Watch here
And get a glimpse of David Fricke here
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
ABC on the History of Rolling Stone
In the late 1960s Jann Wenner was an aspiring rock
journalist and student at the University
of California at Berkley. He loved music and dreamt of meeting his heroes
Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Mick Jagger. In 1967 along with jazz critic Ralph
Gleason, Wenner scraped together $7500 from friends and family and founded
Rolling Stone magazine in San
Francisco.
After just two years in publication Rolling Stone magazine was widely accepted as the most authoritative publication on rock and roll music. According to “The Uncensored History” by Robert Draper, published by Doubleday in 1990,“By 1989, Rolling Stone’s parent company, Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc was worth perhaps $250 million—over thirty thousand times its value twenty-two years before.”
Rolling Stone magazine’s editorial history includes a long line of now famous and successful photographers, writers and artists. Before Rolling Stone magazine there was no such thing as rock music photography. Barron Woman served as the first Rolling Stone staff photographer; Linda Eastman (later Linda McCartney) was the first woman photographer to shoot a Rolling Stone magazine cover; Annie Leibovitz served as the second staff photographer and Robert Kingsbury was the magazine’s first full-time art director.
Rolling Stone magazine was the starting place for many famous writers including Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus and many more.
Throughout its history Rolling Stone has featured top Hollywood actors, musicians and other famous personalities on its covers. According to the book “1,000 Rolling Stone Covers,” compiled by the magazine’s editors, Mick Jagger is the leader in most Rolling Stone magazine covers with 27 total.
Rolling Stone magazine lead the way on many now standard magazine industry practices including writing, photography and politics.
One of the most controversial trails the music magazine blazed was the advent of featuring nude celebrities on the magazine’s covers. The first celebrities to appear nude on Rolling Stone’s cover were John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The nude Lennon/Ono cover was the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine to sell-out. Since then Rolling Stone has featured many nude celebrities on its covers including Jennifer Aniston, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera.
The magazine’s size and format has long been a part of the legacy of the magazine. In the early 1970s Rolling Stone changed printers and went to a tabloid format increasing the sizes of the covers from 8.5 inches by 11 inches to 10. 5 inches by 15 inches. For the next 30 years the magazine remained oversized. However, in 2008 Wenner surveyed readers and later announced plans to go to a standard magazine size with its Oct 30 issue.
While Rolling Stone magazine is profitable single copy sales have fallen from 189,000 to 132,000 in the last nine years. Wenner hopes the new magazine-rack friendly size will appeal more to advertisers and readers.
After just two years in publication Rolling Stone magazine was widely accepted as the most authoritative publication on rock and roll music. According to “The Uncensored History” by Robert Draper, published by Doubleday in 1990,“By 1989, Rolling Stone’s parent company, Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc was worth perhaps $250 million—over thirty thousand times its value twenty-two years before.”
Rolling Stone magazine’s editorial history includes a long line of now famous and successful photographers, writers and artists. Before Rolling Stone magazine there was no such thing as rock music photography. Barron Woman served as the first Rolling Stone staff photographer; Linda Eastman (later Linda McCartney) was the first woman photographer to shoot a Rolling Stone magazine cover; Annie Leibovitz served as the second staff photographer and Robert Kingsbury was the magazine’s first full-time art director.
Rolling Stone magazine was the starting place for many famous writers including Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus and many more.
Throughout its history Rolling Stone has featured top Hollywood actors, musicians and other famous personalities on its covers. According to the book “1,000 Rolling Stone Covers,” compiled by the magazine’s editors, Mick Jagger is the leader in most Rolling Stone magazine covers with 27 total.
Rolling Stone magazine lead the way on many now standard magazine industry practices including writing, photography and politics.
One of the most controversial trails the music magazine blazed was the advent of featuring nude celebrities on the magazine’s covers. The first celebrities to appear nude on Rolling Stone’s cover were John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The nude Lennon/Ono cover was the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine to sell-out. Since then Rolling Stone has featured many nude celebrities on its covers including Jennifer Aniston, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera.
The magazine’s size and format has long been a part of the legacy of the magazine. In the early 1970s Rolling Stone changed printers and went to a tabloid format increasing the sizes of the covers from 8.5 inches by 11 inches to 10. 5 inches by 15 inches. For the next 30 years the magazine remained oversized. However, in 2008 Wenner surveyed readers and later announced plans to go to a standard magazine size with its Oct 30 issue.
While Rolling Stone magazine is profitable single copy sales have fallen from 189,000 to 132,000 in the last nine years. Wenner hopes the new magazine-rack friendly size will appeal more to advertisers and readers.
Publishing News
Already there's good news from our Tuesday send-out blitz.
PITTSBURGH PARENT has accepted Matt Kochasic's Q&A with Kristin Asplin on "Why Kids Lie."
Look for Matt's piece in PP online soon.
Congrats, Matt!
PITTSBURGH PARENT has accepted Matt Kochasic's Q&A with Kristin Asplin on "Why Kids Lie."
Look for Matt's piece in PP online soon.
