Food Writing and Blogging Intensive
Learn the craft of food writing and blogging from two award-winning authors and critics, Alan Richman, our dean of Food Journalism, and Steven Shaw, founder of eGullet. This 10-week course combines two of our popular media courses into one convenient, comprehensive package, providing you with a fundamental understanding of how to be a successful food writer for both print and online media.
Learn How to Put Your Words Front and Center
Now that food bloggers are writing best-selling books, and food journalists are founding their own praiseworthy blogs, the line between "old" and "new" media has become blurred. Indeed, many of the skills once associated with print—especially developing ideas for stories and pitching them to editors—are at play in the digital world, and many print publications have highly trafficked online outlets. Similarly, blogs and other web-based forums have created an expectation for up-to-the-minute content and a more personal voice, which has in turn influenced print publications. The key then to being a successful food writer or blogger is to obtain the tools necessary to succeed in any platform.
And that’s precisely why The International Culinary Center’s Food Writing and Blogging Intensive was created: to provide budding journalists, culinary professionals, devoted hobbyists, and everyone in between a fundamental understanding of writing for both online and print venues. Even veteran print writers will be able to augment their experience by gaining expertise in an area of tremendous growth.
Pitch-Perfect Food Writing, for Every Media
This uniquely designed course is taught by two of the leading voices in food journalism, who will share their real-world expertise as well as provide one-on-one critique throughout the program.
Under the guidance of the celebrated food journalist, Alan Richman (dean of Food Journalism), you will learn the craft of food writing, including developing feature articles and writing restaurant reviews. You will learn what it takes to make your writing stand out from the rest, and how to successfully pitch your articles to newspapers, magazines, and other print and online publications.
You will also explore the burgeoning blogosphere with Steven Shaw, founder of eGullet and award-winning author, who will provide practical guidance for starting a blog from scratch (and give guidance to those who already have a blog), promoting it for maximum exposure, and even making it profitable. You'll learn how to harness low-cost technology, social networking, online communities, and mainstream media to drive traffic to your site. As an ongoing class assignment, you will create and maintain your own blog, adding daily entries that will be critiqued by instructors and fellow students.
Hands-on coaching, group discussion, and special lectures by guest speakers will reinforce concepts learned in class. You'll leave armed with all the ingredients necessary for making your entree into the exciting field of food writing and blogging.
Alan Richman, Dean of Food Journalism and New Media, is the most decorated food writer in history. He has won 14 James Beard Journalism Awards, two M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Awards, a National Magazine Award, and a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam. When he received his National Magazine Award, the presenter described him as "the Indiana Jones of food writers." He has reviewed restaurants in nearly every Communist country (China, Vietnam, Cuba, East Germany), and the Chicago restaurant owned and operated by Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, who is famously opposed to journalists. In 1998, Richman was inducted into The James Beard Foundation’s Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. Currently a regular contributor to GQ, he has also written for the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Montreal Star, the Philadelphia Bulletin, Bon Appétit, and Condé Nast Traveler.
Steven A. Shaw, director of New Media Studies at The International Culinary Center, is the founder of the phenomenally successful web site eGullet.org and a James Beard Award-winning food critic. He’s the author of the books Asian Dining Rules: Essential Strategies for Eating Out at Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Korean, and Indian Restaurants and Turning the Tables: The Insider’s Guide to Eating Out. He’s also a contributor to Saveur, Crain's New York Business and many other publications. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.