News Archives

STARTUPS FOR JOURNALISTS, Thurs., Dec. 3, 4 p.m., Bartlett 206. Lisa Williams, founder of placebloggers.com and fellow at MIT Media Lab will talk on journalism entrepreneurship. All are welcome.

Watch Prof. Ralph Whitehead and Vice President Joe Biden at a forum on economic challenges facing the middle class, Nov. 5, in Washington, D.C.

Watch the video from Journalism's Career Night, Thurs., Oct. 22.

ESPN PANEL
Wednesday, Oct. 14
12:30 – 2 pm Bartlett 61
Join Steve Fox and his Sports Journalism class (J393S) as
they welcome Jena Janovy and Matthew Lee from ESPN.com to a panel discussion.

Jena Janovy, ESPN.com Senior Editor, Enterprise, oversees the integration of long-form, cross-platform journalism at ESPN.com, and plans, assigns, edits and produces long-form features in the ESPN.com enterprise/features/investigations group. Jena works with national enterprise writers and television producers to integrate content for TV and ESPN.com – primarily for “Outside the Lines” and “E:60.” Jena has been at ESPN.com since 2006, and has won two Sports Emmys for her work on cross-platform integrated content. Before joining ESPN, she was an assistant sports editor at The Charlotte Observer, overseeing NFL, NBA and enterprise coverage as well as the copy/news desk. She has more than 15 years of newspaper experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Matthew Lee, ESPN.com Senior Editor, Blogs, has 12 years of experience as an editor and producer for online publications, including nine as an editor in various capacities at washingtonpost.com <http://washingtonpost.com/> . Matthew has been at ESPN.com since 2006, first as editor of the site’s premium content and more recently as editor of the site’s NFL, College Football and MLB network of blogs. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

All Journalism majors are welcome to attend and join in the discussion...

WATCH JACKIE HAI '09, give the Commencement Speech at UMASS Class of 2009 Graduation.

STEVE FOX recently was a panelist at the Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop, talking about "When the News Finds You Through Social Media." Watch here...

“WING THING” TO WELCOME SBS MAJORS
Thurs., Sept. 24, 4-6 pm, Thompson 128. Wings, chili, chips & salsa
Info, music & giveaways. Celebrate the new SBS Advising Center. Everyone is welcome!

"TAKING BACK CAMPUS" Thurs., Oct. 1, 7 pm Cape Cod Lounge, Student Union. First screening of Journalism major Rosie Walunas' documentary. Read more...

INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP, Wed., Oct. 7, 4 pm, Bartlett 206 with Jeff Silver, Director of Career Services and BJ Roche, Journalism's internship coordinator. Learn about Spring & Summer 2010 interships and coops and more! Any student thinking about doing an internship at some time is welcome and encouraged to attend.

WMUA 91.1 FM MEETING
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
7 pm Campus Center 917

The radio voice of UMass, WMUA 91.1 FM, is looking for new recruits! At the meeting WMUA will go over the opportunities of getting involved - whether it be hosting your own radio show, calling a UMass football game, or anchoring your own newscast. The station is specifically looking for new talent in the Sports Department, where students can anchor a daily sports cast, call a UMass Football, Basketball, Lacrosse, or Baseball game, and host a weekly sportstalk show along with many other things in the field of sports media. Alumni of the WMUA Sports Department have gone on to work at ESPN/ESPN Radio, WEEI 850 AM, and 98.5 The Sports Hub. WMUA loves new contributors and expects a big turnout. For more information, contact Neil Carroll, Sports Operations Director Sportsop@wmua.org (09/14/09)

We recently found out that a member of our journalism family is facing some serious health issues. Matt Sheehan, class of 2008, is awaiting a bone marrow transplant at his parent's home in New Jersey. He recently sent out an email to Journalism faculty members and we passit along here in its entirety.

