"I’ve turned to these craft books time and time again, and I never seem to outgrow them."

"What appear to be constraints actually open up the piece to immense creativity."

"You think that you know what your story is, and you want them to speak to this, but they go over here to some other place entirely. Let it happen."

"I’m used to convincing my subjects that their quiet lives are shimmering and gorgeous and worth talking about, but it’s been harder to convince myself of that about my own."

“I still very much believe it’s possible to open people’s hearts and minds through personal writing. And I find the identification that takes place between writer and reader to be incredibly valuable.”

"For larger pieces I abide by the index-card method. After I’m done reporting I start jotting down every scene I’ve got, every description I have, every person I’ve interviewed, every point I want to make, onto a series of cards and lay them out on the floor."

"He pushed us to find the universal meaning in our stories. … Over the years, I’ve come to think about universal meaning in existential terms. It’s the feeling that underlies everything about why we tell, read, think, and live by stories. Who are we and why?" niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/s...

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: @tromano.bsky.social in conversation with Burkhard Bilger, plus: Dana Hedgpeth & Sari Horwitz, @saribotton.bsky.social, @gretarainbow.com, and Erika Hayasaki pays tribute to Richard Kipling. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/s...

“I'm a throwback. I think I'm kind of more in the mold of Joseph Mitchell, or one of the older music writers who would find odd corners of American culture and write about them.” @tromano.bsky.social in conversation with Burkhard Bilger. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/b...

Journalists, authors, producers, filmmakers, and Nieman Storyboard readers share more than 40 books that inspire their work. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/04/17/n... #longreads #podcasts #booksky

"I'm a parent and I think there's something universal to the story about just asking … what would you do for your kids?"

From the Nieman Storyboard archives: Lessons from the writing of Susan Orlean niemanstoryboard.org/tag/susan-or...

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Featuring @claudiarowe.bsky.social, @somers.bsky.social, @sarafredman.bsky.social, @bartona104.bsky.social, @jatomic.bsky.social, @audioflux.bsky.social, @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social, Tat Bellamy-Walker... niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/24/s...

"One task of the first paragraph is to signal to readers what kind of piece they’re getting into—its style, mood, reportorial approach, and so on — not just what kind of subject matter will be addressed."

"It's rare for an editor and reporter to have such a long-lasting collaboration across multiple publications. And for many journalists and freelancers working in the creator economy, it feels like a luxury to have an editor at all."

What a pleasure to be interviewed about WARDS OF THE STATE by a master of the craft. Thank you @markarms.bsky.social and @niemanstoryboard.org!

On this week's @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, I spoke with @claudiarowe.bsky.social, author of “Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care,” which has been named a finalist for the 2025 National Book Awards. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/23/n... @nationalbook.bsky.social #booksky

"I’m used to convincing my subjects that their quiet lives are shimmering and gorgeous and worth talking about, but it’s been harder to convince myself of that about my own. Yet here I am. This is my story; please listen." — @susanorlean.bsky.social

"The trick — and of course, it is not a trick — is to choose and use just what is needed to paint a picture and pull readers into the moment. Too little and the picture is fuzzy or incomplete or, worse, confusing. Too much and the reader is overwhelmed."

"I'm not saying we have to be pack rats. But to just throw away words that you've written — or for me, sometimes it's even concert stuff, or photos from old phones — I mean, I'm worth keeping." — @danyelsmith.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/09/d...

A fantastic Carly Stern conversation with @shoeleatherkate.bsky.social at @niemanstoryboard.org, about covering trans issues and not burning yourself out as a journalist.

“As a trans person, I have to write news that makes me want to get up in the morning … stories that are more constructive than just, ‘Here's another thing that has been taken away from you.’” — Kate Sosin of @19thnews.org niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/17/j...

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Featuring @susanorlean.bsky.social & @manjula.bsky.social, Kate Sosin of @19thnews.org, @bittersouth.bsky.social, @aaroncalafato.bsky.social ... niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/17/s... #journalism #longreads #booksky #podcasts

A generous shout-out of the new season of Hush in @niemanstoryboard.org!

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Featuring @cmtapper.bsky.social with @danyelsmith.bsky.social, @mallarytenore.bsky.social, @nationalbook.bsky.social, @texasmonthly.bsky.social, and @leahsottile.bsky.social @ryanjhaas.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/10/y... #longreads

had a nerdy emo convo with the amazing @cmtapper.bsky.social for the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast. we got into journeys of self-worth, my lifelong journaling practice, stories within stories, editing, as well as Sade, Whitney, SZA, and the power of the word, "I" niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/09/d...

