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“Still Richard” (31 Longreads in 31 Days, Day Five)
After recently absorbing long stories about murder, rape, and child death, I desperately needed a change of pace. So I welcomed the chance to read a profile of 64-year-old Richard Simmons, “Still Richard,” by David Davis for SBNation.com. I was suprised to find out that Simmons was still out there, actively teaching aerobics classes and…
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“Urban Meyer Will be Home for Dinner” (31 Longreads in 31 Days, Day Three)
Sportswriting is often overlooked as a source of serious journalism, including long form narrative nonfiction. Yet many of my favorite nonfiction writers — Gary Smith, Gay Talese, Buzz Bissinger — have focused much of their talents on the world of sports. Wright Thompson’s “Urban Meyer Will Be Home for Dinner,” from the August 6 edition of…
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The Art of Writing the Tough Profile
Gay Talese’s famous “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” is a legendary profile for many reasons, perhaps most notably because the iconic singer wouldn’t talk to him directly. Talese nonetheless delivered an incredible profile of Sinatra, without the benefit of a direct interview. I thought briefly of Talese’s story when I read Nick Paumgarten’s excellent New…
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The Business of Hating the Trash
Author’s Note: This story was written in 2007 for a Nonfiction Techniques class. It hasn’t been submitted for publication. When I first when to the city dump, I got kicked out for walking around, taking notes, and trying to talk to people. I had to go back and make a formal request with the city…
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The Crab Seller
Author’s note: I wrote this for a class assignment in fall 2007. At first I tried to interview the guys in the “fish cleaning” shack, but they refused to talk to unless I paid them something. I still think I missed out on the best characters at the D.C. Fish Market. Still, I soon after…