• JULY 24-27, 2025

    BALTIMORE


Boots on the Ground — Living What You Write

Firsthand accounts and primary sources are the ace in the hole in journalism, and the same applies to all nonfiction writing. But it's even better when you, the writer, are the eyewitness. 

Follow in the footsteps of new journalism writers Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote and Gay Talese, with these fun, easy to follow steps. Immerse yourself in your subjects and stories, spend time on location, and gather information through observation, on the spot interviews, and in-depth research. 

Want to write about searching for Bigfoot? Sign up for a Bigfoot expedition in the wilderness. Want to write about the police? Go on a ride-along. Want to report on an event, rally, demonstration, hurricane aftermath? Go there yourself.

This session includes: 

Tips on writing from the field and taking detailed notes on the spot so you can accurately report what you actually saw/experienced.

How to observe unobserved. 

How to prepare for covering an event.

How to interview in the field. When to ask, what to ask, and how to ask it. 

How to conduct great vox pop interviews (person on the street interviews) at events. And yes, you can use your iPhone and then transcribe. 

Difficulty level:

Speaker(s)

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