Elizabeth Williams and Aggie Kenny, two of the five artists behind The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art, are featured on May 14 edition of the Brian Lehrer show. Go to 38:05 on the recording for the start of their fascinating 19-minute conversation, recounting the stories behind the scenes of some of the most iconic trials of the last half century. The host puts up some of the famous drawings — Watergate, Mafia, Wall Street crime, OJ, Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Son of Sam, and many more — and the artists talk about the scene in the courtroom at the moment, the people who were easy or difficult to draw (Martha was surprisingly stoic) and the obstacles they encountered in trying to produce under deadline at this unique intersection of journalism, law and art.

The Observer, following up on David Lewis documentary and book The Pleasures of Being Out of Step: Nat Hentoff’s Life in Journalism, Jazz and the First Amendment went and talked to the godfather of independent journalism himself. Here the story: http://observer.com/2014/05/nat-hentoff-is-wide-awake-at-88/#axzz31Ht9ltct

Here’s a perceptive and (mostly) laudatory review of David Lewis book The Pleasures of Being out of Step: Nat Hentoff on Journalism, Jazz and the First Amendment. PopMatters reviewer Hans Rollman writes: “The juxtaposition of these two titular items – jazz and the first amendment – help underscore the fact that Hentoff saw himself, first and foremost, as a journalist. He became established early on as a jazz reporter, but when he approached the Village Voice and offered to write for them, he told them very deliberately he would not write about jazz. What comes through here is the image of an aspiring writer and journalist in fear of being typecast. Indeed, Hentoff’s repeated efforts to avoid finding himself professionally pigeon-holed within the field of jazz journalism that he so loved, render him an indelibly human character.” Check out the book here.

Irene Plagianos has a nice story on DNAinfo about about renowned courtroom artist Elizabeth Williams and her new book for us THE ILLUSTRATED COURTROOM. 

The story, based on an interview with Liz at the downtown Manhattan gallery hosting a show of some of her work, notes:

Surrounded by images of some of the most infamous murderers, mobsters and white-collar crooks in New York City, Elizabeth Williams flashed a bright smile.

“It’s amazing to see it all here,” said Williams, a courtroom artist for more than 30 years, as she stood amid a collection of her illustrations. “This is really a slice of American history, from a perspective that many people never get to experience.”

Several of Williams’ sketches, along with the works of four other illustrators, are now on display in an exhibit at the World Trade Art Gallery that chronicles years of courthouse drama — including the headline-grabbing trials of murderer Charles Manson, scam artist Bernie Madoff and media mogul Martha Stewart.

Elizabeth Williams, the renowned courtroom artist who is the driving force behind our new book THE ILLUSTRATED COURTROOM: 50 YEARS OF COURT ART, is featured in a New York Times story by Alexandra Stevenson. The story concentrates on the many white-collar criminals that Liz Williams has drawn over the years — our only images from high-profile trials where cameras were not allowed in the courtroom.

After weeks of pre-ordering, actual copies of the 8×10 full color The Illustrated Courtroom are shipping. The official publication date isn’t until late May, but you can get your advance copy here. In addition to the paperback, ebooks are also available.

Bill Kurtis, former CBS News anchor and host of A&E American Justice.

“With cameras barred from most courtrooms, these artists are the public’s eyes for some of the most important moments in history. They are journalists in every sense of the word, and this book is a beautiful chronicle of their work and of our legal system.”

Scott Cohn, Senior Correspondent, CNBC

Our next book, The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art, is now available for pre-order both in paperback and ebook formats. This is first book that really examines this intriguing intersection of journalism, law and art. The book features dozens of iconic illustrations by five of the best court illustrators in history, covering court proceedings with boldfaced names: Jack Ruby, the Black Panthers, Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, Son of Sam, Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart and many more. The book, which also features a section on some of the most dynamic and compelling lawyers of the last half century, gives a behind-the-headlines look not only at the trials, but into the minds and workstyles and artistic philosophies and goals of the five artists: Richard Tomlinson, Aggie Kenny, Howard Brodie, Elizabeth Williams and Bill Robles. Elizabeth Williams curated this collection, which includes text by award-winning true crime writer Sue Williams and a foreword by renowned criminal prosecutor and crime novelist Linda Fairstein.

