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August Editors' Roundtable No. 1: GQ ponders truth, lies and mystery

August Editors’ Roundtable No. 1: GQ ponders truth, lies and mystery

Our first Roundtable of August considers “Blindsided: The Jerry Joseph Basketball Scandal,” by Michael Mooney. The story spotlights a high school basketball player who stirred up questions about truth and…

“Why’s this so good?” No. 6: Alma Guillermoprieto’s view on Bogota

I first read “Letter from Bogota” in a Latin American History class in college. About 50 kids were crammed into an old, long lecture hall, the kind you see in movies…
Memoir's truthy obligations: a handy how-to guide

Memoir's truthy obligations: a handy how-to guide

How true does a memoir have to be? That question has been the basis of an ongoing debate kicked off by the revelation, five years ago, that much of James…
“Why’s this so good?” No. 5: Raymond Chandler sticks it to Hollywood

“Why’s this so good?” No. 5: Raymond Chandler sticks it to Hollywood

We tend now to think of Hollywood’s hackneyed, would-be blockbusters as a new phenomenon, one borne of desperation, unprecedented cynicism and the rise of narrative television. But Raymond Chandler's wonderful…
Old story, new media: David Dobbs brings family secrets to the Atavist

Old story, new media: David Dobbs brings family secrets to the Atavist

We recently talked by Skype with David Dobbs about the mystery that began with his mother’s dying wish. Dobbs’ years of efforts to solve that mystery eventually became “My Mother’s…
Tidbits from this year's Mayborn Conference: how deep is too deep?

Tidbits from this year's Mayborn Conference: how deep is too deep?

Hanging out at orgies with people who smuggle lizards in their pants. Befriending a convict with an Anne Frank tattoo. Doing drugs with a source. You never know what you’ll…
Barry Bearak on vigilante murder: "I had to find out why this man was killed"

Barry Bearak on vigilante murder: "I had to find out why this man was killed"

Our latest Editors’ Roundtable looks at Barry Bearak's story “Watching the Murder of an Innocent Man,” from the New York Times. Bearak won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2001 coverage of…
July Editors' Roundtable No. 2: The New York Times probes a murder in South Africa

July Editors’ Roundtable No. 2: The New York Times probes a murder in South Africa

For the second Roundtable of July, our editors looked at “Watching the Murder of an Innocent Man” by Barry Bearak of the New York Times. Bearak has spent the last…

“Why’s this so good?” No. 4: W.C. Heinz on Air Lift, son of Bold Venture

On a rainy afternoon in 1949, W.C. Heinz watched a beautiful young horse break its leg and then get shot in the head. And then he sat down and wrote…
A narrative sketch from George Packer's "Interesting Times"

A narrative sketch from George Packer's "Interesting Times"

In our latest Notable Narrative, “Iraqis Pass the Safety Test,” The New Yorker's George Packer draws an arc through three apparently unrelated points by doing little more than setting up…