Articles

About a bear: The story behind the story of "The Loneliest Polar Bear"

About a bear: The story behind the story of “The Loneliest Polar Bear”

“The Loneliest Polar Bear” wasn’t just a heart-tugging news story. It was a suspenseful, multi-thousand word saga about an abandoned newborn polar bear. It was rationed into five chapters that…
April 19, 2019
Julia Shipley
Two sentences from books honored by 2019 Pulitzer Prizes and the lessons in journalism they inspired

Two sentences from books honored by 2019 Pulitzer Prizes and the lessons in journalism they inspired

Awards from elite, independent institutions always offer a reminder of the powerful work being done by storytellers of all stripes. None moreso in journalism than the Pulitzer Prizes.This year’s Pulitzer…
April 18, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
Insight from the other side of the notebook

Insight from the other side of the notebook

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Mass shootings have become a tragic American story. School shootings are an especially searing chapter in that narrative. This week marks the 20th anniversary of Columbine, a high…
April 16, 2019
Matt Tullis
Avoiding false judgments in journalism about Trump's evangelical supporters

Avoiding false judgments in journalism about Trump’s evangelical supporters

Ever since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign in the summer of 2015, I have grown accustomed to the constant drumbeat of stories that pose the same question: How can…
April 12, 2019
Brook Wilensky-Lanford
"74 seconds" that led to a man's death, a cop's trial and a 22-episode podcast

“74 seconds” that led to a man’s death, a cop’s trial and a 22-episode podcast

On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was killed by police officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. In the car with Castile at the time…
April 10, 2019
M.F. Sánchez
"Losing Earth:" Nathaniel Rich's epic on the failure to confront climate change

“Losing Earth:” Nathaniel Rich’s epic on the failure to confront climate change

Today marks the release of “Losing Earth: A Recent History,” Nathaniel Rich. The narrative tracks the story of a handful of scientists and politicians from 1979 to 1989 as they…
April 9, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
Hitting home runs with story pitches

Hitting home runs with story pitches

Pitching rises again and again as one of the main challenges facing writers who want to make the leap from idea to publication. Whether you’re a reporter hustling support for…
April 5, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
Probing dark corners and dark souls

Probing dark corners and dark souls

 “The Trials of Whiteboy Rick,” the Atavist Magazine story, by Evan Hughes, of a baby-faced young white man who rose to the top of Detroit’s mostly black cocaine world. “I’ll…
April 5, 2019
Julia Shipley
Ripping up the narrative arc and fumbling your way to structure

Ripping up the narrative arc and fumbling your way to structure

 Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. But in the telling, stories don’t necessarily conform to that neat order. For Dave Cullen, freelance journalist and bestselling author, there…
April 4, 2019
Monique Brouillette
High notes from the keynotes

High notes from the keynotes

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2o19 Power of Narrative conference at Boston University was a full immersion into the craft, challenges and characters of story work. We are scrambling to mine as…
March 29, 2019
Caren Chesler