"On June 29th I was sent to the emergency room due to critical bloodwork. I spent three days in Hackensack University Hospital received six blood transfusions, a bone marrow biopsy and phone calls from charming health insurance and billing representatives. The deal is my bone marrow is not
producing blood cells, the disease is called aplastic anemia.

I'm currently resting comfortably at my parents home in New Jersey awaiting a bone marrow transplant. If you would like to do something to help, PLEASE join the bone marrow registry, It's an easy process,you sign up, they mail you a kit to swab a few cheek cells and you mail it back. Simple.

If there is anything I have learned from all this it is the importance of donating, if people had not taken the time to donate blood I would be dead.  So please become a donor and get yourself on the bone marrow registry, you never know who you can help.  I'll provide a link below where everyone who has not yet joined can do so ASAP:

http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/index.html

I am forwarding this to everyone---family, friends, colleagues, random strangers etc.  Please do the same and forward this e-mail along to anyone and everyone.

Thank you to all ahead of time and God bless.
best,
Matt

ONLINE PORTFOLIO WORKSHOP, Fri., April 24,9:30-noon, Bartlett 107. Sign up on BJ Roche's office window.

ANATOMY OF A HOLLYWOOD WRITER. Mark Wilding, '79, Tues., April 28, 4-5 Memorial Hall. Read more...

BENNIE DiNARDO, Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia at Boston Globe will host discussion about new media and skills needed. Thurs., April 30, 4 pm, Bartlett 201. Everyone welcome.

JOURNALISM'S SENIOR LUNCH, Fri., May 1, 1-2 pm, Bartlett Courtyard. RSVP.

JOURNALISM SOFTBALL GAME. Fri., May 1, 2:30-5 pm, playing field across from Boyden Gym. ALL ARE INVITED either to play or just cheer! Please rsvp if you plan to come.

MEMORIAL CONCERT for Darby Fassett to benefit substance abuse programs on campus. Fri., May 8, 7 pm, Bowker.

DAILY COLLEGIAN ALUMNI REUNION, Sat., May 16, noon - 11 pm, Campus Center. Read more...

JOURNALISM FACULTY IN THE NEWS....Listen to NPR Reporter and Journalism lecturer Nancy Cohen's story on bottled water sales.... Listen...

AMHERST WIRE part 1 of 2 part workshop, "Multimedia Feature Layout and Design," Fri., April 17, 3 pm, Bartlett 107. Email Jackie to rsvp or more info.

ONLINE PORTFOLIO WORKSHOP, Fri., April 24,9:30-noon, Bartlett 107. Sign up on BJ Roche's office window.

BENNIE DiNARDO, Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia at Boston Globe will host discussion about new media and skills needed. Thurs., April 30, 4 pm, Bartlett 201. Everyone welcome.

ALUMNI CAREER NIGHT for students interested in journalism, public policy, media/public relations. Wed., April 22, 5:30 pm, Goodell Bldg. Your must rsvp to: http://tinyurl.com/d34rxz

MEMORIAL CONCERT for Darby Fassett to benefit substance abuse programs on campus. Fri., May 8, 7 pm, Bowker.

ONLINE PORTFOLIO WORKSHOP, Fri., April 10, 9:30-noon, Bart 107, sign up on BJ Roche's door.

FALL 09 REGISTRATION JOURNALISM OPEN HOUSE. Wed., April 8, 3-5 pm, Bartlett 108. Meet Journalism peer advisors and faculty and get information about Fall 09 classes. Everyone is welcome!

AMHERST WIRE MEETING. TUESDAY, MARCH 24. AmherstWire meeting for interested students. 5:30 pm, 108 Bartlett. For more info, contact Caitlyn or Jackie.

LESLIE GARIS & MADDIE BLAIS speak at Salute to Families Benefit. 7 pm, Thurs., March 26 in Cole Assembly Room, Amherst College. Free to students. Read more...

Congratulations to Daily Hampshire Gazette for winning "Newspaper of the Year" by the New England Newspaper Association. Read more...

Congratulations to Mel Allen, a finalist in the National City & REgional Magazine Awards competition for Best Columnist. Read more...

