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The Lord Hath No Mercy

By Notable Narratives July 7, 2006

This piece starts with a news-feature sort of lead, a focusing-in on one boy that is well-wrought and moving. Then comes a long, sweeping history, then a section of first-person reporting. We would have liked a reworking of structure—more of … Read more

Guarding the Truth

By Notable Narratives July 5, 2006

This fascinating piece is part historical narrative, part contemporary profile. From a craft point of view, we were interested in the challenge of portraying Margarete Barthel, the former SS guard, in ways that offer an authoritative "take" yet leave room … Read more

Letting Go: Dylan’s last days

By Notable Narratives June 26, 2006

We admired the balance in this piece of detachment and emotion, of distance and closeness. We appreciated the close attention to telling detail, action, gesture and also the willingness to frame the piece with more sweeping observations. This is not … Read more

The Saboteur and His Son

By Notable Narratives June 22, 2006

This is a story about the power of story and stories: the power of telling them, of withholding them; the weight they bear in families; the power they have to heal, bring resolution. In this story French writes about his … Read more

Crossing America

By Notable Narratives June 15, 2006

What stands out among all the lovely elements in this series is Tizon’s use of the first and second persons. Come join me on a journey, he says. And if you’ve just joined me, let me fill you in. In … Read more

Why We Should Care: Writing Well about Endangered Kids

By Story Craft June 7, 2006

Many—surprisingly, perhaps most—of the stories we read for this site are about, or involve, children we worry about: They're alone, ill, miseducated, lost in the system, abandoned or abused. Mark Kramer calls such pieces "endangered children" stories. They're attractive to newspaper writers because children are of universal concern to the community. Portray a child in a fix and everyone cares. But precisely because the dilemmas of children are emotionally fraught, writers run the risk of veering into mawkishness—a tack that's too easy and that often evades the social complications at the heart of any story. We asked Barry Siegel, director of the literary journalism program at UC Irvine, to offer some advice. Read more