UC’s new literary journalism certificate opens doors for nonfiction storytellers

By Tawney Beans

The University of Cincinnati’s McMicken College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) now offers Ohio’s first and only literary journalism certificate, a collaborative program between its Journalism and English departments.

Popularized by works such as Truman Capote’s bestseller “In Cold Blood,” literary journalism combines research and fact-driven reporting with specific narrative and stylistic techniques typically associated with fiction writing. 

A&S’s award-winning faculty has designed the certificate to enhance the writing of aspiring journalists and nonfiction writers and prepare them for careers in literary journalism or nonfiction writing.

The certificate was developed in response to the 24-hour news cycles and constant information consumption that dominates today’s media environment – making in-depth and narrative reporting skills indispensable for aspiring reporters and writers. This program will teach students the writing, reporting, research, interviewing and storytelling strategies they’ll need to succeed in the increasingly competitive magazine journalism and publishing fields. 

Within the past few years, students from the Journalism and English departments have shown interest in the idea of a cross-disciplinary program involving both magazine and creative nonfiction courses. English professor Kristen Iversen said, “We know that students are keenly interested in this certificate and feel it will be rewarding both personally and professionally, and very useful when they enter the job market.” 

Students in the program can expect to study a wide range of writers who cover many topics such as immigration, education, sports, art and politics, according to Wohlfarth. The list of writers that students may be exposed to includes Edward Abbey, Terry Tempest Williams, Katherine Boo, Wendell Berry, and more. 

Required classes include Introduction to Literary Nonfiction, Forms of Literary Nonfiction, Magazine Writing and Advanced Magazine writing. Students must also choose one class from a pool of Journalism and English electives to complete the program.