Articles

Reclaiming history with jars of dirt, and building stories from the ground up

Reclaiming history with jars of dirt, and building stories from the ground up

EDITOR’S NOTE: Four hundred years ago, a Portugueses ship landed at a port in Virginia. Its cargo was “20 and odd” humans — the survivors of a horrendous crossing from…
August 23, 2019
Kim Cross
Lessons from a relentless "Reporter"

Lessons from a relentless “Reporter”

“Reporter” had to be the inevitable title for legendary investigative journalist Seymour M. Hersh’s 2018 autobiography. It’s perfect — a simple, proud word that encompasses craft, passion and conscience. In…
August 16, 2019
Don Nelson
Romancing the moon in the reality of time

Romancing the moon in the reality of time

When it came time to write about the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon, Charles P. Pierce jettisoned sentimentality like a booster rocket.The opening of Pierce’s July…
August 16, 2019
Trevor Pyle
A tribute to the "beauty and power" of work by novelist Toni Morrison

A tribute to the “beauty and power” of work by novelist Toni Morrison

EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was shared, with thanks and permission, by our friends at The Poynter Institute.AUTHOR’S NOTE: American author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison died August 5, 2019, at…
August 6, 2019
Roy Peter Clark
14 hours from event to post: Delivering narrative with context on deadline

14 hours from event to post: Delivering narrative with context on deadline

Since 2015, Michael Kruse of Politico has written hundreds of thousands of words about Donald J. Trump, plumbing the President’s unorthodox campaign tactics, his dubious finances, his penchant for lawsuits,…
August 6, 2019
Chip Scanlan
Gems of wisdom: Start writing, read out loud, and send handwritten notes

Gems of wisdom: Start writing, read out loud, and send handwritten notes

Notes from The Mayborn: A first-timer finds comfort and good advice
August 1, 2019
Maya Jones
Covering failures in the justice system with patience for facts and sensitivity to victims

Covering failures in the justice system with patience for facts and sensitivity to victims

Notes from The Mayborn: Pamela Colloff on how to walk the careful line between journalistic revelation and dramatic exploitation
July 31, 2019
David Tarrant
“The house was a fawn-brown color with curved white interior walls and my dead grandmother’s purple velvet drapes still hanging from the curtain rods.

“The house was a fawn-brown color with curved white interior walls and my dead grandmother’s purple velvet drapes still hanging from the curtain rods.

— Cally Carswell from "Drought, dread and family in the American Southwest" in High Country News
July 25, 2019
Jo Ostgarden
"Righteous rage" and powerful journalism

“Righteous rage” and powerful journalism

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, now in its 15th year, has grown into one of the the premier journalistic gatherings in the United States. This year’s conference centered…
July 23, 2019
Tom Huang
“Sometimes a story deserves a new look."

“Sometimes a story deserves a new look.”

Miami Herald reporter Julie K. BrownMiami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown has gotten a lot of reverse ink in recent weeks — not in stories by her, but about her. Brown…
July 19, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski