One Great Moment

"Besides, there's more room ..."

“Besides, there’s more room …”

From a tribute by Mary Lou Logsdon, a spiritual advisor and writer in St. Paul, Minnesota, upon the death of a friend
"Go out, little book, into the world."

“Go out, little book, into the world.”

From an interview with author Margaret Atwood
... that he who does good ...

… that he who does good …

From the novel "North Woods" by Daniel Mason
"...last straws and camels' backs..."

“…last straws and camels’ backs…”

By Jacqui BanaszynskiClichés are to good writing as fill in your preferred cliché here.A student of mine once challenged that notion. She insisted that clichés are a good thing: They…
"History is a merciless judge."

“History is a merciless judge.”

—David Grann in his nonfiction book "Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Now is the winter ... "

“Now is the winter … “

By Jacqui BanaszynskiThat phrase has stayed with me for years, since I read John Steinbeck’s last novel, which was cited when the iconic 20th century author was awarded the 1962 Nobel…
"Are you writing this down?"

“Are you writing this down?”

By Polly Basore WenzlPicture a sandy-haired Dennis the Menace, 11 years old.He wandered into News Connect, the Wichita Journalism Collaborative’s pop-up newsroom, in the downtown library on a recent day.Our…
"... it's not terribly unusual to see grown men crying ..."

“… it’s not terribly unusual to see grown men crying …”

By Erik Ness Most streets worth walking — and bars worth drinking in — contain multitudes. Writers love to have choices. But with so many options available, the challenge becomes…
"...just how astonishing this particular moment really is."

“…just how astonishing this particular moment really is.”

By Jacqui BanaszynskiContext is a core to good reporting, especially when current events are informed by history, law, geopolitics, culture, economics or the many other things that complicate modern life.…
Divining the "fantastical sea creatures" on the political horizon

Divining the “fantastical sea creatures” on the political horizon

By Jacqui BanaszynskiYou don’t need insider access, aka paid subscriber status, to the news to overindulge in speculation about the possible indictment coming down from a Manhattan grand jury against…