Articles

Andrew Rice on narrative and Niagara Falls: "It’s hard to believe that next to this natural wonder, there’s this amazing poverty"

Andrew Rice on narrative and Niagara Falls: "It’s hard to believe that next to this natural wonder, there’s this amazing poverty"

We talked this week with Andrew Rice, whose “The Fall of Niagara Falls” is our latest Notable Narrative. Rice’s career has included stints at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New…
December 10, 2010
Andrea Pitzer
Somewhere over the rainbow: the past and future of Niagara Falls

Somewhere over the rainbow: the past and future of Niagara Falls

AP Photo/McElroy SilA tourist attraction falls into decline. Grand urban renewal schemes fail to deliver. Residents talk about mafia infiltration, corruption and random arson.What might sound like a lost Raymond…
December 8, 2010
Andrea Pitzer

Twitter as story: a work in progress

Stephen Colbert mocking the national Christmas tree’s Twitter account shows that the frivolousness of the plucky social media tool is still up for debate. No doubt Twitter’s popularity offsets some…
December 6, 2010
Andrea Pitzer

What we're reading: gay culture in the Middle East, stories for a body held hostage, and an athlete dying young

Our latest “what we’re reading” draws on the stalwart print newspapers and magazines that have carried the banner of long-form narrative for so long. From a 5-part investigation of a…
December 2, 2010
Andrea Pitzer
Michael Paterniti on storytelling (part 2): William Burroughs' final months, Mitterrand's last meal, and magical cheese

Michael Paterniti on storytelling (part 2): William Burroughs’ final months, Mitterrand’s last meal, and magical cheese

Today we bring you Part 2 of a discussion on narrative nonfiction with long-form storyteller Michael Paterniti. (If you just tuned in to the conversation, you might want to check…
November 30, 2010
Paige Williams
Michael Paterniti on narrative voice, the power of rewrite, Bill Clinton, old cheese, and flying Spaniards (part 1)

Michael Paterniti on narrative voice, the power of rewrite, Bill Clinton, old cheese, and flying Spaniards (part 1)

Veteran magazine writer Michael Paterniti visited the Nieman Foundation a couple of weeks ago for a discussion about literary journalism with Narrative Writing instructor Paige Williams’ class and other fellows.…
November 29, 2010
Paige Williams

Art or abuse? A portrait of Larry Rivers

Was artist Larry Rivers a sexual swashbuckler, breaking taboos and changing the way we think of the human body, or did some of his work have truly disturbing elements? Our…
November 23, 2010
Andrea Pitzer

Statistics vs. storytelling: the grudge match?

Narrative journalism has been dogged for years by the idea that it is too subjective or somehow less capable of conveying hard numbers to the public than a traditional news…
November 19, 2010
Andrea Pitzer

What we’re watching: the costs of heaven, veterans who seek shelter from war, and work from NPPA and College Photographer of the Year contests

For our latest installment, we were taken with some recent contest winners, including a documentary about a group of adult men with autism and their 65-year-old caretaker, who wants to…
November 16, 2010
Andrea Pitzer
Jay Caspian Kang on the heart of gambling narratives: "All you remember, really, is losing"

Jay Caspian Kang on the heart of gambling narratives: "All you remember, really, is losing"

We talked by phone this week with Jay Caspian Kang, author of The Morning News essay "The High Is Always the Pain, and the Pain Is Always the High," our…
November 12, 2010
Andrea Pitzer