How to write about cities with Aditya Chakrabortty

Actions Panel

How to write about cities with Aditya Chakrabortty

By The Guardian Masterclasses

Date and time

Saturday, May 23, 2015 · 10am - 4pm GMT+1

Location

The Guardian

Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9GU United Kingdom

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

Description

This course features talks from leading journalists, academics and editors on how to find and uncover urban stories, anywhere in the world. You’ll learn how to explore, contextualise and document cities, as well as how to pitch your story ideas to editors.

Course content

  • Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty, whose work has been shortlisted for this year’s Orwell Prize, reveals how he approaches writing about urban and housing issues
  • Guardian Cities editor Mike Herd advises how to spot stories in your everyday environment and shape a story for a mainstream audience
  • Ground Control author Anna Minton will teach you how to write critically about architecture, urbanisation and the global economy
  • Urban explorer Bradley L. Garrett, author of Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City, gives advice on urban exploring, ethnographic research and multimedia projects

This course is for you if...

  • You’re a writer or journalist interested in writing stories about buildings, urban spaces and/or communities
  • You’re a blogger or amateur photographer who wants to capture great urban stories and images
  • You’re an academic or student in the social sciences or humanities who wants to learn how to get your ideas heard by a wider audience

Tutor profiles

Aditya Chakrabortty is the senior economics commentator at the Guardian, where he writes he writes a weekly column and reports on economic issues in Britain, Europe and around the world. His reporting on London’s housing crisis has been shortlisted for this year’s Orwell Prize for investigating social evils. Last year, he was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for journalism. Aditya was previously economics producer for the BBC, and his series of reports from China won a Harold Wincott award. In recent months, Aditya’s work for the Guardian has covered subjects including the London housing crisis; social inequality inMumbai, and the fortunes of the London Borough of Enfield. Find Aditya on Twitter here.

Anna Minton is a writer and journalist, and the author of Ground Control: Fear and happiness in the twenty-first-century city. She is a Reader in Architecture at the University of East London where she is launching a new Masters (MRes) programme called ‘Reading the Neoliberal City’, which starts in September 2015

Bradley L. Garrett is a social geographer at the University of Southampton with an interest in unmapped, unseen and lost places. His first book, Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City (Verso Books 2013), is an ethnographic account of his adventures trespassing into ruins, tunnels and skyscrapers in eight different countries with urban explorers from around the world. His second book, Subterranean London: Cracking the Capital (Prestel Publications 2015), is a collaborative photo book that dissects the world underneath London’s streets. Details of his current research, media projects, publications and events can be found at www.bradleygarrett.com

Mike Herd is editor of the Guardian Cities website. He was previously assistant G1 editor. Guardian Cities was launched in 2014 to create a fresh and engaging hub for reporting and discussing urban life and the future of cities around the world. The site hosts opinion and analysis from a range of voices across the globe, along with news, graphics and data, and is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Organized by

Welcome to Guardian Masterclasses – a unique programme of learning embedded within one of the world's most forward-thinking media organisations.

We offer a broad range of short and long courses across a variety of disciplines from creative writing, journalism, photography and design, film and digital media, music and cultural appreciation.

Harnessing the expertise and specialisms within the organisation, our courses are led by first class and award winning guardian professionals whilst also drawing on the skills and expertise of other leading figures at the forefront of the creative and digital industries.

The programme is aimed at anyone interested in personal or professional development whether that be refining your skills, focusing your ambition or simply broadening your mind and gaining inspiration.

Sales Ended