For Immediate Release:

Contact:
Heather Porter, SPJ Professional Development Coordinator, (317) 927-8000 ext. 204, hporter@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists recently announced the schedule for the Narrative Writing Workshops program, which seeks to improve the quality of newspaper and online writing.

Taught by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Hallman, Jr. of The Oregonian, the workshops help writers move beyond traditional models of reporting to engage in artful and informative storytelling. The program has been held in fourteen cities across the country since 2006.

The 2009 workshops will take place in:

--Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago –May 2

--El Paso, Texas, University of Texas at El Paso – May 30

--Albuquerque, N.M., University of New Mexico June 13

--Lowell, Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts Lowell – June 20

--Boise, Idaho, Boise State University – July 25

In 2001, Hallman won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for a series of articles in The Oregonian. Additionally, he has been the recipient of every major writing award for journalism, including multiple American Society of Newspaper Editors awards, a Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award, a National Headliner Award and a Nixon National Writing Award. He is the author of the 2002 book “Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask” and has been with The Oregonian since 1980.

Writing programs will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and cost $60 for SPJ members and $80 for non-members. Lunch is included. Late fees will apply for registrations received less than two weeks before each workshop. For registration information and complete details, visit SPJ's Narrative Writing Workshop page or contact Heather Porter at (317) 927-8000, ext. 204 or hporter@spj.org.

To learn more about SPJ’s Narrative Writing Workshops and other training programs, please visit SPJ's Training page.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well- informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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