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The five best writers, period.

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Alma, Nov 16, 2015.

Page 2 of 8
  1. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Agree on Charlie Pierce. I'm not a big hockey fan but I'll read anything Michael Farber writes. Have always loved Steve Rushin. Michael Rosenberg is excellent.

    Skip Hollandsworth and Katy Vine are great feature writers at Texas Monthly. There's more I'm forgetting from there too.
     
    playthrough, Nov 17, 2015
    #13
  2. Big Circus

    Big Circus Well-Known Member

    Hollandsworth is a great choice.

    What's Thomas Lake been up to recently?
     
    Big Circus, Nov 17, 2015
    #14
  3. KVV33

    KVV33 Member

    Sportswriter division:
    S.L. Price
    Charlie Pierce
    Sally Jenkins
    Spencer Hall
    Brian Phillips

    Non-sportswriter division (but still journalism):
    Tom Junod
    Gene Weingarten
    Eli Saslow
    John Jeremiah Sullivan
    Katherine Boo
     
    KVV33, Nov 17, 2015
    #15
  4. Mr. Sunshine

    Mr. Sunshine Well-Known Member

    Third on Hollandsworth.
     
    Mr. Sunshine, Nov 17, 2015
    #16
  5. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    This is a bit similar to what my list would look like. Worked with Jon Heyman when he was just starting out in the business and could tell even then he was headed for big things -- although our boss and many of the high school coaches who had gotten used to a certain style of coverage didn't always approve of his aggressiveness. Lowe also is a favorite.

    Quite a few very strong writers in my region, especially those with Miami Herald backgrounds: Hiassen, Barry, Buchanan (for crime reporting and then as a novelist). Le Batard doesn't write for the paper much anymore, but I will make an effort to read him when he does.
     
    Bronco77, Nov 17, 2015
    #17
  6. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Hiaasen is always on my list.
     
    Riptide, Nov 17, 2015
    #18
  7. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Another vote for Saslow. Doesn't matter what he writes about; it's always great.
     
    JackReacher, Nov 17, 2015
    #19
  8. ringer

    ringer Active Member

    Yes, ditto on Eli Saslow. Laura Hillenbrand. Gail Collins for opinion/essay. Jennifer Gonnerman's also great (not sports).
     
    ringer, Nov 17, 2015
    #20
  9. jim lefko

    jim lefko New Member

    Another vote for Gregg Doyel. Dude is killing it. Took first in APSE column writing last year after short time in Indy. Probably will win again this year.
     
    jim lefko, Nov 17, 2015
    #21
    Tim Stephens likes this.
  10. JRoyal

    JRoyal Well-Known Member

    Five best, any field
    1) Shakespeare
    2) Mark Twain
    3) John Lennon
    4) Charles Dickens
    5) Maya Angelou
     
    JRoyal, Nov 17, 2015
    #22
  11. Tim Stephens

    Tim Stephens Member

    I'll throw out a few more names this way: Would I read it if the story shows up in my social feeds even if I care absolutely nothing about the topic? If I see these names attached to it, the answer is probably. I'm rarely disappointed.

    Matt Crossman has a portfolio of great stories on diverse topics. I love to find a surprise, either a story I'd never heard about or some angle on a famous person that has not yet been explored. Matt has a pretty strong track record with those.

    Dan Wiederer at the Chicago Tribune is excellent, both on the beat and when turned loose with enterprise.

    At the Washington Post, Kent Babb and Rick Maese are superb. Chuck Culpepper too.

    Joe Goodman has done some excellent work since moving to Alabama from the Miami Herald, and glad to see al.com let him run with it.
     
    Tim Stephens, Nov 17, 2015
    #23
  12. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Limiting myself to one SI person so I don't sound like too much of a homer, though one on the list is retired SI and deserves to be on here.

    Eli Saslow - brilliant. Remarkably talented

    Dennis Lehane - read his books

    Tim Layden - I watched every Pharoah race from TC through the summer events and still learned a ton by reading his stuff.

    Dan Wetzel - great eye for detail

    Gary Smith - the gold standard in my book
     
    Moderator1, Nov 17, 2015
    #24
    Tim Stephens likes this.
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