If you can’t do, then teach … or so they say

I’m thrilled to have been invited to do some teaching gigs this year. I’ll be drawing upon my 30 years of journalism experience, plus my efforts in writing my book, “Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher,” to teach various aspects of nonfiction writing soon.

Here’s what’s on tap for now (I never know what may be added, so stay tuned):

April 6, 5:30-6:30 p.m.: I’ll be speaking at the Scribblers Writing Club on conducting personal interviews. We meet at Sogna Della Terra bakery and coffee shop, 901 Washington St, Columbus, Indiana. I’ve hung out with this group a couple of times and have enjoyed getting to know the variety of writers involved. One of them is about to do an oral history and since I have vast experience doing personal interviews, I was asked to chat a bit about that at the next meeting.

April 25: I’ll be giving a presentation titled “RESEARCHING NONFICTION: From personal interviews to document discovery” at the Spring Writers Conference, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at thew Yes Cinema, 328 Jackson St., Columbus, Indiana. My segment will run from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Cost is $25. Info: Debi Stanton, 812-371-4128 or debih7606@frontier.com. Debi heads up the Bartholomew County Writers Group, another group I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in with a couple of times. She asked me if I would present at the conference and gave me the freedom to choose my topic. Thanks, Debi!

July 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: I’ll be teaching a class on AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop, 234 Brook St. Unit 2, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188. Phone: 262.446.0284. This one will take some of the elements of my previous two talks and add some spice for a more lengthy workshop. I was invited by owner Kathy Giorgio, whom I met at the Edgerton (Wis.) Sterling North Book and Film Festival last fall. Here is what we’ve got on Kathy’s website regarding my visit:

RESEARCHING NONFICTION AND TURNING IT INTO FICTION

Have you come across an event that piqued your interest so much that you had to find out more? Special guest lecturer Paul Hoffman discusses the many methods that can be used to uncover clues to the story behind the story during his workshop. In addition, he will give you some ideas on turning your research into nonfiction without losing the integrity of the original story. He’ll discuss not only text, but also about the different visual possibilities to illustrate your work. Writers of all abilities will benefit.

The AllWriters’ 2015 Celebrity Saturday Schedule can be found here.