Roy Peter Clark delivered one of the keynote addresses at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 9, 2006. He used music to help teach his concepts of writing in his talk, “So You Want To Be a Nashville Writing Star: How To Find Your Writer’s Voice and the Music in Your Writing.” The description for his session began, “Roy Peter Clark is one of America’s most influential writing coaches and one of journalism’s most popular rock ’n’ roll musicians.” In 2020, he recalled, “That was a great gig. Largest audience I had addressed until I gave the commencement address in 2017 for my alma mater.” Photos by Joslyn Brown
JEA Advisers Institute, a premier summer conference for scholastic journalism educators, will feature Roy Peter Clark as the keynote speaker during the virtual event July 6-9, 2020.
Clark, a long-time educator and administrator at the Poynter Institute, has also written or edited 19 books on writing and journalism. JEA members might recognize his work from a recent C:JET magazine article covering his most popular book “Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for every Writer,” which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.
C:JET magazine editor Bradley Wilson, MJE, said, “If you want to learn about becoming a better writer, Roy Peter Clark provides the yellow brick road, the pathway to success. He’s one of the most entertaining speakers I’ve ever seen. And talented, I mean multitalented. Writing is hard to teach. Writing well is hard to learn. But Roy makes writing fun.”
The new online model for #JEAai will feature on-demand video content as well as live events to connect teachers with professionals and peers from around the country. Clark will address attendees in a live town hall Thursday, July 9 at 10 a.m. Central time, and a recording will be available soon after for those unable to connect at the time of the presentation. Clark has inspired writers for decades through his work as an educator, writer, workshop founder and director, and writing coach.
JEA Vice President Val Kibler, MJE, said, “It doesn’t matter what you advise: newspaper, yearbook, broadcasting, web – whatever. Good journalism is always good journalism, and good journalism always begins with good writing. Roy Peter Clark is one of the best writing gurus out there. JEA Advisers Institute is about reigniting our spark for teaching scholastic journalism, and Clark never fails to get me excited about teaching my kids to be better writers. And let’s face it, we all need better writers on our staffs!”
To learn more, interested advisers should visit JEA.org/ai for a full list of faculty and a registration link. Registration is $85 for members and $99 for nonmembers.