Introduction
Ira Glass
The New Kings of Nonfiction

I grew up with Ira Glass. He narrated errands with my mother and drives to youth group in the next burrough over. He is through and through a story teller. In his writing you can feel his excitement at sharing with the readers all the stories he has collected. Every time he mentions a story or an author included in the larger text he has to give the reader a brief synopsis. Glass is able to make a story enticing in just a few lines-- "Coco Henson Scales describes what happens inside a trendy New York restaurant and-- even more interesting-- inside her head as the hostess there. in her story, celebrities show up and preform  exactly as you'd want them to, but never get to see in print. it is possibly the greatest New York Times "Styles Section" feature that will ever be written." I found his melding of personal thoughts on creative nonfiction and specific excerpts to back up his claims very smooth. It worked well since he set a precedent for it from the beginning, he started with a story.

I love his advice on having empathy for ones subject. Give stories warmth. Glass informs the reader immediately on his take on Creative nonfiction. He thinks it can be informative and fun. His voice is strong and chatty as he states "Phooey" to all who think journalism should avoid amusing. I found his excitement contagious and after finishing the Introduction went on to skim the remainder of the book reading whole chunks from stories.

The piece is organized through different touchstones Glass sees essential in creative nonfiction going from entertainment to plot and ideas, then empathy for your subject.


Questions:

How did Glass end up at a place where he had the authority to edit a book on creative nonfiction?
How does he go about finding such unique stories?