In this installment of Media Matters, Fublis sits down with John Wenzel, a seasoned journalist and arts critic whose work spans esteemed publications like The Denver Post, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic. With a career rooted in storytelling and cultural commentary, Wenzel has developed a unique ability to connect with audiences through his vivid narratives, critical insights, and deep engagement with the evolving arts landscape.
John Wenzel brings a nuanced perspective to the arts and culture beat. His dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices, adapting to the challenges of digital platforms, and navigating the complex intersections of local and national trends makes him a standout figure in contemporary journalism.
In this candid conversation, Wenzel shares his thoughts on the role of criticism in today’s media landscape, the transformative power of digital storytelling, and his strategies for balancing the demands of full-time reporting with freelance opportunities. Whether discussing his most memorable investigative stories or offering advice to aspiring journalists, Wenzel’s insights provide a valuable glimpse into the world of arts and culture journalism.
How do you approach writing about arts and culture to ensure your work resonates with a wide audience while maintaining depth and critical insight?
John Wenzel: Good writing is its own virtue so I try first to write interesting articles — surprising, fun, scary, poignant — that stand on their own as compelling narratives. As a journalist and critic for a mainstream publication, I also try to approach topics with a generalist knowledge and tone, since myriad others have cornered the niches by this point. If someone can’t relate to or even understand what I’m writing about, I’ve failed. If they’ve discovered something new and exciting, or are getting outside of their comfort zone (read: homes) to engage with it, that’s the ideal. Engagement with arts and culture is at the core of my job, both in filtering the daily firehose of pitches and in making sense of how the city is changing, and what that means for our readers.
A good story always has vivid details, context, and links to past coverage that inform the subject. If you read my work and feel seen and/or appreciated from time to time as a fan, artist, or creative person, I know I’m doing something right. I want to draw people in and explain to them why they should care.
As a reporter and critic for The Denver Post, what has been your most memorable story or review, and why did it stand out?
John Wenzel: I’ve been fortunate enough to experience every kind of stage entertainment and interview hundreds of celebrities and heroes, but as a reporter in the 21st century, I also need to be attuned to arts and culture-adjacent stories that have social/cultural impact. Especially ones outside of my personal experience as a cisgender, heterosexual white man, since that has for far too long been the default perspective in newsrooms.
I’ve investigated allegations of sexual assault against Denver notables, some of which have led to articles. In particular, I investigated jam-band promoter and bar owner Jay Bianchi, which lasted more than a year, and have since seen the ripple effects of the overall news media coverage. A pair of survivors who spoke with me on the record were getting nowhere with their cases and Denver Police detectives, despite doing everything people say to do in these situations (kits, police reports, etc.). But continual pressure and follow-ups have now led to an arrest, multiple felony charges and an impending trial for Bianchi, and more alleged victims coming forward.
It’s usually not great for reporters for pat themselves on the back, but it is nice sometimes to step back and realize your work can have measurable effects on inequitable and underreported social and criminal issues that are fundamentally affecting an arts scene.
How do you adapt your writing style and tone when contributing to diverse outlets like Esquire, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic?
John Wenzel: As a professional newspaper writer since high school (when I had a Dayton Daily News column for teens, haha), I’ve internalized the relatively starchy language of legacy media. But as someone who’s been freelancing for that same amount of time, I’ve also learned where to apply certain snarky/humbled tones (hello: reviews!) and where to step back and let the information speak for itself. Co-creating and publishing a national fanzine (Sponic) and editing The Denver Post’s Reverb (music site) showed me a huge variety of writing styles and approaches to the arts that continue to resonate when I write each new article.
With the aforementioned national publications, deep reporting, primary and unique sources, and triple-checked facts are vital to establishing credibility with both readers and editors. But for each, I’ve also written critical and op-ed pieces, interviews, festival reviews, and lists (best comedy clubs, best venues, etc.) that benefit from blurb-y, humorous writing and sharp observations. It’s a case-by-case basis, and I take a lot of direction from my various editors. Concert reviews and record reviews are typically where I can use my most personal writing voice, and where I think I’m strongest as a creative writer.
What role do digital platforms play in your storytelling, and how have they transformed the way you connect with readers?
John Wenzel: Social media has long been a tool for sharing and promoting my stories with relevant audiences, and of course, it’s best to tailor my approach for each platform. I doubt I’d be on most platforms if it wasn’t required for my job, but there are ones I like better than others.
I’ve disengaged completely from X, given its far-right toxicity and the fact that it’s basically state-run disinformation at this point. But I’ve also lately seen increased engagement on Bluesky (where my follower count is growing fast), Facebook and LinkedIn that has had a measurably positive effect on my daily traffic numbers. I keep my Instagram private since there are family photos on there, and I’ve received threats from people unhappy with my coverage at times over the years.
The Denver Post finally got rid of its pointless, also-toxic comments section so I engage mostly with folks in the comments of social media posts. It’s case-by-case, since some of the discussions veer predictably into divisive politics, racism, sexism and homophobia, but for the most part it’s a good way to get feedback and be held accountable. Corrections and clarifications tend to flow mostly from those comments sections, which have replaced email and voicemail as my primary form of reader response. Some Boomers still send letters.
How do you stay ahead of trends in arts and culture to keep your reporting fresh and relevant?
