “an empathic understanding” the issue’s news stories—on black can- crisis in the black community during the (22) of or “personal engagement of didates running for historically white 1950s. one’s subjectivity” (228) with what posts in off-year elections, on the align- Prior to writing her first col- very often is a “social or cultural ment of the country’s “leading racists” umn, Childress worked as a domestic for Other” (22). This takes on different with Joe McCarthy—directly engaged several months “because it was the only shading when we consider the U.S. the reader. The reporter might offer edi- [paid] work [she] could get at the black press. Dating to 1827, black jour- torial comment (a new pamphlet on moment” (Mammies 111). And several of nalism was initially “almost totally anti-discrimination is described as Mildred’s stories that appeared in the committed to a cause”—the abolition “must reading” and a “major weapon”) paper were Childress’s own from that of slavery—and then after the Civil often even interjecting the first-person period. But her Aunt Lorraine, who War, began to resemble the white pronoun as in a December 1951 story “was a domestic worker all of her life” press more in its mix of stories about how white distributors were (111), Childress also claims helped shape (Wolseley 24). Yet if the mix of stories pawning off spoiled meat and produce Mildred and the stories she told. to Harlem grocers. Such a style under- Childress gathered more material by lined the solidarity of the press and its attending meetings in Harlem of women Childress’s column readers, the nation’s “others.” who were “trying to form a domestic Childress’s column personal- workers’ union” (Like One xxxiv). Once personalized ized further the news Robeson’s paper her columns began appearing in further the news that delivered. Through Mildred’s vernacu- Robeson’s paper, she got “floods of mail Robeson’s lar and often jocular conversation, from domestics telling of their own newspaper Freedom delivered Childress retold everyday episodes and experiences,” which then became the gained her readers’ trust. As she gained basis for other columns. In other words, their trust, she promoted ways of deal- Mildred is a composite character, very ing with the insults her readers suffered, much like Finley Peter Dunne’s Mr. ways infused with humor that rein- Dooley, whose wit and wisdom began changed, what remained was the larg- forced the dignity of the worker. An appearing in the Chicago Evening Post in er purpose of “serving, publicizing, example from May 1953: Mildred is 1893 and continued, nationally syndicat- speaking, and fighting for the colored recounting to Marge an incident at Mrs. ed, until 1916. And Childress’s method community,” as Moses J. Newson, a E’s apartment. Mrs. E, we learn, has of gathering her content follows what former executive editor of the Afro- “got a big old pocketbook with two long Thomas Connery calls journalism’s “tra- American once put it (Wolseley 4). This straps on it,” which she keeps “double ditional means of news gathering or purpose was necessary because the wrapped tight around her wrist” when- reporting”: there were interviews with mainstream press through Jim Crow ever Mildred was there to work, even her aunt, document review through the and beyond would by turns demonize roaming “from room to room” with it letters received from domestic workers or exoticize, downplay or—most “hugged to her bosom.” One day, Mrs. and observations of other domestics at often—ignore the black community in E instructed Mildred to go ask the super union-organizing meetings (15). Her the news stories it told. The black to come fix the faucet. Here’s Mildred: own immersion in the world of domestic press, then—itself an “other”—has I just went down the hall and service also insured a dimension of always been an activist press, striving stood there a few minutes . . . and then I authenticity and truth for which journal- to inspire the community of “others” rushed back to the door and knocked on it as ism strives. And, as I suggest below, the of which it is a part. hard and frantic as I could. [Mrs. E] flung “immediacy” Connery connects with This was especially true in open the door sayin’, “What’s the matter? journalism, in addition to its “relevance the 1950s. Operating “under the Did you see the super?” . . . “No,” I says, peculiar to its time and place” (15), are radar” (Wolseley 213) of mainstream gaspin’ hard for breath, “I was almost down hallmarks of Childress’s columns. America, the black press focused on the stairs when I remembered . . . I LEFT Hartsock notes how “[n]arra- the racial angle of virtually any story, MY POCKETBOOK!” tive literary journalism offers more of an providing a mix of news in a report- With that I dashed in, grabbed my opportunity for reader engagement ing style that conveyed to its readers Continued on next page
