Author

Kari Howard

@karihow

I'm the woman who left a dream job as Column One editor at the Los Angeles Times because I wanted to move to Maine. Go figure how happiness works. Former editor of Nieman Storyboard. I love music almost as much as (and sometimes more than) beautiful storytelling, so expect to see that here too.

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”

Why is it so great? For Valentine’s Day, we had to go with One Great Sentence on love (even if the holiday makes you go harrumph). This one is a…

“For what are we without hope in our hearts / That someday we’ll drink from God’s blessed waters / And eat the fruit from the vine / I know love and fortune will be mine / Somewhere across the border.”

Why is it so great? Springsteen’s eternal theme of the runaway American dream runs through this song and the entire album it’s on, the Nebraska-esque “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”…

“He longed for a past as imagined as it was real.”

Why is it great? This story was part of the late writer’s Iraq coverage that won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. It captures Iraqis’ sense of loss in…

‘Tis.

Why is it so great? This is not only one of the best one-word sentences in a memoir, it’s also possibly the only one-word chapter in a memoir. And the…
Start 2018 out right with some literary journalism conferences and workshops

Start 2018 out right with some literary journalism conferences and workshops

The Power of Narrative: Telling True Stories in Turbulent TimesMarch 23-25Boston UniversityBoston, MassachusettsIt looks like the longest-running narrative journalism conference is making a point of spotlighting great female journalists and…

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice.”

This line comes from the last of Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” and it is a sometimes terrifying poem, full of fiery images like this striking one:The dove descending breaks the air…
Want to read some of the best literary journalism of 2017? We've got you covered

Want to read some of the best literary journalism of 2017? We’ve got you covered

A weekly roundup of some favorite things, for your reading and listening pleasure

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn’t show.”

Why is it great? A few weeks ago I went to an exhibit of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings in Seattle (a strange experience for someone who lives half an hour from…

“Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.”

Why is it great? This gorgeous definition of poetry could easily apply to literary journalism. Some of the best stories aren’t about something we’ve never heard of, but illuminates something…
The power of historical nonfiction: "Let me tell you what happened right on this spot a long time ago"

The power of historical nonfiction: “Let me tell you what happened right on this spot a long time ago”

A weekly roundup of some favorite things, for your reading and listening pleasure