Author

Jacqui Banaszynski

@JacquiB

Jacqui Banaszynski retired as the endowed Knight Chair in Editing at the Missouri School of Journalism in 2017, is editor at Nieman Storyboard, and a faculty fellow at the Poynter Institute. She won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for “AIDS in the Heartland,” a series about a gay farm couple facing AIDS, and was a finalist for the 1986 Pulitzer in international reporting for her account of the sub-Saharan famine.

How audience can guide your writing

How audience can guide your writing

The editor and a friend engage in a respectful debate about who they think of when they write
"Go out, little book, into the world."

“Go out, little book, into the world.”

From an interview with author Margaret Atwood
The demands on story craft in crucible times

The demands on story craft in crucible times

The editor reflects on the need for the best of journalism in a fraught news environment — and the forces working against it
An imprint of journalistic values

An imprint of journalistic values

The editor reflects on the lifelong lessons learned at a special time in a special newsroom
Finding pockets of joy in the job

Finding pockets of joy in the job

The editor ponders how to support a frustrated young colleague who is discouraged by talk of industry decline
When the story passion burns bright

When the story passion burns bright

A visit from a younger writer reminds the editor of the joys and challenges of being immersed in "full story"
What fractals — and obituaries — can teach us about writing

What fractals — and obituaries — can teach us about writing

The editor muses on writing "life stories" on the occasion of someone's death, and what it reveals about the layers of authentic storytelling
... that he who does good ...

… that he who does good …

From the novel "North Woods" by Daniel Mason
When the structure makes the story

When the structure makes the story

The editor muses on the difference in story craft between prosecution and defense in the Trump hush-money trial
Remembering Memorial Day ~ and the sparks of fresh stories

Remembering Memorial Day ~ and the sparks of fresh stories

The editor urges a consideration of anniversary and holiday events as doorways to original story work