March 3 is the deadline to apply for the 16th annual Minority Writers Seminar to be held April 14-17 at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Experienced minority journalists receive intense training for writing opinion in a “boot camp” environment, said Neil Heinen, president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation, sponsor of the highly successful seminar in partnership with the Diversity Institute.
Enrollment is limited to 12, and minority journalists who have been writing opinion less than two years may apply. NCEW Foundation pays for lodging and food at the Seminar and reimburses up to $200 each for transportation to and from Nashville.
The program’s purpose is to give minority journalists an opportunity to explore the nuts-and-bolts of opinion writing as a career move, said Heinen, editorial director of WISC-TV in Madison, Wisconsin.
Participants hear presentations on the craft of persuasive writing and keynote addresses by nationally known speakers, attend simulated editorial board meetings, and write two opinion pieces that are critiqued by veteran members of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, Heinen said.
Dr. Sybril Bennett, two-time Emmy winning multi-media journalist who is in demand nationally for her expertise in the digital age, will speak at the opening session. She is an associate professor of journalism at Belmont University in Nashville and first executive director of its New Century Journalism Program.
Rick Horowitz, syndicated columnist and Emmy-winning TV commentator based in Milwaukee, will return with his nationally recognized “Getting Your Words’ Worth” workshop. Other nationally known speakers will address the group.
Experienced editorialists, all members of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, work with a small group of participants throughout the four-day seminar.
Tommy Denton, retired editorial page editor and past president of NCEW and the Foundation who will return as a member of the faculty, said, “The seminar is rigorous and demanding, and yet the analytical and writing exercises — in an atmosphere of professional camaraderie — have been clearly stimulating and satisfying for the eager women and men with whom I’ve had the good fortune to work.”
For more information and to apply online, visit http://minoritywritersseminar.org/
