October 2007 Telephone Seminar: Opinion Writing for Media Scholars

* Please circulate * Apologies for cross postings
* Registration will close on Monday, September 25, 2007 *

The SPIN Project invites university-based scholars in the U.S. who write about media policy to apply to participate in a four-part seminar on op-ed writing lead by author and journalist Catherine Orenstein, who is spearheading a national Op-Ed Project with support from the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership.

A key focus is on seeing the big picture – establishing yourself as part of a larger public conversation about how U.S. media might be reshaped or reformed in the interest of democracy or social justice.

The 4 two-hour seminars will take place by telephone in October 2007 on the following dates:

• Tuesday, October 2 – 9amPST/NoonEST:  Op-Ed structure, purpose & basics.  Discussion of your ideas and expertise.
• Tuesday, October 9 – 9amPST/NoonEST: Building blocks.  Pitching.
• Tuesday, October 23 – 9amPST/NoonEST: Self-editing. Making an impact.
• Tuesday, October 30 – 9amPST/NoonEST:  Voice. The big picture.

There is no registration fee.  The application process is competitive but brief.  Please use this link to register:  www.spinproject.org/mediapolicyopeds

If you are not a scholar but wish to take part, please complete an application.

Participants will receive assistance in placing an op-ed that they draft from the SPIN Project.

This seminar is funded by a grant to the SPIN Project from the Ford Foundation.
For more information, contact Laura Saponara, 415.227.4200, x228.

OVERVIEW OF CURRICULUM
(“How to Write to Change the World” with Catherine Orenstein)

Class 1 – Tuesday, October 2, 2007
·        Op-Ed structure, purpose, basics.  In which we consider the purpose and potential outcome of op-eds; look at the 6 or so most commonly used "formulas" for op-ed writing; consider the basic structure and components (lede, hook, argument, "to-be-sure" graph, conclusion) and talk about various ways these can be effectively crafted.
·         Ideas and expertise. In which we discuss the question of what we're qualified to write about with authority and why, and learn how to triangulate and expand an area of expertise to publish – and think - more broadly.

Class 2 – Tuesday, October 9, 2007
·         Building Blocks. In which we discuss ledes, hooks and conclusions in greater depth; how to craft them masterfully so as to get your reader's (and editor's) attention;  ways to reposition an idea so that it will have more traction; how to make your conclusion work for you — and give your reader more value.  We go over examples.
·         Pitching. In which we talk about how a pitch should look, what must go in it, and what basic questions it must answer for an editor (why now? why me? so what?); how to develop a relationship with an editor (and achieve the author editor "mind meld"); how to follow up.  We look at my trials and errors with the New York Times Op-Ed page, where I am an occasional contributor.

Class 3 – Tuesday, October 23, 2007
·         Self Editing:  In which we discuss the qualities of a well-written argument, specific to op-ed (as opposed to other writing forms); the specific qualities of clean, clear communication; go over common foibles; and give an intensive look at each participant’s style, looking for opportunities to sharpen.
·         Making an Impact:  In which we review arguments that have had major impact over the years, from James Agee to Martin Luther King to Gloria Steinem, Toni Morrison to Samantha Power to Joseph Wilson; consider why they made such an impact; and extract lessons and tools that we can employ in our own work.

Class 4 – Tuesday, October 30, 2007
·         Voice: In which we consider the exact same topic and lede as written about by five or more different voices for various national op-ed pages. The topic chosen will concern either gender or race, so that the class will also serve as a jumping off point to discuss writing from an underrepresented perspective.
·         The Big Picture:  In which we talk about the possibility of seeing the op-ed page not as an opportunity to publish a single essay or a series of one-off essays, but rather as a space to potentially generate a body of work around a given argument or area of interest, and thereby establish yourself as part of a larger public conversation; to this end, we discuss how to position yourself as a thinker bigger than any single op-ed or set of op-eds you may do:  the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.


About Catherine Orenstein: Ms. Orenstein is a journalist and author who publishes most frequently on women, popular culture and folklore, as well as human rights, Latin America and Haiti. Orenstein has contributed to the op-ed pages of the The New York Times, Washington Post and Miami Herald. Her opinion pieces on politics, popular culture, and human rights have run on the Knight-Ridder newswire and appear in anthologies. She has lectured at Harvard, Penn, and Columbia universities. Her first book, Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality & the Evolution of a Fairy Tale (Basic, 2002/3), follows a fairy tale through time - from the werewolf trials of old Europe to the movies of modern Hollywood - to trace our changing ideas about women, sexuality and morality. It has been translated into multiple languages and featured in national newspapers and magazines.