In this fourth installment in the Times’ series on class, Lewin provides lots of quotes, and not much dialogue or scene—and yet the intimate reporting, the insightful and probing look at this cross-class marriage, gives the piece the feel of … Read more
Dick Cheney’s 2004 campaign has denied Lyman a seat on Air Force Two, so he hopscotches around the country by commercial plane, trying to keep up. It’s a case in which writing a how-I-got-the-story story can work—and in this case, … Read more
In the series of which this piece is a part, the Times used narrative and insightful reporting to uncover the often hidden ways that race is “lived” in America. Egan writes about two Washington State politicians—Gary Locke, a Chinese-American, and … Read more
This is a long-term narrative that shows the asymmetrical courses taken by former business partners—one black, one white—after selling their company. The story traces not just the defining moments of their careers but also the points at which race became … Read more
There are many things to admire in Bearak’s collection of pieces for which he won a 2002 Pulitzer. We’ll just point out, for this piece about pre-9/11 Pakistan, his tone: It’s dry, almost wry, which allows for both the seriousness … Read more
Many would say that this piece is not strictly narrative, and we’d agree. But there are plenty of narrative elements in the story, and we believe they’re what make the piece so effective: close reporting, intimate scenes, a distinctive voice. Read more
A Buddhist monk from Thailand is visiting New York. Someone steals his bag. There’s no punch line, but it’s a nice narrative complication; and out of it Barry crafts a touching, even beautiful, tale about the intersection of different worlds … Read more
This is a story about an enormous collection of pictures. A man started the collection and marketed it as a service to graphic artists and others who needed visual inspiration. When the man died, one of his clients bought the … Read more
A harbor pilot steers a great ship through the Verrazano Narrows, the last task of his career. This piece is attentively and elegantly told. What we find most instructive is how Barron chose to approach the story. He looked for … Read more
Gross’s series is an example of using profile to examine larger social contexts or processes, in this case the college-admissions game. The style is airy, the content more weighty, the mix of which makes the piece both entertaining and substantive. Read more
