Author

Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

Dan Zak of the Washington Post toured 800 miles of Iowa in five days to explore the real place behind the political headlines and cultural cliches
March 24, 2020
Calling out Olympic officials' past failures as coronavirus threatens the 2020 Games

Calling out Olympic officials’ past failures as coronavirus threatens the 2020 Games

Sally Jenkins has been writing for the sports section of the Washington Post going on 20 years. The Associated Press and the Society for Professional Journalists have named her the…
March 18, 2020
A war correspondent and mom faces new fears in the early days of coronavirus

A war correspondent and mom faces new fears in the early days of coronavirus

Coronavirus is no longer something happening somewhere else — no matter where you are — or something that will soon become yesterday’s news. As of this week, cases have been…
March 17, 2020
When a profile is also about art is also about climate change is also about grief

When a profile is also about art is also about climate change is also about grief

Julia Rosen has probed the myths of America’s deepest lake, looked down on Prince William Sound from a floatplane and joined a quest to scour the Bronx for jumping worms.…
March 12, 2020
Stories are read twice in readers' minds: Once for information, then for meaning

Stories are read twice in readers’ minds: Once for information, then for meaning

EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is published in partnership with the Poynter Institute.I have come to believe that all readers read all stories twice — all the time.The first reading comes…
March 11, 2020
Why storytelling can be more important — and sexier — than fishing and hunting

Why storytelling can be more important — and sexier — than fishing and hunting

Once upon a time, the sun and the moon — the man and the woman — had a quarrel over who was the strongest of the two, and whether one…
March 10, 2020
Coronavirus is a reminder of this universal lesson: No experience is ours until it is

Coronavirus is a reminder of this universal lesson: No experience is ours until it is

This column was originally published as an issue of Nieman Storyboard’s weekly newsletter. You can read back issues of the newsletter and subscribe here.We read most stories from a distance…
March 6, 2020
What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

Janica Johnson flipped her reporter’s notebook open to an empty page as she and her team prepared for an interview with Donna Shows, a cell biologist from the Benaroya Research…
February 28, 2020
How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

A veteran journalist discovers the role of story in America's prison system — and "human resilience and grace in the face of adversity"
February 25, 2020
The shift of "branches" in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

The shift of “branches” in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

A recent One Great Sentence post, about a line from Dan Zak’s essay for the Washington Post about the political culture of Iowa, inspired me to add a few thoughts.…
February 21, 2020