Congrats, Matt!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Submission Bombers
Looking for good lit-mag homes for your work? Join Submission Bombers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/submission.bombers/?fref=ts
Assignment Updates: Tuesday, Oct. 23 -- Thursday, Oct. 25
We're about a week behind, so today (Tuesday, Oct. 23), we'll review your revised Q&As and draft cover letters. We'll submit your pieces to your target markets during class.
We'll review interview techniques and begin discussions of some of the interviews from the book.
On Thursday, we'll continue our discussion of the Rolling Stone interviews. Please be sure to have read the following:
TRUMAN CAPOTE by Andy Warhol
KURT COBAIN by David Fricke
COURTNEY LOVE by David Fricke
JOHN LENNON by Jann Wenner
DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON by P.J. O'Rourke
BILL CLINTON by Jann S. Wenner
Your Rolling Stone-modeled interviews will now be due next Tuesday, Oct. 30. Please bring hard and electronic copies to class.
We'll review interview techniques and begin discussions of some of the interviews from the book.
On Thursday, we'll continue our discussion of the Rolling Stone interviews. Please be sure to have read the following:
TRUMAN CAPOTE by Andy Warhol
KURT COBAIN by David Fricke
COURTNEY LOVE by David Fricke
JOHN LENNON by Jann Wenner
DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON by P.J. O'Rourke
BILL CLINTON by Jann S. Wenner
Your Rolling Stone-modeled interviews will now be due next Tuesday, Oct. 30. Please bring hard and electronic copies to class.
Interview: Warhol, Capote and more
New York Times Tips for Crafting Great Interviews
General tips include these:
Research. Read and obtain background information about the subject, source or topic at hand before interviewing so that you can ask informed questions.
Ask simple questions. Keep your questions short, to the point and focused. Otherwise you risk distracting or confusing your subject, or allowing him or her to answer only part of a complex question. Break down complicated questions into shorter, simpler questions.
Limit closed-ended questions; use mostly open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are yes-or-no questions or those that invite very basic, one-word answers. Open-ended questions often begin with “Why?” and “How?” or phrases such as “Tell me about … ” or “How does that make you feel?” They invite longer, more insightful responses.
Ask follow-up questions. An inexperienced interviewer asks a question, notes the response then moves on to the next question. Don’t stick to the script — listen to the answers and probe further before moving on to your prepared questions. Often it is during a follow-up question that the right quote falls into your lap. “Following up” can also involve a non-question, like a sympathetic response or a gesture of surprise or admiration.
Take notes. While having an audio recorder is helpful, always keep a notebook handy and use it to jot down quotes, statistics or facts that strike you. You might also want to write down physical details about your environment and your subject’s appearance, facial expressions and voice. But be sure to look up from your notebook and maintain eye contact.
Be conversational without having a conversation. Keep the interview informal and casual, not overly scripted, and go with the flow, allowing your subject to switch directions –- as long as you remain in control of the interview and are prepared to steer it back to your topic as needed.
Research. Read and obtain background information about the subject, source or topic at hand before interviewing so that you can ask informed questions.
Ask simple questions. Keep your questions short, to the point and focused. Otherwise you risk distracting or confusing your subject, or allowing him or her to answer only part of a complex question. Break down complicated questions into shorter, simpler questions.
Limit closed-ended questions; use mostly open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are yes-or-no questions or those that invite very basic, one-word answers. Open-ended questions often begin with “Why?” and “How?” or phrases such as “Tell me about … ” or “How does that make you feel?” They invite longer, more insightful responses.
Ask follow-up questions. An inexperienced interviewer asks a question, notes the response then moves on to the next question. Don’t stick to the script — listen to the answers and probe further before moving on to your prepared questions. Often it is during a follow-up question that the right quote falls into your lap. “Following up” can also involve a non-question, like a sympathetic response or a gesture of surprise or admiration.
Take notes. While having an audio recorder is helpful, always keep a notebook handy and use it to jot down quotes, statistics or facts that strike you. You might also want to write down physical details about your environment and your subject’s appearance, facial expressions and voice. But be sure to look up from your notebook and maintain eye contact.
Be conversational without having a conversation. Keep the interview informal and casual, not overly scripted, and go with the flow, allowing your subject to switch directions –- as long as you remain in control of the interview and are prepared to steer it back to your topic as needed.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Assignment Updates: Oct. 16 through Oct. 23
For Tuesday, Oct. 16, please continue reading the Rolling Stone Interviews. Bring an electronic copy of your revised Q&A piece to class. We'll draft your cover letters and submit your pieces to your target markets during class. We'll also review Rolling Stone interview techniques and discuss some of the interviews from the book.
I'll be out of town on Thursday, Oct. 18, so we won't have class. Please use this time to work on your own Rolling-Stone-modeled interview pieces. These are due in class on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Please bring hard copies and an e-copy with you to class.
I'll be out of town on Thursday, Oct. 18, so we won't have class. Please use this time to work on your own Rolling-Stone-modeled interview pieces. These are due in class on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Please bring hard copies and an e-copy with you to class.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Publishing Opportunity: Catfish Creek
From the editors at Catfish Creek, a national undergraduate literary journal based at Loras College:
Catfish Creek is
pleased to announce the beginning of our reading period for our third issue,
slated for Spring 2013. Catfish Creek is intended as a showcase for undergraduate writers from across the
country and around the world. We are welcoming submissions of fiction, poetry, and literary
nonfiction.
