The writers of the classic 1980 comedy deconstruct their screenplay for New York magazine.
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Posted inAuthor Notes, Blog Post, Commentary, Discussions
In Praise of Public Pitching
I’ve always been fascinated by how narrative journalism gets commissioned, reported, and published–but the most perplexing part of the entire system is the continued power imbalance between writers and publishers. This imbalance persists in spite of the internet “democratizing” publishing. More digital publishers are embracing feature writing, but the process behind the scenes feels stuck in the past–a time-consuming marathon of […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Stephen Rodrick Returns Home to Flint
The human damage is incalculable. Think of a mother waking in the middle of the night to make formula for her baby girl and unwittingly using liquid death as a mixer. Lead poisoning stunts IQs in children, many of whom in Flint are already traumatized by poverty, arson and rampant gunfire outside their doors. And […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Planning for the Death of Parking in American Cities
In the latest issue of Mother Jones, Clive Thompson investigated how the rise of autonomous cars, and Americans’ desire to live in more walkable cities, will mean no longer having to set aside vast amounts of land for parking lots. Many articles have offered a utopian vision of our autonomous driving future, but what I particularly like […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Sarah Helm on ISIS in Gaza
His central point, however, is incontestable. ISIS is taking root in Gaza among its disillusioned youth; he might not be able to persuade his own students “to maintain peaceful methods,” Omar Hams said. “We are dealing with individual souls. Anyone oppressed can do anything. That is why I issue a warning: to end the suffering […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
How Two Enemies Shaped the Future of College Sports
Byers, who became the executive director of the N.C.A.A. in 1951 — a position he held for the next 37 years — transformed a toothless association into a powerful force that mirrored his own personality: secretive, despotic, stubborn and ruthless. He helped turn the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament into the financial windfall we now know […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Jia Tolentino Remembers the Books She Started and the Books She Shelved
“Editing is a fugue state; the time self-erases.”
Posted inBlog Post, Nonfiction
We Are All Compromised: The Access Game Isn’t Dead Yet
News organizations, credibility, and who gets the exclusive interview.
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Quotes, Unapologetic Women
Happy Birthday, Joan Didion
“I think we are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be.”
Posted inAuthor Notes, Blog Post, Commentary, Nonfiction
How Sarah Schweitzer Discovered the Story About a Boy Rescued from Near-Fatal Abuse
There are stories that creep up and remind us that there is no substitute in journalism for simply spending time with a subject. It’s a luxury many reporters don’t get, but what these stories reveal about the depth of humanity—the best and worst sides of it—make them so worth it. The Boston Globe’s Sarah Schweitzer […]