Ferns unfurling is an examples of the Golden mean — or theory of threes — in nature.

Personal Essays

A New York Times profile of a Ukrainian sniper confronts the “myth of a ‘good kill'”

February 23, 2024

Novelist and Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes on the moral dilemma revealed in a story by reporter and Afghanistan veteran Thomas Gibbons-Neff

Personal Essays

Not taking “no” for an answer

December 20, 2023

A freelancer persisted through multiple rejections and 17 edits to land an article in a favorite magazine

Personal Essays

Two Native American journalists talk turkey about Thanksgiving

November 23, 2023

University of Montana journalist Jason Begay, of the Navajo Nation, talks to Washington Post journalist Dana Hedgpeth, of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, about living with and correcting history

Personal Essays

A journalist’s journey into her family story leads to a history of American pie

November 22, 2023

Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle baked a humble dessert into a big idea

Personal Essays

When journalism is emptied of journalism

October 12, 2023

A career newspaperman warns of the dangers that come with viewing journalism and other creative work as "content"

Personal Essays

Four girls, 60 years, 11 students, 2,800 miles and a new awareness of history

September 15, 2023

A journalist-turned-teacher takes students on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail to explore the nation's challenges through a journalistic lens

Personal Essays

The (should-be-easy) interview a veteran interviewer couldn’t bring himself to do

July 28, 2023

A reporter sat with people in "the worst moments of their lives" but froze when it came time to talk to a famous writer

Personal Essays

What a prison writing program taught a professional writer from the inside out

July 20, 2023

Journalist and nonfiction author Lauren Kessler spent three years teaching — and learning from — men who wrote their stories behind bars

Personal Essays

“Star Trek” as a guide to sharing intimate, personal details

June 13, 2023

A PhD researcher in neuroscience finds a useful tool to decide when and how to use personal stories in her science writing

Personal Essays

What’s in a name? When it comes to podcasting, it can be confusing

April 14, 2023

A Canadian radio journalist fell in love with serial narrative podcasts, and is determined to help them find their known place at the storytelling table

Personal Essays

Getting out of your head ~ and out of the way of a true story

April 6, 2023

For the best stories in his career, a magazine writer had to pay attention to what the story was telling him — and sometimes take long walks

Personal Essays

Keeping it real in a news reporting class

February 28, 2023

A veteran newspaperman devotes a night of his reporting class to Title IX history, led by three women who fought for equal standing in sports journalism