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Gay Talese reads his story on This American Life

"In the corner of a smoky Beverly Hills bar, a legendary but fading singer stands, nursing a drink, a cigarette, and - much to his distress - a cold. And when Esquire magazine writer Gay Talese recounted that night in his 1966 story "Sinatra Has a Cold," he started a revolution in journalism - a new genre of reporting dubbed "New Journalism." With its attention to narrative and style, new journalism is practiced by such literary stars as Norman Mailer and Thomas Wolfe. But some argue the style has enabled, or even encouraged, the careers of slick stylists who add and subtract facts for the sake of a compelling story. Slate founding editor Michael Kinsley recently spoke to Talese about the legacy and future of new journalism."

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recommended reading.

"Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," ran in April 1966 and became one of the most celebrated magazine stories ever published, a pioneering example of what came to be called New Journalism.

Also see Katie Roiphe's interview with Talese. Roiphe, Katie "The Art of Nonfiction No. 2: Gay Talese", Paris Review, Issue 189, Summer 2009 http://www.parisreview.com/viewinterview.php/prmMID/5925

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Celebrated American journalist Jack Hitt on the art of pitching or writing queries for editors

Click through to listen to a recording of the event