Authors In The Media With Duane Swierczynski

It is wonderful that I’m reunited with Duane Swierczynski! This time in the Authors In The Media Q&A we are going in depth talking about his past life as a journalist & editor at Details, Mens Health & Philadelphia Magazines & serving as editor in chief of Philadelphia City Paper! 

Q: Duane I’m happy to have you back! What drew you into journalism & editing? 

A: Back in high school I knew I wanted to be a novelist, but also knew the chances of making a living at it were next to nil. So, I decided to pursue the next best thing: journalism, a career where I could make a little (special emphasis on the word “little”) money while learning how to be a professional writer. And there’s no better education than having a tough editor slash away at your prose with a red pen.

Q: What was your journey going into journalism & editing? Did you go to college or apply for jobs right after graduating high school? I love asking authors who are or used to be journalists this question, because I love knowing their different journeys.

A: As a high school senior in 1988, I attended a workshop at a local university led by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Frank Rossi. He shared a column he’d written about. New Jersey melon farmer, and I prepared to pretend to be politely interested in the next 50 minutes. But minutes into Rossi’s talk, I was mesmerized. The plight of this farmer became as compelling as anything I’d ever read in, say, a Stephen King novel. And it was Rossi who did that… reported on a piece of this guy’s life and brought him to vivid life in just a few column inches. That workshop made me fall in love with journalism for real—not just to make some scratch as I tried to become a novelist. By 1991, I was a summer intern at Philadelphia Magazine, and I wrote Rossi a short letter thanking him for that workshop, and he responded with the kindest note I’ve ever received. I’m glad I wrote to him when I did. Cancer took him in April 1992; he was only 44. I’ll never forget him, or the gift he gave me.

Q: What wisdom have you learned in your journalism & editing career that you would want others to know whether they go into journalism or editing or not?

A: Curiosity is essential. In journalism, in fiction, as well as life in general. You can’t be afraid to ask questions and follow your enthusiasm down as many rabbit holes as you can find. That’s the best thing about being a writer—once you find something that makes you curious, your job is to follow that until you’ve completely exhausted your fascination with the subject. And then you get to find something else, and follow that, too! It’s either a rewarding career or mental illness. Perhaps both.

Q: In our Q&A you admitted that your journalism & editing has helped with writing your fiction and nonfiction and everything in between. In saying that, do you prefer writing fiction or journalism writing more & why? Would you ever return to the world of journalism & editing or have you moved on? 

A: Funny you ask this right now, because I’ve been working on my first piece of serious non-fiction in at least a decade. I’m writing a book called Man Full of Trouble, about the rise and fall of a gangster who killed a relative of mine over 100 years ago. Family stuff aside, it’s a fascinating untold story about a seriously colorful criminal with a big personality—this guy could have crawled out of an Elmore Leonard novel. I’ve been researching this for over a decade, but only recently started writing the chapters “live” on Substack. You can sign up for my newsletter (gleefulmayhem.substack.com) and follow along for free… though paid subscribers are helping me fund the research, which I very much appreciate.

Q: In our Q&A you mentioned that you were the unstylish one at Details & the out of shape one at Mens Health. When you were tasked with editing stories about nutrition, fitness and sex, three topics that you knew nothing about, did you feel you had to wing it until you eventually did become the expert?

A: To me, that’s the heart of journalism—immersing yourself in a strange world until you know it well enough to write about it. (And this is why curiosity is so vital.) I don’t think journalists or editors necessarily become experts in any given field, but spend enough time thinking about something and I guess it can happen, almost by accident…

Q: I love asking authors who are (or used to be) journalists this next question! Can you give a list of the fascinating people you’ve had to interview & talk about what those experiences for you were like? 

A: The most fascinating people were not celebrities—those encounters tend to be a bit more stilted, unless you have the luxury of a lot of time with your subject so you can wear them down. I prefer talking to random strangers and letting them tell me what’s on their mind or what they’re going through. I used to teach journalism, and made a standing offer: If you can find a person without an interesting life story, bring them in and I’ll give you an instant A. That’s because there is no such person. There is always a story. You might have to dig, but it’s there.

Q: What are your favorite shows, movies, & books where the main character is a journalist? I know we briefly spoke about Tokyo Vice both the memoir & tv show and the interesting casting choice! 😉 

A: David Fincher’s Zodiac. Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Pete Dexter’s God’s Pocket. Greg Mottola’s Confess, Fletch. John Llewellyn Moxey’s/Jeff Rice’s/Richard Matheson’s The Night Stalker. Those are the first few that come to mind. I’m usually tough on a journalism character in any book or film—you can tell its bullshit if they’re wildly rich or potential interview subjects don’t tell them to go fuck themselves.