Lee Gutkind Explained

Lee Gutkind
Birth Date:3 January 1943
Occupation:Writer
Language:English
Nationality:American
Education:University of Pittsburgh
Genre:Creative nonfiction[1]
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Children:Sam Gutkind

Lee Gutkind is an American writer, speaker, and founder of the literary journal called Creative Nonfiction.

Gutkind has written or edited more than 30 books, covering a wide range of subjects from motorcycle subculture to child and adolescent mental illness and organ transplantation.[2]

Currently he is Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes and Professor at the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University.

Early life

Gutkind was born on January 3, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. After high school and service in the United States Coast Guard, he held jobs as a truck driver, traveling shoe salesman and public relations account executive.

Career

In 1973, he published his first book, Bike Fever: On Motorcycle Culture. He then joined the University of Pittsburgh's Department of English faculty, where he eventually became the first tenured professor at the university without an advanced degree.

Gutkind founded the literary journal Creative Nonfiction in 1993. He also published three issues of Best Creative Nonfiction, an anthology of creative nonfiction. At Arizona State University, he founded the ThinkWritePublish program, supported by The National Science Foundation (Science in Society) and the Templeton Foundation (True Stories About Science and Religion).

Gutkind has lectured about nonfiction to a wide range audiences and organizations, including the National Academy of Science, Earth Justice, the Institute for Learning, the Council on Healthcare Economics and Policy at Princeton University, as well as foreign audiences.

He helped found the low-residency MFA program in creative nonfiction at Goucher College, and for 11 years was director of the Mid-Atlantic Creative Nonfiction Writers' Conference there. He was the director and founder of the "412 Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival" for four years. He also served as the Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Writer in Residence at Arizona State University in 2007-2008.

Awards and recognition

Lee Gutkind's list of honorary achievements include : The Steve Allan Individual Award, by United Mental Health, Inc; Chancellor's Award for Public Service; Meritorious Service Award by American Council on Transplantation; Howard Blakeslee Award by the American Heart Association for "outstanding journalism; Golden Eagle Award by CINE, for the film A Place Just Right; Recipient of National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. In 2004, Gutkind was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Chatham College.

In a 1997 snipe at Gutkind in the print edition, Vanity Fair called Gutkind "the Godfather" of the genre of creative nonfiction .[3] [4] More than 10 years later, Harper's Magazine was quoted as having stated he was "the leading figure behind the creative nonfiction movement."[5]

List of publications

Written

TitleDescriptionPublisherYearISBN
You Can't Make This Stuff Up A writer's guide to reading & writing creative nonfiction. 2012
An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine Co-authored with Pagan Kennedy, this book delves into the personal side of medicine, offering the physician's perspective and the patient's experience through intimate narratives and case studies.In Fact Books2012ISBN978-1937163068
Truckin' with Sam A memoir chronicling several years of Gutkind's experiences traveling across the United States and the world with his son Sam, who appears later in the book as a co-author. 2010
Documents four years of observation at the Carnegie-Mellon University Robotics Institute, as they imagine, design, build, and test robots. Some scenes also take place at NASA and in the Atacama Desert in Chile. 2007
A memoir. 2004
A reprint of the original 1973 book from Dial Press. University of Southern Illinois Press 1999
Various profiles of veterinarians. Owl Books 1998
A writer's guide to the craft of creative nonfiction. 1996
1996
An examination of the American health care system. 1994
An examination of the American health care system. 1992
An inside look at the world of organ transplantation. 1990
The People of Penn's Woods West Essays about rural America. 1984
God's Helicopter A novel. 1983
An inside look at the life of major league umpires. 1975
Lee's first book. 1973

