Literature of Journalism

Crane-ium

2012-01-26T08:59:00.002-05:00

Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question.)

Your response is due by 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Welcome to Literature of Journalism

2012-01-22T22:55:00.000-05:00

Tell me something I ought to know about you that will help me help you as a writer -- your aspirations, your fears and doubts, your literary or journalistic heroes, etc. Your comments should be as clear and complete as you can make them in a blog post. Remember this is my introduction to your writing. Impress me. Or at least don't bore me. (Lesson #1: Boring readers is among the worst things you can do to them. What's the worst? Probably to unintentionally confuse them.)

Please respond no later than Wednesday, January 25, at 3 p.m.

13 Writing Tips

2012-01-22T10:05:00.003-05:00

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/workshop/essays/chuck-palahniukhttp

Software to Tell "Better" (?) Stories

2012-01-19T07:35:00.002-05:00

http://www.observer.com/2012/01/episode-12-evan-ratliff-of-the-atavist-building-software-to-tell-stories/

Comics Journalism

2011-04-25T22:56:00.001-04:00

Please describe the links, if any, between comics journalism and literary journalism. Is it possible to consider comics journalism a subgenre of literary journalism? Why or why not? You may -- in fact, should -- refer to my essay on Joe Sacco in your response, which should be completed by 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 4.

Gonzo

2011-04-03T20:11:00.003-04:00

What is gonzo? How's the practice or concept related to Hunter S. Thompson? Do you consider yourself a gonzo journalist? Would you like to be one? Why or why not?

Your response is due Sun., April 10, by 4 p.m.

Breslin/Hamill

2011-03-28T09:21:00.000-04:00

Although written only five years apart and about similar events, the Breslin and Hamill stories feel vastly different. Identify one literary technique that, to your mind, contributes to this different feel and explain how it contributes. You might choose, for example, from point of view, narrative structure, choice of language, and so on. Please be as specific and complete as possible. Your response should be posted by Wednesday, March 30, 4 p.m.

Alternative Question

2011-03-23T00:33:00.002-04:00

Watch the video below. . . Relate it to Herr's Dispatches. . . Response is due this coming Sunday by 4 p.m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBdeCxJmcAo

Dispatches

2011-03-17T15:00:00.001-04:00

Compare the structure of the pieces by Davis, Orwell, and Herr. What changes do you notice? How are these changes in form related to the changing conception of imperialism and war? To the changing purpose of literary journalism?

Your response is due by 4 p.m., Sunday, March 27.

Orwellian

2011-03-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

"I am not commenting, merely pointing to a fact," George Orwell writes toward the end of "Marrakech." Do you believe him? Why or why not?

It'll help you answer the question if you also read this classic essay by Orwell:

http://orwell.ru/library/essays/wiw/english/e_wiw

Please respond by Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Third Winter

2011-03-03T07:36:00.001-05:00

Choose one of the following to answer. Please post your response by Wed., March 9, 4 p.m.

1) Describe the relationship between the straight and parenthetical passages in Martha Gellhorn's "The Third Winter." In other words, what is the function of each and how do they function in relation to each other?

2) Analyze an instance of Gellhorn's use of metaphor or simile. Include why she choose this image and whether or not it works and how or why.

RHD

2011-02-15T23:37:00.000-05:00

The issue for a writer is how to close the gap, often yawning, between the writer's subject and the reader's experience. Give one example of how Richard Harding Davis creates reader admiration and/or sympathy for Rodriguez in his story. You should cite a specific image, description, etc., rather than make a general statement. Notice, too, how he leads us to feel quite the opposite about the Spaniards.

Please respond by 4 p.m., Sunday.

Film Noir

2011-02-08T10:33:00.002-05:00

Colin asked for a list of films noir at the end of class yesterday. Here are a few for those who might be interested:

Classics:

Out of the Past
Blue Dahlia
The Big Sleep
The Big Heat
Raw Deal
DOA
Shadow of a Doubt
Bad Day at Black Rock
Detour
Force of Evil
The Killers

More Contemporary:

Body Heat
Blood Simple
Miller's Crossing
Blade Runner

Quote UnQuote

2011-02-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

Look over the quotes on writing and writers I handed out last class. Pick the one that resonates the most with you. Comment why (by 4 p.m., Wednesday). Be prepared to discuss your choice in class this Thursday.

