Faculty Q+A: Russell Frank, College of Communications

Name: Russell Frank

Position: Journalism Professor, College of Communications; Columnist, StateCollege.com

Education: B.A., Creative Writing and Literature, SUNY Binghamton; M.A., Folklore and Mythology, UCLA; Ph.D., Folklore and Folklife, University of Pennsylvania. \”Here\’s a confession: I didn\’t take a single journalism course at any of those places.\”

Web Sites:

StateCollege.com Columns

School Profile

Where are you from originally?

I\’m the product of a mixed marriage: My mom is from Brooklyn and my dad is from the Bronx. The folks moved out to the \’burbs in the 1950s so I grew up in Elmont, N.Y., home of Belmont Racetrack. We moved back across the city line into Queens when I was in my teens so I graduated from a gigantic New York City high school. So yeah, I\’m a New Yorker. What\’s it to ya? But then I lived in California for 20 years, which, like, totally mellowed me out, man.

What do you teach at Penn State?

I regularly teach journalism ethics (no \’isn\’t-that an-oxymoron?\’ jokes, please) and feature writing and occasionally teach news writing and literary journalism.

How did you find yourself at Penn State? What were you doing before?

I got my first newspaper job as a way to support myself while I was writing my dissertation in California. Since I had no experience whatsoever I\’m amazed I got hired. If I had known I would like being a reporter so much I would have gotten into the business 10 years earlier. I still miss it now that I\’m teaching full-time. In 1995, after three years at the Sonora Union Democrat and seven years at the Modesto Bee, I was ready for a change. The Centre Daily Times was looking for a features editor. The thought of moving back east and living in a college town was appealing. They told me I could write a column, which was also appealing. And in the back of my mind was the knowledge that there was this big university down the street, should I ever want to put that Ph.D. to use. I began teaching at Penn State part-time; then, when a full-time, tenure-track position opened in 1998, I applied and was hired. Now I\’m an old-timer.

What was one of your proudest moments as a writer?

I had a colon cancer scare a couple of years ago. When I wrote about it and urged people to get over their squeamishness and make that colonoscopy appointment, I heard from so many people who followed my advice that i felt that it was the most socially useful thing I had ever written.

What are your favorite topics when writing?

I used to like writing abut the zaniness of family life until my kids got too old for me to do so without invading their privacy. Now I suppose I like to write about what sociologists call out-of-awareness phenomena — getting myself and, I hope, my readers, to notice what we ignore or take for granted as we robotically perform the rituals of daily life.

How does being a folklorist help you as a columnist and teacher?

My speciality as a folklorist is the personal experience narrative, which is to say, the stories all of us tell about the strange, funny, frightening and sublime things that happen in our own lives. Journalism is a form of storytelling. Reporters tell other people\’s stories. Columnists tell their own. Telling stories helps us connect with one another and make sense of a crazy world. That makes it one of the most important things we do.

Where is the best place to settle in with a book in State College?

I\’m one of those people who does his best reading and writing in cafes. Something about having to tune out the hubbub helps me concentrate. I like Saints for the jazz on satellite radio and Webster\’s for the counter-cultural vibe. If I get restless I\’ll decamp from one to the other. On a beautiful day I like the garden by the Hintz Alumni Center or the benches at the base of the HUB lawn. On a recent sunny day, I graded papers in an Adirondack chair at the new arboretum. I\’ll be going back in the spring.