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BOOK CONFERENCE CHILDRESS Continued from previous page TheIN NinthTORONTO International Conference On The Book will be held 14-16 October 2011 at the University of St. Michael's College in the purse and then went down to get the super! court case had on the psyche of black University of Toronto. The conference serves as Later, when I was leavin’ [Mrs. E] says real America while proposing that her readers an inclusive forum for examining the past, cur- timid-like, “Mildred, I hope that you don’t not allow it to paralyze them. rent and future role of the book. It proceeds from think that I distrust you because . . .” I cut Covering what straighter news recognition that although the book is an old her off real quick. “That’s all right, Mrs. E, I stories, even in the more personal black medium of expression, it embodies half a millen- understand. ‘Cause if I paid anybody as lit- press, could not, Childress’s Mildred nium's experience of recording knowledge. Its tle as you pay me, I’d hold my pocketbook columns reflect the feel of life for ordi- pervasive influence continues to shape newer too!” nary black folk while recounting events forms of information technology, while at the There are columns about an large and small that mattered to them. same time providing a reference point for inno- employer wanting to see Mildred’s Imparting wisdom and inspiration, the vation. The 2011 Book Conference will take health card, about the hollow gesture a columns maintain fidelity to the goals of place at the University of St. Michael's in the lady of the house makes in front of the black press—“serving, publicizing, University of Toronto. The University of St. guests—“Mildred, dear—be sure to eat speaking, and fighting for the [African Michael's is home to the John M. Kelly Library, both of those lamb chops”—or about an American] community.” And, I must one of 40 within the University of Toronto and is unreconstructed Southern houseguest note, they were not anomalous: In the known for its innovative services to students and who wishes all blacks knew their place same decade, Langston Hughes was writ- faculty. The collection dates back to the founding like the one he is friends with back Chicago Defender of the University and is particularly strong in the ing a column for the , home. humanities and social sciences, with book histo- featuring Jesse B. Semple (or “Simple”), ry, languages and English literature well repre- Alternating with columns another composite Harlem character who sented. For more info, please see http://www. describing such ordinary events are offered clear-eyed commentary on the booksandpublishing.com/conference. those that focus on national matters. strangeness of life for black Americans Mildred speaks in an August 1952 col- mid-century and who is, according to umn of the democratic platform Hughes’s biographer Arnold Rampersad, unveiled at the convention nominating “a most enduring and endearing creation OCTOBER MEDIA LITERACY Adlai Stevenson: She tells Marge that . . . in African American journalism and ThisMEETING year’s 16th annualIN BEIRUT conference of the Arab- she “was some hot” when she heard a literature” (“Simple” 666). I expect a clos- U.S. Association of Communication Educators news commentator say that the democ- er look at the black press will yield much (AUSACE) will feature the timely studies of media rats “had avoided usin’ ‘anti-lynch’ and more of interest to those of us studying researchers documenting the impact and politi- other words which would not be literary journalism and quite possibly cal ramifications of social media across the Arab pleasin’ to the South.” “Ain’t that some- complicate in wonderfully exciting ways thin’!” she goes on, “Imagine! If you just our thinking about its place in the world, among other important media literacy and o digital literacy topics. Scheduled for 28-31 say stop killin’ our folks that is dis- American tradition. October at the American University in Beirut, the pleasin’ to the South.” In the July 1952 conference theme is “Digital & Media Literacy: column appearing right after a White Works Cited New Directions.” The meeting will interpret this Plains jury found Stanley La Bensky year’s theme broadly to include new directions innocent of first-degree murder after he Balaji, Murali. The Professor and for media education, for national development, killed two black men in protest over the Pupil: The Politics of W.E.B. Du Bois and for democracy, for civil society, and for global their having been served in a bar, Paul Robeson. New York: Nation Books, engagement. For more info, please see Mildred explains the chilling effect that 2007. http://www.aub.edu.lb/ausace2011. had on her, nearly dissuading her from Childress, Alice. “Conversations going on a picnic: “it was all of a sud- from Life.” Freedom 1950-55. Microform. den clear as day that a white person can ____. Like One of the Family . . . ORWELL FESTIVAL IN U.K. kill a colored person and it will be conversations from a domestic’s life. A festival devoted to Animal Farm author George alright.” She goes on: “Now I am a good Brooklyn, NY: Independence Publishers, Orwell will take place 9-18 September in woman, but if I was not, the law is fixed 1956. Letchworth, Hertfordshire. Run by volunteers i so that I could not go ‘round killin folks Connery, Thomas B., ed. A from the village of Wallington where Orwell if I want to live myself, but anybody can Sourcebook of American Literary Journalism: leased a cottage between 1936 and 1947, kill me. And that is why I cannot look Representative Writers in an Emerging events will include staged adaptations of forward to a picnic with enjoyment.” Genre. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. Orwell's stories, debates, art exhibitions, comedy But here’s how she ends the column: Forde, Kathy Roberts. Literary nights and book events. For more info, please “Oh yes Marge—I am going to the pic- Journalism on Trial: Masson v. New Yorker see http://www. thebookseller.com/category nic. I shall take my life in my hands and /tags/george-orwell-festival. go.” She is reporting on the effect the Continued on next page
PAGE 12 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
NEWSLETTER FROM CHILDRESS Continued from previous page EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR ForPERIODICAL a copy of the on-line RESEARCH newsletter of the recently formed learned society, ESPRit, please and the First Amendment. Amherst: Rampersad, Arnold. “Simple.” send an e-mail to [email protected]. The associa- University of Massachusetts Press, 2008. The Oxford Companion to African American tion was organized in 2009 at Radboud Harris, Trudier. Introduction. Literature. Ed. William L. Andrews, University Nijmegen by a group of periodical Like One of the Family: Conversations from a Frances Smith Foster, and Trudier Harris. researchers from Austria, Belgium, England, the Domestic’s Life. By Alice Childress. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Netherlands, Scotland and the United States. Boston: Beacon Press, 1986. Rpt. of Like Sims, Norman. True Stories: A For more information, please see http://www. One of the Family . . . conversations from a Century of Literary Journalism. Evanston, ru.nl/esprit/. domestic’s life. xi-xxxiv. IL: Northwestern University Press, 2007. ____. From Mammies to Militants: Washington, Mary Helen. “Alice Domestics in Black American Literature. Childress, Lorraine Hansberry, and TURKEY CONFERENCE ON Philadelphia: Temple University Press, Claudia Jones: Black Women Write the 1982. Popular Front.” Left of the Color Line: Race, TheROLE Symposium OF IDEOLOGYof Western Cultural and Hartsock, John C. A History of Radicalism, and Twentieth-Century Literary Studies will be held at Pamukkale American Literary Journalism: The Literature of the United States. Ed. Bill V. University in Denizli, Turkey on 5-7 October Emergence of a Modern Narrative Form. Mullen and James Smethurst. Chapel 2011. The focus of the meeting will be research Amherst: University of Massachusetts Hill: University of North Carolina Press, in the fields of English, American, French and Press, 2000. 2003. 183-204. German Cultures and Literatures that examine Marable, Manning. Malcolm X: A Wolseley, Ronald E. The Black the role of ideology in literature and the rela- Life of Reinvention. New York: Viking Press, U.S.A. 2nd ed. Ames: Iowa State tionship between ideology and literature. Topics Penguin, 2011. University Press, 1990. explored will include: ideology and discourse/narrative, ideology and violence, ide- ology and body, ideology and space, ideology and translation, ideology and language, ideology TEACHING TIPS Continued from Page 20 and education, ideology and culture, ideology and author, ideology and art, ideology and poli- ing that does not have an immediate come up with the definitive list, but tics, ideology and sex/gender, ideology and rep- resentation of good/evil, ideology and fantasy, application in their own lives, based on the list they come up with will cer- ideology and mythology, ideology and race, ide- their own internal processes. By sending tainly help direct their own thinking ology and modernism/postmodernism, ideology students out on a self-directed quest to about the subject. and colonialism/postcolonialism and ideology discover critiques that are most salient to But as I explained at the out- and civilization. For more