Articles

Bearing witness inside a funeral home at the pitch of the COVID pandemic

Bearing witness inside a funeral home at the pitch of the COVID pandemic

Josh Sanburn went deep into a place of death — and found a story that teems with life.In “The Last of the First Responders,” published in June in Vanity Fair, …
Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

A book captures the obsessive habits of great authors — quirks that writing coach Chip Scanlan says help writers focus and summon the Muse
Extraordinary access: A reporter follows a police officer on a mental health call

Extraordinary access: A reporter follows a police officer on a mental health call

Hannah Dreier of the Washington Post reveals the complexity of policing in her narrative of an officer, a troubled woman, a gun, and cell phone cameras
The enduring power of John Hersey's "Hiroshima": the first "nonfiction novel"

The enduring power of John Hersey’s “Hiroshima”: the first “nonfiction novel”

Seventy-five years ago, on Aug. 6, 1945, a plane called the Enola Gay, manned by a crew from the U.S. Army Air Force, flew over the Japanese city of Hiroshima…
How the "Beyonce of earthquakes" uses storytelling to explain science

How the “Beyonce of earthquakes” uses storytelling to explain science

Call her the “Beyonce of earthquakes” or simply “the Earthquake Lady.” But when the foundations get shaky — whether it’s during a temblor or, now, a pandemic — Lucy Jones…
When the bounds of conventional journalism are too tight

When the bounds of conventional journalism are too tight

I’ll go great lengths not to affect a story during the reporting process. Journalists are supposed to be the observer, not the actor, right? Our job is to witness and…
How protest songs echo — and sometimes lead — the stories of our times

How protest songs echo — and sometimes lead — the stories of our times

On a warm spring night in 1974, I was an Ohio University student reporter amid a riot. Not a riot against repression or inequality or injustice or the Vietnam War,…
What happens when a superstar novelist is asked to profile a superstar actress?

What happens when a superstar novelist is asked to profile a superstar actress?

Ann Patchett writes about Reese Witherspoon: No celebrity dirt, a storytelling structure, lots of dialog about books and houses and feminism
If no one reads the news, did it happen?

If no one reads the news, did it happen?

The self-checkout line at my funky neighborhood grocery was wide open, but I waited for the old-fashioned line, with a checker and a bagger. I don’t like to weigh my…
Fashion reporting as cultural criticism

Fashion reporting as cultural criticism

When President Donald Trump staged a controversial Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore, a sea of journalists covered the show. Among them: Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan.But Givhan…