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In a divided land, Bruce Springsteen and the runaway American dream

In a divided land, Bruce Springsteen and the runaway American dream

“In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream.”— “Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen, 1975.There’s trouble in the heartland these days over promises broken…
March 28, 2017
The Power of Narrative conference: how the tools of poetry can help journalists

The Power of Narrative conference: how the tools of poetry can help journalists

At last year’s Power of Narrative conference at Boston University, the poet Verandah Porche asked Gay Talese which women writers he admired.[pq]“All of us seem to be on the beat…
March 27, 2017
The oranges of John McPhee, on the page and on backyard trees

The oranges of John McPhee, on the page and on backyard trees

This week I left the snows of New England for a visit to my old stomping grounds in California. It was a bit head-spinning for a couple of reasons: When…
March 24, 2017
5(ish) Questions: Rania Abouzeid and "The Jihad Next Door"

5(ish) Questions: Rania Abouzeid and “The Jihad Next Door”

The first line of Rania Abouzeid’s story “The Jihad Next Door” could be the opener of a literary spy novel.“The eight men, beards trimmed, explosive belts fastened, pistols and grenades…
March 23, 2017

“Henry Ford believed the soul of a person is located in the last breath and so captured the last breath of his best friend Thomas Edison in a test tube and kept it evermore.”

Why is it great? This line, from the poet Elizabeth Alexander’s beautiful memoir about the death of her husband, knocked me out on a couple levels. First, I had no…
March 22, 2017
Annotation Tuesday! Rich Schapiro and "The True Story of the Fugitive Drug Smuggler Who Became an Environmental Hero"

Annotation Tuesday! Rich Schapiro and “The True Story of the Fugitive Drug Smuggler Who Became an Environmental Hero”

Rich Schapiro is always searching. Whether he’s writing a quick-hit 800-word spot feature for the New York Daily News or a magazine feature that’s taken years to report, Schapiro is…
March 21, 2017
The unexpected benefits of a springtime blizzard: reading a book by candlelight

The unexpected benefits of a springtime blizzard: reading a book by candlelight

A spring blizzard this week left me without power for 16 hours, and at first I felt unmoored because there was no heat, no light — and no Internet connection.…
March 17, 2017
Notable Narrative: Daniel Miller and the Los Angeles Times' “Selling Stardom”

Notable Narrative: Daniel Miller and the Los Angeles Times’ “Selling Stardom”

Daniel Miller’s coverage of the film business for the Los Angeles Times typically involves tracking the latest moves of the industry’s glitzy corporate behemoths. For his five-part series “Selling Stardom,”…
March 16, 2017

“This is a love story, and I apologize; it was inadvertent. But I want it clearly understood from the start that I don’t expect it to turn out well.”

Why is it great? Have you ever read a book and found it hard to get over a terrible first line? You want to move on, and the other 100,000…
March 15, 2017
5(ish) Questions: Diarmid Mogg and the crazy-compelling "Small Town Noir"

5(ish) Questions: Diarmid Mogg and the crazy-compelling “Small Town Noir”

Anna Mae McNeil stares past the camera, the smudge of an old bruise under her right eye. The words “New Castle, Pa., No. 220” are written in white ink below…
March 14, 2017