This is a portrait of elderly nuns and the work of David Snowdon, a professor of neurology who has enrolled the nuns in a study on aging. Through several nuns, Dunkel makes clear the remarkable contribution that the women are … Read more
We include this piece in part because of its strong authorial presence. Sedensky guides readers through his portrait of Fred Phelps with a firm hand. Here’s an example: “They’re not doing this to save you. They’re doing it to save … Read more
Xan Rice had recently met Martin Adler when Adler was shot and killed at a rally in Somalia. Four days later Rice offered this account. We liked the vivid photo-like description the piece begins with. We liked the tight structure: … Read more
This piece won an American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Distinguished Writing Award for Deadline Reporting. We admire the friendly, human voice, the determination to find a fresh way to describe the fury of a hurricane, the resultant evocative descriptions. Read more
We found this story difficult to read, for good reason; we squirmed with sympathy for Elias Fishburne, a man who is swept into the criminal justice system in a case of mistaken identity. Jones masterfully builds tension and sorrow for … Read more
DeGregory spent four months reporting this story about a 14-year-old girl, Lillie, her newborn son, Thomas, and the woman who takes her in, Amy. DeGregory’s structure is lucid, the scenes intimate. She shows once again her knack for highlighting small, … Read more
This piece starts with a news-feature sort of lead, a focusing-in on one boy that is well-wrought and moving. Then comes a long, sweeping history, then a section of first-person reporting. We would have liked a reworking of structure—more of … Read more
This fascinating piece is part historical narrative, part contemporary profile. From a craft point of view, we were interested in the challenge of portraying Margarete Barthel, the former SS guard, in ways that offer an authoritative "take" yet leave room … Read more
We admired the balance in this piece of detachment and emotion, of distance and closeness. We appreciated the close attention to telling detail, action, gesture and also the willingness to frame the piece with more sweeping observations. This is not … Read more
This is a story about the power of story and stories: the power of telling them, of withholding them; the weight they bear in families; the power they have to heal, bring resolution. In this story French writes about his … Read more
