Author

Chip Scanlan

@chipscanlan

After two decades as an award-winning journalist, Chip Scanlan taught writing at The Poynter Institute from 1994-2009. His credits include The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post Magazine and The American Scholar; two essays were listed as notables in Best American Essays. He lives and writes in St. Petersburg, Florida, and publishes Chip’s Writing Lessons, a newsletter of tips and inspiration.

Reporting through privacy and pain to expose the scandal of Black amputations

Reporting through privacy and pain to expose the scandal of Black amputations

National Magazine Award winner Lizzie Presser documents the discrimination that leaves Black diabetes patients without easy and affordable care
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Chapter 3 probes the ethics and power of A.I.

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Chapter 3 probes the ethics and power of A.I.

The Jessica Simulation:Love and loss in the age of A.I.The death of the woman he loved was too much to bear. Could a mysterious website allow him to speak with…
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Chapter 2 unfurls an intimate chatbot conversation

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Chapter 2 unfurls an intimate chatbot conversation

The Jessica Simulation:Love and loss in the age of A.I.The death of the woman he loved was too much to bear. Could a mysterious website allow him to speak with…
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Jason Fagone follows the creation, life and death of a chatbot romance

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Jason Fagone follows the creation, life and death of a chatbot romance

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of three annotated chapters that follow a grieving man’s journey into artificial intelligence to reconnect with his dead lover, and find some peace. You…
A profile of Ahmaud Arbery reveals the dangers of "running while Black"

A profile of Ahmaud Arbery reveals the dangers of “running while Black”

Acclaimed author Mitchell S. Jackson won both Pulitzer and National Magazine awards for his edgy and intimate Runner's World story
Embedding with EMTs to write about the first line of COVID first responders

Embedding with EMTs to write about the first line of COVID first responders

Harried doctors and nurses, gowned in eerie layers, race to the call of codes. Hospital hallways overflow with the near-dead. Undertakers scramble to make space as body after body arrives,…
A narrative on the political divide reported from the inside-out

A narrative on the political divide reported from the inside-out

Jose A. Del Real of The Washington Post uses phone, email and texts to profile a family torn apart by conflicting beliefs in "facts"
How and why Katie Engelhart followed a woman's journey to her "final exit"

How and why Katie Engelhart followed a woman’s journey to her “final exit”

A California Sunday Magazine profile of a woman with dementia is included in Engelhart's new book on right-to-die issues
Reconstructing the tragedy of COVID from the epicenter of New York City's outbreak

Reconstructing the tragedy of COVID from the epicenter of New York City’s outbreak

One of the most heartbreaking realities of the coronavirus pandemic is particularly harsh: Patients usually die alone, separated from their loved ones with only a cellphone or iPad to say…
Reporting beyond the first headlines

Reporting beyond the first headlines

On August 23 of this year, Kenosha, Wisconsin, joined the litany of American cities beset by street protests in the wake of the police shooting of a Black man. In…