info, please see them, they are likely to focus on elements set, this is still a technique that is http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu that are most relevant to them. under development. I would love to /node/40642. How might this assignment be hear ideas from others on ways to translated to a course on literary journal- apply this in literary journalism o ism? That is a good question, and I’m courses. very interested in hearing thoughts from NANCY ROBERTS TO those of you reading this article. My co- Works Cited NancyKEYNOTE Roberts, director IALJS-7 of the journalism pro- authors and I suggested that the tech- gram at the University at Albany (SUNY) and nique is best suited to types of reporting Grow, Gerald O. (1991) noted literary journalism scholar, will be the that are complicated, controversial or sen- “Teaching learners to be self-direct- keynote speaker at the annual conference of sitive. It could be effective in topical ed”, Adult Education Quarterly 41, 125- the International courses such as health reporting, environ- 149. Association for Literary mental reporting and courses that discuss Hoewe, Jennifer, Bowe, Brian Journalism Studies to the uses of sensitive government material J., and Zeldes, Geri Alumit (2010) “A be hosted by Ryerson —any topic that contains a potent mix of pedagogical response to the coverage University in Toronto, ethical and factual issues at its core. But I of Islam,” paper presented to the Canada on May 17-19, see no reason why it couldn’t also be Association for Education in 2012. One of the applied to writing techniques as well. Journalism and Mass founders of the disci- Perhaps a useful assignment might be to Communication, Denver, Colorado, pline, Roberts has expose students to a variety of literary August. made substantial con- journalism texts and have them come up Knowles, Malcolm (1990) The tributions to the field as an area of academic with a list of principles of what makes for Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, inquiry. good reportage. The students may not Houston: Gulf Publishing.
LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 PAGE 13 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
A PAIR OF IALJS PANELS AT AEJMC IN ST. LOUIS The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication extends an invitation. By Joshua Roiland, Case Western Reserve University (U.S.A.)
wo sessions of joint programming between IALJS and AEJMC took place at the latter’s annual confer- ence in St. Louis, T Mo. The title of the 13 August program was “Literary Journal- ism: Telling Stories, Defining Citizenship,” and a dozen IALJS members signed up to participate. ILAJS ON In the first ABOVE, FROM LEFT: FIRST-PANEL PARTICIPANTS BOWE, MORE, FORDE, SPAULDING, REYNOLDS AND HALL. THE MOVE panel were Brian J. Bowe of Grand Reynolds, Ryerson University (Canada), Journalist as ‘Philosophical Exile’”; Amy Valley State Univ- “Village Denizens: Mary McCarthy’s Snow Landa, University of Minnesota, ersity, whose pre- ‘Greenwich Village at Night’ and the New “Imagining the Global Community: sentation was entitled “Muslim Hybridity York Post’s Unlikely Support of Literary Literary Journalism and Global in Michael Muhammad Knight’s Gonzo Journalism”; and Stacy Spaulding, Citizenship in the 21st Century”; Novia Writing”; Kathy Roberts Forde, University Towson University, “More than just David Pagone, University of Chicago, “Women, of South Carolina, “Civil Rights and Civic Simon: The Baltimore of Michael Olesker, Journalism and Shaping Cultural Identity Courage: Literary Journalism and the Richard Ben Cramer and Rafael Alvarez.” During the Spanish Transition to African American Freedom Struggle”; The second session included Democracy”; John J. Pauly, Marquette Calvin Hall, Appalachian State University, Peiqin Chen of Shanghai International University, “What Can Literary “Random Citizens: Personal University (China), who presented a talk Journalism Tell Us about Work and Responsibility in Random Family: Love, entitled “In Expansion of Capitalism, Organizational Life?”; and Joshua Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the What has Happened to Traditional Roiland, Case Western Reserve Bronx”; Prachi More, University of Chinese Values: A Study of Stories in University, “The Elements of Literary Tübingen (Germany), “Contours of the Southern Weekly, a Weekly Newspaper in Journalism: (Un)Conventional China”; Thomas B. Connery, St. Thomas Characteristics and Their Contribution to Megacity: Performing Documentary”; Bill o University, “Bearing Witness: The Literary Democratic Discourse.”
ABOVE, CHEN FROM SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. AT LEFT, A LIGHT MOMENT IN THE SECOND PANEL BETWEEN, FROM RIGHT, PAULY, CONNERY, PAGONE, LANDA AND ROILAND.
