One Great Sentence

“There are more what-ifs than there are stars in the sky.”

New Yorker writer Jill Lepore, in a profile of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

By Jacqui Banaszynski • June 14, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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Narrative News

A writer who cared enough to strap in; an editor who cared enough to show up

Tommy Tomlinson pays tribute to Charlotte Observer editor Frank Barrows

By Tommy Tomlinson • June 13, 2019

Annotation Tuesday!

A “book report” on The Mueller Report

A high school English teacher grades Washington Post Alexandra Petri's column on one of the most important documents of our times

By Jennifer Hager • June 11, 2019

Featured Contributors

Katia Savchuk

Julia Shipley

Tom Warhover

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Featured topics

Investigative Reporting Short Narratives Tom Junod Poverty Narrative Journalism
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Story Craft

Roy Peter Clark on the search for the “embedded narrative”

By Roy Peter Clark
May 21, 2019

How to find a compelling storyline in arts coverage — or any beat topic

Story Craft

Foreshadow forward; echo back

By Ben Yagoda
May 2, 2019

The art of the "callback" in comedy, film, literature and journalism: When repetition isn't redundancy, but theme and structure

Story Craft

A young journalist is inspired by fickle spring weather (and an old newspaper story)

By Kelley Benham French and Ken Fuson
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How a 300-word assignment, and a quick read of Ken Fuson's "What a Day!" from 1995, was channeled into a nonfiction prose poem

Story Craft

Learning from what seem the unkindest cuts

By Caren Chesler
April 23, 2019

A science journalist comes to terms with what is lost — and not — when favorite passages are edited out of her long-form story

Story Craft

Hitting home runs with story pitches

By Jacqui Banaszynski
April 5, 2019

Agents and editors at the 2019 Power of Narrative conference lob feedback and advice in a live pitch session

Story Craft

Probing dark corners and dark souls

By Julia Shipley
April 5, 2019

The risks and rewards of covering society's monsters: Insights from the 2019 Power of Narrative conference

Story Craft

Ripping up the narrative arc and fumbling your way to structure

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April 3, 2019

2019 Power of Narrative: Dave Cullen on how he wove time and perspectives to tell a fuller story of the Columbine High School shootings

Narrative News

High notes from the keynotes

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March 29, 2019

Quick hits from featured speakers at the 2019 Power of Narrative Conference

Story Craft

Golden nuggets from the rich river of narrative nonfiction

By Caren Chesler, Jill U. Adams and Madeline Bodin
March 28, 2019

Big Ideas from small sessions at the 2019 Power of Narrative Conference

Story Craft

Can a soundtrack ease you through a story?

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February 21, 2019

A veteran journalist tuned into music to turn on her writing

Story Craft

Forget the chocolates. Tell a story instead

By Jacqui Banaszynski
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A Valentine's Day sampler of non-cliche love stories

Story Craft

More on nut grafs: A sweet addendum

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Nuts need not be tough or bitter, but should match stories in size and tone

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