books

Annotation: How to write a nuanced portrait of singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, 23 years after his death

Annotation: How to write a nuanced portrait of singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, 23 years after his death

Journalist Jamie Fisher interviews 140 people to get to the heart of an artist’s life in ‘Nobody Broke Your Heart’
What does it mean to fact-check a story?

What does it mean to fact-check a story?

Wudan Yan on the future of fact-checking in journalism. Plus: Advice for freelancing, and re-introducing yourself to your audience
Journalist Wudan Yan on the importance of fact-checking as ‘peer review’

Journalist Wudan Yan on the importance of fact-checking as ‘peer review’

The founder of the fact-checking agency Factual discusses how journalists can organize their reporting to work collaboratively with fact-checkers
The power of seeing potential: Three kinds of writing mentors

The power of seeing potential: Three kinds of writing mentors

How Pulitzer winner Miriam Pawel used archives and human-centered storytelling to retrace the epic journey of the University of California. Plus: National Book Award finalists and AI writer scams
Author and editor Sari Botton on giving yourself permission to write personal essays

Author and editor Sari Botton on giving yourself permission to write personal essays

The editor behind the popular newsletters Oldster and Memoir Land discusses her own journey to writing a memoir, and how journalists can find their voice
‘There is no good way to say this’

‘There is no good way to say this’

Author Yiyun Li reconsiders the language of loss. Plus: Drawing the line on ethical AI use
Annotation: Yiyun Li reconsiders the language of loss in her Pulitzer-winning memoir, ‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’

Annotation: Yiyun Li reconsiders the language of loss in her Pulitzer-winning memoir, ‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’

The acclaimed author discusses how words like “grief” fail when writing about the loss of her teenage son James
Navigating power and trust as a journalist

Navigating power and trust as a journalist

Shoshana Walter on writing about addiction and recovery. Plus: a visit to Portland's only magazine stand
Journalist Shoshana Walter on telling stories of addiction and recovery

Journalist Shoshana Walter on telling stories of addiction and recovery

The Pulitzer finalist and author of “Rehab: An American Scandal” talks about how she approaches human stories that spotlight injustice
Song Annotation: ‘Cold Missouri Waters’

Song Annotation: ‘Cold Missouri Waters’

In a song about a wildfire, songwriter James Keelaghan narrates a story that took Norman Maclean a whole book to tell