Articles

How film class led to fighting wildfires which led to finding a home which led to a memoir

How film class led to fighting wildfires which led to finding a home which led to a memoir

In a full-circle illustration of the way life sometimes imitates art, screenwriting led Sarah Berns to smokejumping. Then smokejumping led to a cinematic memoir, written with a director’s eye and…
December 11, 2018
Kim Cross
Braving the Drake Passage, swimming with leopard seals and interviewing a non-talker

Braving the Drake Passage, swimming with leopard seals and interviewing a non-talker

From the archives: National Geographic writer Craig Welch turns silent subjects into the compelling voices of climate change
December 5, 2018
Cheryl Katz
"We don't carry that brand, but I think Gimbel's does."

“We don’t carry that brand, but I think Gimbel’s does.”

—Macy's sales clerk in "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original)
November 29, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
When syncopation rocks a nation: "Hamilton" enthralls fifth-graders (and parents) with a rockin' story of history

When syncopation rocks a nation: “Hamilton” enthralls fifth-graders (and parents) with a rockin’ story of history

Shop class: What the hit musical teaches about the art and reach of narrative
November 28, 2018
Kim Cross
Large writing lessons from a small space

Large writing lessons from a small space

A morning’s hasty scroll through Facebook earlier this week showed the above photo from Traci Angel, an author, teacher and freelancer based in Kansas City and a recent Storyboard contributor.…
November 22, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski, Traci Angel
"...readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author."

“…readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author.”

—Novelist John Sandford (aka Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Camp)
November 21, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Eulogy for Paradise: A breaking news story framed as the profile and history of a town

Eulogy for Paradise: A breaking news story framed as the profile and history of a town

The Facebook post was conversational and almost light-hearted:And on Day Two of Camp Fire coverage, I spilled water all over my notebook and laptop (tips?!). Seems fitting that the only…
November 15, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come – great responsibility!”

“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come – great responsibility!”

—Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider Man
November 15, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Serendipity brings two men together on the football field, and in the rest of life

Serendipity brings two men together on the football field, and in the rest of life

A story that garners wide acclaim, gets multiple plays across ESPN and draws tweets from Reese Witherspoon is not your everyday deadline fare. For most writers, it will never happen.…
November 13, 2018
JD Malone
A brother's death, written by a sister, channeling their mother's voice

A brother’s death, written by a sister, channeling their mother’s voice

Sometimes I push writing students to look for new ways to tell stories.Should you start with the “small” things? Is there a story in the way a character dresses? How…
November 8, 2018
Greg Bowers