Any student currently registered in an
undergraduate program is eligible to submit. If we accept your work, we will
ask for proof of your current enrollment.
Our reading period is September 1-December 1. Any
manuscripts received outside of that time will be deleted unread. Simultaneous
submissions are welcome as long as we are informed if the work is accepted
elsewhere.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions should be sent electronically, as MS-Word (.doc or .docx) or RTF attachments, to Catfish.Creek@loras.edu. Please specify the genre of your submission (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in the Subject line of your message.
Ex: Fiction submission—“Story Title”
All submissions should be sent electronically, as MS-Word (.doc or .docx) or RTF attachments, to Catfish.Creek@loras.edu. Please specify the genre of your submission (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in the Subject line of your message.
Ex: Fiction submission—“Story Title”
For more submission guidelines please see our
website, or to order a copy: http://www.loras.edu/About-Loras/Loras-Publications/Catfish-Creek.aspx
Sample copies are $5.00, which includes shipping.
Please note that educators ordering ten or more copies for use will receive a
discounted price of $3.50 per copy.
We are excited to read your submissions. Welcome
to Catfish Creek!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Upcoming Events for Writers
Author Stephen Dau will give a reading and talk this Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall 118. Dau is a UPG alum ('97) and author of the critically-acclaimed novel THE BOOK OF JONAS. He'd also make a terrific interview subject, if you'd like to plan ahead for your next assignment.
***
Wood-Fired Words:
Poet Paula Bohince will read on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in Village Hall. Bohince's latest book, THE CHILDREN, has been compared to the work of Elizabeth Bishop, among others. UPG student-poet Katie Pagano, editor of PENDULUM, will open.
***
Wood-Fired Words:
Wood-Fired Words 2012
Saturday, October 6th
Readings, art, a pop-up bookstore, and wood-fired pizza
7pm - 10pm
Readings start at 8:30pm
$7 admission
Curated by Sherrie Flick
The 4th annual Wood-Fired Words will feature readings by: Sean Thomas Dougherty, Braddock’s 2013 Into the Furnace Writer-in-Residence; Sarah Leavens, Braddock’s current Out of the Forge Writer-in-Residence; and Salvatore Pane, author of the forthcoming novel Last Call in the City of Bridges, published by Braddock Avenue Books.
The event will also include The East End Book Exchange pop-up used bookstore, paintings by local artist Anna E. Mikolay, and wood-fired pizza baked in Braddock’s community pizza oven (with special chef appearance by Kevin Sousa). Drinks are BYOB, and an ongoing potluck will occur inside the gallery.
Readings, art, a pop-up bookstore, and wood-fired pizza
7pm - 10pm
Readings start at 8:30pm
$7 admission
Curated by Sherrie Flick
The 4th annual Wood-Fired Words will feature readings by: Sean Thomas Dougherty, Braddock’s 2013 Into the Furnace Writer-in-Residence; Sarah Leavens, Braddock’s current Out of the Forge Writer-in-Residence; and Salvatore Pane, author of the forthcoming novel Last Call in the City of Bridges, published by Braddock Avenue Books.
The event will also include The East End Book Exchange pop-up used bookstore, paintings by local artist Anna E. Mikolay, and wood-fired pizza baked in Braddock’s community pizza oven (with special chef appearance by Kevin Sousa). Drinks are BYOB, and an ongoing potluck will occur inside the gallery.
***
Poet Paula Bohince will read on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in Village Hall. Bohince's latest book, THE CHILDREN, has been compared to the work of Elizabeth Bishop, among others. UPG student-poet Katie Pagano, editor of PENDULUM, will open.
This Week in Magazine Writing
On Tuesday, Oct. 2, we'll review Michael Lewis' immersion techniques in "Obamas Way."
On Thursday, Oct. 4, we'll finish workshop of your q&a pieces. Please revise your q&a's over the weekend and bring in one hard copy for class Thursday, Oct. 11. (Remember, we don't have class on Tuesday, Oct. 9 -- fall break.)
In addition to your revision, please bring in a cover letter pitching your q&a piece to the editor/magazine of your choice.
Begin reading The Rolling Stone Interviews. Next assignment: interview formatted per Rolling Stone model. Due Tuesday, Oct. 16. 1000-1200 words. Additional guidelines in class.
On Thursday, Oct. 4, we'll finish workshop of your q&a pieces. Please revise your q&a's over the weekend and bring in one hard copy for class Thursday, Oct. 11. (Remember, we don't have class on Tuesday, Oct. 9 -- fall break.)
In addition to your revision, please bring in a cover letter pitching your q&a piece to the editor/magazine of your choice.
Begin reading The Rolling Stone Interviews. Next assignment: interview formatted per Rolling Stone model. Due Tuesday, Oct. 16. 1000-1200 words. Additional guidelines in class.
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