This is a lovely series. We like the precision of the writing, the sensible yet sensitive attention to the protagonist’s complicated immigrant life. Persaud writes respectfully and with poise, never…

This is a courageous series. Sugg looks closely, with compassion and detachment, at a subject that is doubly difficult: death among children. We admired her unflinching yet sensitive examination of…

Okay, so this series isn’t strictly narrative. It’s an exploration, via deep-thinking scientists, of some of the big questions of human existence. But it uses an important element of narrative—a…

This piece goes to show that in skilled hands, a “how I got the story” narrative can beguile readers, making them willing to encounter difficult, and in this case obscure,…

We like the lead in this piece: It’s got nice detail and foreshadows death. Gurnett then reconstructs her main character’s suicide attempt. We’d like to propose that the piece would…

Seniesa Estrada and her father live in a gang-ridden, poor area of LA. When she’s eight, Seniesa decides she wants to box. It turns out she’s good at it—and that…

This piece is the work of a fine storyteller. We admire Fisher’s purposeful movement from one development to another while covering a slew of characters—often probingly, always with sensitivity and…

This is a moving story about guilt, responsibility, powerlessness—and caring. That this is a first-person account is not only unusual; it is essential to the story’s effectiveness. It makes for…

This is a thorough portrait of a man on trial for strange crimes. We like James’ blunt, unsentimental writing, with its telling, concrete detail. Read “Philip Schuth: The man behind…

This piece was among several for which Barry was a finalist for a 2006 Pulitzer Prize.We appreciated Barry’s reporting for irony and detail, a sort of writing that is hard…