Photo by Nancy Anderson Cordell about the author
Dante Chinni
Journalist and Author of Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the 'Real' America
Dante Chinni has been a journalist for two decades, with stints at Newsweek, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Project for Excellence in Journalism. He has also lived the freelance life with pieces appearing in outlets ranging from the Washington Post Magazine to The Economist to The New Republic.
While he is now a card-carrying member of the East Coast Media Industrial Complex (bouncing between Washington, D.C., and New York), Dante’s roots are still firmly planted in the Industrial Midwest. He grew up outside Detroit and went to college at Michigan State University, where he studied journalism and history.
His work now centers on exploring the country through the lens of the twelve community types of Patchwork Nation, a project he invented and the Knight Foundation generously funded. The project is the focus of Our Patchwork Nation, which was released in Fall 2010 by Gotham Books.
Dante lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Christina Ianzito, and two children.
Learn more about this speakerPress Links
Politics Counts: What N.H. Can Tell Us About Romney’s Chances
The Wall Street Journal
"The Most Powerful Constituency in the 2012 Campaign: The Suburbs"
The Atlantic
"How Will the Iowa Caucuses Affect the GOP Nomination Race?"
Governing
"Patchwork Nation at TEDx MidAtlantic"
TEDx
"Politics Counts: Why Candidates Can’t Ignore the Housing Mess"
The Wall Street Journal
"Journalist Says U.S. More of Patchwork Than Simple Liberal, Conservative"
Missoulian
"Politics Counts: Beyond Soccer Moms and Nascar Dads"
The Wall Street Journal
Dante Chinni Interview
WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show
"Online Media is Replacing Newspapers and TV. Is That a Bad Thing?"
The Christian Science Monitor
"What's Happened to the Middle Class?"
Minnesota Public Radio
"The 12 States of America"
The Atlantic
Dante Chinni Interview
MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show
"Rising Wealth Inequality: Should We Care?"
The New York Times
"Why Should We Trust This Man?"
Salon
"Paul Solman and Dante Chinni Talk Economic Inequality in Ohio"
PBS NewsHour's Making Sense with Paul Solman
"Where Dems Lost: Foreclosure Hotspots and Conservative Christian Communities"
WNYC
"Foreclosures on the Rise in Big Cities"
PBS NewsHour's Making Sense with Paul Solman
Our Patchwork Nation Review
The Christian Science Monitor
"America's 'Patchwork Nation' and the 2010 Elections"
U.S. News & World Report
"Our Patchwork Nation: Beyond Red States vs. Blue States"
TIME.com
"Beyond Red and Blue"
Minnesota Public Radio
"Outside Voices: Dante Chinni"
CBS News.com
"To Avoid a Red-Blue Divide, Politicians Should Think Green"
The Huffington Post
"The Mood on Main St. as Midterm Elections Loom"
The Christian Science Monitor
"News Roundup"
NPR's The Diane Rehm Show
"Patchwork Nation Project Breaks Country Into ‘Epicenters’"
The Epoch Times
"Voter Mood and Campaign 2010"
C-SPAN
Dante Chinni's Article Archive
WNYC
Dante Chinni's Article Archive
PBS's The Rundown News Blog
Dante Chinni's Article Archive
The Wall Street Journal
Featured Book
Our Patchwork Nation
"Our Patchwork Nation is a compelling, thought-provoking book, and a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of our country's complex political and cultural dynamic. I highly recommend this book."
—Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class
Speaking Topics
- Coming Together, Coming Apart in a Patchwork Nation
- Journalism in the Age of Fragmentation
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Finding Success as a Grantee
View Topic Descriptions »
Speaking Topics — Dante Chinni
Coming Together, Coming Apart in a Patchwork Nation
How America’s internal fault lines are shifting as the country goes through a period of dramatic cultural, political, and socioeconomic change.
Journalism in the Age of Fragmentation
How can the craft of journalism reinvent itself and survive in an America that is more fragmented and harder to understand than ever?
Finding Success as a Grantee
From coming up with an idea to watching it take flight, how to plot your path through the world of grants and foundations.
Testimonials
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“We were very pleased with Dante’s speech yesterday…The audience was very interested in his framework and had lots of questions that showed us they were thinking about how to apply his ideas to their work…I enjoyed working with you on this project. Thank you for being on top of the details!” - Judi Powell, Director of Programs, Northern California Grantmakers
Please contact us for booking requirements and availability.