The acclaimed author discusses how words like “grief” fail when writing about the loss of her teenage son James ...

When it comes to grieving, we are accustomed to speaking a common language. Li questions all of it, including the word “grief” itself, opting instead for the word “abyss.” “Grief has become a ...

The author of ‘A Marriage at Sea’ found her voice — and a deep archive of diaries, films, and interviews — to tell the true story of Maurice and Maralyn… ...

Interviewing for narrative is like hunting for something in a pitch-black warehouse with nothing more than a flashlight. It’s a good flashlight — with a head you can twist to change the shape and ...

One thing to remember amid all the accolades is that every award-winning story starts with a germ of an idea. How can we know where a story might take us unless we look for ourselves? This thought ...

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 ...

The news that Herman Wouk, whose epic World War II novels kept him atop the best seller lists for much of his literary career, died May 17 at the age of 103, led me back more than five decades, and to ...

The fall equinox takes the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere into official autumn tonight. There’s already been a dusting of snow in the high Cascades that rise just west of my cabin; the furnace, turned ...

This essay is adapted from Rick Meyer’s notes for a talk at the 2005 Nieman Narrative Editors’ Seminar. Rick’s presentation was paired with Laurie Hertzel’s talk on scenes. We probably ought to ...

In my office, I have a long table full of books that share a common theme: they’re all focused on the craft of storytelling and writing. I’ve turned to these craft books time and time again, and I ...

When I first came across Katherine Boo’s work in journalism school, I was immediately taken with her ability to expose injustice while weaving gorgeous narratives. I carved up her stories in The ...

Seven years ago, David Grann found himself staring at a faded journal in a digital archive. It belonged to John Byron, grandfather of the poet Lord Byron, and documented his journey as a midshipman on ...