Sally Denton, John Smith and deep Nevada roots

We dropped in at Sundance Books in Reno on Tuesday to listen to a conversation between authors and journalists Sally Denton and John Smith, a precursor to her speech that night as part of the Nevada Humanities Laxalt Distinguished Writers Program.

I was sorry to miss the speech itself, where she was planning to explore in more depth the importance of investigative reporting in our society. It’s surely a timely a topic. (Did anyone cover it? Drop me a note.)

At lunchtime, she and John explored her roots from a short stint as a young reporter in Boulder City, her hometown, to her infatuation with a murder case when she was a reporter in Northern New Mexico. That led to an internship with Washington, D.C.-based muckraker Jack Anderson, and then to Lexington, Ky., where she drew the material for her first book, The Bluegrass Conspiracy.

Her family (as well as Smith’s) has deep roots in Nevada, and it was especially interesting to an outsider like me to hear her weave her own history and career into the narrative of the state. Her father, Ralph Denton, who died in 2012, was known as the liberal conscience of Nevada. Her mother, Sara, was with Sally for the talk at Sundance Books, and it was an honor for me to meet her.

Denton made it sound like a natural progression for her to become a journalist, write books and investigate some of the deepest mysteries of modern greed and power — see her most recent book, “The Profiteers,”  or her exhaustive 2001 examination of Las Vegas’ impact on the politics of the country in “The Money and the Power” — but that belies the amount of work and courage that went into her career.

She talked about death threats and lawsuits and other obstacles thrown at her by powerful people. John also asked her how it was possible to conduct exhaustive research and write books while she was raising three boys. She nonchalantly replied that she would take them to school in the morning, work all day and then pick them up again in the afternoon. “It actually worked out really well.”

Denton did admit that it could be a relief when she turned to topics that required historical research, rather than dealing with contemporary issues. One of her books relied on the diary of her great-grandmother of her journeys from England to Utah.

I was also interested in Sally’s process, which she described as a three-year cycle. She typically spends a year and a half on research, about six months on outlining the book and then another year writing, she said. Her habit is to write about 1,000 words a day. She said she’s been fortunate enough to receive advances from publishers for all her books, and she talked about research fellowships that allowed her time and access to immense libraries of information.

The audience at Sundance packed the small room — I didn’t count noses, and I didn’t take notes, both of which go against my instincts — and was attentive and appreciative. They asked questions about the threats on her life, the paucity of investigative reporting in today’s newsrooms, and the struggle for civil rights in Las Vegas.

A couple of short clips to give you a sense of the scene:

Barry Smith

Barry Smith, a former reporter and editor in Illinois, Colorado and Nevada, is executive director of the Nevada Press Association.