Poynter's Kristen Hare is reporting on her recent experiences co-leading the second annual "Breaking Into Books" workshop and attending her son's high school graduation. She said the workshop, co-led with Sam Freedman, focused on narrative nonfiction principles, research practices, the publishing industry, writing book proposals and peer reviewing for journalists and writers.
Hare noted a parallel between the journalists learning to see themselves as authors and her son transitioning to adulthood after graduating with honors from high school. She highlighted a quote from Poynter colleague Roy Peter Clark, paraphrasing poet William Stafford, which states, "The antidote to writer’s block is to lower your standards and raise them as you go." Hare suggested this advice could also apply to approaching new life stages.
Separately, the University of Maryland's Howard Center Data Journalism Training Program is offering online courses. It said the program provides affordable training in data analysis, visualization and integrating artificial intelligence into journalistic workflows, designed for investigative reporting.