Notable Narratives

A doc film that gently unspools surprises

Filmmaker Eloisa Diez follows a trans man's journey to create a family of his own ~ and confronts her own storytelling stereotypes

By Line Vaaben • March 17, 2023

Alex Reyes de Anda with his partner, Fernanda, after giving birth to his daughter, Victoria

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Story Craft

The making of a (born) journalist

Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame may have been hard-wired to be a reporter but he also worked hard at his craft

By Don Nelson • March 17, 2023

From the Editor

Writing without words

A watercolor workshop offers wisdom about the art and lifetime practice of storytelling in any form

By Jacqui Banaszynski • March 14, 2023

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Writing tips Freelancing The Pitch The Pivot Field Testing The Power of Narrative conference
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Personal Essays

Keeping it real in a news reporting class

By Howard Sinker
February 28, 2023

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

Personal Essays

The real “talent” behind great writing? Passion and practice

By Dale Keiger
January 4, 2023

A writer and editor challenges the notion of born talent, and argues that superior skills are earned through a drive to learn the craft and do the work

Personal Essays

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

By Dustin Renwick
November 25, 2022

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

Personal Essays

Two Native American journalists talk turkey about Thanksgiving

By Jason Begay
November 24, 2022

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

What empathy is, and isn’t, in journalism

By Lauren Kessler
November 18, 2022

An author who profiles sensitive subjects makes a case for "the journalism of empathy" and how to practice it

Personal Essays

What 8-year-olds can remind us about good writing

By Katharine Gammon
November 8, 2022

A journalist and mom goes to her son's third-grade class to teach writing ~ and instead becomes the grateful student

Personal Essays

What to do when you write the kinds of stories you find hard to read

By Lauren Kessler
September 20, 2022

A narrative journalist immersed in the tyranny of mass incarceration comes to terms with compassion fatigue, in her life and her writing

Personal Essays

Unlearning old-school lessons from a J-school education

By Lauren Kessler
August 11, 2022

An early-career experience taught a journalist that the people she writes about are more than cardboard cut-outs for her stories

Personal Essays

So you want to write a book? Brace yourself for some serious self-promotion and, yes, TikTok

By Lauren Kessler
July 13, 2022

First published in the wine-and-dine era, Lauren Kessler now manages a blog, Instagram account, YouTube videos and more to help market her books

Personal Essays

Lessons in good writing from the love of a good dog

By Wade Livingston
April 13, 2022

As a man grieves his dog, he argues that the best writing is as much about the feeling as it is about the words

Personal Essays

When feedback is a drag, and when it’s path forward

By Kristen Chin
March 11, 2022

An aspiring documentary filmmaker let her anxiety over "expert" feedback trip her up until she learned how to trust it — and herself

Personal Essays

Reading fiction through the filter of current events

By Jacqui Banaszynski
March 2, 2022

A half-line from Richard Powers' new novel, "Bewilderment," is about his fragile son and the fragile Earth and our fragile democracy

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