Literary Journalism I

Literary journalism is nonfiction prose that transcends “who, what, where, and when” to give a more detailed, richer and vivid picture of real events. It combines an immersive approach to reporting with the aims and techniques of fiction. Although this type of writing has roots in antiquity (i.e., Thucydides’s The Peloponnesian War), contemporary practitioners include Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, John McPhee and Gay Talese.  Today, literary journalism appears in periodicals such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire and Harper’s Magazine, as well as in the magazines or literary supplements of many major newspapers. By the end of the course, you have an understanding of the basic techniques for reporting and writing such journalism and at least one project started.