BACHERMAN INTERNSHIP AWARD & SCHOLARSHIP. Application deadline: April 17. Read more...

AW Multimedia Newsroom Workshops This Friday, the Amherst Wire is hosting the first of its multimedia workshop series, "CSS for Online Journalism."

When: Fri., Feb. 20, 2009 at 3:00pm
Where: Bartlett 107
Open to all

This will be a basic primer on the nuts and bolts of CSS as a web design language, with an applied focus on online news/magazine page layouts, typography, columns, white space, photo captions and galleries. If you plan on coming, please e-mail Jackie at jhai@student.umass.edu to reserve a spot -- space is limited!

"CHAT WITH THE J PROF"
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Bartlett 107

Our first chat will be with Karen List, the Director of the Journalism Program. Karen will chat about the ethical state of our industry, covering topics ranging from conflict of interest to plagiarism. The format is informal -- we're looking to have more of a discussion and less of a lecture -- so bring your questions! All Journalism majors are welcome and don’t forget...
FREE FOOD!

The Washington Center will hold an info session on internships, Tues., Feb. 10,2009 10-noon in Bartlett 108 with Journalism graduate Daryl Popper, '08.

Former child soldier Emmanuel Jal will speak about his experiences in the Sudan at 7 p.m. Feb. 11, 2009 in the Student Union Ballroom. Jal will show clips from his award-winning documentary Warchild and sign copies of his book of the same name. Read more...

Scholarship Workshop for SBS Undergraduates, Thurs., Feb. 12, 2009 5:30-7 pm, Memorial Hall. RSVP by Tues., Feb. 10, 2009..

Interested in studying Journalism in Ireland this summer? Contact Karen List and read more..

Amherst Wire, the student-run onlne news magazine, will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5:30 in Bartlett 108. Read more...

Studying abroad this semester? Write for the Global Beat Blog at Amherst Wire. Contact Jackie Hai.

Congratulations, Nancy Cohen! Journalism lecturer Nancy Cohen has been named Reporter of the Year by the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut. Nancy is also Managing Editor of NPR's Northeast Environmental Hub. Read more...

RAISE HOPE FOR THE CONGO with U.N. Goodwill Ambassador & Journalist Jimmie Briggs and Journalist John Prendergast, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. Bartlett 65

Jimmie Briggis is a respected journalist and author of Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War. Prendergast has written 8 books on Africa, including NYTimes Bestseller, Not on Our Watch and is a co-founder of an anti-genocide effort called the Enough Project. The current and ongoing conflict in the Congo has resulted in over 5 million deaths. Some have called the crisis a “genocide against women” because rape is used as a primary weapon of
War. Sponsored by UMass’s Save Darfur Group and Amnesty International.

Jimmie Briggs
From covering violence in minority communities to investigating rights abuses, the personal stories of disadvantaged youth have been the focus of Jimmie Briggs' decade-long career. Over the last four years he has focused on child soldiers. As a reporter at LIFE, Briggs was awarded the John Bartlow Martin Award from Northwestern University for a story on the Gulf War's impact on children and became a finalist for the National Magazine Award. In the summer of 1998, he earned an honorable mention in the Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize competition, and an Individual Project Fellowship from the Open Society Institute to study war-affected children. A year later, Briggs received a commendation from the Congressional Black Caucus for his coverage of AIDS in the black community. He has written for The Washington Post, The Village Voice, EMERGE, VIBE, George, The Source, Junior Scholastic, XXL, The New York Times Magazine and LIFE. He lives in New York City.