Drift

2011-02-03T14:41:00.000-05:00

Morris Markey's literary journalism piece, "Drift," belongs to a genre referred to as "the procedural." To your mind, what characteristics of the piece make it an example of the genre? How does this help with or determine the structure/organization of the piece?

The piece has a noir-ish atmosphere. What is the connection of that atmosphere to the point or theme of the piece?

Remember, we're practicing good writing here, not just literary analysis. Your comments should be crisp and clear. Avoid generalizations, tortured syntax, and muddy language.

Your response is due by four p.m., Sunday, Feb. 6.

Crane-ium

2011-01-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

If you wish to answer another question besides the one below, try this: Why does Crane refer to the tramp as the "assassin" in "An Experiment in Misery"? Is the term serious? Sardonic? Metaphorical? Does it say as much about the youth as about the tramp? How so?

Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question.) Your response is due by 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Welcome to the Funhouse

2011-01-26T08:54:00.001-05:00

Tell me something I ought to know about you that will help me help you as a writer --your aspirations, your fears and doubts, your literary or journalistic heroes, etc. Don't be afraid to read and bounce off each other's comments. Your own comments should be as clear and complete as you can make them in a long paragraph (150 words or so). Remember this is my introduction to your writing. Impress me. Or at least don't bore me. (First lesson: That's about the worst thing you can do to a reader. What's the worst? Probably to unintentionally confuse him or her.)

Please respond no later than Sunday, January 30, at 4 p.m.

Literature of Journalism/2011

2011-01-20T20:39:00.001-05:00

Please say hello by leaving a comment to this post. Tell me something about yourself that you think it would be helpful for me to know. It can be related to writing, literature, or journalism, but doesn't have to be. I should hear from you by Sunday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m.

Final Blog Post Spring 2010

2010-05-02T10:56:00.004-04:00

How has your view of journalistic writing changed since the beginning of the semester? How has your own writing changed (in terms of writing process, content, and/or goals)? To what do you attribute the changes?(And if nothing has changed for you, please explain why.)

Answer as thoroughly -- and personally -- as the space on the blog allows. Your response is due by 2:30 p.m., Monday, May 17.

Comic Book Journalism

2010-04-26T09:46:00.001-04:00

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

2010-04-15T13:57:00.003-04:00

Please respond prior to class Monday!

Why, in your opinion, should journalism students read this excerpt from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee? What is something valuable they can learn from it?

King of Hyperbole

2010-04-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

Someone (me) once wrote that H. L. Mencken believed that "Nothing succeeds like excess." Identify a passage in "Deep in the Coca-Cola Belt" that supports this statement. Does Mencken's penchant for hyperbole and exaggeration detract from or enhance his standing as a "factual" journalist in your eyes? How does his style relate to Thompson's? Respond prior to class, Monday.

Postcards From the Edge (2)

2010-04-01T08:22:00.000-04:00

By 6 p.m. Sunday, April 4, each group should post 1) its theme and 2) what each member of the group is doing -- that is, writing -- in pursuit of the theme. The posts should be done by group, with each member and his or her topic listed and, as necessary, explained.

Hamill & Breslin

2010-03-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

Although written only five years apart and about similar events, the Breslin and Hamill stories we read for class feel vastly different. Identify one literary technique that, to your mind, contributes to this different feel and explain how it contributes. You might choose, for example, from point of view, narrative structure, choice of language, and so on. Please be as specific and complete as possible. Your response should be posted prior to class on Thursday.

Blog Canceled

2010-03-22T14:32:00.000-04:00

Postcards From the Edge

2010-03-07T10:33:00.004-05:00

By 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 9, please send a list of five topics for our Los Angeles Notebook-type project. That is, what areas of life at SUNY New Paltz do you think it would be worthwhile and interesting to send Didion- or Orwell-like postcards about to readers? My idea is to divide you into five groups of four. Each member of a group would be responsible for creating at least one scene (maybe two) that illustrates an aspect of the group's subject. Each group would also need to create a contextualizing section, as both Didion and Orwell do, that cements the pieces of the mosaic together. I have already spoken to Nancy Heiz about using the stories in The Little Rebellion.

If anyone has other ideas or suggestions about how to proceed, please submit them with your response.

