Story Craft

Letter from Sing Sing: Writing from inside

Letter from Sing Sing: Writing from inside

A convicted murderer shares what he learned about writing, and what writing taught him about himself and about the power of true stories
August 9, 2018
John J. Lennon
Learning to read: The daily news as information and inspiration

Learning to read: The daily news as information and inspiration

Editor’s note: Our third Shop Class – part of our Story Craft posts – grew out of breaking news stories and blogs that offer rich lessons on how to do the…
July 27, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Learning to see: A landscape of ice, a blind boy's eyes, a grizzly bear and a wall stain

Learning to see: A landscape of ice, a blind boy’s eyes, a grizzly bear and a wall stain

How writers use color to develop metaphor, meaning and emotion
July 25, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Learning to see beyond first sight

Learning to see beyond first sight

Editor’s note: We are trying out a new feature. Call it writing practice (with a nod to Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones,” where I first encountered the term). Or…
June 28, 2018
Jacqui Banaszynski
Steve Almond and "Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to Our Country"

Steve Almond and “Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to Our Country”

In a collection of essays, the writer argues that stories matter, and bad stories lead to bad outcomes
May 3, 2018
Christine Mungai
Five immersive photographers share their experiences on gaining trust

Five immersive photographers share their experiences on gaining trust

How do they gain access to private, and often painful, lives? “Consider what you’re asking of people. Sometimes it just takes time and patience.”
April 19, 2018
John Happel
The New Yorker's "Lost Giant of American Literature" and the prism of race

The New Yorker’s “Lost Giant of American Literature” and the prism of race

In both the first novel by William Melvin Kelley and recent article by Kathryn Schulz, the story of blacks is told by whites
April 5, 2018
Ebonye Gussine Wilkins
In Sicily, an old oral storytelling tradition tries to renew itself in the 21st century

In Sicily, an old oral storytelling tradition tries to renew itself in the 21st century

The once-popular puppet shows, which showcase the Italian island's rich heritage, hopes to win new audiences with modern themes
March 22, 2018
Stefania D'Ignoti
The evolution of wartime journalists in Syria: from activists to reporters

The evolution of wartime journalists in Syria: from activists to reporters

Six years ago, the staff of Enab Baladi bore (angry) witness to the devastation of their communities; today, they cover stories the international media can't
January 25, 2018
Abby Sewell
As Saudi Arabia modernizes, an expat child of its "Little America" creates a time capsule

As Saudi Arabia modernizes, an expat child of its “Little America” creates a time capsule

In "Aramco: Above the Oil Fields," photographer Ayesha Malik finds the beautiful in the ordinary of its past -- and present
January 23, 2018
Jasmine Bager