PAGE 14 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
KEEBLE WINS NATIONAL TEACHING FELLOWSHIP Awarded by the U.K.’s Higher Education Authority, it is regarded as the most prestigious award for excellence in teaching at the university level.
his past fessional development programs and example, he is EXCELLENCE summer, individual recognition for staff. the co-editor of IN TEACHING one of For those of us who are familiar The Journalistic IALJS’s own, with Richard’s accomplishments, the Imagination TProfessor Richard award comes as no surprise. He has (Routledge). Lance Keeble of played a central role in the development In recent the School of Journalism at the University of journalism teaching in higher educa- years, he has of Lincoln was awarded a celebrated tion, writing and editing 20 books. His joined forces National Teaching Fellowship. The Newspapers Handbook (fourth edition, with Coventry keynote speaker of IALJS-4 and a member Routledge) is regarded as the seminal University and of IALJS’s Board of Advisors, Richard was textbook on reporting skills. Dorothy the BBC College one of 55 lecturers and staff awarded the Byrne, head of Channel Four News and of Journalism to RICHARD LANCE KEEBLE Fellowships, the most prestigious awards Current Affairs, also comments: “Richard organize confer- in the U.K. for excellence in higher educa- is a major figure in the debate about jour- ences on a range of contemporary issues tion teaching and support for learning. nalism in the U.K. His innovative think- such as the reporting of the Afghan con- The award winners were chosen ing and academic excellence forms the flict, the impact of the internet on the by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) foundation of his inspirational teaching.” news and the reporting of the Arab from over 200 nominations submitted by Spring. Out of these have emerged texts higher education institutions across which combine the reflections of top jour- England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Richard nalists with those of leading international Each will receive an award of £10,000 has made major contributions academics. While at City and Lincoln he which may be used for the fellows’ pro- to the teaching has encouraged critical engagement with fessional development in teaching and and study of literary journalism the industry and integrated top journal- learning or aspects of pedagogy. ists into his teaching programs. The 55 awards have recognized in higher education Richard and the other new lecturers and learning support staff from a National Teaching Fellows will officially wide range of disciplines including receive their awards at a ceremony which Geography, Law, Music, Sport, Psychiatry, will take place in London on Wednesday o English, Medicine and Economics. 5 October 2011. Professor Craig Mahoney, the head of the Richard has been at the HEA said: “I am delighted to . . . congrat- University of Lincoln since 2003. Before ulate all of the successful nominees. that, he taught for 19 years in the During my first year as chief executive at Journalism Department, City University the HEA I have been privileged to meet London. During this time he has promot- many National Teaching Fellows across ed the teaching of journalism ethics in a the country and have been inspired by number of ways. His Ethics for Journalists their work and achievements. Their com- (Routledge) is now in its second edition, mitment and expertise are an inspiration and he is a director of the Institute of to academics and students alike across the Communication Ethics. sector. The dedication of the 55 new While at City he was co-director Fellows announced today is to be applau- of the innovative International Journalism ded and provides further evidence of the M.A., and at Lincoln he has introduced a high quality innovative practices that stu- B.A. in Investigative Journalism and dents paying fees will increasingly expect Research, B.A. modules in International to experience in higher education.” Human Rights for Journalists and Peace The National Teaching and Conflict Reporting, an M.A. in Fellowships are part of an overall HEA Journalism, War and International programme to inspire and celebrate Human Rights and a Journalism Ph.D. by teacher excellence. Along with the Practice. Moreover, Richard has con- National Teaching Fellowships, the HEA’s IALJS MEMBER JOHN HANC’S BOOK, A PRO- work in teacher excellence also includes tributed to the teaching and study of liter- FESSIONAL CYCLIST’S MEMOIR OF HIS BATTLE the accreditation of the institution's pro- ary journalism in higher education. For WITH ILLNESS, WAS PUBLISHED IN MAY 2011.
LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 PAGE 15 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
Call for Submissions Literary Journalism Studies Published by the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies
Literary Journalism Studies, a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS), invites submissions of scholarly articles on literary journalism, which is also known as narrative journalism, narrative nonfiction, literary reportage, reportage literature, New Journalism and the nonfiction novel, as well as literary nonfiction that emphasizes cultural revelation. The jour- nal is international in scope and seeks submissions on the theory, history and pedagogy of literary journalism throughout the world. All disciplinary approaches are welcome.