Dispatches

2010-03-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

The Third Winter Is the Hardest

2010-02-21T21:44:00.003-05:00

Choose one of the following to answer. Please post your response by noon, Sat., Feb. 27.

1) Describe the relationship between the straight and parenthetical passages in Martha Gellhorn's "The Third Winter." In other words, what is the function of each and how do they function in relation to each other?

2) Analyze an instance of Gellhorn's use of metaphor or simile. Include why she choose this image and whether or not it works and how or why.

Juke Joint

2010-02-18T13:58:00.003-05:00

Please respond to the post below by 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 2.

How does Walter Bernstein convey his feelings about Frankie's? Pick an image or phrase or device that you believe helps him get across to readers what he wants them to think about the bar. What is the dominant sense of the place Bernstein wants us to have? How does the technique or phrase (or whatever) you picked reflect that? Caveat: Each of you should pick something no one else has.

The Story of an Artist

2010-02-17T13:28:00.005-05:00

The incomparable Daniel Johnson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_RbSAwMa3U

Story of an Artist

2010-02-17T13:28:00.001-05:00

The incomparable Daniel Johnson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuPxlVJ3NVc

Death in the Morning

2010-02-15T08:39:00.002-05:00

How to Write a Story

2010-02-10T16:53:00.002-05:00

Begin in the middle
with the screams

of something burning,
then insert nightfall

and a trail of bread crumbs
the crows will maliciously eat.

It’s important that there be
lost children, but the search dogs

should be tired, or even better,
dubious, and with no way

to stop the bleeding
in the region of the brain

that controls our tears.

What, according to this poem, are the key components of a well-written story? Does your projected story incorporate any of the components? Respond by five p.m., Sunday, February 14.

In the Beginning

2010-02-05T12:07:00.006-05:00

Write the opening paragraph of your scene (that is, your story for LHW). Skip the David Copperfield crap, as Holden did. Please respond by 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10.

(Let's start in the middle -- that is, closer to the central conflict or tension. . . let's avoid elaborate descriptive setup; rather, put the "characters" in motion asap. . . don't summarize what people say when you can use dialog instead. . . if a character is important to the story, give a couple of descriptive details when you introduce him or her -- not at or toward the end of the piece. . . And, please, have a story worth telling. It seems to me Michelle's -- as edited -- comes close to this ideal.)

Procedural

2010-02-02T19:52:00.003-05:00

Morris Markey's literary journalism piece, "Drift," belongs to a genre referred to as "the procedural." To your mind, what characteristics of the piece make it an example of the genre? (Late addition: How does this help with or determine the structure/organization of the piece?)

Now, as early respondents have noted, the piece has a noir-ish atmosphere. What is the connection of that atmosphere to the point or theme of the piece?

Remember, we're practicing good writing here, not just literary analysis. Your comments should be crisp and clear. Avoid generalizations, tortured syntax, and muddy language.

Your response is due by noon, Sunday, Feb. 7.

Crane-ium

2010-01-27T18:01:00.002-05:00

If you wish to answer another question besides the one below, try this: Why does Crane refer to the tramp as the "assassin" in "An Experiment in Misery"? Is the term serious? Sardonic? Metaphorical? Does it say as much about the youth as about the tramp?

Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question.) Your response is due by 4 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Welcome to Literature of Journalism

2010-01-15T22:48:00.002-05:00

Tell me something I ought to know about you that will help me help you as a writer -- your aspirations, your fears and doubts, your literary or journalistic heroes, etc. Don't be afraid to read and bounce off each other's comments. Your own comments should be as clear and complete as you can make them in a blog response. Remember this is my introduction to your writing. Impress me. Or at least don't bore me. (First lesson: That's about the worst thing you can do to a reader. What's the worst? Probably to unintentionally confuse him or her.) Your response is due by 4 p.m., Wed., Jan. 27.

Hamill vs. Breslin

2008-12-02T07:38:00.002-05:00

Take the Cannoli

2008-11-12T08:25:00.002-05:00

If next semester you were to write a story about a place or an event a la Southern, Thompson, or Vowell, what would it be and why? The only restriction is that the place or event must actually be accessible to you. Please respond prior to class on Wed., Nov. 19.

The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved

2008-11-06T07:12:00.002-05:00

Compare the narrator of Thompson's piece with that of Terry Southern's "Twirling at Ole Miss." In what ways are they similar? Dissimilar? Your response is due prior to class on Wed., Nov. 12.

