The award-winning journalist behind The Reported Essay newsletter on writing, reading, and making connections.
Writing
Posted inEditor's Pick
Behind His Great Novels, an Unbearable Family Secret
“The Irish author Sebastian Barry has made a career of mining his family history. But he kept one story buried.”
Posted inFeature
Making Meaning, One Step at a Time: A Conversation with Earl Swift
Strong pacing and flow gets your reader to the finish line. The author of Up On Cove Mountain explains why they’re so important.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Annie Dillard and the Writing Life
“Writers aren’t born, they’re made—from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine. And sometimes tutelage.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Going Home with Wendell Berry
“The writer and farmer on local knowledge, embracing limits, and the exploitation of rural America.”
Posted inFeature
Bucking Expectations: A Conversation with Rachel Hartigan
Oh, the places you’ll go when you say yes.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Rachel Aviv: Mother and Daughter
“An interview with the author of ‘Strangers to Ourselves’—and now, ‘You Won’t Get Free of It.'”
Posted inFeature
Speaking for the Dead
A New York Times veteran considers the art of the obituary and how words give shape to legacies.