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Hell and Back

By Notable Narratives November 10, 2006

Rose offers an insightful first-person account of his experience with mental illness. Memoirs of descents into internal hells are getting more common—and that seems like a good thing. They demystify and de-stigmatize what is still a fraught area. Rose happened … Read more

Odyssey of Healing

By Notable Narratives November 8, 2006

We appreciated, were even grateful for, Streeter’s exploration of moral and political context in this story. He might have tried to make this a piece about overcoming odds, about the generosity of Americans; instead he focused on the girl’s struggles, … Read more

The Daughter

By Notable Narratives November 8, 2006

Here’s what Erika Hayasaki wrote us when she sent this piece: "This is an example of going back after the news is ‘over’ and finding the richer story. I read the news story in the LA Times one morning. The … Read more

Making Up for Lost Time

By Notable Narratives November 5, 2006

This is a retrospective narrative, part history and part where-they-are-now. It’s an important and difficult story to tell. Difficult, it seems to us, because of its complexity and nuance. Mundy takes on both the task of filling us in on … Read more

The Lessons of the Father

By Notable Narratives October 25, 2006

We asked Swidey to tell us about his work on this story. Here’s what he e-mailed us: “I knew what I didn’t want to write: the birth-to-current-day profile of Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts governor and presidential hopeful. That had been … Read more

Endings

By Story Craft October 13, 2006

[Note: The following is an edited transcript from a talk at the 2001 Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. It first appeared in the Spring 2002 issue of Nieman Reports.] The ending is something special. The ending is the last word. Read more

The Last Best Hope

By Notable Narratives October 10, 2006

Kimber’s story about Tom Martin, a devoted detective, has a strong sense of direction—even though his piece is based on interview. We thought this piece a good example of writing a profile—as opposed to a true narrative—while avoiding a pitfall … Read more

The Growing Season

By Notable Narratives October 10, 2006

Born to an unwed mother, Frank Beazley was given up to an orphanage as a newborn. His difficult life rolled out from there. We appreciated the historical detail the series provides. Miller emphasizes Beazley’s resilience, generosity and optimism. These themes … Read more

A Life in the Balance

By Notable Narratives September 27, 2006

We have to admit that the topic of this story, its high drama, made us a bit wary. Still, the series is well worth reading because it is an engrossing tale. Rose’s pregnancy, it seems to us, makes the story: … Read more