Author

“Why’s this so good?” No. 85: George Saunders and the incredible Buddha boy

If something funny comes my way — an article about dog whisperers, let's say — I am sometimes reduced to responding with the shorthand “LOL,” though the truth is few stories…
October 29, 2013

The intersection of “Breaking Bad,” Marty Robbins and “El Paso”

In the first scene of the last episode of “Breaking Bad,” Walter White opens the glove box of a car he’s trying to steal and the case to a Marty…
October 29, 2013
Telling true stories: Is it worth it? (Yes.)

Telling true stories: Is it worth it? (Yes.)

Editor's note: This is the second installment covering this year's "Power of Storytelling," an annual conference in Bucharest. For the setup, and to watch the first installment, in which Esquire's Chris…
October 24, 2013

Storytelling is magic

Editor’s note: A few weeks ago, Romania’s Decât o Revistă magazine attracted a crowd of writers, editors, photographers and designers to its third annual “Power of Storytelling” conference, in Bucharest. The conference,…
October 22, 2013
Pinned: Med students, firefighters, hoop dreams, an orphan in search of a family and a family in search of justice

Pinned: Med students, firefighters, hoop dreams, an orphan in search of a family and a family in search of justice

Today’s theme: courage. Pinned, for your storytelling pleasure, we’ve got stories in several shades of bravery, by talented narrative journalists from Kansas City, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Tampa and Washington,…
October 18, 2013

Full life, tight space? Consider narrative shorthand.

An interesting writing move recently caught my eye in Rosalind Bentley's Atlanta Journal-Constitution profile of poet laureate Natasha Trethewey. For lack of a better name, I’ll call it the "narrative…
October 17, 2013

“Why’s this so good?” No. 84: Woody Allen, Earl Monroe and the ballet of basketball

Woody Allen has written and directed an original film nearly every year since 1969. He has written several Broadway plays, published dozens of pieces in The New Yorker and given…
October 15, 2013
Pinned: Storyboard 75, the annotated "Frank Sinatra," football, submersion journalism, JFK, Dave Chappelle,

Pinned: Storyboard 75, the annotated “Frank Sinatra,” football, submersion journalism, JFK, Dave Chappelle,

Pinned for your storytelling pleasure, a roundup of recent great reads, vids, tips, etc.:In case you missed it, Part 1: Gay Talese and Elon Green annihilated Storyboard traffic records this…
October 11, 2013
Gay Talese explains why he wrote iconic Esquire profile "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold"

Gay Talese explains why he wrote iconic Esquire profile “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold”

Why did it strike a chord with people? Talese has no idea
October 8, 2013
Storyboard 75: The big book of narrative, devoted to excellence in journalistic storytelling

Storyboard 75: The big book of narrative, devoted to excellence in journalistic storytelling

Astute readers will notice there are more than 75 entries here. Think of it as a greatest hits album with bonus tracks.
October 3, 2013