John Prendergast

John Prendergast is Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. During the Clinton administration, John was involved in a number of peace processes in Africa while he was Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council and Special Advisor at the Department of State. John has also worked for members of Congress, the United Nations, human rights organizations, and think tanks, as well as having been a youth counselor and basketball coach in the U.S. He has authored eight books on Africa, including Not on Our Watch, a New York Times bestseller he co-authored with Don Cheadle. John is working on a new book which focuses on his 20 years in the Big Brother program. John has helped produce two documentaries on Northern Uganda and been involved in three documentaries on Sudan. He has been part of three episodes of CBS' 60 Minutes which earned an Emmy Award for Best Continuing News Coverage and is helping to develop two additional episodes. He is helping to spearhead a campaign involving the NBA and Participant Productions to widen awareness on Darfur, as well as a campaign to end the violence against women and girls in the Congo. John travels regularly to Africa's war zones on fact-finding missions, peace-making initiatives, and awareness-raising trips. He is a visiting professor at the University of San Diego and the American University in Cairo.

Governor’s Internship Program Information Session
Thurs., Nov. 13
2-3 p.m. , Bartlett 201

Christina Mills, a journalism alum who currently runs the Massachusetts Governors office internship program, will be on campus tomorrow at 2 p.m. to meet with students interested in an internship, either in Boston or in the Governor's Springfield office, for spring, summer or next fall. These internships are wide-ranging and include working in the cabinet offices.

Joan Wickersham
“The Suicide Index: Putting My Father’s Death in Order”
Monday, Nov. 3, 5-6 pm
Bartlett 61
On Monday November 3rd National Book Award nominee Joan Wickersham will present on her new memoir, “The Suicide Index: Putting My Father’s Death in Order,” at Bartlett Hall Room 61 at the University of Massachusetts from five to six p.m. The author of a previous novel, “The Paper Anniversary,” she has receive rave notices for her new book which has been called “artful, vivid and classic” by Publisher’s Weekly and “beautifully written” by Library Journal. “ The L.A. Times said that Wickersham “exposes the whole messy territory of inheritance, of what our families leave us, the treacherous role of genetics and psychology and unhappiness.” The Suicide Index was recently named one of five finalists for the 2008 National Book Award in the category of nonfiction, the winner to be announced in November. (10/27/08)

JOURNALISM MEET & GREET OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, Nov. 13
3-5:30 p.m.
Bartlett 107
Is there anything you wanted to know about the Journalism major, but didn't know who to ask? Do you have general questions about your UMass experience that you wanted answered as registration approaches? Then stop by the Journalism Majors Meet and Greet open house, next Thursday, November 13 from 3-5:30 p.m. in Bartlett 107!

Journalism major peer advisers Parisa Saranj, Leslie Byford, David Humphreys, Christina Cernak and Daniella Bordonaro will be on hand to answer your questions about:
Journalism courses
Getting involved with student media (Collegian, WMUA, UVC-TV)
Internships
Double majors and minors
Gen eds
Global eds
Commonwealth College
Five College exchange
Studying abroad as a journalism major
Anything else that's on your mind
Some food and drinks will be served! We'll also have a wide variety of fliers available with more information.
Hope to see you there!

AmherstWire Journalism majors worked on two debate-viewing events last night. Watch on ABC 40... (10/20/08)

AMHERSTWIRE.COM has UMass students twittering about the vice-presidential debate. Read more... (10/20/08)

MARKET MELTDOWN 101. AMHERSTWIRE.COM, website run by Journalism majors, interviewed economics professors about current crisis. Boston.com has linked to it, in addition to being on the UMass home page. (10/20/08)

WINGSTOCK
Thursday, Oct. 9, 4-5:15 p.m.
108 Bartlett
Meet fellow journalism majors and faculty, listen to some fine tunes from the‘60s and ‘70s and enjoy some wings and drinks. Sponsored by the First Year Student Seminar, Journalism 197A

(09/30/08)

INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP FOR JOURNALISM MAJORS
Wed., Oct. 1, 4 pm
Bartlett 119
Journalism’s internship coordinator B.J. Roche and Jeff Silver from Career Services will talk about internship and coop opportunities for spring, summer and next fall. Open to all Journalism majors. (09/30/08)

