Why’s This So Good?

When Reuters, the venerable global news agency, hired narrative veteran Kari Howard to be its first Storytelling Editor, she brought three principles to guide reporters in the field: Examine closely.…

Tom Curwen’s new boots, size 17AAA, handmade by boot maker Randy MerrellThey say every good narrative is a journey.Los Angeles Times reporter Thomas Curwen starts his by looking down. Literally.…

When it came time to write about the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon, Charles P. Pierce jettisoned sentimentality like a booster rocket.The opening of Pierce’s July…

EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was shared, with thanks and permission, by our friends at The Poynter Institute.AUTHOR’S NOTE: American author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison died August 5, 2019, at…

Chuck Haga with his reading partner and story muse, granddaughter Emma. Haga says they have both aged since this picture was taken, but that Emma wears it better.EDITOR’S NOTE: Metrics…

 At first glance, it might seem an unlikely story from a veteran investigative reporter.  But it was those investigative instincts and skills that James Eli Shiffer used to report and…

The news that Herman Wouk, whose epic World War II novels kept him atop the best seller lists for much of his literary career, died May 17 at the age…

Ever since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign in the summer of 2015, I have grown accustomed to the constant drumbeat of stories that pose the same question: How can…

 For several years, I have been captivated by a porpoise. The cetacean in question is the vaquita, a Mexican marine mammal that is shy, adorable, and totally screwed. The reasons…

Dear Reader,As the holiday weekend approached, a newspaper friend asked me why, as editor of a community newspaper, I reprinted the editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” on…