To encourage an international dialogue, the journal is also willing to consider publishing short examples or excerpts of literary journalism accompanied by a scholarly gloss about a writer not widely known outside his or her country. The example or excerpt must be translated into English. The scholarly gloss must be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long and indicate why the example is important in the context of its national culture. Together, both the text and the gloss must 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.
E-mail submission (as an MS Word attachment) is mandatory, and submissions should be between 4,000 and 8,000 words in length, including notes. A cover page indicating the title of the paper, the author’s name and institutional affiliation, and contact information must accompany all submissions. The author’s name should not appear on the required 250-word abstract or on the paper itself, as all submissions will be blind reviewed. All submissions must be in English and follow the Chicago Manual of Style (Humanities). Submissions will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Contributors of articles selected for publication will receive one copy of the jour- nal. Copyright reverts to the contributor after publication with the provision that should the submission be sub- sequently republished reference is made to initial publication in Literary Journalism Studies. Please e-mail all submissions and/or related queries to:
John C. Hartsock, Ph.D. Editor, Literary Journalism Studies Department of Communication Studies State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY 13045-0900 U.S.A.
BOOK REVIEWS: The journal will include a book review section and invites short reviews of 1,000-2,000 words on both the scholarship of literary journalism and recent original works of literary journalism that deserve greater recognition among scholars. Book reviews are not blind reviewed but selected by the book review editor based on merit. Reviewers may suggest book review prospects or write the book review editors for suggestions. Usually reviewers will be responsible for obtaining their respective books. Book reviews and/or related queries should be e-mailed to Thomas B. Connery at
PAGE 16 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
2011 IALJS Membership Form
Please fill out form and return (by mail, fax or scanned e-mail attachment) with dues payment to address below.
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Membership Categories: The annual IALJS membership coincides with the calendar year (no pro-rating is available). Members receive the Literary Journalism newsletter, the Literary Journalism Studies journal, all IALJS announcements and conference CFPs.
Please check category: _____ US$ 50: Regular Member (Faculty member) _____ US$ 50: Associate Member (Professional member) _____ US$ 25: Student Member (Master or Doctoral level) _____ US$ 25: Retired Faculty Member _____ US$100: Sponsoring Member (to support the IALJS general operating fund)
Please Note: Because your IALJS membership dues are apportioned to various publication accounts, as well as for operating expenses, the U.S. Postal Service requires that you sign off on this procedure. Please sign below.
Signature ______Date ______
PAYMENT METHODS: PayPal/Credit Cards or Check:
1. PayPal and Credit Cards:
Payments may be made via PayPal (and credit cards). Please see “Membership Payments” at http://www.ialjs.org. Please also fax completed form (above) to Bill Reynolds, IALJS Treasurer, School of Journalism, Ryerson University: +01-416-979-5216.
2. Make Check Payable, in U.S. Funds only, to “IALJS”; please mail check with completed form to:
Bill Reynolds, IALJS Treasurer School of Journalism, Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, Ontario CANADA M5B 2K3
LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 PAGE 17 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
IALJS OFFICERS AND CHAIRS, 2010-2012