DAVID MARANISS, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, will speak Mon., Sept. 22, n Flavin Aud., Eisenberg School, 4:30-6:30 p.m. “Playing for Keeps: Race, Sports and Politics.” Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Washington Post associate editor David Maraniss will deliver a talk entitled “PLAYING FOR KEEPS: RACE, SPORTS, AND POLITICS” Maraniss is the author of First in His Class, a biography of President Bill Clinton, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi, They Marched into Sunlight, and Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero. His most recent book came out this summer: Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World. He began his career in Madison, Wisconsin as a student journalist and then worked at the Trenton Times in New Jersey (with Journalism professors Madeleine Blais and John Katzenbach) before joining the Post in 1977. A not infrequent visitor to the Valley, Maraniss’ brother David is a longtime professor in the Spanish Department at Amherst College. He is currently covering the Obama campaign where he says he was posted despite being a rabid fan of the Green Bay Packers, archrivals of Obama’s hometown Chicago Bears. All are welcome. (09/10/08)

INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP FOR JOURNALISM MAJORS. Wed., Oct. 1, 4-5:30 pm. Room TBA. Journalism's internship coordinator BJ Roche and Jeff Silver from Career Services will talk about internship and coop opportunities. All are welcome.

STEVE FOX is moderating an Ethics Panel at the annual Online News Association (ONA) Conference in Washington, D.C. next week , Sept. 11-13. Two UMass Journalism majors are working in the student newsroom at the conference this year. Ashleigh Bennett and Jackie Hai both earned scholarships from ONA to take part in the conference. And, Journalism grad Eric Athas ‘07 is helping to set up the back-end of the student newsroom's Web site. (09/05/08)

News from Alaska! Journalism's Nancy Cohen reports back from the Arctic Circle.

Nancy has recently spent two weeks north of the Arctic Circle as part of an International Polar Year science writers fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation. She's been in the tundra and on the rivers during the day and gathering samples and crunching numbers at
night. She is at the Toolik Field Station with scientists who are looking at the impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems. The field station is a hard-working community of scientists, in a remote location with few amenities, who work long days, but still manage to have a lot of
fun. Read and hear her reports. Here is her first "audio postcard"
An interview with WNPR, CT Public Radio
View photos and more at www.cpbn.org (07/21/08)

David Perkins' Journalism 491A, Performing Arts Reporting class helped supply questions for his interview with Placido Domingo published in the Boston Globe Sunday, April 6, 2008. Read the interview.

CONGRATULATIONS TO NANCY COHEN FOR RECEIVING an Arctic Fellowship for Science Writers.

ATTENTION ALL JOURNALISM MAJORS & FACULTY: COME TO JOURNALISM'S FIRST ANNUAL END-OF-YEAR SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT & PICNIC. Saturday, May 10, 5 pm until dark at the Boyden Fields across from Boyden Gym. It's the end of the year and time for softball and grilling as we celebrate the end of another great year. RSVP to Eric Athas, Amber Vaillancourt, or Courtney Smith. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Congratulations, Steve Fox! Steve has been appointed a Teaching Fellow in the Indiana University School of Journalism's 2008 Teaching Fellows Workshop this summer.
This is a first-rate, highly competitive program for new teachers. Steve's acceptance letter says, "You were selected because of your outstanding accomplishments and your potential as a teacher of journalism in the future." He'll have the opportunity to attend five days of workshops, and IU pays all expenses. This is a fantastic opportunity for Steve--and for all of us, when he brings home what he's learned and shares it with his colleagues.

