Author

Narrative reporting and the danger of the single story

Current Nieman fellow Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono recently pointed out this striking TED talk from July, in which Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks on the danger of letting one narrative define…
October 14, 2009
The future of print narratives

The future of print narratives

The following comments are taken from a talk given by Oregonian reporter Tom Hallman on September 25, 2009, at the American Association of Sunday and Feature editors. Hallman won the…
October 13, 2009

The story calling you: Todd Frankel connects with one St. Louis Cardinals fan

Some events cry out for narrative treatment. Take a look at this wire story about a St. Louis Cardinal fan injured in Pittsburgh and the assist he got from player…
October 12, 2009

Environmental narrative: from reindeer herders to sustainable prisons

Between following firefighters in Washington’s Methow Valley and the semi-nomadic Sami reindeer herders of Norway, Sara Joy Steele and Benjamin Drummond are putting together some innovative chapters in their large-scale…
October 11, 2009

Will KCET’s "Departures" set the pace for community storytelling?

Last week, the USC Annenberg School on Communications and the National Arts Journalism Program hosted a National Summit on Arts Journalism at USC, highlighting five public projects that are exploring new…
October 10, 2009

The best-kept secret on medical narratives

A doctor gets shingles and finds himself unable to refuse unnecessary tests. A student in need of a kidney transplant gets offers of marriage, with free health care attached. A…
October 8, 2009
Can ER teach us anything about medical news stories?

Can ER teach us anything about medical news stories?

Yesterday, The Harvard Crimson posted a fascinating article about the power of storytelling. Neal Baer, executive producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, spoke at a Radcliffe event titled “Telling…
October 7, 2009
Interview with Mary Gaitskill: lessons from "Lost Cat"

Interview with Mary Gaitskill: lessons from "Lost Cat"

Today we offer the second installment of a two-part look at narrative nonfiction from Granta’s summer issue. I spoke with author Mary Gaitskill about “Lost Cat,” her memoir on the…
October 6, 2009
Interview with Mitch Epstein: Images of “American Power”

Interview with Mitch Epstein: Images of “American Power”

In September, photographer Mitch Epstein spoke by phone with us about his project “American Power,” which was highlighted in Granta’s summer issue. Epstein has worked as a fine art photographer…
October 5, 2009
Picturing the cost of power

Picturing the cost of power

Mitch Epstein’s "American Power" depicts the landscape as political narrative. The American photographer, who has chronicled cultural complexities in India and Vietnam, now homes his camera in on dissonances within…
October 5, 2009