Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference speakers to explore balance between informing and entertaining readers

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - 15:22
Los Angeles Times feature writer Christopher Goffard, a multiple Pulitzer Prize finalist, will be a keynote speaker at the 2018 Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference.
Los Angeles Times feature writer Christopher Goffard, a multiple Pulitzer Prize finalist, will be a keynote speaker at the 2018 Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference.

What:      "Are You Not Entertained? Real Stories, Real People, Real Storytelling" —

                The 14th annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, hosted by the

                University of North Texas' Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of

                Journalism. The conference's keynote speakers are Diana B. Henriques,

                author of "The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust;"

                Lindy West, contributing essayist for The New York Times; and Christopher

                Goffard, feature writer for the Los Angeles Times and multiple Pulitzer 

                Prize finalist.                           

When:      July 20 (Friday)-July 22 (Sunday)

 

Where:     Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, 1800 Highway 26 East

                 in Grapevine, Texas

Cost:        Registration is $225 for students and $425 for others and includes all speaker sessions and

                several meals. Registration is online and will close when the conference is full.

More information:

                Contact the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at

                940-565-4564 or maybornconferenceinfo@unt.edu

 

DENTON (UNT), Texas - This summer's Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference will explore how journalists balance writing stories that are factually credible while writing entertaining stories.   

The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference has been hosted every year since 2005 by the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, part of the University of North Texas' Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism.The conference takes place at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine.

This year's conference theme is "Are You Not Entertained? Real Stories, Real People, Real Storytelling."

"We are living in a disruptive period where journalists are faced with covering some of the most daunting issues of our time, and are finding themselves trying to get attention over the din of social media buzz and celebrity news," said Neil Foote, conference co-director and principal lecturer in the Mayborn School of Journalism. "This conference is bringing together some of the best writers in the business to share their stories and their craft."

One of the conference's three keynote speakers, Los Angeles Times feature writer Christopher Goffard, received positive feedback last fall for "Dirty John," a six-installment podcast that he created to supplement his series in the Times.

"Dirty John," which has been downloaded more than 10 million times, tells the story of con man John Meehan and the victims he left in his path during decades of deception. Goffard has twice been a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, and shared the newspaper's 2011 Pulitzer Prize for public service as part of a staff exposing corruption in the small city of Bell, California.

The conference's keynote speaker on July 21 (Saturday), Lindy West, is a contributing essayist for The New York Times and the author of a memoir, "Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman." West formerly wrote a weekly political column for The Guardian, and her essays on body image, feminism, popular culture and social justice have been featured on "This American Life" on NPR and in "Cosmopolitan;" "GQ;" Jezebel, a blog; and The Stranger, a newspaper in Seattle.  

Another New York Times reporter, Diana B. Henriques, will be the conference's opening keynote speaker July 22 (Friday). Henriques, primarily a financial journalist, is the author of "The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and The Death of Trust," which grew out of her work as lead reporter of the Times' coverage of the 2008 arrest of Madoff, founder of a respected Wall Street brokerage firm and operator of a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

Other conference speakers include:

●Alfredo Corchado, Mexico City bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News, who specializes in covering the U.S-Mexico border and drug cartels, organized crime and corruption among police and government officials.

●Vanessa Grigoriadis, contributing writer to "The New York Times Magazine" and "Vanity Fair" and author of "Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus," an exploration of the emerging culture around campus sexual assault.   

●Stephen Rodrick, also a contributing writer to "The New York Times Magazine" and also a writer for "Rolling Stone." Rodrick writes mostly about politics, film, and sports, often following his subjects around for months before beginning an article.

Conference registration fees are $225 for students and $425 for others and includes all speaker sessions and several meals. Registration is online and will close when the conference is full.

 

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