AmherstWire Mid-semester meeting. If you are interested in getting involved with UMass's newest student-run media outlet, come by Bartlett 107 on Thursday, April 11, at 6 p.m. We will be outlining our plans for the future, assigning new stories and most importantly, eating pizza. This is an opportunity to gain critical online journalism experience and build your resume. AmherstWire is a student-run web site focuses on covering the war in Iraq and the presidential campaign from a local perspective while also reporting general and breaking news stories. Hope to see you there! If you cannot attend the meeting and would still like to join the staff, send an e-mail to editors@amherstwire.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO VENUZA LAVEAUX FOR RECEIVING THE 2008 BACHERMAN AWARD AND DEVON COURTNEY FOR RECEIVING THE CROWLEY COLUMN AWARD!
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOURNALISM MAJORS FOR RECEIVING THE FOLLOWING AWARDS:
Katie Huston, Senior Leadership Award; Louis Harris and Shaneka Davis, the William Field Alumni Scholarships; Michael Phillis, the Chester Weinerman Award; Adam McGillen and Christina Cernak, the "Red" Curtin Award.

CONGRATULATIONS TO 2008's TOP 10 SENIORS INDUCTED INTO THE KTA HONOR SOCIETY:
Katie Huston, Kathryn Bergquist, Joseph Modugno, Kristen Forrelli, Meghan Murphy, Heather DiMaio, Charles Thompson, Julie Halpin, Lauren Proctor, and Masa Pozar.

CAMPAIGN 2008: AN ENDLESS CYCLE? The Journalism Program presents a panel discussion featuring Jill Lawrence, USA Today, Mark Stencel, Governing magazine, Mary Carey, Daily Hampshire Gazette. Moderated by Steve Fox, UMass Journalism professor and former washingtonpost.com editor. 4-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, 168C Campus Center. Refreshments. All are welcome!

A NEW DAY FOR THE UMass JOURNALISM PROGRAM. Last week Journalism unveiled its new journalism wireless mobile lab. With the help of the SBS Dean's Office and the Office of Information Technology, the students began using the lab last Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. Unlike a normal classroom, the mobile lab allows students to experience a newsroom-like environment while learning the essential tools of online journalism. Click here for the slideshow.

Journalism professor Norman Sims was interviewed by Poynter on the publication of his new book, "True Stories: A Century of Literary Journalism." Read more... (02/19/08)

Award-winning Journalist Brings Multimedia Talents to the Classroom. Read more...

WMUA New Persons Meeting Wed., Feb. 13, 7 p.m. in Campus Center 803. All interested students are welcome. For more info, email Zach Claudio, station manager at manager@wmua.org

Workshop on coops at the Boston Globe will be held Wed., Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. in Bartlett 219. Everyone welcome. Read more...

Mariane Pearl, author of A Mighty Heart, will be speaking as part of th Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Hardman Lecture Series on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Street Center Auditorium. MCLA is in North Adams. Free.

The New England News Forum, based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will co-sponsor a free, public symposium that will assess the impact and reporting of casino gambling in New England on Tuesday, March 11 at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. Public officials, journalists, researchers and a top industry executive will participate. Read more...

Steve Fox will be giving a presentation, "Opening up the Newsroom with Blogs," at the New England Press Association's Annual Convention (NEPA) this Saturday, Feb. 9. His presentation will be part of a workshop for editors and reporters who want to learn about the latest advances in technology and for publishers looking for a more cost-effecive business model. l be a presentersession entitled, Rebooting Your Newsroom: Adding blogs, podcasts, citizens and the Web will run from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Read Ralph Whitehead's 01/14/08 column in the Boston Globe... (01/18/08)

Steve Fox has been selected by the Poynter Institute, along with a select group of journalists from around the world, as a participant in their Poynter Multimedia Journalism for College Educators in February, 2008. (01/09/08)

Read Ralph Whitehead's column 01/07/08 in the Boston Globe. (01/08/08).

New UMass student-run web site, AmherstWire.com, is looking for student journalists.

PODCASTING AT UMASS. Professors BJ Roche and David Perkins, along with and from Journalsim 392W, Writing for the Web, offer testimonials on the benefits of having students podcast. Read more...

Katie Huston, a senior journalism major from Michigan, was awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Three of her referees for this honor are associated with  the journalism program: Norm Sims, Rick Newton, and Madeleine Blais.  Katie is also managing editor of the Daily Collegian and a peer advisor in the journalism program. (12-4-07)    Read more...

