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“The Loved Ones” (31 Longreads in 31 Days, Day 31)
The best narrative nonfiction tells true stories with the crafts and elements of a short story, and that’s exactly what Tom Junod delivers in “The Loved Ones,” published in the September 2006 issue of Esquire. It looks at the tragedy at St. Rita’s nursing home in New Orleans, where 35 residents died in the floods…
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“Todd Marinovich: The Man Who Never Was” (31 Longreads in 31 Days, Day Nine)
Mike Sager’s 9800-word profile of Todd Marinovich for the May 2009 edition of Esquire is an impressive work. It details the rise and fall of Marinovich from prep star, to USC standout, to NFL washout, to drug addict and convict. The quarterback’s story has so many plot twists, so many highs and lows, it almost…
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“How to Build An American Car” (31 Longreads in 31 Days, Day One)
Buried near the back of the October 2012 issue of Esquire, parked behind articles about Clint Eastwood, Mitt Romney, and vodka, is “How to Build An American Car,” a beautiful look at the people behind a new model of Cadillac. A story like this could be dull and tedious. Manufacturing is not usually a sexy,…
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Dan Baum and the half-empty glass
Dan Baum, a writer who’s worked for Esquire and The New Yorker, talked with the Renegade Writer blog about freelancing and the future of the magazine business. A couple things caught my eye. First, I always feel a bit lost when I’m working on a freelance piece and someone I’m interviewing asks me who I’m writing…