During Walt Harrington’s years of writing for the Washington Post Magazine, and more recently as a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he became engaged in the intricacies of non-fiction memoir-type writing. It’s a style that utilizes real — not “arm-chair” — reporting, as he puts it. In the process, Harrington became an advocate for and skilled practitioner of intimate journalism and literary non-fiction.

Both intimate journalism and literary non-fiction are pinned to the standards of solid reporting, and while the stories may explore the deepest, darkest details of a person, they generally also expose larger, more universal issues. The style combines an attention to accuracy, balance and fairness, with creative, descriptive storytelling.in the study of literary and intimate journalism, Harrington tells his students to look for “the resonance that is universal. It helps readers see the significance of the story to their own lives.”

Look for the resonance in Harrington’s books:

“THE EVERLASTING STREAM”
“THE BEHOLDER’S EYE”
“CROSSINGS”
“INTIMATE JOURNALISM”
“AT THE HEART OF IT”
“AMERICAN PROFILES”

In the photo, Harrington interviews his son, Matt Harrington, for PBS.