This week's @niemanstoryboard.org podcast features @cmtapper.bsky.social's moving and heartfelt conversation with @danyelsmith.bsky.social, about building the confidence to tell your own story. Give it a listen. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/09/d... #booksky #podcasts #longreads

I wasn't aware of Mark's Storyboard newsletter (a pub of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism @ Harvard) but the links are so good, especially a piece by Lauren Kessler on reporting and writing scenes. Honored to have a shoutout from Carly Stern about my craft essay for Lit Hub. tinyurl.com/bdef6mh2

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Featuring @kerryhowley.bsky.social @nymag.com, Kari Howard, @miasato.bsky.social, @karenpalmer.bsky.social, @brendanomeara.bsky.social, Justin Heckert. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/03/s... #journalism #longreads #storytelling #booksky

The International Women’s Media Foundation has announced the 2025 Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism grantees. Howard, former @niemanstoryboard.org editor, championed ambitious storytelling — and this year’s winners carry that legacy forward. Read more about the grantees:

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: @michaelkruse.bsky.social and Bill Duryea on a 16-year partnership, plus @lillydancyger.bsky.social, @danwilsonmusic.bsky.social, @hco96.bsky.social, and Alice Driver. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/26/e... #longreads #journalism #booksky

"Michael and I probably both subscribe to the theory that 90 percent of life, and reporting, is just showing up.” At our sister publication @niemanstoryboard.org, @michaelkruse.bsky.social and his longtime editor, Bill Duryea, reflect on a 16-year partnership. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/26/e...

This week on the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, I was thrilled to talk with @michaelkruse.bsky.social and his longtime editor, Bill Duryea, about editor-reporter relationships and their 16-year collaboration at the @tampabaytimes.bsky.social and @politico.com. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/25/m...

Did @markarms.bsky.social's @niemanstoryboard.org podcast with Bill.

"Like so many journalists, Megan Greenwell resisted inserting herself into the story that would ultimately shape her career. But the plot came to her." @greenwell.bsky.social

"I'm a parent and I think there's something universal to the story about just asking … what would you do for your kids?" niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/11/n... #podcasts #longreads #journalism #storytelling

"I knew I needed people who readers were going to want to spend a lot of time with. I had three characters in the proposal but four in the book. One from the proposal ended up in the book." @greenwell.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/19/f... #longreads #booksky #journalism

A lot of people have seized on how much work it took to find my four BAD COMPANY protagonists, so it was fun to talk to @niemanstoryboard.org about it. imo narrative work absolutely requires putting in the effort/time to find the right characters. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/19/m...

My Friday @niemanstoryboard.org newsletter: @greenwell.bsky.social on finding your book's main characters + @mdbell79.bsky.social on dialogue, @skyepillsbury.com talks to @kalilaholt.bsky.social about "Heavyweight"'s return. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/19/f... #booksky #longreads #podcasts

This @niemanstoryboard.org interview/annotation was one of the most fun I've done. The Q&A is mostly nuts and bolts about how I actually wrote a book, while the annotation is for the craft nerds. 🤩 I think there's a lot in here for aspiring narrative nonfiction writers!

At @niemanstoryboard.org, thrilled to feature a conversation + annotated book chapter from @greenwell.bsky.social's “Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream.” By Carly Stern. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/19/m... #booksky #longreads

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Interactive storytelling with @newyorker.com's Sam Wolson, plus @phillymag.com on 50 years of "Fresh Air," @tommytomlinson.bsky.social, @columjournreview.bsky.social, @transom.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/12/t... #longreads #journalism

This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...

For the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, here's my conversation with Sam Wolson, the Interactives Visual Features Editor for @newyorker.com, who produced a moving interactive story about a mother and her trans teenager. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/11/n... #longreads #podcasts

Today at @niemanstoryboard.org, @tromano.bsky.social sits down with @jasonkpargin.bsky.social about his TikTok storytelling evolution. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/04/c...

I love this from Danish journalist Line Vaaben, via @niemanstoryboard.org:

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org — ten storytelling moments from the summer. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/08/29/1... #journalism #reporting #booksky #longreads #podcasts

When I come across a conversation this exciting, I wish I were still teaching so I could share it with students. While listening to @niemanstoryboard.org podcast with author Dana A. Williams and Storyboard contributor Christina M. Tapper, I ordered Toni at Random from my local bookstore.

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: #podcasts #journalism #longreads #booksky niemanstoryboard.org/2025/08/15/r...

For this week's @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, I spoke with @mallarytenore.bsky.social about her excellent new reported memoir, “Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery.” Lots of lessons about resisting tidy narratives when telling stories. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/08/14/m...