If you missed Buzz Bissinger's talk on Wed., Nov. 14, two students from Steve Fox's Journ 397G class, created video/slideshows. One is a video/audio link from Eric Athas and the other a video slideshow of the event from Meagan Patton.  (11/16/07)

JOURNALISM MEET AND GREET OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, November 7

from 3-5 p.m. Bartlett 107

JOURNALISM PROGRAM LECTURE SERIES ON BROADCAST & MEDIA PRESENTS H.G. "BUZZ" BISSINGER, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Friday Night Lights, speaking on "The Art of Non-Fiction Storytelling." Wednesday, November 14, 2007 7-8:30 p.m. in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union Building. Pizza and booksigning, 6:15 p.m. This is part of the Extra Credit Card Program. Ask your Journalism professor how you can earn extra credit points by attending.

What do Richard Dawkins, Jackie Robinson, St Teresa, and Madeleine Blais have in common? They all can be found in the book 360° of Reading, a literature guide for college bound students, by W.E. Poplaski. Maddy's book, In These Girls Hope is a Muscle, has been included along with 359 other recommended works of literature and nonfiction. (10/25/07)

New England Society of Newspaper Editors / New England Newspaper
Association's annual conference will be held at the Quincy Marriott on Thursday &
Friday, Oct. 25 & 26.

This is a great opportunity for students to rub elbows with and draw inspiration from editors and publishers of dozens of newspapers from across New England. More complete conference information is available at http://nenews.org/stories/163.html Please pay particular attention to a the panel on the morning of Friday, Oct. 26: "What are journalism schools teaching, and why?"

The panel will consider how Journalism schools see the changing field of professional journalism (economically as well as technically) and how (or if) we are
shaping our curricula to address those changes, as well as talk about how the delivery of information news via new media is affecting some classic values of journalism, such as intelligence, curiosity, reporting, and writing. Panelists include Tracy Breton, an investigative reporter for the Providence Journal and journalism instructor at Brown; Steve Fox, formerly an editor at http://washingtonpost.com and now a journalism instructor at UMass-Amherst; Traci Griffith, an assistant professor of journalism at St. Michael's College; Rich Hanley, graduate director of journalism & interactive communications at Quinnipiac University; and Linda Levin, chair of journalism program at the University of Rhode Island. Any students interested in attending should contact Steve Fox or call, 413-545-5923.

TUESDAY, OCT. 16, 2007, ILONA MEAGHER, author of MOVING A NATION TO CARE, a book about post-traumatic stress syndrome among American troops returning from Iraq. 7-10 p.m., Food for Thought Books, 106 N. Pleasant St., Amherst. Read more...

TUES., OCT. 30, 2007, MADELEINE BLAIS: STORIES WORTH TELLING: A GUIDE TO THE ART OF THE MEMOIR. 6:30-8 p.m., Sunderland Public Library, 20 School St., Sunderland. Call 413-665-2642 for more information.

Part of the Sunderland Public Library's author series. Madeleine Blais is the author of Uphill Walkers: Memoir of a Family, In These Girls Hope is a Muscle, The Heart is an Instrument: Portraits in Journalism. SHe is a Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalism, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and a professor of Journalism at UMass-Amherst.

Streaming video of the first lecture of the Journalism Program Lecture Series on Broadcast and the Media of the Fall 07 semester, "The New New Journalism: Challenges & Opportunities of Multimedia Reporting," with Chet Rhodes of Washingtonpost.com; Patrick Stiegman, ESPN.com; and Emily Sweeney, The Boston Globe is available for viewing at: http://www.archive.org/details/NewNewJournalismUMASS

