How to Cover Washington Politicians in an Innovative Way
In Washingtonian magazine this month, New York Times book critic Carlos Lozada discussed how he turns the straw of reading political memoirs into the gold of an art form. Read more
Two Progressive Writers Important Enough to Be Hated
Calling out your political or ideological opponent or opposite has long been easy intellectually. If attacked, you can appeal to like-minded supporters. Calling out someone on your own political “team” or tribe—well, that’s a dicey proposition. Read more
How One Nonfiction Guru Writes Faster and Better
How author David Fryxell, former editor of Writer’s Digest, organizes and structures his writing. Read more
Against the Odds, Two Local Online Newspapers Succeed
Is American journalism facing, as a recent Atlantic story said, an “existential moment”? The news about the news might not be as unrelievedly bad as described. Read more
As I Please: Netflix’s Popular “American Nightmare” is Overrated
The chief theme of Netflix’s popular series “American Nightmare” is hardly groundbreaking. It was noted nearly eighty years ago by none other than George Orwell. Read more
How a Lowly Notepad Can Help You Read Twice as Many Books
By acting as a personalized box score, even a discarded notebook can help you read a lot more books. Read more
As I Please: On Commemorating Edgar Allan Poe and “Norma Rae”
Today marks what would be the 215th birthday of writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. He is the rare writer whose Romantic and Gothic stories about death, subjectivity, rationality, and despair were so good I can remember where I was when I read them. Read more
Three Reasons Writers Today Should Use a Typewriter
Typewriters are like bicycles or stick shift cars. They command your full attention. Make a mistake and you pay the price. In a digital age, that’s more a blessing than a curse. Read more
The New York Times Can Regain Credibility
The Times can take one of two paths: rededicate itself to its venerable creed or practice (progressive) opinion journalism honestly. Read more
A Weird Spiritual Trick to Disarm Killer Doubts
If you’re like me, when you sit down to write you have a devilish voice in your head. The voice says you’re a failure, your writing will never be good or excellent, and why bother? Read more