Twirling at Ole Miss

2008-10-29T11:26:00.002-04:00

What does baton twirling represent in Terry Southern's story? How does he construct or convey that meaning? Be specific in describing at least one literary technique he uses (imagery, dialog, character, point of view, tone, etc.) to achieve his effects. Please post your response prior to class on Wed., Nov. 5.

Dispatches

2008-10-15T18:45:00.001-04:00

Examine the use of imagery (simile, metaphor, etc.) in the excerpt from Michael Herr's Dispatches. Do you notice any pattern to Herr's choice of images? What purpose or purposes do the images generally serve? Was there one particular image or set of images that caught your attention while reading? Why?

The Third Winter Is the Hardest

2008-09-24T11:00:00.002-04:00

Describe the relationship between the straight and parenthetical passages in Martha Gellhorn's "The Third Winter." In other words, what is the function of each and how do they function in relation to each other?

Death of Rodriguez/Juke Joint

2008-09-17T09:11:00.001-04:00

Story Structure

2008-09-09T14:46:00.000-04:00

Both "Drift" and "Los Angeles Notebook" are composed of discrete episodes or scenes, but despite this similarity, the overall stories are organized in radically different ways. Please explain by midnight Tuesday, Sept. 16, how the basic structures of the stories differ and the possible reasons, thematic and otherwise, for the differences.

Crane-ium

2008-09-03T09:15:00.000-04:00

Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question.)

Welcome to Version Fall.08

2008-07-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

Tell me something I ought to know about you that will help me help you as a writer -- your aspirations, your fears and doubts, your literary or journalistic heroes, etc. Don't be afraid to read and bounce off each other's comments. Your own comments should be as clear and complete as you can make them in a long paragraph (150 words or so). Remember this is my introduction to your writing. Impress me. Or at least don't bore me. (First lesson: That's about the worst thing you can do to a reader. What's the worst? Probably to unintentionally confuse him or her.)

Why I Write

2007-11-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

Read the essay "Why I Write," which is available through a link on the lower right hand corner of this page. Respond to it with comments on why you write. Is it for the same reasons Orwell cites? Didion? Kessler? Your comments are due before the start of our last class, Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Quotable

2007-10-14T18:48:00.000-04:00

Look over the quotes on writing and writers in the far right column. Pick the one that resonates the most with you. Comment why. Be prepared to discuss your choice in class this Wednesday.

Marrakech

2007-10-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

"I am not commenting, merely pointing to a fact," George Orwell writes toward the end of "Marrakech." Do you believe him? Why or why not?

The Center Cannot Hold

2007-09-10T13:18:00.001-04:00

In "Los Angeles Notebook," Joan Didion uses not only an unconventional story structure, but also unconventional sources. Identify five such sources in the story, sources that mainstream journalists would be unlikely to consult or cite. You can make a simple list, but be prepared to discuss in detail the consequences of her redefining who or what constitutes a credible source.

How to Write a Story

2007-09-05T21:50:00.001-04:00

Go to the link below titled "How to Write a Story" for some literary advice in the form a poem. Also check out the anti-war poems in New Verse News, another kind of journalism timed to be published with the troop surge in Iraq.

The Procedural

2007-09-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Morris Markey's literary journalism piece, "Drift," belongs to a genre referred to as "the procedural." To your mind, what characteristics of the piece make it an example of the genre?

Or, if you prefer, you may respond to this question: "Drift" contains elements of noir. Identify and briefly explain one.

Remember, we're practicing good writing here, not just literary analysis. Your comments should be crisp and clear. Avoid generalizations, tortured syntax, and muddy language.

The Assassin

2007-08-29T00:52:00.000-04:00

In "An Experiment in Misery," why does Crane refer to the tramp as "the assassin"? Is the name deserved? Is it meant ironically? Does it reflect as much on the one who bestows it as on the one on which it's bestowed?

In 75 Words or Less

2007-08-26T08:26:00.000-04:00

Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question. Also note that I've been adding my reactions to your comments throughout.)

Question of the Day

2007-08-25T08:41:00.000-04:00

According to a new survey, one in four Americans read not a single book this past year (for the full and even more depressing version, see http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/328550_reading22.html). So, like, why are we writing?