Practicing History Without a License: Adam Hochschild

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 17, 2008 /

Photo by Spark Media When I first listened to the book King Leopold’s Ghost on tape a few years ago, I was mesmerized by the true story of the Belgian King’s rule of the Congo. I can still remember standing in our little kitchen long after I’d finished the dishes; hands clad in yellow plastic…

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Sandy Tolan’s History in Disguise

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 16, 2008 /

Photo by Nubar Alexanian As a reporter, I often find that the most important conversations with sources came when I snap close my reporter’s notebook and started heading to the door. That’s what I discovered yesterday. The second day of the Nieman conference was packed with smart, funny and inspiring speakers. Ann Hull and Dana…

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Mrs. Siler’s Holiday — Part II

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 14, 2008 /

I’ll confess that my reading holiday did indeed involve jumping on a plane and landing in a distant place. Not to the south of France, but to Boston, where the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism is taking place. An offshoot of Harvard University’s prestigious Nieman Fellowships for mid-career journalists, this annual conference brings together some…

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Coping (or not) at Copia

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 13, 2008 /

Photo by Copia Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, has struggled with an identify crisis even since its broke ground in 1999. Should it be a showcase for the Robert Mondavi Winery? Should it be a museum? Or, should it be a place to experience the subtle pairings of food and…

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Chapter Chat

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 12, 2008 /

Wine and words: A perfect pairingPhoto from Jupiter Images Last week, I spent half an hour on the phone with a book group from Minnesota. Based on the laughter and high spirits I heard on the other end of the line, these fifteen or so women seemed to be having a rollicking good time together.…

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Mrs. Siler’s Holiday

By Julia Flynn Siler / March 11, 2008 /

Mrs. Siler is not so hapless …Photo from Curly Wurly In the spirit of “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday,” the French cinematic parfait from 1954, I’ve decided to take a vacation. Because this school year is in full swing, my holiday won’t involve jumping on a plane and heading to a seaside resort in the south of…

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