A Brief Introduction to Narrative Nonfiction — Somewhere between the newspaper on your doorstep and the novel on your nightstand lies narrative nonfiction, literary journalism — the nonfiction novel. Whatever you want to call it, to me, this sort of writing occupies a fascinating and fertile boundary, full of possibility and peril, as it can so easily combine the best of both worlds — an Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder, The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, or pick your title by John McPhee. It is hard to imagine a more vibrant genre, combining the immediacy of journalism and the power of true accounts with the texture, read, drama, emotional punch and broad themes of a novel. Then again, narrative nonfiction can also deliver the worst of both worlds, when the desire to construct a compelling story trumps the author’s responsibility to stick to the facts, no matter how inconvenient ... Click here for more.

What is Literary nonfiction? Website of the literary nonfiction program at University of Oregon.

Old ‘New Journalists’ — A compendium of authors by the University of Florida Department of Journalism

Immersion Journalism — Novelists get to sit down and write. Nonfiction writers get to have fun first. Get a rundown on how it’s done: Getting inside, facing ethical questions, the five stages of immersion journalism (Stage 2 — when people keep asking, How long did you say you were going to be here?). A transcript of the 2002 Johnston Lecture at the University of Oregon, by Edward Humes.

Must Reads in Narrative Nonfiction:

The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe — This definitive, biting, dramatic and revealing story of the birth of the U.S. space program puts the reader there, in every way. A penultimate work of literary journalism.

Among School Children, by Tracy Kidder — Immersion journalism at its finest, in which Kidder spends a year in an elementary school classroom in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and reveals in this small setting very large truths about teachers, students and our schools.

The Pine Barrens, by John McPhee — The master of literary journalism immerses himself in “the other New Jersey.” Click here to listen to McPhee speaking about his writing at the 50th anniversary dinner for Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Executioner’s Song, by Norman Mailer — The Gary Gilmore story, elevated to a modern-day Western epic. Says Joan Didion: “When I read this, I remembered that the tracks made by the wagon wheels are still visible from the air over Utah, like the footprints made on the moon. This is an absolutely astonishing book.”

Salvador, by Joan Didion — A thin book that captures the essence of the beauty and futility of a nation at war with itself.

Dispatches, by Michael Herr — This devastating account from the frontlines of Vietnam War tells you things you never knew — and some things you wish you hadn’t learned — about the war that marked a generation. This book is a timeless and — now, more than ever — timely. It should be a must-read in the post-September 11 universe.

Hiroshima, by John Hersey — This 1946 account of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima remains a classic and enduring work of literary nonfiction.

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote — The seminal work of modern true crime celebrated, and criticized as dishonest. To sum up the two viewpoints: From a literary standpoint, as an example of the writer’s craft and a model of how true crime writing can break the boundaries of genre, the book is superb, a touchstone for narrative nonfiction writers of all stripes. As a work of journalism, however, it does not appear to meet minimum standards of accuracy and fairness, and serves as a warning to those who would elevate storytelling needs over journalistic ethics and principles. Bottom line: Read it as literature, but beware of its flaws.