Author

Madeline Bodin

@MadelineBodin

Madeline Bodin is a freelance environmental and science journalist who is based in Vermont, but will travel just about anywhere for a good story.

Sage writing advice from the editor of Column One

Sage writing advice from the editor of Column One

“If you know what you want to say, you’ll figure out how to say it.”That’s what Steve Padilla, editor of Column One at the Los Angeles Times, told a virtual…
June 9, 2021
The power and purpose of a writer's voice

The power and purpose of a writer’s voice

Are you wondering how you can break out of writing brief news items into writing longer, more engaging narrative articles? Mark Kramer, the founding director of the Power of Narrative…
March 30, 2021
Sharpen your narrative journalism skills in 2021 at these writers’ conferences

Sharpen your narrative journalism skills in 2021 at these writers’ conferences

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was updated on June 1, 2021, with new information. Changes or additions are highlighted.If you’re feeling stalled and rusty in your writing, you’re far from alone.…
February 17, 2021
Rewriting the "hero's journey" to fit a feminine narrative

Rewriting the “hero’s journey” to fit a feminine narrative

A writer on a hunt to understand classic story structure ponders politics, movies and her grandmother's life, and searches for a journey of their own
August 19, 2020
"His conversation is so delightfully sauced ..."

“His conversation is so delightfully sauced …”

It was the verb in this sentence in “Braiding Sweetgrass,” a reissued book of nature essays by Robin Wall Kimmerer, that captivated me. It’s a strong, active verb, so the sentence leaps where similar descriptions stroll. The…
July 1, 2020
The route to a Pulitzer in opinion writing: rigorous reporting

The route to a Pulitzer in opinion writing: rigorous reporting

It’s unlikely there was much money riding on Jeff Gerritt to win the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing. His newspaper, the Palestine Herald-Press in Texas is tiny: daily circulation…
June 24, 2020
High notes from the keynotes

High notes from the keynotes

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2o19 Power of Narrative conference at Boston University was a full immersion into the craft, challenges and characters of story work. We are scrambling to mine as…
March 29, 2019
Golden nuggets from the rich river of narrative nonfiction

Golden nuggets from the rich river of narrative nonfiction

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2o19 Power of Narrative conference at Boston University was a full immersion into the craft, challenges and characters of story work. We are scrambling to mine as…
March 28, 2019
The Sixth Cactus: When green becomes so much more than green

The Sixth Cactus: When green becomes so much more than green

Editor’s note: This is another in our Shop Class series. The goal is to break down the work that goes into creating stories, and offer prompts, suggestions or exercises to help you…
January 9, 2019
Divining the true source of stories

Divining the true source of stories

 The tap water in Flint, Michigan, went bad more than four years ago, when the budget-strapped city stopped drawing its water from Lake Huron and the Detroit River and switched…
October 11, 2018