LITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES LITERARY Matthew Ricketson’s IALJS-14 Keynote Address on Book-Length Literary Journalism Return address: Literary Journalism Studies School of Journalism Ryerson University Literary Journalism Studies 350 Victoria Street Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2019 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3 Australian LJ Australian In This Issue Belarusian LJ n James Rogers / Svetlana Alexievich + Capturing What Eludes American LJ Conventional Journalism n Willa McDonald + Bunty Avieson / Australian Colonial Narrative Journalism Database n Hilde Van Belle / Joris Casteren’s Literary Journalism Transgressions n David O. Dowling / Marilynne Robinson’s Radical Environmental Journalism VOL. 11, NO.2, DECEMBER 2019 n Matthew Ricketson / IALJS-14 Keynote / Challenges of Book-Length Literary Journalism n Ryan Marnane / Teaching LJ . Across Media n SPQ+A / Callie Long Interviews Elinor Burkett Dutch LJ Published at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University 1845 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States The Journal of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies Literary Journalism Studies The Journal of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2019 Information for Contributors 4 Note from the Editor 5 Making Space for a New Picture of the World: Boys in Zinc and Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich by James Rodgers 8 Having Your Story and Data Too: The Australian Colonial Narrative Journalism Database by Willa McDonald and Bunty Avieson 32 Marilynne Robinson’s Radical Environmental Journalism by David O. Dowling 56 As If Their Activities Could Explain Something: Joris van Casteren and Het zusje van de bruid by Hilde Van Belle 88 Keynote Address The Challenges ofWriting Book-Length Literary Journalism by Matthew Ricketson 114 Teaching/Digital LJ From Print to 360-Degree Immersive: On Introducing Literary Journalism across Media by Ryan Marnane 136 Scholar–Practitioner Q+A Callie Long: An interviews with Elinor Burkett 158 Book Reviews 173 Mr. Straight Arrow; Immersive Longform Storytelling; No Visible Bruises; Untold Stories, Unheard Voices; No Friend but the Mountains; The Library Book; At the Faultline; Rewriting the Newspaper; Mühen der Moderne Mission Statement 204 International Association for Literary Journalism Studies 205 2 Literary Journalism Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2019 Copyright © 2019 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. Indexed in Elsevier; Scopus Member of the Council of Learned Journals Published twice a year, June and December issues. Subscriptions, $50/year (individuals), $75/year (libraries). ISSN 1944-897X (paper) ISSN 1944-8988 (online) 3 Literary Journalism Studies Editor Advisory Board Bill Reynolds Robert Alexander, John S. Bak Ryerson University R. Thomas Berner, Myriam Boucharenc Canada Robert S. Boynton, Thomas B. Connery Juan Domingues, David O. Dowling David Eason, Tobias Eberwein Associate Editors Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Leonora Flis William Dow Kathy Roberts Forde, Brian Gabrial American University of Paris Susan Greenberg, Roberto Herrscher France Tim Holmes, Sue Joseph, Beate Josephi Richard Lance Keeble, Jacqueline Marino Miles Maguire Willa McDonald, Jenny McKay University of Wisconsin Isabelle Meuret, Lindsay Morton Oshkosh, United States Guillaume Pinson Josh Roiland Norman Sims, Isabel Soares Roberta S. Maguire Linda Steiner, Marie-Ève Thérenty University of Wisconsin Alice Donat Trindade, Doug Underwood Oshkosh, United States Julie Wheelwright, Jan Whitt Christopher P. Wilson Marcia R. Prior-Miller Sonja Merljak Zvodc Iowa State University, Ames United States Designer Anthony DeRado Book Review Editor Nancy L. Roberts Web Administrator University at Albany, SUNY Nicholas Jackson United States Editorial Assistants Publisher Claire Dupuis, Abby Stauffer David Abrahamson Northwestern University Founding Editor United States John C. Hartsock Editorial Offices Literary Journalism Studies School of Journalism Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3 Email: [email protected] Published at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University 1845 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States 4 Literary Journalism Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2019 SUBMISSION INFORMATION ITERARY JOURNALISM STUDIES invites submissions of original scholarly L articles on literary journalism, which is also known as narrative journalism, literary 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 5,000 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 indicate 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 publication by major publishers. Email submission (as a Microsoft Word attachment) is mandatory. A cover page indi- cating the title of the paper, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact in- formation, along with an abstract (250 words), should accompany all submissions. 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.chicago- manualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html>. All submissions will be blind reviewed. 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 . or some time now (alas), I have been tinkering with a Fhybrid theory. It is one that would combine elements of phenomenology, as laid out by Husserl originally and then modified by Sartre and others, with the methods we might normally associate with practitioners of literary journalism. By methods I am not necessarily referring to the literary elements frequently used, elements which tend to differentiate the reporting involved in building long narratives—scene building, capturing dialogue, switching points of views, and recording significant details that relay character—from news reporting. No, I am referring more to the way in which the material is gathered, to the particular ways literary journalists go about their business. There is the extended time involved in the creation of a work of literary journalism. There is the doubling back and pursuance of deeper meanings. There are the successive, wave-like passes at building the story, swooping from bird’s eye view to street level, and back. And there is the open admission at the beginning that the literary journalist does not know much about the subject—yet—and might do well to keep those eyes wide open. As well, the path of the story might be usefully obscured if the literary journalist decided in advance not to know what the story is, to remain in the dark for as long as possible while in the field gathering information, to better weigh the various realities on offer. Husserl’s epoché, or reduction, had more to do with suspending judgments of the kind we make without reflection, which at that point in time, in the early twentieth century, I think meant trying to bracket the scientific discoveries we tend to accept without question. Instead, the task was to look at the world as it is and describe it that way. I’m not sure how successful anyone could make the epoché. Sartre pointed out that you cannot keep peeling away layers of reality in