Story Annotations

How to turn a theme and 900 words into sense-of-place poetry

How to turn a theme and 900 words into sense-of-place poetry

Kim Cross used smart pre-reporting, creative hustle and a night on a trampoline to find freedom in a reported essay about freedom
October 6, 2021
Chip Scanlan
Lane DeGregory: Intimate access to a Florida COVID-19 ward, with conditions

Lane DeGregory: Intimate access to a Florida COVID-19 ward, with conditions

The Pulitzer Prize winning reporter spent 18 months asking for access, 12 hours inside, and four days to deliver a take-you-there story
September 30, 2021
Bennet Goldstein
The New Yorker explores a dilemma in Ultra-Orthodox divorce: What about the children?

The New Yorker explores a dilemma in Ultra-Orthodox divorce: What about the children?

Writer Larissa MacFarquhar is drawn to stories that help her sort out issues that have no clear solutions
September 21, 2021
Carly Stern
Reporting through privacy and pain to expose the scandal of Black amputations

Reporting through privacy and pain to expose the scandal of Black amputations

National Magazine Award winner Lizzie Presser documents the discrimination that leaves Black diabetes patients without easy and affordable care
September 15, 2021
Chip Scanlan
An editor annotates her own column from 20 years ago about Sept. 11

An editor annotates her own column from 20 years ago about Sept. 11

On Saturday, the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, I was listening to coverage on NPR and wonder whether there was anything meaningful I could say on…
September 14, 2021
Lisa Grace Lednicer
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Chapter 3 probes the ethics and power of A.I.

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Chapter 3 probes the ethics and power of A.I.

The final chapter in Jason Fagone's profile of a chatbot romance leaves readers ponding the future role of artificial intelligence in our lives
September 2, 2021
Chip Scanlan
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Chapter 2 unfurls an intimate chatbot conversation

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Chapter 2 unfurls an intimate chatbot conversation

A three-part profile by Jason Fagone of the San Francisco Chronicle reveals the surprising depth of artificial intelligence
September 1, 2021
Chip Scanlan
"The Simulation of Jessica:" Jason Fagone follows the creation, life and death of a chatbot romance

“The Simulation of Jessica:” Jason Fagone follows the creation, life and death of a chatbot romance

The San Francisco Chronicle series uses authentic text exchanges to explore a relationship resurrected through artificial intelligence
August 31, 2021
Chip Scanlan

3 rejections before a successful pitch to ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network

How freelancer Max Blau persisted to land an investigative project fellowship, then a staff reporting position
August 18, 2021
Carly Stern
Tools from fiction build a sophisticated National Magazine Award feature finalist

Tools from fiction build a sophisticated National Magazine Award feature finalist

 Tamara Dean thinks a lot about the elements of story, whether she is writing for magazines such as The Progressive; essays for Orion or Creative Nonfiction; or a fictional short…
August 5, 2021
Madeline Bodin