{"id":17017,"date":"2026-04-10T13:04:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=17017"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:26:22","slug":"stay-long-enough-to-be-boring-power-of-narrative-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2026\/04\/10\/stay-long-enough-to-be-boring-power-of-narrative-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stay long enough to be boring,\u2019 and other notes from the Power of Narrative conference"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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Sign up for the Nieman Storyboard newsletter,<\/em><\/a> delivered every Friday in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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***<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Dear Storyboard community: <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I returned from Boston University’s Power of Narrative conference<\/a> last week feeling inspired by the work journalists are doing in spite of all the obstacles standing in their way: shrinking budgets for investigative work, a Trump administration that demonizes and threatens the free press, and a billionaire class that is consolidating media power to shape coverage in its favor.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Amid all that, reporters are still doing the work. Journalist Rhana Natour<\/a>, along with her editor, Seyward Darby<\/a>, took us through her award-winning 2024 feature story for The Atavist<\/a>, about a 14-year-old girl from Gaza who lost her legs during an Israeli airstrike; Pulitzer Prize-winning<\/a> photojournalist Marcus Yam<\/a>, a 2025 Nieman Fellow, shared lessons from covering assignments such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (when spending time with a subject, \u201cstay long enough to be boring,\u201d he said); and The New Yorker’s Sarah Stillman talked about the power of collaborating with other journalists and organizations<\/a> on major reporting projects like her 2025 story, \u201cStarved in Jail.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Over the coming weeks, Storyboard contributor Emilia Wisniewski<\/a> will be sharing reports from the 28th annual Power of Narrative conference. She kicks things off with takeaways from my conversation with The New Yorker’s Patrick Radden Keefe about his new book, \u201cLondon Falling,\u201d<\/a> which was published this week. Thanks again to Patrick for a wonderful and revealing conversation.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Four lessons for journalists from Patrick Radden Keefe\u2019s latest book, \u2018London Falling\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\u201cI’m a little bit like a vampire, because if you invite me in, I’m going to do what I do,\u201d Keefe said. \u201cThere were some things that I think they, in the beginning, never imagined would end up in the book that ended up in the book, because if you set me free in your family history, I’m going to dig around a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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[ Read the story<\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Links of note <\/h2>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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