Edited

TitleDescriptionPublisher YearISBN
Show Me All Your Scars: True Stories of Living With Mental Illness Introduction by Patrick J. Kennedy, and foreword by Dr. Karen Wolk Feinstein.In Fact Books2016ISBN978-1937163259
What I Didn't Know: True Stories of Becoming a TeacherIn these twenty personal narratives, teachers provide us with a fascinating insight into a profession that touches us all.In Fact Books2016ISBN978-1937163273
Same Time Next Week: True Stories of Working Through Mental IllnessThese dramatic narratives communicate clearly the rewards of helping patients move forward with their lives, often through a combination of medication, talk therapy, and common sense. Collectively, these true stories highlight the need for empathy and compassion. In Fact Books2015ISBN978-1937163198
Oh, Baby: True Stories About Conception, Adoption, Surrogacy, Pregnancy, Labor, and LoveCo-edited with Alice Bradley. Introduction by Lisa Belkin.In Fact Books2015ISBN978-1937163211
The Rightful Place of Science: Creative NonfictionContributing authors: Michael Zirulnik; Lee Gutkind; David Guston; Elizabeth Popp Berman; Adam Briggle; Roberta Chevrette; Gwen Ottinger; Angela Records; Meera Lee Sethi; Sara Wehlchel; Rachel Zurer; Ross Carper; Sonja Schmid Consortium for Science, Policy, & Outcomes2015ASINB01FGPKIO6
For the Love of Baseball: A Celebration of the Game That Connects Us AllCo-edited by Andrew Blauner. Introduction by Yogi Berra.United by the authors' fervent love of the game, each chapter in this book reminds us of the unique role baseball plays in our national history and collective imagination.Skyhorse Publishing2014ISBN978-1510702738
Southern Sin: True Stories of the Sultry South and Women Behaving Badly Co-edited with Beth Ann Fennelly. Introduction by Dorothy Allison.In Fact Books2014ISBN978-1937163105
True Stories Well Told: From the First 20 Years of Creative Nonfiction Magazine Co-edited with Hattie Fletcher. Introduction by Susan Orlean.In Fact Books2014ISBN978-1937163167
Writing Away the Stigma: Ten Courageous Writers Tell True Stories About Depression, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, OCD, PTSD and MoreIn this collection, ten writers confront the stigma of mental illness head-on, bravely telling stories of devastating depressions, persistent traumas, overwhelming compulsions, and more.In Fact Books2014ISBN978-0692221297
Creating Nonfiction: Lessons From the Voice of the Genre Co-edited with Robyn Jodlowski. Contributing authors: Roy Peter Clark, Megan Foss, Steven Harvey, Lisa Knopp, Bret Lott, Hilary Masters, Susan Messer, Natalia Rachel Singer In Fact Books2013ASINB00F0RWY7U
I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse True stories of becoming a nurse.In Fact Books2013ISBN978-1937163129
True crime: Real-life Stories of Abduction, Addiction, Obsession, Murder, Grave-robbing, and MoreIn Fact Books2013ISBN978-1937163143
Great Baseball Stories: Essays, Ruminations, and Nostalgic Reminiscences on Our National PastimeCo-edited with Andrew Blauner, with foreword by Yogi Berra.Skyhorse Publishing2012ISBN978-1616086039
At the End of Life: True Stories About How We DieForeword by Francine Prose.In Fact Books2012ISBN978-1937163044
Becoming a Doctor: From Student to Specialist, Doctor-Writers Share Their Experiences.Personal narratives from those who have gone through the process of becoming a doctor.W.W. Norton & Co.2011ISBN978-0393334555
Twelve Breaths a Minute: End of Life Essays Twenty-three original, personal narratives that examine the way we as a society care for the dying. 2011
Becoming a Doctor: From Student to Specialist, Doctor-Writers Share Their Experiences (CNF description) Physicians recount personal stories from their lives in white coats in this inspired anthology by new and known writers. These original stories reveal the inner lives of the men and women who are often rendered invisible by their white coats. 2010
The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 3 A third special issue of Creative Nonfiction that features twenty-five essays that originally appeared in alternative publications, blogs, literary journals, and other publications. 2009
The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 A second special issue of Creative Nonfiction that features twenty-nine essays that originally appeared in alternative publications, blogs, literary journals, and other publications. 2008
Anatomy of Baseball Twenty new and classic essays about the American past time. 2008
Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction Provides writers with the working parameters of the creative nonfiction genre 2008
Silence Kills: Speaking Out and Saving Lives Twelve new essays written by physicians, patients, and family members. Explores the communication breakdown in the current American health care system SMU Press 2007
The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1 A special issue of Creative Nonfiction that features twenty-seven essays that originally appeared in alternative publications, blogs, literary journals, and other publications. W.W. Norton 2007
Hurricanes and Carnivals: Essays by Chicanos, Pochos, Pachucos, Mexicanos, and Expatriates Originally published as Issue 23 of Creative Nonfiction, this book features fifteen essays that push the boundaries between fact and fiction. 2007
Our Roots are Deep with Passion: `Creative Nonfiction` Collects New Essays by Italian American Writers Twenty-one essays written by established and emerging writers that explore the unique intersections of language, tradition, cuisine, and culture that characterize the diverse experience of Americans of Italian heritage. Other Press 2006
Rage & Reconciliation: Inspiring a Health Care Revolution Originally published as issue 21 of Creative Nonfiction, the book includes new essays and an 80- minute CD containing three essays read by professional actors and a panel discussion of the ethical dimensions of the issues raised. Produced in conjunction with Pittsburgh's Jewish Healthcare Foundation, writers tackle health care in America, including problems of patient rights and professional responsibility. SMU Press 2005
Twenty-five essays, all originally appearing in Creative Nonfiction, republished in honor of the journal's tenth anniversary. 2005
On Nature: Great Writers on the Great Outdoors Twenty original and previously published essays Jeremy P. Tarcher 2002
Healing: 20 Prominent Authors Write About Inspirational Moments of Achieving Health and Gaining Insight Twenty original and previously published essays Jeremy P. Tarcher 2001
Lessons in Persuasion: Creative Nonfiction/Pittsburgh Connections Eighteen essays written by writers with ties to the city of Pittsburgh. 2000
Connecting: Twenty Prominent Authors Write About the Relationships That Shape Our Lives Twenty original and previously published essays Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam 1998
A View from the Divide: Creative Nonfiction on Health and Science Seventeen essays that attempt to demonstrate the many ways in which aspects of the scientific world—from biology, medicine, physics, and astronomy—can be captured and dramatized for a humanities-oriented readership. University of Pittsburgh Press 1998

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Point Park hosts the 2017 Creative Nonfiction Writers' Conference . Norman . Tony . May 24, 2017 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . April 1, 2019 . Mr. Gutkind, founder of the locally based Creative Nonfiction Foundation.
  2. Web site: Lee Gutkind School of Life Sciences. sols.asu.edu. 2019-10-21.
  3. Web site: What's the Story #10 Creative Nonfiction. 2019-10-21. www.creativenonfiction.org.
  4. Web site: The Godfather Speaks. 3qreview. 2017-12-31. 3QR: The Three Quarter Review. en. 2019-10-21.
  5. Inspirations. Walker. Andrea. The New Yorker. 2009-07-27. 2019-10-21. en. 0028-792X.