My Double Life: Journalists who also write fiction and poetry
Writers don't have to stick to one genre. Meet three journalists who are also published authors — writing everything from detective novels to poetry collections to short stories.
The Ryerson Journalism Research Centre featured a panel last Tuesday at Ryerson University titled My Double Life with journalists Angela Misri, Waubgeshig Rice and Marsha Barber, who discussed their lives as both journalists and creative writers.
(From left to right) Angela Misri, Marsha Barber, Suanne Kelman and Waub Rice. (Daniela Olariu)
The panel was moderated by former RSJ professor Suanne Kelman, who taught at Ryerson for 21 years.
All three panelists said their desire to write creatively developed before they entered the field of journalism.
“I wrote creatively when I was a teenager. I would go home from school to our house on the rez and write fun and interesting observations of life around me because I knew they were unique experiences and compelling things to explore about my upbringing on the reserve,” Rice said.
He became a journalist later, but the two have been intertwined ever since.
“I’ve been able to draw inspiration from each medium and each has influenced the other over the course of my career.”
Rice graduated from the RSJ in 2002 and has worked for CBC News for most of his career. He is originally from Wasauksing First Nation and his first short-story collection, Midnight Sweatlodge, was inspired by his experiences growing up in an Anishinaabe community. His debut novel, Legacy, followed in 2014 and his latest novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, was released in October, 2018.
RSJ professor and journalist Marsha Barber, a former documentary filmmaker at CBC’s The National, writes poetry. She said poetry and journalism have common elements.
“I think there are parallels between poetry and some forms of broadcast journalism. A good broadcast script sometimes looks like poetry - they’re very sparse, the writing is very clear and concise. When you write poetry, you are a witness and striving for truth the same way you are in journalism.”
Misri, who teaches at the RSJ and is Digital Director at The Walrus writes detective fiction for a younger audience. She writes the Portia Adams Adventure books and her most recent is called Pickles vs. the Zombies.
“I wrote the Portia Adams stories because I didn’t have enough Canadian detective fiction. I write to bring a perspective into the world and to try to change the world. I also write for myself and hope other people want to read it. So far, that’s worked out.”
Rice said he writes because in journalism he can’t dive deeply enough into some historical issues as they relate to indigenous people.
“When you tell a story in one to two minutes on TV, it’s impossible to get the proper context, which is why we need to do more value-added coverage pieces,” he said.
“It applies to fiction because you can make up the characters and settings, but what binds them together is that historical context. It’s an opportunity to extend that historical understanding and try to do it in more creative ways.”
Barber said her poetry is a form of self-expression.
“What I get out of it is processing things and the satisfaction of taking something very raw and polishing it until it’s something I can be proud of,” she said. “It’s a direct and powerful form of communication. A well placed poem can change something in your life and, therefore, in the greater community.”
Some challenges the three face as authors include going back and forth between creative writing and journalism, as well as finding the time to write creatively. But they find ways to address these issues.
Rice said he writes in different environments.
“In the space when I’m working at CBC, it’s always about the facts and about the truth. Once I’m out of that, at home or at a cafe, it’s a different environment, so I can switch gears easily,” he said.
For Barber, it’s about the time of day.
“I write late at night for a first draft and I do revisions early in the morning. I have a very clear boundary in terms of when I do my poetry writing and when I do my journalistic work.”
Misri and Barber’s advice to journalists who also want to pursue creative writing is to dedicate time for it.
Rice’s advice is to harness creativity and let it out in different ways.
“Having the opportunity to do both has enhanced my skills as a storyteller and has made me a more well-rounded journalist and author.”
Watch the full panel below:
