By Ben Yagoda One day in the very late 1960s, my father brought home a copy of Esquire magazine. Out popped a card offering an annual subscription for, I believe, $1.99. He filled it out and mailed it in, … Read more
By Laurie Hertzel It’s a standard story for American newspapers: the story-behind-the-story of someone who has died suddenly and tragically. But when Keith Duggan wrote about the life and death of Sarah McNally for his newspaper, … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski The dance of editors and writers. Oh, the stories we all could tell! Mine, during 20 years as a reporter, involve a lot of bratty behavior that would not be tolerated in today’s newsroom culture. I … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of an occasional series interviewing story editors about how they do their jobs. By Carly Stern Any grateful writer can attest to the power of a strong editor — a trusted voice of … Read more
By Laine Cibulskis As a young tween, life’s turbulence often led me to pick up my pen and write poetry. I was prolific. I filled journals upon journals and clogged my phone notes with words. I started performing, and … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski Back in March, The New York Times published a how-to piece on styling bookshelves. It was written by Tim McKeough and featured Jeremiah Brent, who is … Read more
By Ruth Tam Steve Almond has lived many lives in pursuit of his most elusive dream: publishing a novel. He’s been an investigative journalist, tortured poet and author. Before he published “All the Secrets of the World” in … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is our final dispatch from the 2024 Power of Narrative conference. For earlier posts, see deadline narratives by a Wall Street Journal podcast team, the braided structure used by The Atavist … Read more
