OTIS SANFORD: NEWSMAN
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Join us as we welcome OTIS SANFORD on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 at 6:00 PM to celebrate the release of his new book NEWSMAN: THE ROAD FROM ROUTE 2 BOX 9
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Newsman is an autobiography of Otis Sanford's experiences growing up in a large African American family in Mississippi during the turbulent civil rights era and the factors that influenced his 50-year career in journalism.
The subtitle, "The Road from Route 2 Box 9," represents more than simply the mailing address of the 40-acre farm where Sanford grew up in Panola County, Mississippi. It marks where Sanford's parents settled in the early 1940s aiming to build a family based on love, a strong work ethic, Christian values, education and discipline.
Newsman is what Sanford became. Route 2 Box 9 symbolizes who he is and the events in his childhood that fueled his ambitions. Despite hardships and overt racism, the life lessonshe learned from his parents and siblings drove him to pursue a career that most African Americans considered unattainable.
Along the way, he had teachers and mentors, black and white, who saw his determination, believed in his abilities and pushed him to achieve his goals.
Newsman describes the historic and often heartbreaking events during the Civil Rights Movement that greatly impacted his family. It captures the disappointments he overcame as he chased his dreams. And it details his improbable rise from a Mississippi farm boy to national prominence as an award-winning writer, respected newsroom leader, journalism educator and political analyst and commentator.
The result is a half-century career at four metropolitan newspapers, two mid-size television stations and as the distinguished chair of excellence in journalism at the University of Memphis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus in journalism and strategic media at the University of Memphis. In addition to his latest book, “Newsman: The Road from Route 2 Box 9,” he is the author of “From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics,” and co-author of “In a Colorful Place: Seasoned Opinion About Memphis, About Home, About Life.” Sanford also serves as the political analyst for WATN-TV ABC24 News, a columnist for The Daily Memphian online newspaper and political analyst for WKNO-FM, the NPR radio station in Memphis. He formerly served as the chair of excellence in economic and managerial
journalism at the University of Memphis for more than 12 years.
A 1975 journalism graduate of the University of Mississippi, Sanford formerly served as managing editor, editorial page editor and Viewpoint columnist for The Commercial Appeal. He has also worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Jackson, Mississippi, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Sanford is a recognized authority on journalism leadership, the First Amendment and the political and social history of Memphis and the Mid-South. He currently serves on the boards of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and Her Faith Ministries. He is also co-founder of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the U of M and is a 2014 inductee in the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Newsman is an autobiography of Otis Sanford's experiences growing up in a large African American family in Mississippi during the turbulent civil rights era and the factors that influenced his 50-year career in journalism.
The subtitle, "The Road from Route 2 Box 9," represents more than simply the mailing address of the 40-acre farm where Sanford grew up in Panola County, Mississippi. It marks where Sanford's parents settled in the early 1940s aiming to build a family based on love, a strong work ethic, Christian values, education and discipline.
Newsman is what Sanford became. Route 2 Box 9 symbolizes who he is and the events in his childhood that fueled his ambitions. Despite hardships and overt racism, the life lessonshe learned from his parents and siblings drove him to pursue a career that most African Americans considered unattainable.
Along the way, he had teachers and mentors, black and white, who saw his determination, believed in his abilities and pushed him to achieve his goals.
Newsman describes the historic and often heartbreaking events during the Civil Rights Movement that greatly impacted his family. It captures the disappointments he overcame as he chased his dreams. And it details his improbable rise from a Mississippi farm boy to national prominence as an award-winning writer, respected newsroom leader, journalism educator and political analyst and commentator.
The result is a half-century career at four metropolitan newspapers, two mid-size television stations and as the distinguished chair of excellence in journalism at the University of Memphis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus in journalism and strategic media at the University of Memphis. In addition to his latest book, “Newsman: The Road from Route 2 Box 9,” he is the author of “From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics,” and co-author of “In a Colorful Place: Seasoned Opinion About Memphis, About Home, About Life.” Sanford also serves as the political analyst for WATN-TV ABC24 News, a columnist for The Daily Memphian online newspaper and political analyst for WKNO-FM, the NPR radio station in Memphis. He formerly served as the chair of excellence in economic and managerial
journalism at the University of Memphis for more than 12 years.
A 1975 journalism graduate of the University of Mississippi, Sanford formerly served as managing editor, editorial page editor and Viewpoint columnist for The Commercial Appeal. He has also worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Jackson, Mississippi, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Sanford is a recognized authority on journalism leadership, the First Amendment and the political and social history of Memphis and the Mid-South. He currently serves on the boards of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and Her Faith Ministries. He is also co-founder of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the U of M and is a 2014 inductee in the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame.
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Where is it happening?
387 Perkins Ext, Memphis, TN, United States, Tennessee 38117
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherNovel Memphis
