From the Editor

Word play: when clarity and creativity merge

Word play: when clarity and creativity merge

One of my engineer brothers often pesters me about the thicket that is the English language. Silent or paired letters that defy logic: psychic, knave, climb. Words that have letters…
Keeping faith in the face of unlearning

Keeping faith in the face of unlearning

A few days ago, I caught a Lyft to Sea-Tac Airport from my home in Seattle. The driver was originally from Eritrea, as are many of the taxi and share…
Beware the seduction of story frames: A cautionary tale

Beware the seduction of story frames: A cautionary tale

No surprise that the infamous slap during the March 27 Oscars was the talk of the press the next day, and the day after, and so many of the days…
Pre-reporting risk and consequence

Pre-reporting risk and consequence

My neighbors across the street always have a banner flying from their porch. Sometimes they are holiday related, but mostly the colors of various sports teams. Many…
Happy memories from Ukraine haunt as a new and brutal story unfolds

Happy memories from Ukraine haunt as a new and brutal story unfolds

Of the too-many horror stories coming out of Ukraine, I find myself stopped when I read yet another about a family that fled with nothing of their settled lives. Grab…
The education of a journalism contest judge

The education of a journalism contest judge

If you’ve never judged a journalism contest, I urge you to raise your hand. The work can be blistering: Dozens of stories to read, tight delivery deadlines, clumsy online access.…
A citizen-journalist's effort to follow events in Ukraine

A citizen-journalist’s effort to follow events in Ukraine

Time and attention in recent days have gone to friends and former students in Ukraine, asking what the rest of us, as journalists and citizens, should know, how best to…
The battle for Ukraine is also a battle for sustained attention

The battle for Ukraine is also a battle for sustained attention

EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay is excerpted from a Storyboard newsletter originally published Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 Just one day into the madness being visited upon Ukraine,…
Solstice stories

Solstice stories

Hanukkah came early this year. Christmas is on the near horizon, with Kwanzaa a day later. Other cultures have other traditions this time of year, some religious,…
The multiplier effect of one good teacher

The multiplier effect of one good teacher

You know those pin-dot graphics that the data dudes produce that show how things are both clustered and connected? Things like who uses Twitter, or COVID rates in red- and…