Places like these are where people come to forget about God, drown themselves in self, and abandon any idea of a loving, sacrificial, holy Creator. But coming here has renewed my faith.
Category Archives: week by week
Good Reads: Investigating cults, drug mules, and Martin Luther King
This is the fifth in a new series of weekly posts recommending well-written narrative nonfiction/longform articles. The Man Who Saves You from Yourself: Going undercover with a cult infiltrator by Nathaniel Rich, Harper’s David Sullivan, a private investigator in LA who specialized in cults, passed away last October, shortly before this article was published. The piece tells the story ofContinue reading “Good Reads: Investigating cults, drug mules, and Martin Luther King”
Good Reads: Missing hikers, recovering communities, and war dogs
This is the fourth in a new series of weekly posts recommending well-written narrative nonfiction/longform articles. Did North Korea Kidnap an American Hiker? by Chris Vogel, Outside In 2004, David Sneddon, 24, was capping off a summer studying in China by hiking western China near the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The Mandarin-speaking American was excited to return to the States andContinue reading “Good Reads: Missing hikers, recovering communities, and war dogs”
NYC Week Sixteen: Internship over, or positive self-talk
11:51 pm. MONDAY, MAY 19th. I’ve been in writing mode all day. I haven’t written much, but my mind has been super focused and soaking up everything. My thoughts are toward the future, as in next week, when I come back from my college commencement and return to my bedroom in Queens, my food serviceContinue reading “NYC Week Sixteen: Internship over, or positive self-talk”
Good Reads: Little league, a horseman, and death row
This is the third in a new series of weekly posts recommending well-written narrative nonfiction/longform articles. This week’s picks: The Undefeated Champions of Defeat City by Kathy Dobie, GQ Artfully written, this piece introduces North Camden, New Jersey, a city known for drugs and violence, and Bryan Morton, a North Camden native who decided to combat decay by startingContinue reading “Good Reads: Little league, a horseman, and death row”
NYC Week Fifteen: How New York City Beat Arson
Read last week’s post here or view all other New York City posts. This week, after a long, drawn-out research process that often had me missing the forest for the trees, I finally finished my internship piece to my editor’s satisfaction and he published it on City Limits’ web site. It is by no means the best thing I’veContinue reading “NYC Week Fifteen: How New York City Beat Arson”
Good Reads: The underdog, the addict, and the rescuer
This is the second in a new series of weekly posts recommending well-written narrative nonfiction/longform articles. This week’s picks: Ra’Shede’s Road by John Rosengren, SB Nation Ra’Shede Hageman, senior defensive tackle at the University of Minnesota, has the potential to secure a bright future. But he also has a past and a temper to overcome.Continue reading “Good Reads: The underdog, the addict, and the rescuer”
NYC Week Fourteen: 10 things I miss about home and school (aka rural America)
Read last week’s post here or view all other New York City posts. I’d just settled on the bench, purse and my bag of leftover food from work on my lap, one per leg. Done with work, time to wait for the F train and go home. “Meredith?” I looked up to see a familiar face, soft round featuresContinue reading “NYC Week Fourteen: 10 things I miss about home and school (aka rural America)”
Good Reads: My favorites from this week’s longform/narrative nonfiction
I read a lot of articles every week, and I try to focus my reading on the pieces I want to write, meaning longform or narrative nonfiction. This is a genre that’s published all over the place: in marketing materials (typically company magazines), consumer and trade publications, newspapers, web site — even BuzzFeed publishes longform.Continue reading “Good Reads: My favorites from this week’s longform/narrative nonfiction”
NYC Week Thirteen: The fight to stay fit
Read last week’s post here or view all other New York City posts. It’s a battle I’ve been losing. Sure, I ran 1.4 miles today in 10:38. Sure, I followed it up with sprints and crunches and pushups. Sure, I got my heart rate up and didn’t feel awful. But I am not where I was three monthsContinue reading “NYC Week Thirteen: The fight to stay fit”
Meredith Sell 