Recent Posts
A Gold Medal Man book version
This is the blog I've been waiting to share for at least two years. Thanks to Spark Publications...
Full Disclosure: Part 2
By Vanessa E. Curry In my previously published article (Full Disclosure: A Lesson in Libel posted...
Full Disclosure: A lesson in libel
By Vanessa E. Curry In writing Lies and Consequences: Covering the Trials of Kerry Max Cook, I...
Price of Injustice in Texas
By Vanessa E. Curry On paper, the list of names neatly aligned with corresponding six-figure...
Judge Reinstates Cook Lawsuit
By Vanessa E. Curry A civil rights lawsuit filed by former death row inmate Kerry Max Cook...
Cook lawsuit stalled in federal court
By Vanessa E. Curry Kerry Max Cook’s attempt to hold the City of Tyler and Smith County...
Forthcoming Books
Tug: Champion of Amateur Athletics
A story about the life of Kenneth L. Wilson, an Illinois farm boy who became an Olympian, Big Ten commissioner and U.S. Olympic Committee president.
During his career as an athletic administrator, Wilson established rules governing financial aid to athletes, ensured athletes were bona fide students and promoted racial equality.
A Forest Gump of his time, Wilson’s story includes encounters with some of the most famous people and some of the “firsts” in collegiate athletics during the early 1900s.
His contributions to the development of amateur athletics is immortalized in a historical marker erected in his hometown of Atwood, Illinois.
Lies and Consequences: The Trials of Kerry Max Cook
The truth may set you free but finding it may be an impossible task.
Nearly 40 years after someone brutally beaten, stabbed and sexually mutilated Linda Jo Edwards, bits of truth are revealed as the lies unravel. Kerry Max Cook’s own lie helped send him to Texas’ death row for her murder. But should the lies of others keep him there or set him free?
Lies and Consequences: The Trials of Kerry Max Cook follows every twist and turn of a controversial legal case that once brought Cook within days of being executed. The story is told through the author, a reporter who covered his case for more than 25 years including two trials.
Twice convicted and twice winning appeals, Cook currently is awaiting a Texas Court of Criminal Appeal decision that could either exonerate him or allow prosecutors to try him for an unprecedented fifth time.
About Vanessa Curry
Vanessa E. Curry is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience in writing and photography. Her career includes 15 years as a journalism instructor and collegiate newspaper advisor.
She earned a bachelor’s of science degree in mass communication from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with emphasis in journalism, criminal justice and political science from The University of Texas at Tyler.
Curry’s coverage of legal issues earned her recognition as the Liberty Bell Award winner from the Smith County Bar Association in Tyler, Texas; two Gavel Awards from the State Bar of Texas; the James Madison Award from The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas; investigative reporting, Freedom of Information honors from Texas Associated Press Managing Editors; Media Excellence in Public Awareness from Texas Corrections Association; Dallas Press Club Katie Award; and the Tennessee Press Association.
She also has appeared on “City Confidential” and “Forensic Files” — both television programs broadcast nationally — for her coverage of a high-profile murder case in Smith County, Texas.
Curry also enjoys history and was instrumental in obtaining an official marker from the Illinois State Historical Society for Kenneth L. “Tug” Wilson, an Olympian, commissioner of the Big Ten conference and president of the U.S. Olympic Committee. She researched and wrote a biography of Wilson’s achievements for the marker, which is located in Atwood, Illinois.
Interview & Speaking Topics
Dealth Penalty in America
U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the past two decades have narrowed the circumstances in which execution can be used as punishment. But is changing public opinion leading to its eventual abolishment in America?
Transparency in a Democracy
Inconsistencies in open record and open meeting laws throughout the country threaten the public’s right to know. A true democracy cannot exist without an opportunity for members of the public to inform themselves.
Mass Media and Society
Journalists are losing ground as the most trusted source of information.
Cameras in the Courtroom
The media is failing to embrace the opportunity to educate the public about the American legal system.