1. Literary Journalism

2. What is literary journalism?
“Reporting that reads like fiction.” -Tom Wolfe
Literary journalism is the creative nonfiction form that comes closest to newspaper and magazine writing. It is fact-driven and requires research and, often, interviews.
Literary journalism is sometimes called “immersion journalism” because it requires a closer, more active relationship to the subject and to the people the literary journalist is exploring. Like journalistic writing, the literary journalism piece should be well-researched, focus on a brief period of time, and concentrate on what is happening outside of the writer’s small circle of personal experience and feelings.

3. Sample literary journalism
The following excerpt from George Orwell is a good example of literary journalism. Orwell wrote about the colonial regime in Marrakech. His father was a colonial officer, so Orwell was confronted with the reality of empire from an early age, and that experience is reflected in his literary journalism piece, Marrakech:
It is only because of this that the starved countries of Asia and Africa are accepted as tourist resorts. No one would think of running cheap trips to the Distressed Areas. But where the human beings have brown skins their poverty is simply not noticed. What does Morocco mean to a Frenchman? An orange-grove or a job in Government service.
Orwell isn’t writing a reflective, personal essay about his travels through Marrakech. Neither is he writing a memoir about what it was like to be the son of a colonial officer, and how that experience shaped his adult life. He writes in a descriptive way about the Jewish quarters in Marrakech, about the invisibility of the “natives,” and about the way citizenship doesn’t ensure equality under a colonial regime.

4. History of literary journalism
Truman Capote is known for developing "New Journalism," a style of writing that was a cross between journalism and literature.  The epitome of this genre is Capote's ground-breaking work of non- fiction, In Cold Blood, published in and  considered the first "so-called news novel“.

5. Let’s try it out!
In teams of 3-4, I am going to give you an “assignment” around school
You and your team should go investigate and take detailed notes. Remember to use the eye of a storyteller when observing and interviewing and take detailed notes.
You will have 30 minutes to “investigate”
When you return, discuss what you witnessed and make a list of various angles you could take to tell this story in a unique way.
Each person in the group should take on one of the perspectives from the list and you will have minutes of writing time to tell the story
You will return to your group and share what you wrote
Each group will select one person to share with the class

6. Investigative Assignments
1. What goes on in a high school library?
2. Who are the ladies who serve us lunch each day?
3. Who are the men and women who clean up our school?
4. What goes on in a high school bathroom?
5. What classes are the most engaging and why?
6. Who is the school nurse?
7. What really happens in the front office?
8. What do we know about the teachers in our school?
10. Why do students skip class?
11. Why do students wander the halls?
12. What really goes on in a high school gym class?

7. Practice Partner Assignment: The story of a song
Listen to the song, “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
While listening, doodle images that come to mind on a blank sheet of paper
Then listen to the podcast entitled, “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay” on NPR. While listening to the podcast, take notes on the story behind the song on the back of your doodle paper
Discuss how your initial images of the song connected to the notes you took on the context provided in the story of the song
Read the article from Salon.com entitled, “Otis Redding’s last week: The tragic story of “Dock of the Bay” and a fateful final flight”.
While reading, annotate the text for moments in the narrative that provide strong imagery and integrate historical, cultural, or societal context into the narrative
How was the author able to integrate the research behind the song into a cohesive narrative that tells the story in an engaging way?

8. Practice Partner Assignment: The story of a song
With a partner, choose a song that has significant historical, societal, or cultural relevance
Conduct basic research on background of the song using the guide provided to you
After gaining background information on the song’s creation, tell the story of the song by creating a music video that illustrates the song’s historical, cultural, or societal significance using images and music
Brainstorm ideas for your video, create a storyboard, then use Windows Movie Maker or iMovie to create your music video. You can film actual footage yourself or use other images/videos to piece together your story.

9. Story of a song rubric
1. Do you provide your research, brainstorming notes, and storyboard with your music video to illustrate the effort you put in prior to creating your video?
2. Does your video tell an engaging story?
3. Does your video provide historical, cultural, or societal context?
4. Do you effectively use images, music, and technology to enhance your product?
80 points total

10. Literary journalism assignment
Your task is to investigate a current or historical event, person, place, or thing and write about it in a creative way. The requirements are as follows:
Investigate a person, place, thing, or event through real-world, actionable strategies such as interviewing or under cover tactics, in addition to traditional research methods. 25 points
Document your investigation. 15 points
Tell the story. 40 points
Use literary techniques in your telling. 20 points
Bonus Points for creating a new genre, a la Capote! 