Karen List, Journalism Director, wrote, "Tonight's panel, "The New New Journalism: Challenges and Opportunities in Multi-Media Reporting," exceeded our expectations. Our hope was to turn students on to multi-media reporting by showcasing it in this year's first Kantor lecture. We did that and more. Memorial Hall was bursting with Journalism majors
and alums, and no one left early. Patrick Stiegman, ESPN executive editor, told the students that new technology should be "like your skin," and both he and Chet Rhodes, assistant managing editor of washingtonpost.com, made it clear that journalism students today will need multi- media skills to be competitive in the job market. Emily Sweeney, a reporter from the Boston Globe with her video camera in hand, embodied all they were saying. After the panel, conversations about internships, jobs and return visits were flying. Alums were as
excited as our students. Journalism professor BJ Roche introduced the panelists, and Steve Fox, also of Journalism, moderated the program. Alum Peter Billman Goleme was there too with his South Hadley High School journalism students. This was a spectacular start to what will be a great, great year." (10/2/07)

Professor Norman Sims, Reflections on Literary Journalism and the New Media. Profiled on College of Social & Behavioral Sciences web site, 9/10/07

Read more

An Evening Celebrating the Literary Genre of the Memoir, with Moderator: Madeleine Blais and Panelists Carole Gaunt and John Hanson Mitchell. Tuesday, 9 October 2007, 7 - 9:30 p.m., Memorial Hall, University of Massachusetts

The General Book Department of the University Store at the University of Massachusetts will host an evening devoted to the literary genre of the memoir. The event is free and is open to the public and to members of the five-college community. Acting as moderator for the event will be Madeleine Blais, recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for her feature writing for  The Miami Herald‚s Tropic Magazine, and member of the English faculty at the University of Massachusetts since 1987. She is the author of three distinguished books. The Heart Is an Instrument: Portraits in Journalism (The University of Massachusetts Press, 1992) collects her Pulitzer-winning feature articles. With In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle (Warner Books, 1996), she evocatively chronicles the state championship of the Amherst High School girl‚s basketball team during their 1992-93 season.
  
 Of her most recent book, Uphill Walkers: Memoir of a Family (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2002), Anita Shreve has written that: "I can‚t remember having read a memoir in which I‚ve trusted the writer as much, or been as charmed." Blais, who was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award in non-fiction for In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle, was the recipient of The Chancellor‚s Medal in 2001, the highest  honor to be awarded to an individual for "exemplary and extraordinary service" to the University.
  
 Well-known for her commitment to her students, Blais has expressed that journalism is capable of a "power to capture . . . what was real, the music of what happens, and to impound all those details that defy embellishment." With respect to her pedagogical ideology, she says: "Students are required to do some serious thinking about their own lives; not just finding the story, and the plot, and the arc, but also considering the material from a longer viewpoint."
  
The panelists for the evening include Carole Gaunt, a UMass alum, who is the author of Hungry Hill: A Memoir (University of Massachusetts Press, 2007), and John Hanson Mitchell, the editor of Sanctuary: The Massachusetts Audubon Magazine, who has recently published his memoir entitled The Rose Café: Love and War in Corsica  (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2007).
  
 Gaunt, also an award-winning playwright, documents her life growing up in Springfield‚s "Hungry Hill," an Irish-Catholic working-class neighborhood, in the late fifties and early sixties. John Hanson Mitchell, winner of the 1994 John Burroughs Essay Award, has concentrated much of his work on a single square mile tract of land known as Scratch Flat, located 35 miles northwest of Boston. He has written four books dealing with the natural and human history of the tract, the best known of which is Ceremonial  Time (Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984), a fifteen thousand-year history of the area. In 2000, he was honored with the New England Booksellers‚ Award in Non-Fiction for the entire body of his work.

Professor Karen List was honored at the annual convention of the Assn. for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in August in Washington, D.C.

Prof. List, Director of the UMass Journalism Program was recognized by Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism and mass communication honor society, for her outstanding service to the organization, both for her four years as national president and vice president and for her 17 years "as chapter advisor, mentor and scholarly role model." She founded the UMass KTA chapter in 1989 and won the national KTA Advisor of the Year Award in 2003. (08/07)

Journalism Lecturer Meredith O'Brien-Weiss writes about Parental Blogging in Summer Issue of UMass Magazine.

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