Stories Can Save Us: America's Best Narrative Journalists Explain How

Storytelling is essential for great journalism, and Stories Can Save Us explores how the best reporters and writers craft narrative literary journalism. Journalist Matt Tullis interviews Pulitzer Prizewinners, National Magazine Awardwinners, and authors of books of narrative journalism to show how they conceive and write compelling stories. He also speaks with reporters of different races and backgrounds to ask how they find story ideas, reach out to potential story subjects, conduct other information gathering, develop story structure, and make their stories great. His goal is to expand the power and potential of what amazing reporting and narrative writing can do, believing that it can change a reader's mood and life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2024
Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Great journalism requires a compelling narrative arc to captivate and enlighten the reader. Stories Can Save Us explores how accomplished reporters and writers craft narrative literary journalism. Journalist Matt Tullis utilizes the extensive interviews he conducted with top narrative and literary journalists across the country through his podcast, Gangrey: The Podcast, to demonstrate how these professionals conceive and write such captivating stories. Tullis interviewed Pulitzer Prize winners, National Magazine Award winners, and numerous authors of books on narrative journalism, including New York Times best-selling authors. He also spoke with reporters of diverse races, backgrounds, styles, and strengths—journalists who have been published in prestigious newspapers and magazines—to inquire about their story-finding techniques, approaches to potential subjects, interview strategies, information gathering methods, lead development, story structure, and the evolution of stories during the revision process. Through Tullis's conversations with these exceptional journalists, we gain insight into their methods, practices, and the motivations behind exceptional journalism and its relevance to the cultural climate of its time. Tullis's objective was to enhance the impact and possibilities of outstanding reporting and narrative writing, believing that it can profoundly influence a reader's mood and potentially even their life.

Weight: 364g
Dimension: 140 x 215 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780820366753