Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist and two-time winner of the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award, spoke Tuesday night at the 22nd Annual Freedom of Information Congress.
The best selling author of Ava’s Man and All Over But The Shoutin’ spoke to an audience of more than 500 people at the University Center Ballroom.
Bragg, a powerful-looking man who towers at 6’2, spoke in an eloquent southern accent as he talked about the strength of the written word.
“I’m here to talk about the power of good, descriptive, colorful writing. Story telling. The process and joy of writing,” Bragg said.
Through his lecture, he shared a portrait of his own life as a writer and a southerner. He attributes his skills as a storyteller to his heritage.
“I was raised in the part of the country were all the great writers are born.”
Some of Bragg’s stories were poignant and often quite humorous, but all of them were told with skill and passion, full of color and life. He often joked playfully with the audience and at one point was handed an elderly woman’s hearing aid when he noticed a high-pitched squeal echoing from it.
Bragg stayed for a question and answer session with the audience after the event.
“If I had not gone into journalism for a living,” he said, “I would probably be doing manual labor.”
Bragg received several standing ovations throughout the evening.
“Reading him just makes me feel like I can do anything,” said Debbie Allan-Sykes, President of the University of Memphis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. “I wanted to ask him what that force is that drives him, that makes him say, ‘I don’t care’. He’s everyone’s hero.”
Students who attended the event said they found Bragg to be an enchanting speaker as well.
“He was really good with his details,” said Erik Honeycutt, television and film major at The U of M. “He is a great southern writer. Kind of reminded me of my parents.”
“Bragg definitely has a unique way of showing the reader his experiences through the filters of his own eyes,” said Bill Bailey, a journalism student at The University.
Past works of Bragg include articles on the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing and the trial of Susan Smith, the Texas woman convicted of drowning her children. He was a metro reporter in Haiti and covered the school shootings in Jonesboro.
Beginning his career in 1977, Bragg has written for the St. Petersburg Times and the Los Angeles Times. He now works as a roving reporter for The New York Times based out of New Orleans.
