Journalism students self-publish non-fiction anthology

In the fall of 2007, Baruch journalism undergraduates, enrolled in Prof. Roslyn Bernstein's English 3600/Creative Journalism course, read Samuel G. Freedman’s book, Who She Was, a moving and meticulously researched account of his mother’s life.

Freedman then came to class to discuss how he had researched the parts of his mother’s life that were unknown to him. He spoke about his effort to create a more thoughtful genre, one that did not resemble superficial, popular memoirs.

Inspired by Freedman, the class began their own Who He Was/ Who She Was assignments. After selecting subjects, a beloved grandfather, grandmother, parent or relative, the students attended a workshop on social and genealogical research conducted by librarians Stephen Francoeur and Stanton Biddle.

For weeks, the class researched the lives of people they had hardly known.

The life stories they unearthed were so moving that many students in the class were determined to publish them.

Under the guidance of Michelle Michalos and Ehab Zahriyeh and with artistic and technical support from Vanessa Maryam Bartlemus, participating students worked in teams on the final edits.

 The result of their creative efforts is this fine creative non-fiction anthology capturing Who They Were. 

“Working on Who They Were has been such a rewarding learning experience, particularly because it was so hands-on and student driven,” Michalos said.  “The publication really gave the class an opportunity to grow as writers and be creative with journalism, and I am so proud to have been a part of it.”