Articles

Roy Peter Clark on the search for the "embedded narrative"

Roy Peter Clark on the search for the “embedded narrative”

 Not long ago, I came out of a theater in Tampa, Florida, and heard someone calling my name. It was Adan Martinez, a young college student who had just performed…
Reflections on the challenges and triumphs of masculinity in changing times

Reflections on the challenges and triumphs of masculinity in changing times

An anthology of profiles by award-winning journalist Steve Oney is out in paperback, offering lessons in an essential journalistic artform
On trial for the Ghost Ship warehouse fire: Was an accused villain miscast as the bad guy?

On trial for the Ghost Ship warehouse fire: Was an accused villain miscast as the bad guy?

When Elizabeth Weil thought of profiling Max Harris, one of two people facing criminal charges for Oakland’s deadly Ghost Ship fire, she figured another reporter must already be on the…
How The New York Times tracked public data to produce "Killing Khashoggi"

How The New York Times tracked public data to produce “Killing Khashoggi”

A new breed of investigative reporters are tapping into digital surveillance, open-source tools and social media to create powerful video narratives
From a caress of love to a fist of fear

From a caress of love to a fist of fear

The New Yorker story "A Raised Hand," by Rachel Louise Snyder, is the foundation of a new book on the scourge of domestic violence
"He was followed by 30 seconds of silence, during which every sigh toured the walls of the church."

“He was followed by 30 seconds of silence, during which every sigh toured the walls of the church.”

Now and again, in the wonderful world of reading, you stumble across a sentence that not only evokes a response or feeling because of what it says, but because of how…
Foreshadow forward; echo back. How writers harness the power of the callback

Foreshadow forward; echo back. How writers harness the power of the callback

The art of the callback in comedy, film, literature and journalism: When repetition isn't redundancy, but theme and structure
A young journalist is inspired by fickle spring weather (and an old newspaper story)

A young journalist is inspired by fickle spring weather (and an old newspaper story)

How a 300-word assignment, and a quick read of Ken Fuson's "What a Day!" from 1995, was channeled into a nonfiction prose poem
Going public with the private pain of suicide

Going public with the private pain of suicide

Modern society works hard to find ways to talk about subjects that have long been taboo, and that left sufferers isolated and shrouded in shame. Things like mental illness, abortion,…
Learning from what seem the unkindest cuts

Learning from what seem the unkindest cuts

A science journalist comes to terms with what is lost — and not — when favorite passages are edited out of her long-form story