publishing

‘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
August 21, 2026
Mark Armstrong
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
August 20, 2026
Mallary Tenore Tarpley
The Nieman Storyboard podcast returns with Pamela Colloff

The Nieman Storyboard podcast returns with Pamela Colloff

The author of “Catch the Devil” on criminal justice reporting and keeping readers hooked. Plus: Ellie Silverman finds the true story behind a now-viral photo
July 17, 2026
Mark Armstrong
How Pamela Colloff wrote her first book, about a con artist turned jailhouse informant

How Pamela Colloff wrote her first book, about a con artist turned jailhouse informant

The award-winning journalist discusses her new book, ‘Catch the Devil,’ for the Season Two premiere of the Nieman Storyboard podcast
July 17, 2026
Mark Armstrong
Inside an award-winning book proposal

Inside an award-winning book proposal

Plus: Lessons from an author after the book comes out, and tell us your favorite stories in song
June 12, 2026
Mark Armstrong
Annotation: The award-winning book proposal that became Lorraine Boissoneault's ‘Body Weather’

Annotation: The award-winning book proposal that became Lorraine Boissoneault’s ‘Body Weather’

Boissoneault, whose proposal won the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award in 2024, breaks down how she wrote it
June 10, 2026
Erika Hayasaki
Summer inspiration for journalists and writers

Summer inspiration for journalists and writers

Plus: Season Two of Nieman Storyboard’s podcast is coming soon, and is an MFA worth it?
June 5, 2026
Mark Armstrong
Scenes from National Magazine Award winners

Scenes from National Magazine Award winners

Plus: More AI cautionary tales, how to create a book X-ray, and a Nieman Fellow's new book on writing
May 22, 2026
Mark Armstrong
Finding the narrative in small-town libraries and bars: How Keith O’Brien told the origin story of Larry Bird

Finding the narrative in small-town libraries and bars: How Keith O’Brien told the origin story of Larry Bird

For his book “Heartland,” O’Brien visited the basketball legend’s hometown in French Lick, Indiana, to uncover a story never told
May 14, 2026
Emilia Wisniewski
Tell us your best advice for journalists in the current moment

Tell us your best advice for journalists in the current moment

Plus: Poynter and Headliner awards, a guide to reported and braided essays, and a history of The New Yorker's short stories
May 1, 2026
Mark Armstrong