Storytelling on the agenda

Hochschild, author of several award-winning novels including "King Leopold's Ghost", will also present two workshops for narrative writers at the conference.

Presenting under the theme "Telling Africa's Stories", Hochschild is one of several international and local speakers who will also present masterclasses at the conference that aims to equip senior journalists, writers and editors with the skills to improve their narrative reporting.

Hochschild says: "The ways in which people receive bare-bones news headlines are expanding all the time: the Internet, e-mail, radio, TV, cell phone screens, pocket electronic gadgets.... This means that if newspapers and magazines want to gain and hold readers, they have to learn to tell stories in attention-catching, exciting, graceful, irresistible ways that people will not find in these other media.

"The reporter needs to think about the storytelling arc, about bringing characters alive, about setting scenes, creating suspense--all things that usually don't arise in the course of writing daily news stories for deadlines, and that involve learning a different set of skills."

Nieman Foundation director of Narrative Writing Programme Mark Kramer will speak and present a workshop for editors: "Narrative journalism, journalism that tells the story of the news in scenes and conversations, shows how people experience a fire or a drought or a good new school program or a lacklustre bureaucratic regulation. Our brains are hardwired to decode the world's stories. Confusing political, social, regulatory situations become clear as we let readers in on the action, and fill them in on the background."

Conference fees are R1 140 with discounted fees of R570 for post-graduate journalism students. The conference will be limited to 100 participants. Workshop participation is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Bookings close on 17 March 17 2006. For more information, contact Debby Kramer on +27-011-327-0188, email or visit www.narrativedigest.org.