John Wenzel: I try not to be “above” anything, whether that’s a tiny pop-up show or diving into the nitty-gritty of a company’s financials for a single line in a story. “High and low art” are artificial distinctions. Journalists who see themselves as too respectable, too accomplished or too smart to dig into menial reports and boring archives aren’t really doing their job. (Of course, I have a strong ethics policy that I adhere to, but in terms of subjects, I try to consider everything.)
I read constantly — other websites and articles, reviews from respected and independent publications, local and national books, magazines, etc. I keep in regular touch with sources I’ve cultivated over decades who frequently share off the record and background information that leads to articles and scoops. I look at which trends and stories are doing well online, and I try to understand why, whether it’s concert ticket prices, Indigenous art, local celebrities, touring shows, obits, or service pieces (for example, a how-to on attending Red Rocks concerts).
As someone who watches tons of movies and TV shows, listens to music constantly, plays in bands, and plays lots of video games, I also watch how national trends feed local ones and vice-versa. The flattening of culture globally due to the internet instantly turns, say, Brooklyn trends into Denver ones, since there’s no distance to travel anymore. But I also look at what’s unique to Denver, and whether we’re judging ourselves too harshly against other cities (hint: we always are, though so are most cities).
I look at other beats at The Post and how they’re affecting A&E: What’s the state legislature up to in terms of film-incentive credits? How are arts nonprofits that rely on donations and government money surviving? How does local construction and traffic affect gallery attendance? How many folks have been driven out by Denver’s cost-of-living spike, and what are officials doing about it? Is the feel-good marketing behind something legit or total BS? Is the rush to horrible AI-slop in art and writing having a measurable effect on the local art it purports to be helping (but is actually ripping off and hurting)? That last subject is huge and growing by the day.
I also take a lot of cues from interns I mentor, students I speak to, and my younger friends and journalists, since I don’t assume that I have the best perspective on everything cool and new. Given the general-assignment breadth of my beat, I also try to be representative of the city’s offerings and not overly favor, say, local theater at the expense of stand-up or music.
What strategies do you use to balance your responsibilities as a full-time journalist at The Denver Post with your freelance assignments for other high-profile publications?
John Wenzel: I try to compartmentalize, since they can overlap if I’m not careful. My local scoops and info belong in The Denver Post, but when I get a national line on something I pitch to freelance pubs. Sometimes the time commitment isn’t worth it, given how exhausting my job at The Post is, and the fact that I have two young kids and lots of extracurriculars (also: most freelance pays very little). But it’s nice to keep those skills sharp and my name out there, since in news media and criticism you’re often only as good as your last well-read article.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for arts and culture journalism today, and how do you navigate them in your work?
John Wenzel: The ever-shrinking pool of full time arts-reporter and critics jobs is alarming, and something that bodes ill for younger journalists who can now only do it as low-paid freelancers. Critics may also seem less useful for readers these days in terms of sorting through what’s out there, especially given the abolishment of gatekeeping and mono-perspectives on who gets what kind of coverage (see the encouraging rise of Spanish-language coverage in mainstream pubs like Rolling Stone). But in reality we need critics more than ever — people who spend all their time immersed in arts and culture, and who want to give their readers the best of the best while keeping the subject and industry accountable and in context.
That will never really go away, but a lack of professional expertise in any subject is usually a bad thing, and I feel like we’re going backward in terms of knowledge that requires an adult attention span. Substacks have replaced blogs for individual voices, and some of them are great, but the drumbeat of layoffs in news media is disheartening and specifically ruinous for arts coverage. People work so hard to maximize their leisure time, and what we’re doing with it is important and says a lot about who we are.
With experience spanning multiple prestigious publications, what advice would you give to aspiring arts and culture journalists looking to make their mark?
John Wenzel: Write as much as you can — either for pitches or personally — to develop your voice and interests outside of what you already know. Challenge yourself to read about new forms of art and culture that are unfamiliar to you, and question your assumptions about what deserves attention. Read the best examples of other criticism, whether reviews or deep dives. Learn the basics, but also push the barriers of what’s covered with an eye to diverse and marginalized people. Apply to fellowships and other professional opportunities that may dovetail with your education. Travel as much as you can and connect the dots between destinations.
Network with more experienced journalists at press clubs and mixers. Get involved in a local journalistic organizations to shore up those contacts and make even more. Reach out to people you find interesting in a given scene and see if they’re up for lunch, coffee or beers (you’d be surprised at how many are, given humanity’s thirst for attention). Don’t worry about being seen as ingratiating or opportunist (unless you’re actually being that way), as some people are already primed to receive what you do as negative. Don’t ask for permission.
Most important: pitch constantly. You’ll get crickets from most folks, and the very-occasional rejection, but for the select ones that work, you’ve got a foot in the door. Don’t get discouraged! Most writers are in your shoes, whether novelists, poets, or investigative journalists. Most leads don’t pan out. The ones who land instant jobs from their pricey schools are not in the majority (at least outside coastal news media). Only you know yourself and what you’re capable of, so don’t let other people or editors define your style and persona, or tell you who you are. Promote yourself and make yourself available on social media and with a personal URL or profile.
Perhaps most important: stay up. It’s brutal out there, but somebody has to do it, and you’re next. At a recent fellowship at the National Critics Institute, I was thrilled to be one of the older, paler people there. I’m optimistic for the future, but as with anything in this capitalistic hellscape, rigor, self-awareness, and self-preservation are a requirement.
