Piecing together the past

Author Brendan O’Meara reconstructs a legendary race. Plus: Bruce Springsteen and the return of the protest song

January 30, 2026

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Dear Storyboard community:

As journalists we often capture history as it unfolds in real time — either in person or through a stream of on-the-ground reporting, images, and videos.

But other times we must piece together the past through a different perspective, and the nature of our work changes. This week, Storyboard contributor Kim Cross takes us through an annotated chapter from journalist Brendan O’Meara's book “The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine.”

The legendary runner died at age 24 in 1975, five years before O’Meara was born. Telling Prefontaine's story, and understanding his psychology, posed a challenge that excited O’Meara, who also hosts the Creative Nonfiction Podcast.

As O'Meara notes, intensive research and reporting can build confidence in your voice and insights as the narrator. “A biographer brings a point of view, a framing to the story. Matt [Harper, O'Meara's editor] would tell me, ‘You probably know him better than anyone at this point based on the reading you've done and the people you’ve spoken to. You can make assertions.’ In fact, he insisted that I do that.”

For more stories that dig into the work of our favorite authors and journalists, check out Storyboard's full archive of story annotations.

Annotation: How Brendan O’Meara Reconstructs Steve Prefontaine’s Legendary Races in ‘The Front Runner’

The journalist, podcaster, and biographer shares tips on writing scenes you can’t witness firsthand, and getting inside the mind of subjects who are no longer around to interview.

[ Read the story ]

Links of note

Protest songs in the streaming era: Days after the killing of Alex Pretti, Bruce Springsteen released "Streets of Minneapolis” — a condemnation of Trump and ICE, and a tribute to Pretti, Renee Good, and a resilient city. Lyrically, Springsteen is direct and specific, calling out Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller with echoes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's “Ohio.” A sampling: “We’ll take our stand for this land / And the stranger in our midst / Here in our home they killed and roamed / In the winter of ’26 / We’ll remember the names of those who died / On the streets of Minneapolis.”
“I live in a city of heroes.” Barry Yeoman has collected an excellent list of stories and essays from Minneapolis.
“And then what happened? How to create suspense.” At Sound Judgment, Elaine Appleton Grant offers some prompts to hook readers or podcast listeners by considering both the short-term and long-term stakes in storytelling. “If you start your story by stating your conclusion, I have no reason to listen. If you start by showing me you’re wondering something and are taking a journey to learn what that mystery is, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
The American Society of Journalists and Authors is accepting submissions for its 2026 awards, with a due date of Feb. 9. The awards celebrate “stellar freelance-written nonfiction articles, essays, books, and content marketing writing” across a variety of categories. (Hat-tip: Laura Coffey.)