Roy Peter Clark
Encyclopedia
Roy Peter Clark is an American writer, editor, and teacher of writing who has become a writing coach to an international community of students, journalists, and writers of many sorts. He is also senior scholar and vice president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies
, a journalism think-tank in St. Petersburg, Florida
, and is the founder of the National Writers Workshop. Clark has appeared on several radio and television talk shows, speaking about ethics in journalism and other writing issues.
and raised on Long Island
, Clark earned a degree in English (1970) from Providence College
, Rhode Island
, where he was editor of The Alembic, a literary journal, and managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Cowl. From there, Clark earned a Ph.D. in English, specializing in medieval literature, from the State University of New York at Stony Book.
In 1974, Clark accepted a position teaching English at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama
. Newspaper columns he wrote during that time attracted the attention of Eugene Patterson, editor of the St. Petersburg Times
. Patterson hired Clark in 1977 as a reporter and to work with the newspaper’s staff as a writing coach.
In 1979, Clark became a faculty member at and has spent more than thirty years working in various positions with the Poynter Institute
, the non-profit organization that now owns Times Publishing Company
, which publishes the St. Petersburg Times
. Clark is listed as one of the Directors and Officers of The Poynter Institute Andrea Pitzer, writing for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism
at Harvard University
, has called Clark “one of narrative journalism’s hardest working midwives.”
The publication of his three most recent books, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company
, 2006) and The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company
, 2010), and Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces (Little, Brown and Company
brings Clark’s work into the mainstream audience of readers, writers, and lovers of language.
Clark and his wife, Karen, have three daughters.
's The Canterbury Tales
, some of which were published in The Chaucer Review
and in which he discusses Chaucer's parodying of Church teachings and rituals. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "Chaucer and Medieval Scatology."
Clark writes about journalism through his online articles written for the Poynter Institute. In an updated look at serial reporting, for instance, Clark discussed how tweeting, social media, and other forms of 21st century culture are being used to write mini serial narratives.
Clark has also written and edited a number of books about journalism, some of which are used as textbooks in college journalism courses, including Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together (St. Martin's Press
,1991, with Don Fry), the second edition of which was titled Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together across Media Platforms (Bedford-St. Martin's
, 2003, with Don Fry), and Journalism: The Democratic Craft (Oxford University Press
, 2005, with G. Stuart Adam).
In his book, Free to Write: A Journalist Teaches Young Writers (Heinemann
, 1987/1995), and in other writing, Clark advocates putting the responsibility for correcting written work on the student rather than on the teacher.
Clark's more recent books are useful to writers of all genres and of all ages and discuss the power of language as well as how to wield that power.
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company
, 2006)grew out of a series of columns written for Poynter. Clark discusses the 50 tools, including the "clarity and narrative energy" (p. 12) that comes with using right-branching sentence
s, in podcasts, which, according to Poynter, have been "downloaded more than a million times."
In The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company
, 2010), Clark traces the words 'glamour' and 'grammar' back to their common roots.
Clark also reports on how other writers write, as he did in a 2002 Poynter column about radio script writing and vibrators, which he wrote after listening to a lecture by NPR
reporter John Burnett.
Most notably, Clark participated in a discussion on the January 26, 2006, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show
, "Journalists Speak Out." Clark, along with then New York Times columnist Frank Rich
and Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen
discussed the veracity of James Frey
's memoir, A Million Little Pieces
, which had been exposed by The Smoking Gun
as being at least partially fictionalized.
Clark appeared on the October 12, 2006, episode of Oprah, "Truth in America;" on the October 15, 2006, episode, "Developing Critical Literacy," Oprah referred to Clark's seven ways to develop a healthy skepticism, which included suggestions about reading political blogs from various perspectives, understanding the difference between "vigorous discussion" and shouting matches, valuing middle ground, experiencing life directly and not indirectly through TV and other media, and which concluded with this distinction between skepticism and cynicism: "Be a skeptic, but not a cynic. A skeptic doubts knowledge. A cynic doubts moral goodness. The cynic says, "All politicians are liars," or "all journalists have a secret bias." The skeptic says, "That doesn't sound right to me. Show me the evidence."
