Articles

Legendary writer John McPhee to a student: "I don't create the writer. At all."

Legendary writer John McPhee to a student: “I don’t create the writer. At all.”

John McPheeJohn McPhee, a master of nonfiction storytelling, became a teacher by accident. In 1974, when he was a fast-rising star at The New Yorker, his alma mater, Princeton University,…
October 2, 2018
Jeffrey R. Young
How a Rubik's cube helped a father understand the puzzle of his son

How a Rubik’s cube helped a father understand the puzzle of his son

 New York Times sportswriter John Branch is best known in the journalism world for  “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek.” His gripping long-form narrative, which reconstructed a fatal avalanche in…
September 28, 2018
Olivia Heersink
A conversation with Alexandra Petri on conjugating gender and politics

A conversation with Alexandra Petri on conjugating gender and politics

 I‘ve always thought writing should be learned by osmosis. Like if you read enough good books you shouldn’t need to know the exact rules about dangling participles. But I’m a…
September 27, 2018
Anna Claire Vollers
"Just be the kite."

“Just be the kite.”

An award-winning author writes a break-out novel, and then another, and then…It has been 10 years since Minnesota novelist Leif Enger‘s last book, “So Brave, Young and Handsome,” was published.…
September 25, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
"To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression."

“To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.”

Standing in the lobby of the gloriously ornate Chicago Tribune Tower, gazing  at this James Madison quote, I am filled with pride. And fear. The pride stems not only from…
September 19, 2018
Lauren Kessler
After the fires: A surprising story of a haunted hero and the ashes of regret

After the fires: A surprising story of a haunted hero and the ashes of regret

Who knew there was a beat called “fire coverage,” or it was a job they would learn to love?Certainly not Lizzie Johnson, who was covering city hall for The San…
September 18, 2018
Julia Shipley
An alligator attack sparks a Facebook attack – and an invitation to reconsider meanness

An alligator attack sparks a Facebook attack – and an invitation to reconsider meanness

 I sat on a bench with Wade Livingston the other day. We talked about an alligator attack, a woman who drowned, and the people who saw fit to condemn her for the audacity…
September 13, 2018
Tom Warhover
"No matter how long we study them, the images are unfathomable. No matter how quickly we look away, they are unforgettable."

“No matter how long we study them, the images are unfathomable. No matter how quickly we look away, they are unforgettable.”

Why it’s good: There are endless memories and memorials marking yesterday, the 17th anniversary of 9/11. I find it impossible to post about something else, but impossible to choose the…
September 12, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Christopher Solomon on how he captured the controversial wolf man of Washington

Christopher Solomon on how he captured the controversial wolf man of Washington

Before Christopher Solomon took on the case of the wolf researcher who ignited a political firestorm, the situation had sparked plenty of regional coverage. In particular, The Seattle Times, where…
September 11, 2018
Linda Shaw
"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."

“Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

—Poet Mary Oliver, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award
September 5, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski