WELCOME
. . . . . From Jim Schwab:
When I was in the University of Iowa School of Journalism Master's Program in the early 1980s, I used to joke, when asked about my career interest, that "Journalism is a great way to travel on somebody else's money."
I have come to believe more profoundly that writing is a great way to travel through life-and to guide others along the way. And because every good writer is necessarily a good reader, we also are indebted to all those authors before us who have guided us in finding our own way.
None of us, of course, writes about everything, and we all must write about something. We draw on life experiences, academic training, and research to develop our material. We write about what we know, but the more ambitious among us are always trying to expand what we know, not only intellectually, but emotionally and spiritually, both to be more whole persons ourselves and to leave a richer legacy to our readers. Whatever I have created so far is just a beginning. I am still reaching for the stars, and future books and articles will take off in new and different directions from what I have produced before. I can only hope that what you find on the pages that follow will interest you. The pages contain links that will let you access online resources or, if you wish, order my books from online booksellers.
I began work on my first book, Raising Less Corn and More Hell, as my master's project in Journalism at the University of Iowa. At the time, I was simultaneously completing two M.A.s, the other in Urban and Regional Planning. I completed work on the book after moving to Chicago in late 1985, but before and after that move, intrigued by the economic crisis in the farm community at the time, I completed dozens of interviews with farmers across the Midwest, eventually editing and compiling them and adding commentary. For someone who grew up in suburban Cleveland, it was a powerful broadening experience, and I was gratified that so many farmers told me that I had captured the essence of their experience.
Soon after the release of that book in 1988, I was again captured
by the desire to write a book-this time, one that drew on
that Cleveland experience, where I had financed my way through
college by working in a chemical plant. That mix of blue-collar
work with white-collar education produced in me an environmentalist
with a distinct viewpoint about the need to bridge the communication
gap between the environmental movement and the labor movement,
and the ability to grasp the issues being raised as well by
civil rights activists in the emerging environmental justice
movement. Using both my investigative reporting skills, my
knowledge of environmental and urban planning issues, and
the interviewing skills I had acquired while preparing my
first book, I was able to construct a real-life narrative
of the various regional experiences of the people involved
in that movement. Deeper Shades of Green was
the result.
For readers who would like an autographed copy of Raising Less Corn and More Hell or Deeper Shades of Green directly from the author please send:
- A check for $25 for one book or $40 for both (this includes
postage) made out to James Schwab
- The name of the person to whom it is to be inscribed, as you wish it to be inscribed
- Any particular message you wish included in the autograph (optional)
Send to:
James C. Schwab
c/o American Planning Association
122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600
Chicago IL 60603-6107
For all other orders, please use the link to the online bookseller. Thank you.