Author

"As I wrote, I was also being written."

“As I wrote, I was also being written.”

Novelists often speak of their characters as real people. They are people who have lives that existed before the moment the novel begins and outside its frame, and who reveal…
June 28, 2019
An amputee runs a grueling ultra-marathon in the desert; a reporting team chases along

An amputee runs a grueling ultra-marathon in the desert; a reporting team chases along

Jeré Longman has almost always been a sports reporter. Aside from a few years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he covered Dallas Public Schools for the Dallas…
June 25, 2019
A literary take on a hole in the ground

A literary take on a hole in the ground

Faced with nonstop jackhammering, the steady growl and beep of dump trucks, and sickening spirals of dust, residents of a peaceful Manhattan neighborhood searched for ways to take action against…
June 19, 2019
"There are more what-ifs than there are stars in the sky."

“There are more what-ifs than there are stars in the sky.”

Jill Lepore is not a florid writer. No trickery with words. No embellishments to wow the reader. Rather, her writing typically demonstrates deep curiosity, methodical reporting, and clear connections. If…
June 14, 2019
A writer who cared enough to strap in; an editor who cared enough to show up

A writer who cared enough to strap in; an editor who cared enough to show up

EDITOR’S NOTE: It is not unusual these days to come across yet another announcement of the death of a notable journalist. Those who came into the profession during the heady…
June 14, 2019
A "book report" on The Mueller Report

A “book report” on The Mueller Report

Alexandra Petri EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mueller Report (capitalized by most news organizations, which is interesting unto itself) was released April 18, 2019 — almost two months ago. Also on April…
June 12, 2019
Rethinking how we see and understand news — and who frames it

Rethinking how we see and understand news — and who frames it

If you have taken a picture and shared it with no text, or studied a news image to see if it was “real,” or wondered if “photography” is an accurate…
June 7, 2019
Not just a guilty pleasure: "Game of Thrones" holds essential writing lessons

Not just a guilty pleasure: “Game of Thrones” holds essential writing lessons

Esteemed writing teacher Roy Peter Clark shares the 12 things he learned (or re-learned) about storytelling from the epic HBO series
June 5, 2019
A sex worker plunges to her death and a reporter demands to know: Who was she?

A sex worker plunges to her death and a reporter demands to know: Who was she?

Dan Barry led a team at The New York Times to uncover a name, a life history, and the sinister world of power and exploitation on 40th Road
June 4, 2019
Getting in the writing zone

Getting in the writing zone

A chronic reality of writing: It’s a struggle.Or so it often (always?) seems if you’re the writer. You aren’t sure whether your information is sound, where to start your story,…
May 31, 2019