This oversized book, with 140 illustrations reproduced in full color, carries a cover price of $60 for the paperback and $10 for the ebook, with a combination price of $65 for the paperback and ebook purchased together. Pre-order now for shipment in mid-April.

For a limited time only, we’re offering a free read of the first chapter of David Hoffman’s book Citizens Rising: Independent Media and the Rise of Democracy. The first two chapters are about Russia — and more relevant than ever, given the recent headlines — so feel free to dip into the pages of this important book here.

James Goodale, author of Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles, is appearing on NY1 television on its ‘New York Times Close Up’ interview program with host Sam Roberts, the New York Times urban affairs correspondent. The program airs at 10 p.m. on Saturdays in New York, but all episodes can be viewed online.

In all, Goodale has made for than 125 media appearances — interviews, speeches, panel discussions and more — in connection with the book, particularly in reference to his views on the Obama administration’s policies toward free freedom in the era of Wikileaks and NSA surveillance. For more on Jim Goodale’s appearances, go to http://www.jamesgoodale.net/press.html

James C. Goodale’s Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and other Battles, has been named by the Thursday Review one of the most important books of 2013. The Review hails Goodale’s portrayal of the never-before-told story behind the scenes at the New York Times, along with his cogent analysis of the lasting impact of the landmark case and the attacks on press freedom under the Obama administration. “I could barely put the book down,” editor R. Alan Clanton reported, noting the lack of legal jargon and Goodale’s ability to bring the story to life. Here’s the full review.

The Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, in a new review by Roy Gutterman of Syracuse University. lauds James Goodale and Fighting for the Press for taking readers behind the scenes at the New York Times and describes how the book — and James Goodale — became a significant part of the national conversation amid the furor over Edward Snowden’s leaks and NSA spying on citizens and journalists. The review says in party: “The onslaught of government prosecutions of leakers, the continued controversy of Wikileaks, and the explosion of the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance scandal and the Edward Snowden saga propelled Goodale’s memoir, Fighting for the Press, to not only instantly relevant but also prescient.”

The CUNY Journalism Press title CITIZENS RISING: Independent Journalism and the Spread of Democracy, by Internews co-founder David Hoffman, has been nominated for the International Human Rights Book Award, administered by the International Press Institute in Vienna. David Hoffman joins an illustrious group of nominees whose books were nominated for 2013, including the Dalai Lama, Malala and Paul Farmer.

Alan Rusbridger, the editor of The Guardian, has chosen James Goodale’s book Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles as his “book of the year” for The New Statesman. Among Rusbridger’s comments: “Goodale is a passionate defender of First Amendment rights and his insider account of this crucial struggle is surprisingly racy – and extremely important.”

An audio version of Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles by James Goodale is now available. Click here for more information

David Hoffman, the co-founder of Internews and author of our new book CITIZENS RISING: Independent Journalism and the Rise of Democracy, has a provocative op-ed in USA Today about what might have happened if 21st-century social networking — Facebook, Twitter, and more — had been around when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Renowned court artist Elizabeth Williams, one of the contributors to our upcoming book The Illustrated Courtroom, featuring some of the best courtroom art from the past half century, is always posting new stuff on her Facebook site, including a laugh-out-loud drawing of a judge who was required to come from his native Ecuador to testify in a New York case — he took the stand in a room-temperature courtroom wearing a winter coat, a stocking cap and drinking hot tea.

David Hoffman, the founder of Internews and author of our latest book, CITIZENS RISING: Independent Journalism and the Spread of Democracy, recently did this insightful Q&A interview with The Guardian.

David Hoffman, the co-founder of the influential NGO Internews, which has brought independent media to more than 90 countries, talks about his new book for the CUNY Journalism Press  — CITIZENS RISING: Independent Journalism and the Spread of Democracy  — for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. You can access it via the Oxford University podcast page here http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/reuters-institute-study-journalism or via iTunes U here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/itunes-u/reuters-institute-for-study/id381703153

You can also check out David Hoffman’s dedicated site for the book at http://www.citizensrisingbook.com

David Hoffman, author of our latest book, Citizens Rising: Independent Journalism and the Spread of Democracy, talked to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism about how media doesn’t only record history — media changes history. Read the story about it here.