The Great Zucchini has a secret. And in “The Peekaboo Paradox,” Gene Weingarten exhumes the history that haunts the most popular children’s entertainer in Washington, D.C. The story, which ran in January 2006, is the best thing ever written by the Washington Post’s two-time Pulitzer winner. (Surprisingly enough, Weingarten agrees with this statement.)
“A children’s performer? [...]
Tag Archives: Susan Orlean
“Why’s this so good?” No. 13: Gene Weingarten peels the Great Zucchini
September 27, 2011 – 11:30 am
Life in the cave: highlights from Boston University’s “The Rebirth of Storytelling” conference
May 10, 2011 – 12:50 pm
What does it take to make a great story? Boston University’s “The Power of Narrative” conference, held on campus April 29-30, aimed to offer some insights. The event included the kind of writing techniques and “show don’t tell” advice you’d expect (and hope for) at such a gathering. But beyond hearing about the mechanics of narrative [...]
Boston University announces 2011 narrative conference roster
March 2, 2011 – 2:47 pm
More conference news for long-form addicts: Boston University has announced the roster for “The Power of Narrative” conference taking place on campus April 29 & 30 of this year.
The list of speakers includes some fabulous storytellers:
Susan Orlean, New Yorker contributor and author of “The Orchid Thief”;
Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York Times and co-author [...]
Hank Stuever on story structure, really reporting Christmas and the problem with the “sacred space” approach to narrative
August 20, 2010 – 2:23 pm
Washington Post reporter Hank Stuever writes in a variety of narrative forms, from books to punchy television reviews and features. His latest book, “Tinsel: A Search for America’s Christmas Present,” is based on time he spent in Frisco, Texas, beginning in 2006. Making good on the title’s evocations of both sweetness and Scrooge, Stuever explores [...]
Rebecca Skloot on narrating history: “looking for that one family, that one person, that one moment that will help hold everything together”
July 16, 2010 – 12:53 pm
We spoke this week with Rebecca Skloot, author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” A longtime science writer with a commitment to narrative, Skloot has written for The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Discover, among other publications. Her book recounts the story of an African-American tobacco farmer whose cancer [...]
What we’re reading, second edition: in which we offer soccer balls, the Book of Revelation and a visit to the Khyber Pass
June 30, 2010 – 3:38 pm
In our new installment of written work worth checking out, we encourage you to think about the history of the soccer ball, the awesomeness that was the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, the expanding ramifications of the oil disaster in the Gulf, the many things we receive from our parents, and one former Marine’s problem with the [...]
