Writer Amanda Hess speaks with Hunter journalism students in Prof. Douglas Alden’s feature writing class last week. Photo: Douglas Alden
The feature writing class was visited last week by another in its series of accomplished guests, Amanda Hess, critic-at-large at the New York Times.
In just the past few weeks, Hess’s writings have graced the cover of the Times’ Magazine section with a longform feature story on Rachel Maddow, and filled up a special standalone section of the newspaper with her nine-part essay, “How Fan Culture Is Swallowing Democracy.” (That’s right, the New York Times produced an entire standalone section just to run her essay.)
Hess spoke intimately and candidly about how she began her college career as a creative writing major.
During her hour with the class, Hess spoke intimately and candidly about how she began her college career as a creative writing major, the highs and lows of her career and what is was like coming to the Times as the winner of a David Carr Fellowship.
Hess also addressed the toughest parts of reporting for her — the anxiety that she, an introvert, faces when reporting and interviewing (and the anxiety she experiences when writing!), as well as her experience working with great editors (and also those editors who just don’t get you), and the differences between writing articles and writing/voicing her acclaimed and quirky video series, “Internetting with Amanda Hess,” plus much more.
Other guests for this semester’s feature writing class are the New York Times columnist Ginia Bellafante, legendary photographer Neil Leifer, bestselling authors and journalists Jonathan Eig and Jonathan Alter (see our writeup of his October visit), in addition to Ed Zuckerman, a longtime journalist who’s also been the head writer of multiple network television prime time series, including “Law & Order” and “Bluebloods.”