Articles

Courage and empathy: Winners of the 2023 American Mosaic Journalism Prize

Courage and empathy: Winners of the 2023 American Mosaic Journalism Prize

By Monique Brouillette and Jacqui BanaszynskiCongratulations to Cerise Castle and Carvell Wallace, this year’s recipients of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize. The prize was launched in 2018 by the Heising-Simons…
Jon Mooallem's narrative on the Camp Fire: "The value is in the telling"

Jon Mooallem’s narrative on the Camp Fire: “The value is in the telling”

The experienced author and magazine writer takes on the aftermath of California's biggest wildfire with insecurity and empathy
Intimate stories in abstract numbers

Intimate stories in abstract numbers

By Jacqui BanaszynskiThe details are what always hold me.The numbers matter, of course. Horrible numbers that matter horribly. I follow them as they rise. When the news of the shallow…
Who says political writing has to be boring?

Who says political writing has to be boring?

By Jacqui BanaszynskiI sat down to watch the State of the Union address this week out of a sense of obligation and, to be honest, a somewhat dark curiosity. How…
How to free your writing with free writing

How to free your writing with free writing

Timed free writing — no stopping, no correcting, no fretting — can leapfrog mental paralysis to a "shitty" but valuable first draft
A whimsical request inspired some essential writing tools

A whimsical request inspired some essential writing tools

Writing scholar and author Roy Peter Clark responded to a quirky (and somewhat brash) letter with a lifetime list of writing wisdom
A veteran newsman teaches writing through music

A veteran newsman teaches writing through music

Chuck Haga and his students exchange favorite music of their generations to explore metaphor and meaning that can make writing sparkle
"... how the persons with jobs do the jobs and all the living as well."

“… how the persons with jobs do the jobs and all the living as well.”

It’s a common and happy reframe among my retired friends: They are busier than they’ve ever been. They can’t remember how they managed to do all the things they needed…
How empathy can tell a more honest story of gun-violence trauma

How empathy can tell a more honest story of gun-violence trauma

By Jacqui BanaszynskiMy fingers felt heavy on the keyboard last week as I edited two special posts that were long in the making. The posts themselves explore the kind of…
Challenging the stereotype of Uvalde's plucky child survivor

Challenging the stereotype of Uvalde’s plucky child survivor

By Mallary Tenore TarpleyWashington Post reporter John Woodrow Cox has spent six years covering stories of gun violence and children, fashioning a beat out of one of America’s most heartbreaking…