The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard has named Kari Howard as the new editor of Nieman Storyboard, the foundation’s online publication that showcases exceptional narrative journalism and explores the craft of nonfiction storytelling.
Howard joins Storyboard from the Los Angeles Times, where she worked since 1992, serving for the past four years as editor of the Times’ signature narrative journalism feature Column One. Howard raised Column One’s profile online, where it was rechristened Great Reads, and wrote the weekly Great Reads newsletter, which reached 45,000 subscribers.
Discussing her new role, she said: “I like to imagine Storyboard as a community center with a bit of a coffeehouse vibe, where people who love literary journalism can hang out and, most importantly, have a great conversation. I plan on being a bit chatty, and hope readers will want to chat back.”
Nieman curator Ann Marie Lipinski said: “I’m thrilled to have Kari join Nieman as editor of Storyboard. She helped to shape a portfolio of superb narrative journalism at the Los Angeles Times, including Pulitzer-winning stories. Her ideas to enhance Storyboard will help us elevate the study and conversation about narrative and support journalists who are working to advance this kind of reporting and writing.”
Last year, Howard edited reporter Diana Marcum’s Los Angeles Times series on the California drought that won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. She also edited correspondent Sergei Loiko’s reports from Ukraine, which won the Overseas Press Club’s award for best newspaper or wire service interpretation of international affairs, as well as reporter Daniel Miller’s story on L.A.’s first black private detective, which was the Longreads editor’s pick for best crime reporting of the year.
Prior to taking over Column One, Howard served for 15 years as the Times’ assistant foreign editor, assigning and editing stories from nearly 30 correspondents at the foreign staff’s peak. She edited several of the stories in Kim Murphy’s coverage of Chechnya that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for foreign reporting and also was the main daily foreign line editor during the Iraq War in 2003. In her first years at the paper, she was a copy editor on the foreign desk and weekend foreign backfield/line editor. She additionally contributed a series of travel stories – from Malibu to South Africa – and has mentored young writers.
Howard earned an M.S. in journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and holds a B.A. in literature from the University of North Carolina – Asheville.
Michael Fitzgerald, a 2011 Nieman Fellow who skillfully edited Storyboard for the past six months, has begun a new job as articles editor for The Boston Globe Magazine. During his time at Storyboard, he wrote articles, edited commissioned pieces and shared narrative news with the website’s audience.
Along with popular regular sections like Annotation Tuesday! and Notable Narratives, Nieman Storyboard features interviews with writers, coverage of literary conferences and events, and posts on narrative technique from veteran storytellers. The Nieman Foundation additionally published Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers Guide, which features more than 90 essays and short pieces from some of America’s top nonfiction writers and editors.
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard educates leaders in journalism and elevates the standards of the profession through special programs that convene scholars and experts in all fields. More than 1,500 journalists from 94 countries have been awarded Nieman Fellowships since 1938. In addition to Nieman Storyboard, the foundation’s other initiatives include Nieman Reports, a website and quarterly print magazine that explores contemporary challenges and opportunities in journalism, and the Nieman Journalism Lab, a website that reports on the future of news, innovation and best practices in the digital media age.
