Michael Lesy
Encyclopedia
Michael Lesy is a writer and professor of literary journalism
at Hampshire College
in Amherst, Massachusetts
. His books, which combine historical photographs with his own writing, include Wisconsin Death Trip
(1973), Time Frames: The Meaning of Family Pictures (1980), Bearing Witness: A Photographic Chronicle of American Life (1982), Visible Light (1985), Dreamland: America at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (1997) , (with Angelo Rizzuto
) Angel's World: The New York Photographs of Angelo Rizzuto (2005), and Murder City (2007).
Lesy grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio
and studied at Columbia University
, The University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University
, where he attained a doctorate in American cultural history. He has taught at Hampshire College since 1990 and is professor of literary journalism
. In 2006 he was named a United States Artists
Fellow.
Wisconsin Death Trip was adapted into a film by James Marsh
in 1999.
Visible Light gave one-chapter biographies of four contemporary photographers. The chapter on Angelo Rizzuto presented a persuasive theory suggesting how an artist's individual style (and styles in art) develops and is as fascinating an explanation of art theory as Kubler's "The Shape of Time." The chapter on Andrea Kovacs describes the effect Buddhist (Nichiren Shoshu) meditation has on an individual's life and art.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
. His books, which combine historical photographs with his own writing, include Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip is a non-fiction book by Michael Lesy, first published in 1973. It has been adapted into a film.The book is based on a collection of late 19th century photographs by Jackson County, Wisconsin photographer Charles Van Schaick, mostly in the city of Black River Falls, and local...
(1973), Time Frames: The Meaning of Family Pictures (1980), Bearing Witness: A Photographic Chronicle of American Life (1982), Visible Light (1985), Dreamland: America at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (1997) , (with Angelo Rizzuto
Angelo Rizzuto
Angelo A. Rizzuto was an American photographer who worked in Manhattan from 1952 until his death. His street photography opus of 60,000 images lay in file cabinets unviewed until 2001....
) Angel's World: The New York Photographs of Angelo Rizzuto (2005), and Murder City (2007).
Lesy grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
and studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, The University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, where he attained a doctorate in American cultural history. He has taught at Hampshire College since 1990 and is professor of literary journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. In 2006 he was named a United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
Fellow.
Wisconsin Death Trip was adapted into a film by James Marsh
James Marsh (director)
James Marsh is a film director known for directing the cult film Wisconsin Death Trip starring Marcus Monroe and Sir Ian Holm. He won 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for directing Man on Wire....
in 1999.
Visible Light gave one-chapter biographies of four contemporary photographers. The chapter on Angelo Rizzuto presented a persuasive theory suggesting how an artist's individual style (and styles in art) develops and is as fascinating an explanation of art theory as Kubler's "The Shape of Time." The chapter on Andrea Kovacs describes the effect Buddhist (Nichiren Shoshu) meditation has on an individual's life and art.