PRESIDENT School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies, PO Box 600 Alice Donat Trindade Wellington 6140 Universidade Técnica de Lisboa NEW ZEALAND Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas w/+64-4-479-7281 Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Rua Almerindo Lessa [email protected] 1300-663 Lisboa PORTUGAL CHAIR, LIAISON COMMITTEE w/+351-213-619-430 Isabelle Meuret fax/+351-213-619-442 Université Libre de Bruxelles [email protected] Campus du Solbosch, ULB CP123, avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50 1050 Bruxelles FIRST VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER BELGIUM Bill Reynolds w/+32-(0)2-650-4061 Ryerson University fax/+32-(0)2-650-2450 School of Journalism, 350 Victoria St. [email protected] Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 CANADA CHAIR, ESSE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE w/+1-416-979-5000 x6294 John Bak h/+1-416-535-0892 Nancy-Université [email protected] Centre de Télé-enseignement Universitaire (CTU) 42-44, avenue de la Liberation, B.P. 3397 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT 54015 Nancy Norman Sims FRANCE University of Massachusetts, Amherst w/+33-(0)383-968-448 Commonwealth Honors College h/+33-(0)383-261-476 Amherst, MA 01003 fax/+33-(0)383-968-449 U.S.A. [email protected] w/+1-413-545-5929 h/+1-413-774-2970 CO-CHAIRS, CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE fax/+1-413-545-3880 Maria Lassila-Merisalo [email protected] University of Jyväskylä Department of Communication SECRETARY 40700 Jyväskylä David Abrahamson FINLAND Northwestern University w/+358-50-525-5819 Medill School of Journalism, 1845 Sheridan Rd. [email protected] Evanston, IL 60208 U.S.A. David Abrahamson w/+1-847-467-4159 Northwestern University h/+1-847-332-2223 Medill School of Journalism, 1845 Sheridan Rd. fax/+1-847-332-1088 Evanston, IL 60208 [email protected] U.S.A. w/+1-847-467-4159 CHAIR, RESEARCH COMMITTEE h/+1-847-332-2223 Isabel Soares fax/+1-847-332-1088 Universidade Técnica de Lisboa [email protected] Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Rua Almerindo Lessa CO-CHAIRS, GRADUATE STUDENT COMMITTEE 1300-663 Lisboa Joshua Roiland PORTUGAL Case Western Reserve University w/+351-213-619-430 Writing Program [email protected] Cleveland, Ohio 44106 U.S.A. DEPUTY CHAIR, RESEARCH COMMITTEE h/+1-314-550-9156 Jorge Bastos da Silva [email protected] Universidade do Porto Departamento de Estudos Anglo-Americanos Tobias Eberwein Porto 4150-564 Technische Universität Dortmund PORTUGAL Institut für Journalistik, Emil-Figge-Str. 50 w/+351-229-412-111 D-44227 Dortmund [email protected] GERMANY w/+49-231-755-5583 CHAIR, PROGRAM COMMITTEE [email protected] Rob Alexander Brock University MEMBERS, NOMINATING COMMITTEE (includes FIRST VICE PRESIDENT) Department of English Languages and Literature Isabel Soares St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1 Universidade Técnica de Lisboa CANADA Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas w/+905-688-5550 x3886 Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Rua Almerindo Lessa [email protected] 1300-663 Lisboa PORTUGAL CHAIR, PUBLICITY COMMITTEE w/+351-213-619-430 NIkki Hessell [email protected] Victoria University of Wellington Continued
PAGE 18 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
IALJS OFFICERS AND CHAIRS, 2010-2012 Continued from previous page Norman Sims 2115 Summit Ave. University of Massachusetts, Amherst St. Paul, MN 55105 Commonwealth Honors College U.S.A. Amherst, MA 01003 w/+1-651-962-5265 U.S.A. h/+1-651-647-0048 w/+1-413-545-5929 fax/+1-651-962-6360 h/+1-413-774-2970 [email protected] fax/+1-413-545-3880 [email protected] Nancy L. Roberts (book review editor elect) University at Albany (SUNY) WEBMASTER Department of Communication Nicholas Jackson Social Sciences 322 205 R. St. NW, BSMT 1400 Washington Avenue Washington, DC 20001 Albany, NY 12222 U.S.A. w/+1-518-442-4884 cell/+1-815-341-8122 h/+1-518-583-8965 [email protected] fax/+1-518-442-3884 [email protected] EDITORS, LITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES John Hartsock (editor) EDITORS, LITERARY JOURNALISM NEWSLETTER State University of New York College at Cortland Bill Reynolds (co-editor) Department of Communication Studies Ryerson University Cortland, NY 13045 School of Journalism, 350 Victoria St. U.S.A. Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 w/+1-607-753-4103 CANADA h/+1-607-749-6756 w/+1-416-979-5000 x6294 fax/607-753-5970 h/+1-416-535-0892 [email protected] [email protected]
William Dow (associate editor) David Abrahamson (co-editor) American University of Paris Northwestern University Department of Comparative Literature Medill School of Journalism, 1845 Sheridan Rd. 147, rue de Grenelle Evanston, IL 60208 75007 Paris U.S.A. FRANCE w/+1-847-467-4159 w/+33-1-4062-0600 ext 718 h/+1-847-332-2223 [email protected] fax/+1-847-332-1088 [email protected] Miles Maguire (associate editor) University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh MEMBERS, BOARD OF ADVISORS (in progress) Department of Journalism John Bak (founding president) Oshkosh, WI 54901 Nancy-Université U.S.A. Centre de Télé-enseignement Universitaire (CTU) w/+1-920-424-7148 42-44, avenue de la Liberation, B.P. 