Nieman Storyboard - Nieman Storyboard

Podcast

Soledad O’Brien on character-driven storytelling in documentaries, and the power of being a witness

The veteran journalist and documentarian shares how her late mother’s act of defiance is a practice we should all embody

Christina M. Tapper

Podcast

Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas on deconstructing ‘true crime’ in podcasting and journalism

The team behind ‘Hush’ discuss the ethics of narrative journalism and creating a serialized podcast that’s sensitive to victims and families

Marina Leigh

Story Annotation

How Brendan O’Meara Reconstructs Steve Prefontaine’s Legendary Races in ‘The Front Runner’

The journalist, podcaster, and biographer shares tips on writing scenes you can’t witness firsthand, and getting in the head of characters no longer around to interview

Kim Cross

Story Craft

Author Grace Talusan on going to uncomfortable places in your writing

Talusan, who teaches creative nonfiction at Brown University, asks her students to first challenge themselves in small ways

Erika Hayasaki

Nieman Storyboard’s guides on storytelling

Story Craft

The art of pitching: How to sell your book or story idea

Editors from The Atavist, Wired, and more share what they’re looking for in a story or book proposal.

Story Craft

How to craft a narrative: Everything you need to know

A four-part series on the key elements of nonfiction storytelling, including scene, character and endings.

Lauren Kessler

Story Craft

The Nieman Storyboard guide to books on storytelling

Journalists, authors, producers, filmmakers, and Nieman Storyboard readers share more than 40 books that inspire their work.

Mallary Tenore Tarpley

Story Craft

How to interview for narrative vs. news

From broad and open-ended to narrow and specific: Journalist Kim Cross’s five-part series on interviewing for narrative nonfiction.

Kim Cross

Strictly Q&A

Podcast Strictly Q&A

Soledad O’Brien on character-driven storytelling in documentaries, and the power of being a witness

The veteran journalist and documentarian shares how her late mother’s act of defiance is a practice we should all embody

Christina M. Tapper

Podcast Strictly Q&A

Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas on deconstructing ‘true crime’ in podcasting and journalism

The team behind ‘Hush’ discuss the ethics of narrative journalism and creating a serialized podcast that's sensitive to victims and families

Marina Leigh

Story Craft Strictly Q&A

Story Annotations

Megan Greenwell on holding out for the once-in-a-lifetime book idea

The author of “Bad Company” on the merits of waiting until she was seized by an obsession and couldn’t let go

Carly Stern

Story Annotations

Behind the Scenes: Bloomberg examines a private detention center and a town 'Addicted to ICE'

Rachel Adams-Heard, Polly Mosendz, and Fola Akinnibi looked at local government agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain immigrants in New Mexico

Mark Armstrong

Story Annotations

A profile of a newspaper press becomes a requiem for an era

Los Angeles Times veteran Thomas Curwen found professionalism and pride in the last Friday night run of the newspaper's storied presses

Trevor Pyle

Story Craft

From the Editor

Holding up our phones as a mirror

Local journalists and citizens are documenting history in Minnesota, the Pacific Northwest, and around the U.S.

Mark Armstrong

From the Editor Story Craft

How to end a story

A Zoom with Susan Orlean reveals an ending for Ellie Silverman’s story about a D.C. officer five years after Jan. 6, 2021

Mark Armstrong

From the Editor

Protecting the first drafts of history

How do we capture the truth, and keep it safe? Plus: NPR's Tonya Mosley on the art of the interview

Mark Armstrong

Soledad O’Brien on character-driven storytelling in documentaries, and the power of being a witness

Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas on deconstructing ‘true crime’ in podcasting and journalism

How Brendan O’Meara Reconstructs Steve Prefontaine’s Legendary Races in ‘The Front Runner’

Author Grace Talusan on going to uncomfortable places in your writing

Nieman Storyboard’s guides on storytelling

The art of pitching: How to sell your book or story idea

How to craft a narrative: Everything you need to know