Clayton Corey "Coke" Newell is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose professional career outside of freelance is often defined by his decade-plus stint in public relations for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

Life and career

Newell grew up deep in the Colorado mountains south and west of Denver, inspired by his readings of

Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...

Black Elk Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk (December 1, 1863 – August 19, 1950), was a ''wičháša wakȟáŋ'' (" medicine man, holy man") and '' heyoka'' of the Oglala Lakota people. He was a second cousin of the war leader Crazy Horse and ...

and

Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian an ...

. He converted to the LDS faith as a teenager and later served a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to Colombia. Research for his first published book, ''Dying Words: Colombian Journalists and the Cocaine Warlords'' (1991), was funded by the Scripps Howard Foundation and the InterAmerican Press Association. Composed as a bachelor's degree thesis, it is perhaps the earliest study of the Colombian media's bold (and frequently suicidal) exposure of that nation's militant drug cartels. After his return, Newell graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from the journalism program at Colorado State University and remains a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He later received a master's degree in communications from Montana State University and has a biography in

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

. Hired in 1993 as a writer and media relations officer for the LDS Church, his work led to his being quoted in "thousands" of media outlets and the opportunity to write ''Latter Days : A Guided Tour Through Six Billion Years of Mormonism'' for

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

. The book performed well nationally, perhaps in part due to the national prominence of frequently interviewed church president

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

and Newell's own iconoclastic writing style. His 2007 autobiographical novel ''On the Road to Heaven'' presented a mostly factual account of a Newell-like Colorado boy named Kit West in a Kerouacian style.http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6454263.html Publishers Weekly review Like Newell, West falls in love with a girl, joins her church, and spends two years in Colombia as a missionary. Newell wrote the story as fiction because "A nonfiction story might come across like the daily news—arm's-length facts, figures, and dates. Readers might be less likely to relate to a nonfiction account and characters in a personal way. Novelizing my story freed my creative psyche in key ways, and I believe this novelization allows readers to better insert themselves into the story as well, wherever they want to fit. They can own the story for themselves, and it becomes more useful, available."http://dallas.typepad.com/slant/2007/08/a-jack-kerouac-.html Press release as reproduced on This Mormon Life. The complaint

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

had about miraculous episodes is "the only possible drawback" to novelization; according to Newell, "Every one of those 'miraculous episodes' is true." The novel was a critical success in Mormon circles and garnered Newell nominations for several awards, including wins for best novel of the year for 2007 from both the

Association for Mormon Letters The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 to "foster scholarly and creative work in Mormon letters and to promote fellowship among scholars and writers of Mormon literature." Other stated purposes have inc ...

and the

Whitney Awards The Whitney Awards are awards given annually for novels by LDS authors. Established in 2007, they are named after Orson F. Whitney, a prominent early member of the LDS Church. There are several categories for which novels may be nominated. The Whi ...

. A former adjunct professor of communication at Salt Lake Community College and assistant professor of communication and co-director of the concentration in public relations at the University of St. Francis (Franciscan) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Newell is now executive director of Project Amigo, a non-profit organization in Colima, Mexico.

Books

* ''Dying Words: Colombian Journalists and the Cocaine Warlords'' (1990) * ''Cow Chips Aren't For Dippin': A Guide to Life in the New Wild West'' (1996) * ''Latter Days : A Guided Tour Through Six Billion Years of Mormonism'' (2001) * ''Journey to Edaphica'' (2006) * ''On the Road to Heaven'' (2007)

Albums

* ''Bard of Broken Dreams'' (2002) * ''Box of Rocks'' (2003)

References

External links

* http://projectamigo.org/who-we-are/cokeandcindy.php Coke Newell's bio on the Project Amigo webpage {{DEFAULTSORT:Newell, Coke American Latter Day Saint writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Novelists from Colorado Living people Colorado State University alumni American Mormon missionaries in Colombia 21st-century American male writers Latter Day Saints from Colorado Converts to Mormonism American expatriates in Mexico Latter Day Saints from Indiana Latter Day Saints from Utah 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people)