James Lough Ph.D.
James Lough’s upcoming book is Emergent Writing: Reclaiming Creative Voice in the Age of AI (Routledge). He has published five additional books, including This Ain’t No Holiday Inn: Down and Out at the Chelsea Hotel 1980-1995, which was optioned by Lionsgate/Universal for TV serial production. Short Circuits: Aphorisms, Fragments, and Literary Anomalies won a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY). His anthology Short Flights was the first collection of aphorisms written by only contemporary writers. And his collection of nature essays, Sites of Insight won a Colorado Endowment for the Humanities Award and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award.
His TV pilot script Savannah Slow Burn was a semi-finalist in both the 2023 Austin Film Festival’s Drama Teleplay Pilot category and the AMC One-Hour Pilot Award.
His essays and short fiction have won the Traveler’s Tales Silver Award Best Travel Writing; Finalist, New Ohio Review Nonfiction Contest; Finalist, Fish Publishing’s Short Memoir Prize; First Place, America’s Got Stories Contest; Winner, Electric Lit’s 280-Character Story Contest; Frank Waters Southwestern Writing Award for Literary Achievement; and First Prize, University of Denver Fiction Contest.
is TEDx UpperEastSide talk, “We Need more Bohemians” is on YouTube. He’s been interviewed on radio and TV and is a featured commentator in David Shields’ documentary How We Got Here. His scripts and songs have been performed at Bovine Metropolis Theater, Denver; Open Arts Circle, Oakland; and Strive for Five Awards Ceremony, San Francisco.
He co-founded the Department of Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he served as department chair and professor. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.
Companies and organizations he’s edited for include: The Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine; Kinder Morgan Inc.; Camp, Dresser & McKee Engineers and Constructors Inc.; Savannah College of Art and Design; University of California at San Francisco; ArtPulse Magazine; Reece & Co. Advertising; Bay Area Strive for Five Organization.
James Lough is represented by Marc Mikulich at Marc Mikulich Literary Agency. To enquire about foreign rights or other matters, Marc@markmikulichliterary.com
Emergent Writing: Reclaiming Creative Voice in the Age of AI
Writers have good reason to be anxious—they’re losing work. AI has learned to write articles, reports, and even screenplays.
But there’s good news. AI only writes from data gathered in the past. The Emergent Writing technique focuses writers intensely aware of the present moment, which is the source of deep creativity. While practicing the meditative technique of Emergent Writing, writers watch in wonder as fresh insights, deep feelings, and vivid images emerge before their mind’s eye.
Write to find inner clarity—the clarity of your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, subconscious images, and symbols.
Then hone your craft. Learn the skills that help you best express your thoughts, feelings, and perceptions so you can reach your readers at a deeper level. Learn 4D characterization, voice vs. style, and maximizing the power of your sentences. And finally, learn about the world of publishing so you can share your work with the world.
“Original and Electric.”
I looked at your students’ writing and I was astonished. Every piece had something original and electric about it. You must be doing a fabulous job with them.
--Jaimy Gordon, National Book Award winner for Lord of Misrule
“Superb . . . brilliant.”
His oral history of the Chelsea Hotel, optioned for film, is superb. And he’s quite brilliant/crucial in my documentary, How We Got Here.
--David Shields, author of Reality Hunger
“Excellent teacher . . . excellent writer.”
James is an excellent teacher and a devoted mentor. He’s something special in the literary arts: an excellent writer who can actually teach others to write too. He shares the magic and its trade secrets with his students.
--Lee Griffith, Writer, Publisher’s Weekly; Professor at SCAD