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“Why’s this so good?” No. 30: Sally Jenkins picks Kwame Brown

“Why’s this so good?” No. 30: Sally Jenkins picks Kwame Brown

The thing about being the first pick in the NBA draft – especially if you’re 19-year-old Kwame Brown, the youngest No. 1 pick ever – is that you become the subject of…
Beth Macy on Edna Buchanan, sources in conflict, and stories too sad to tell

Beth Macy on Edna Buchanan, sources in conflict, and stories too sad to tell

Our January Editors’ Roundtable looked at “After the battle, Mike Sword’s war within,” a story by Roanoke Times reporter Beth Macy about the death of an Air Force veteran in Virginia after…
January Editors' Roundtable: The Roanoke Times on PTSD and hard questions

January Editors’ Roundtable: The Roanoke Times on PTSD and hard questions

Our January Roundtable looks at “After the battle, Mike Sword’s war within,” by Beth Macy. In her story, Macy explores the death of a combat veteran in southern Virginia, tracing…
“Why’s this so good?” No. 29: Andrea Curtis and the rhythm of mercy

“Why’s this so good?” No. 29: Andrea Curtis and the rhythm of mercy

As a rule, I’m not one of those readers who flips ahead to the last few pages of an article or book before committing myself to reading it. I like…
Pamela Colloff on storytelling, justice and letting readers think for themselves

Pamela Colloff on storytelling, justice and letting readers think for themselves

Our latest Notable Narrative, the story of a mother convicted of killing her adopted son with salt, comes from Pamela Colloff of Texas Monthly.A two-time National Magazine Award finalist, Colloff…
Death by salt: Texas Monthly opens a case

Death by salt: Texas Monthly opens a case

In our latest Notable Narrative, “Hannah and Andrew,” Pamela Colloff recounts the story of a child and his adoptive mother, who was convicted of killing him by forcing him to…
“Why’s this so good?” No. 28: Vanessa Grigoriadis on Britney Spears

“Why’s this so good?” No. 28: Vanessa Grigoriadis on Britney Spears

There’s a video of Britney Spears shot in 2007, not long after Valentine’s Day. She’s pacing around a tattoo parlor, where she’s just gotten a pair of bright red lips…
"Watching the detectives" at the New Yorker Festival

"Watching the detectives" at the New Yorker Festival

We were sad to miss the New Yorker Festival a ways back, but have finally had a chance to look at some videos from the event, and wanted to deliver…
“Why’s this so good?” No. 27: Christopher Goffard tracks love in flight

“Why’s this so good?” No. 27: Christopher Goffard tracks love in flight

One drawer of my desk – the largest – contains a mound of stories, the best I’ve found in newspapers and magazines over the last 20 years. In addition, three or four…
Ben Montgomery on a cold case: building a story and taking names

Ben Montgomery on a cold case: building a story and taking names

This week’s Notable Narrative recounts the murder of Claude Neal by a lynch mob in 1934 and introduces his family, which has been waiting for decades for someone to name…