The list above is a shorter version of another list Clark discussed in his Poynter.org post "Skepticism: The Antidote to 'Truthiness' in American Government and Media."
Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a non-profit school for journalism located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's mission statement says that "The Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of...
, a journalism think-tank in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, and is the founder of the National Writers Workshop. Clark has appeared on several radio and television talk shows, speaking about ethics in journalism and other writing issues.
Biography
A native of the Lower East Side of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, Clark earned a degree in English (1970) from Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, where he was editor of The Alembic, a literary journal, and managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Cowl. From there, Clark earned a Ph.D. in English, specializing in medieval literature, from the State University of New York at Stony Book.
In 1974, Clark accepted a position teaching English at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Newspaper columns he wrote during that time attracted the attention of Eugene Patterson, editor of the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
. Patterson hired Clark in 1977 as a reporter and to work with the newspaper’s staff as a writing coach.
In 1979, Clark became a faculty member at and has spent more than thirty years working in various positions with the Poynter Institute
Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a non-profit school for journalism located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's mission statement says that "The Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of...
, the non-profit organization that now owns Times Publishing Company
Times Publishing Company
Times Publishing Company is a newspaper and magazine publisher. Its flagship publication is the St. Petersburg Times, a daily newspaper serving the Tampa Bay area. It also publishes the business magazine Florida Trend and the daily newspaper tbt* .Times Publishing Company is based in St...
, which publishes the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
. Clark is listed as one of the Directors and Officers of The Poynter Institute Andrea Pitzer, writing for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism
Nieman Foundation for Journalism
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in 1938 as the result of a $1 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of The Milwaukee Journal...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, has called Clark “one of narrative journalism’s hardest working midwives.”
The publication of his three most recent books, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2006) and The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2010), and Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces (Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
brings Clark’s work into the mainstream audience of readers, writers, and lovers of language.
Clark and his wife, Karen, have three daughters.
Academic Works
Clark, a product of Catholic schools and the Dominican-run Providence College, wrote several articles based on Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
's The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
, some of which were published in The Chaucer Review
The Chaucer Review
The Chaucer Review: A Journal of Medieval Studies and Literary Criticism is an academic journal published by the Penn State University Press. Founded in 1966 by Robert W. Frank, Jr...
and in which he discusses Chaucer's parodying of Church teachings and rituals. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "Chaucer and Medieval Scatology."
Journalism
Clark's journalistic writings include works written as a journalist and works written about journalism. As a journalist, Clark revitalized the serial article form when, in 1996, he wrote a 29-part serial narrative piece called Three Little Words which chronicled the story of one family's experience with AIDS. The article generated more than 8,000 phone calls to the newspaper.Clark writes about journalism through his online articles written for the Poynter Institute. In an updated look at serial reporting, for instance, Clark discussed how tweeting, social media, and other forms of 21st century culture are being used to write mini serial narratives.
Clark has also written and edited a number of books about journalism, some of which are used as textbooks in college journalism courses, including Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together (St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
,1991, with Don Fry), the second edition of which was titled Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together across Media Platforms (Bedford-St. Martin's
Bedford-St. Martin's
' is a United States publishing company, specializing in college humanities textbooks. Bedford/St. Martin's is part of the Bedford, Freeman, and Worth Publishing group owned by the Stuttgart, Germany-based Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. Editorial offices are located in Boston and New...
, 2003, with Don Fry), and Journalism: The Democratic Craft (Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 2005, with G. Stuart Adam).
On Writing
Clark has taught writing to professional journalists, scholastic journalists (generally speaking, the student producers of high school and other student-run newspapers), and elementary school students.In his book, Free to Write: A Journalist Teaches Young Writers (Heinemann
Heinemann
Heinemann may refer to:* Heinemann , a publishing company* Heinemann Park, aka. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans-People:* Barbara Heinemann Landmann , Alsatian pietist* Ed Heinemann , American aircraft designer...
