Story Craft

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
5 Tips for Journalists Covering Mental and Behavioral Health

5 Tips for Journalists Covering Mental and Behavioral Health

Reporters too often fall back on dated stereotypes, distort the nature of illnesses and recovery and rely on shaky sources, speakers at workshop say
January 18, 2018
Katia Savchuk
Start 2018 out right with some literary journalism conferences and workshops

Start 2018 out right with some literary journalism conferences and workshops

The Power of Narrative: Telling True Stories in Turbulent TimesMarch 23-25Boston UniversityBoston, MassachusettsIt looks like the longest-running narrative journalism conference is making a point of spotlighting great female journalists and…
January 4, 2018
Kari Howard
Poetry finds a (calming) home in the hurly-burly of 21st century New York

Poetry finds a (calming) home in the hurly-burly of 21st century New York

The Poets House is a hidden literary gem in the city where an "old-fashioned" art and nonfiction thrive — and marginalized voices can learn to freely speak
December 7, 2017
Jasmine Bager
Finding lessons for literary journalism in the poetry of Rust Belt chronicler Phil Levine

Finding lessons for literary journalism in the poetry of Rust Belt chronicler Phil Levine

His poems about his hometown, Detroit, were almost cinematic in a precision of detail that would embarrass the most economic writer
December 5, 2017
Thomas Curwen
Documentary film as "home movie": Going beyond a public face to reveal a private one

Documentary film as “home movie”: Going beyond a public face to reveal a private one

Two films at the Camden International Film Festival in midcoast Maine explore universal truths through the intimacy of family -- with love, and with shame
September 19, 2017
Kari Howard
How a midcareer print writer mastered the "magic stick" in a 9-week radio Hogwarts

How a midcareer print writer mastered the “magic stick” in a 9-week radio Hogwarts

Nearly two years ago, I was one of dozens of Los Angeles Times reporters who took a buyout and left the paper. I liked my job almost all the time.…
August 8, 2017
Lee Romney
Katherine Boo's 15 rules for narrative nonfiction — now this is a "must-read"

Katherine Boo’s 15 rules for narrative nonfiction — now this is a “must-read”

At the Mayborn Conference for storytellers, the Pulitzer winner warns against falling in love with the craft too much, and says that “getting it right matters way more than whether…
July 25, 2017
Katia Savchuk
In a South African cookbook-memory book, recapturing a life that was lost to apartheid

In a South African cookbook-memory book, recapturing a life that was lost to apartheid

"Huis Kombuis" offers an old-fashioned spin on multimedia storytelling: a collective memoir with lovingly hand-stitched recipes honoring a demolished neighborhood -- and a past that couldn't be destroyed
July 20, 2017
Heather Richie