How Two Lives Become Intertwined

The story of a woman who fell from Oakland Coliseum, and the man who saved her life.

Published: Feb 10, 2015
Length: 17 minutes (4,250 words)

The Public Life and Private Doubts of Al Sharpton

A profile of the carefully cultivated leader of the civil rights movement, and his path from boy preacher to fixture of the establishment.

Author: Eli Saslow
Source: Washington Post
Published: Feb 7, 2015
Length: 24 minutes (6,000 words)

Glamorous Crossing: How Pan Am Airways Dominated International Travel in the 1930s

Starting with just a mail route, Juan Terry Trippe helped create a uniquely American luxury experience.

Source: Longreads
Published: Feb 10, 2015
Length: 17 minutes (4,383 words)

Destination Whatever: Touring the Cruise Industry of the Caribbean

A look at the current cruise ship industry—where ships have grown so large that they have become destinations themselves—and the effect of these “floating cities” on their Caribbean ports of call.

Published: Dec 8, 2014
Length: 10 minutes (2,700 words)

The Rich Man’s Dropout Club

In 2010, billionaire investor Peter Thiel created a fellowship that awarded $100,000 to a select few young people to quit college and become entrepreneurs. The Chronicle spoke to nine fellows from the inaugural class to check on their progress.

Published: Feb 8, 2015
Length: 11 minutes (2,835 words)

How a Great American Theatrical Family Produced the 19th Century’s Most Notorious Assassin

The celebrated tragedians of the Booth family let Shakespeare’s themes seep into their own relationships. Hubris, glory, the legacy of a dead father, brotherly rivalry, and a powerful delusion led the family—and the nation—to catastrophe.

Source: Free Press
Published: Oct 1, 2010
Length: 44 minutes (11,244 words)

Why Your Instagram Nature Shot Is Breaking the Law

The feds are going to new lengths to protect national parks and wilderness areas from commercial photography—but what happens when the “commercial photographer” is an Instagram celebrity?

Source: Outside
Published: Feb 2, 2015
Length: 16 minutes (4,200 words)

Joni Mitchell, Unyielding

The singer sits down with a writer and has a frank conversation about her legacy.

Published: Feb 8, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,618 words)

The Billion-Dollar E-commerce Company You Know Nothing About

Zulily has defied the conventional wisdom—marketing to moms, sticking with flash sales, evading Amazon. But can it last?

Source: Fast Company
Published: Feb 6, 2015
Length: 22 minutes (5,670 words)

The Work of Inspiration: Five Pieces about Poetry

The best artists of any kind–poet, painter, performer–will inspire awe, not envy. They will make you want to make things of your own. When I’m feeling stuck, I’ll read about poets who inspire me/who are new to me, and today, I’ll share a few with you.

Source: Longreads
Published: Feb 8, 2015