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Cheryl Heckler author of An Accidental Journalist

01/09/2008

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Cheryl Heckler (English) is author of An Accidental Journalist: The Adventures of Edmund Stevens, 1934-1945, published in December by University of Missouri Press.

Stevens, an idealistic American, went to Moscow in 1934 with a goal to advance international Communism. A job writing propaganda led him to a reporting career and eventual Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for his uncensored descriptions of Stalin's purges. The book tells how Stevens became an "accidental journalist" -- and dean of the Moscow press corps.

The longest-serving, American-born correspondent working from within the Soviet Union, Stevens was passionate about influencing the way his stateside readers thought about Russia's citizen, government and social policy. Heckler's book traces Stevens' career that spanned half a century and four continents, focusing on his professional work and life from 1934-1945 to tell how he set the standard for reporting on Soviet affairs for the Christian Science Monitor.

Heckler draws on Stevens' memoirs -- to which she had exclusive access -- articles, correspondence and the unpublished memoirs of his wife, Nina, to trace his growth as a frontline correspondent and interpreter of Russian culture.

Heckler is a former columnist for the New York Times syndicate, author of Heart and Soul of a Nation: How the Spirituality of Our First Ladies Changed America and co-author of The Carpenter's Apprentice: The Spiritual Biography of Jimmy Carter. She has reported on religion for 15 years and currently writes for Ecumenical News International, the wire service of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

Heckler teaches international journalism at Miami. "Researching the material that produced this book gave me great insight on how world-class reporters cover a battle from a global perspective, very helpful for our students," she says.