On Writing

Essays, articles and reviews on journalism, literature and the literary life.

The Subtitle That Changed America

Back-page essay for the New York Times Book Review on, that's right, subtitles.
Read the essay at nytimes.com


Review of "Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life"

New York Times Book Review
Read the review at nytimes.com


My Life as a Hack

A freelancer's lunch with Uma Thurman. Then everything went downhill.
Read the article on Slate.com


Michiko Kakutani

A critic with a fixation.
Read the article at Slate.com


Grunt's-Eye View

Walter Bernstein's World War II journalism.
Read it at Columbia Journalism Review online


Going Deep

How Gary Smith became America's best sportswriter.
Read the article at Slate.com


Benevolent Dreamer

An appreciation of Sr. Clair McKelway
Read it at Columbia Journalism Review online


Believe It or Not

Memoir Fabulists Getting Caught Means the System Is Working
Read the article at Slate.com


A Brief History of Memoir-Bashing

Hint: it didn't start with James Frey.
Read the article at Slate.com