Pulitzer Winner Mitchell S. Jackson Emphasizes Trusting One's Voice in Storytelling
Mitchell S. Jackson, the recipient of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing and the 2021 National Magazine Award in Feature Writing, advocates for the crucial role of a distinct voice in compelling storytelling. Jackson, who is also an acclaimed author and the John O. Whiteman Dean’s Distinguished Professor in the Creative Writing Department at Arizona State University, asserts that his primary interest as a writer is to 'sing through the page.' He maintains that regardless of the story or the editor, he insists on narrating in his unique voice, which is shaped by his life experiences and personal auditory perception. Jackson conveyed this philosophy during a conversation with Mesfin Fekadu, president of the Society for Features Journalism board, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU. He emphasized to his students that a reluctance to embrace one's own voice indicates a lack of dedication to language.