3397 [email protected] 54015 Nancy FRANCE Roberta Maguire (associate editor) w/+33-(0)383-968-448 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh h/+33-(0)383-261-476 University Honors Program / Department of English fax/+33-(0)383-968-449 Oshkosh, WI 54901 [email protected] U.S.A. w/+1-920-424-7364 Susan Greenberg [email protected] Roehampton University School of Arts, Creative Writing, Roehampton Lane Jenny McKay (associate editor) London SW15 5SL University of Sunderland UNITED KINGDOM Research Centre for Media and Cultural Studies w/+44-20-8392-3257 Sunderland SR6 0DD, Scotland [email protected] UNITED KINGDOM w/+44-(0)191-515-2157 Richard Keeble [email protected] University of Lincoln Lincoln School of Journalism, Brayford Pool Bill Reynolds (associate editor) Lincoln LN6 7TS Ryerson University UNITED KINGDOM School of Journalism, 350 Victoria St. w/+44-(0)1522-886-940 Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 [email protected] CANADA w/+1-416-979-5000 x6294 Doug Underwood h/+1-416-535-0892 University of Washington [email protected] Department of Communication, Box 353740 Seattle, WA 98195 Thomas B. Connery (book review editor) U.S.A. University of St. Thomas w/+1-206-685-9377 Department of Communication and Journalism [email protected]
LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011 PAGE 19 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE IALJS
USING WIKIS TO ENCOURAGE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING A special approach to the unique circumstances of adult education. By Brian J. Bowe, Grand Valley State University (U.S.A.) f late, I have been devoting a con- The wiki project was initially important product. Instead, the remark- siderable amount of time and conceived in a graduate class about ably high quality of work produced by thought to the concept of self- reporting on Islam (in which this author the student journalists in that course was directed learning. As I dig into the educa- was a student). In this class, students the key to judging the project a success. It Otion literature related to the topic, I see were exposed to expert speakers, media was clear that the students had internal- my own students in Grow’s (1991) asser- critiques and media coverage of Muslims. ized some of their own critiques of oth- tion that learners Midway through the semester, the profes- ers’ coverage and self-corrected in their move from depen- sor enabled the course wiki and required own work. A subsequent course on cover- dency to self- ing immigrants and immigration yielded directedness at dif- similar results. ferent paces, and Why would such a project be that it’s a process Adult learners would seem successful? Perhaps it would be helpful to that teachers can— to be less look at it through the lens of andragogy, and should—facili- patient with learning that does which is a model that considers how tate. not have an adult learning differs from childhood In part, this learning (i.e. pedagogy). Based on reflection has been immediate application to their lives Knowles’ (1990) work, andragogy encour- TEACHING a part of a research ages learners to make sense of and react TIPS project I have been to the world in which they live. Adults working on with exercise agency when they decide to some colleagues become more (or less) self-directed. As (Hoewe, Bowe & students to propose several “best prac- they combine that self-direction with Zeldes, 2010). We are trying to perfect a tices” for reporting on Islam based on reflections on their past experiences, they teaching technique that employs wikis in what they had learned in class. Over the are able to choose to engage in learning the classroom to encourage reflection and ensuing weeks, students and the profes- activities to prepare them for desired life synthesis of information in such a way sor engaged in a classroom discussion roles. However, because engaging in such that it influences subsequent writing about the proposed best practices—and, learning is based on an agentic choice to assignments. (For those who are unfamil- collectively, a set of principles emerged. fulfill a concrete goal, adult learners iar, wikis are websites that allow for col- While that best practices docu- would seem to be less patient with learn- laborative writing and editing on a single ment was a tangible product of this online document.) assignment, I don’t think it was the most Continued on Page 13
LITERARY JOURNALISM THE NEWSLETTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR LITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES FALL 2011 VOL. 5 NO. 4
PAGE 20 LITERARY JOURNALISM / FALL 2011