Dean Nelson

Dean Nelson, founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and founder and host of the annual Writer’s Symposium By The Sea.

His most recent book is Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview anyone like a pro. Drawing on forty-years of award-winning journalism and his experience as the founder and host of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, Nelson walks readers through each step of the journey from deciding whom to interview and structuring questions, to the nitty gritty of how to use a recording device and effective note-taking strategies, to the ethical dilemmas of interviewing people you love (and loathe).

He also includes case studies of famous interviews to show readers how these principles play out in real time.

Dean Nelson writes occasionally for The New York Times, the Boston Globe, San Diego Magazine, Christianity Today, Sojourners, and several other national publications. He has won several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his reporting, and has written or co-written 14 books. Nelson is a frequent speaker at writing workshops and retreats. He has traveled throughout the world covering stories of human interest.