, 1987/1995), and in other writing, Clark advocates putting the responsibility for correcting written work on the student rather than on the teacher.
Clark's more recent books are useful to writers of all genres and of all ages and discuss the power of language as well as how to wield that power.
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2006)grew out of a series of columns written for Poynter. Clark discusses the 50 tools, including the "clarity and narrative energy" (p. 12) that comes with using right-branching sentence
Right-branching sentence
In English grammar, a right-branching sentence is a sentence in which the main subject of the sentence is described first, and is followed by a sequence of modifiers that provide additional information about the subject. For example, the following sentence is right-branching.Note that the sentence...
s, in podcasts, which, according to Poynter, have been "downloaded more than a million times."
In The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2010), Clark traces the words 'glamour' and 'grammar' back to their common roots.
Clark also reports on how other writers write, as he did in a 2002 Poynter column about radio script writing and vibrators, which he wrote after listening to a lecture by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
reporter John Burnett.
Radio and Television Appearances
Clark has been a guest on several radio and television programs.Most notably, Clark participated in a discussion on the January 26, 2006, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, "Journalists Speak Out." Clark, along with then New York Times columnist Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
and Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen may refer to:*Richard Cohen , syndicated columnist for the Washington Post*Richard Cohen , a British Olympic fencer and author of Chasing the Sun*Richard A. Cohen, advocate of conversion therapy...
discussed the veracity of James Frey
James Frey
James Christopher Frey is an American writer. His books A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard , as well as Bright Shiny Morning , were bestsellers...
's memoir, A Million Little Pieces
A Million Little Pieces
A Million Little Pieces is a semi-fictional memoir by James Frey. It tells the story of a 23-year-old alcoholic and drug abuser and how he copes with rehabilitation in a Twelve steps-oriented treatment center...
, which had been exposed by The Smoking Gun
The Smoking Gun
The Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is damning, shocking, outrageous, or amazing, yet also somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources...
as being at least partially fictionalized.
Clark appeared on the October 12, 2006, episode of Oprah, "Truth in America;" on the October 15, 2006, episode, "Developing Critical Literacy," Oprah referred to Clark's seven ways to develop a healthy skepticism, which included suggestions about reading political blogs from various perspectives, understanding the difference between "vigorous discussion" and shouting matches, valuing middle ground, experiencing life directly and not indirectly through TV and other media, and which concluded with this distinction between skepticism and cynicism: "Be a skeptic, but not a cynic. A skeptic doubts knowledge. A cynic doubts moral goodness. The cynic says, "All politicians are liars," or "all journalists have a secret bias." The skeptic says, "That doesn't sound right to me. Show me the evidence."
The list above is a shorter version of another list Clark discussed in his Poynter.org post "Skepticism: The Antidote to 'Truthiness' in American Government and Media."
Books
- Adam, G. S., and Clark, R. P. (2005). Journalism: The Democratic Craft. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Clark, R. P., and Fry, D. (1991). Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
- Clark, R. P., and Fry, D. (2003). Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together across Media Platforms (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Bedford-St. Martin's.
Academic Articles
- Clark, R. P. (1976). Christmas Games in Chaucer's The Miller's Tale. Studies in Short Fiction, 13(3), 277. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=7133542&site=ehost-live
- Clark, R. P. (Fall, 1976). Doubting Thomas in Chaucer's Summoner's Tale. The Chaucer Review, 11(2), 164-178. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25093381
Newspaper Articles
- Clark, R. P. (1996) Sadie's Ring. Originally published in the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and theMiami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.poynterextra.org/extra/sring/sr_intro.htm
- Clark, R. P. (February, 1996). Three Little Words. Originally published in The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved from http://www.poynterextra.org/extra/3littlewords/3lw_intro.