Seminar Offers Lessons on Storytelling from National Museum and Prize-Winning Writers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESTON, VA--A visit to the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., to examine its use of narrative writing to tell the story of Nazi genocide will be a highlight the American Press Institute's seminar, Compelling Storytelling: Writing and Editing for Readers, Oct. 30-Nov. 4.

Seminar participants will meet with Dr. Steven Luckert, curator of the Museum's permanent exhibition and of Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust, a special exhibition at the museum. Afterward they will tour the museum and discuss both their reactions and the lessons the museum holds for journalists wanting to tell powerful stories.

"The Holocaust Museum does an astonishing job of telling this horrific story," said seminar moderator Curt Hazlett. "It reveals the events of the Holocaust chronologically and uses details to drive home the human cost. It's a good model for journalists in the use of narrative storytelling and it's a clear reminder of the need to bear witness to events in history."

Participants also will discuss the power of story with Mark Bowden, a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and author of several bestsellers including, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.

Black Hawk Down is a compelling account of the 1993 battle in Somalia in which 18 American soldiers were killed. It was originally serialized in 29 parts in the Philadelphia Inquirer, where Bowden was a reporter and columnist at the time. The book was later turned into a movie.

Other discussion leaders include Ken Fuson, a prize-winning feature writer for the Des Moines Register; Steve Buttry, API's director of tailored programming and one of the country's top writing coaches; and Steve Magagnini, whose work for the Sacramento Bee has made him one of the best diversity-beat reporters in the nation.

For more information or to register, please go here.  If you have questions, call API Seminar Associate Curt Hazlett at (207) 899-2510 or e-mail him at chazlett@maine.rr.com.

About the American Press Institute

The American Press Institute is an independent educational center for providing skills-training and leadership development in the news industry, offering myriad seminars, online training and on-site programs for newspaper professionals. API houses the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, which offers a nationwide forum and educational opportunities for improving the quality of American business journalism. API is also the home of the Media Center, which conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media. Visit API online at www.americanpressinstitute.org, or call (703) 620-3611.

Media Contact:
Lisa Rabasca
American Press Institute
11690 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1498
(703) 715-3322
lrabasca@americanpressinstitute.org