Clik here to view.
Nut grafs: Triptych III ~ Sex, Springsteen and late-night rambles
EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week and this, we’re offering support to editors and educators for how to guide writers through an effective nut graf — however you spell it and whatever you call it. Go to the...
View Article50 shades of nuance in a polarized world
As a columnist and a memoir writer, a fundamental question I confront when I begin a piece is this: Do I view and portray this topic as black-and-white, or do I allow for 50 shades of gray? The fact...
View Article“That’s what writing is, after all the nonsense…”
Some book purists may cringe at this, but one test of a great book, to me, is how many pages are dogeared by the time I finish. Those are the ones I tuck on a shelf, reluctant to take them to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Immersing into the lives of children damaged by gun violence, and laws that...
For the past five years, John Woodrow Cox has worked to master the art of helping children talk about a fraught but rarely covered subject — the long-term physical and psychological effects of being...
View Article#7 rule of pitching: Prove your skills and your passion
Throughout my newspaper career, some of the best writing I ever read could be found in contest entry letters. Those brag pages also could carry some wince-worthy writing, especially, it seemed, when...
View ArticleStumbling into a social media community
A few words on social media. I’m not going to get mired in the meta-mess that is Meta, the New&Never Improved Facebook. That’s well-trod territory. I admire and envy friends — known and cyber — who...
View Article“It smelled like margarine and white bread, marriage and cramped flats.”
Writing, at its best, is a visual art. It makes readers see. It paints scenes and action and characters in their minds. Brain science studies indicate that people actually hear when they read, which...
View ArticleEditing advice from the world’s best story critic: a child
I had an exchange the other night with my 4 ½-year-old daughter about what qualifies as a story. Who knew one of the joys of parenthood would be to see your child’s sense of narrative emerge? *** It...
View ArticleThe spiraling nature of news
The news just never takes a rest, does it? Or maybe it’s a variation on the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, aka frequency bias: Once you’ve tapped into a certain story, related stories or follow-ups catch...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nerding out on big weather, a big lake and and a little Gordon Lightfoot
First, let’s get this out of the way: Rumors of Gordon Lightfoot’s death, which have circulated on social media for 20 years now, continue to be premature. Apparently the Canadian balladeer, who turned...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A profile of one family divided by vaccine politics reflects the divide of a...
With Thanksgiving upon us, families across America will gather around tables laden with roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Or not. During the Trump era, squabbles over politics disrupted a holiday that is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Native American journalists talk turkey about Thanksgiving
It happens enough in my life that I have become self-conscious when people ask if I celebrate Thanksgiving. I don’t mind the question. I only wish I had a more interesting answer. Growing up, my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A journalist’s journey into her family story leads to a history of American pie
One Saturday morning several years ago, during a substantial storm, my friend and I parted the drapes to enter the sanctuary of a warm restaurant. Snow squeaked behind us as the door to the temporary...
View ArticleHow to tell a good story, by Stephen Sondheim: Hummable helps
It would be repetitive, at this point, to add yet one more tribute to Stephen Sondheim. For 50 years, he reigned supreme as a Broadway lyricist and mentor, giving us characters and tunes and metaphors...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reporting the untold tales of executioners’ songs
In 1994, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun reversed his long-held, if ambivalent, support of the constitutionality of capital punishment. In an emotional dissent, the 85-year-old justice...
View ArticleWriting that dares to sing
In the mood for a musical interlude — one that doesn’t involve the endless loop of holiday classics? Consider “The Beatles: Get Back,” running now on Disney+. (Don’t have Disney+? Find a friend or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How an “immersionist” held up the story of one homeless child as “a mirror to...
Ask Andrea Elliott a question and it’s not surprising that she has a tough time being succinct in her answers. “Of course I do…I’m a long-form journalist.” By anyone’s definition, that description is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The multiplier effect of one good teacher
You know those pin-dot graphics that the data dudes produce that show how things are both clustered and connected? Things like who uses Twitter, or COVID rates in red- and blue-voting districts. This...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tempted to self-publish that book? Here are some things to know
Many — maybe most — journalists aspire to write a book. Back in the day, more than a few of them had a work-in-progress hidden in the bottom drawer of their desk. Newsroom sightings put the wannabes at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“… sequestered neighborhoods and old hates that die hard or leave a residue …”
News that the United States now counts 800,000-plus deaths from COVID-19 — more than reported in any country in the world — made headlines earlier this week. The worldwide number of reported deaths was...
View Article