Journalist Kim Cross on reconstructed narratives and the women who led a cycling revolution in Afghanistan

08/05/2025 55 min Temporada 1 Episodio 4
Journalist Kim Cross on reconstructed narratives and the women who led a cycling revolution in Afghanistan

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Episode Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and athlete Kim Cross joins Storyboard Editor Mark Armstrong for a conversation about reporting for narrative nonfiction — focusing on reconstructed narratives and her feature story for Bicycling magazine, "The Alchemists," about the Afghan women who broke gender barriers in cycling before the Taliban took over their country. "They, as teenage girls, had convinced their culture to change its mind about the fact that women were not allowed to ride bicycles," Cross said.Read the full show notes: https://niemanstoryboard.org/2025/05/08/kim-cross-narratives-women-cycling-afghanistan/Cross is a Storyboard contributor and the author of books including the bestselling "What Stands in a Storm," "The Stahl House," and "In Light of All Darkness." Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, Outside, Bicycling, Garden & Gun, and ESPN, among other publications. Her work has been recognized in “Best of” lists by The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review, The Sunday Long Read, Longform, Apple News Audio, and Best American Sports Writing. Cross also teaches feature writing through Harvard Extension School, and she's teaching a workshop on reconstructed narratives May 28-June 1 in Archer City, Texas.Sign up for the Nieman Storyboard newsletter: https://niemanstoryboard.org/about/subscribe-to-nieman-storyboard/Show creditsHosted and produced by Mark ArmstrongAssociate producer: Marina LeighEpisode editor: Kelly ArajaAudience editor: Adriana LacyPromotional support: Ellen TuttleOperational support: Paul Plutnicki, Peter CanovaNieman Foundation curator: Ann Marie LipinskiDeputy curator: Henry ChuMusic: “Golden Grass,” by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)Cover design by Adriana LacyNieman Storyboard is presented by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

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