Articles

In the shadow of the ivory tower: what can university magazines offer narrative journalists?

In the shadow of the ivory tower: what can university magazines offer narrative journalists?

Should university magazine editors regularly challenge their publishers? That’s what Ohio State University Assistant VP for Research Communications Earle Holland suggested last week in a comment on the Knight Science…
Michael Kruse on monkey business and narrative writing: "if a story's not moving, a reader is probably stopping"

Michael Kruse on monkey business and narrative writing: "if a story’s not moving, a reader is probably stopping"

We talked by phone this week with St. Petersburg Times reporter Michael Kruse, the author of our latest Notable Narrative. An unusual profile of a monkey on the loose in…

Michael Kruse profiles Tampa Bay fugitive

These days, it can be hard for a star to keep up with his Facebook feeds and the television and newspaper stories about him, not to mention where he’s been…

Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Manga Memoirs: transcending the printed page

Last year was an important one for memoir and manga (Japanese comics) in North America. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Canadian diplomatic relations with Japan, Canadian digital media company…
From tales of wonder to tales of horror: David Small dissects Stitches

From tales of wonder to tales of horror: David Small dissects Stitches

David Small has made a career illustrating books for children.  So it was no surprise that he should be the featured speaker on the last day of Harvard’s popular class,…
Ian Johnson on A Mosque in Munich: narrative as “the sugar around the medicine”

Ian Johnson on A Mosque in Munich: narrative as “the sugar around the medicine”

We spoke this week with writer Ian Johnson about his new book, A Mosque in Munich. After winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his coverage of the Falun Gong movement…
International Journalism Festival in review: talking story in Italy (or, "Is social media really more dangerous than terrorists?")

International Journalism Festival in review: talking story in Italy (or, "Is social media really more dangerous than terrorists?")

Last month, I went to the International Journalism Festival in Italy for a panel on the future of story in the digital era. Since a potential benefit of the growing number…
C.J. Chivers in The New York Times on hitting the mark in Marja

C.J. Chivers in The New York Times on hitting the mark in Marja

Readers familiar with the work of C.J. Chivers might know him best for his portrait of Vladimir Putin from Esquire or the writing that helped The New York Times score…
David Finkel on The Good Soldiers: "I’m not obligated to these men, but I do want to tell a story that they recognize"

David Finkel on The Good Soldiers: "I’m not obligated to these men, but I do want to tell a story that they recognize"

Tomorrow, Washington Post national enterprise editor David Finkel will receive the 2010 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for The Good Soldiers, a bruising account of a U.S. Army battalion’s service…
Adam Hochschild on narrative nonfiction, history and finding the next story

Adam Hochschild on narrative nonfiction, history and finding the next story

Adam Hochschild arrived at the narrative journalism conference at Boston University last weekend feeling liberated after an intense six-year relationship.But soon this writer will be looking to fall in love…