features
Journalism professor takes advantage of time
By Ellie Price
ellen.price@franklincollege.edu
Hank Nuwer spends his time writing novels and plays, traveling the country to speak about hazing and teaching full time. The Franklin College journalism professor plans to release his latest book, “Sons of Dawn,” in late December or early January. Nuwer has already published 26 books. The novel tells the story of two Basque immigrants from Spain who find a new life as sheep herders in Old Idaho. Many Basque immigrants live in western United States but are originally from Basque Country, which is between Spain and France. In 2009, Nuwer traveled out west and to Spain while on sabbatical. He went to the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada and to the Guernica Peace Museum Foundation in Spain. Nuwer used the research from his sabbatical for “Sons of Dawn.” But he first learned about the Basques when he went on treks with the sheepherders for magazine assignments from 1979 through 1981. “The dogs scared me because if you messed up, they growled at you,” Nuwer said. “And you couldn’t pick your hands up because they’re always looking for hand signals. And you couldn’t shout to the herders because you’d cause a stampede.” Nuwer said he thought the Basques might make an interesting novel “way back when (he) herded the sheep.” He said his fiction novels focus on characters in underrepresented minority groups. While “Sons of Dawn” is about the Basques, his next novel will focus on the Chinese miners. Nuwer said teaching full time in addition to writing novels can be difficult to balance. “I’ve made certain choices,” he said, “and the choices at my age were that I want these books done. It’s a very conscious choice.” Earlier this semester, Nuwer was invited to perform his one-act play, titled “A Broken Pledge,” at the Anne Frank Project annual conference. The play is a monologue of a grandfather whose grandson has
been killed in an alcohol-related hazing incident involving his fraternity. The grandfather speaks of his fond memories of his grandson and deliberates on how to forgive the fraternity and teach them the consequences of hazing. Nuwer said he wanted to write this play because “students are now jaded about hazing.” He said he thinks the play will allow students to see what a family in a similar situation experiences. Nuwer said many of the lines in the play are quotes from family members who have lost loved ones due to hazing incidents. “The audience’s response was far more visceral and from the heart than anything I could have said in a lecture,” he said. He said he wants student actors from colleges to perform the play in hopes that it will prevent a hazing death. Plans have not been made at Franklin College. Ray Begovich, a journalism and public relations professor, assisted Nuwer in the early stages of the work. Begovich edited the script while Nuwer practiced performing it. He also helped with lighting and stage directions. “Things that worked on paper didn’t necessarily work for the ear of an audience member,” Begovich said. “Hank has reached a maturity level in his writing that he gladly accepts constructive criticism, and he will take direction and edits.” Begovich said he thought the play was a great venue for Nuwer to express emotions about hazing, which he cannot convey as a journalist. He said the message to potential hazers and the audience was very powerful. “When he put it all together, I found it to be very moving, even though I knew what was coming line for line,” Begovich said. Nuwer became passionate about hazing after a student from his graduate school died from an alcohol-related incident. At that time, there was hardly anything written about hazing, and Nuwer said he wanted to change that.
Since then, Nuwer has written four books about hazing and travels to share his insight and research on hazing. Nuwer, who calls himself one of the oldest professors on campus, originally thought he would retire at the end of the school year. He said many of his mentors died within the last year, and he lost his longstanding support system.
But he said he “got over being blue.” “They’re gone, and I should be thankful they were in my life for as long as they were,” Nuwer said. “Because of my age and because I’ve had a lot of mentors, I’ve been really lucky.” Nuwer said he plans to continue See “Professor” on Page 11
Ellie Price: The Franklin
Photo courtesy Max Aguilera-Hellweg
Journalism professor Hank Nuwer (top) has published more than two dozen books. One of his books, “Sons of Dawn,” is about Basque sheepherders and ranchers, whom Nuwer met during his travels while working as a freelance writer in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He explored many places, including the ghost town of Galena, Idaho (bottom), which he encountered en route to Wyoming and interviews with the Basques. TheFranklinNews.com
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