Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday. One of my favorite writers (and a very nice, humble person) won. Some of you may recognize this story from last semester's advanced reporting class.

The Girl in the Window, by Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times.

Of course, if there was any doubt that the St. Pete Times is by far the best newspaper in the country, when it comes to writing, that doubt was dispelled on Monday. One of DeGregory's colleagues was a finalist for the Pulitzer in feature writing.

Winter's Tale, by John Barry of the St. Petersburg Times. The story is about a rescued baby dolphin that needed a new tail, and got one.

The other two finalists are:

Jon Sarkin: The Accidental Artist, by Amy Ellis Nutt of the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The story is about a chiropractor who suffered a severe stroke following brain surgery and became a wildly creative artist.

Fixing Mr. Fix-it, by Diane Suchetka of the Plain Dealer (that's right, the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The paper had two Pulitzer finalists this year). The story is about a mechanic whose arms were reattached after being severed in an accident.

Ana's Story

Part I

Part II

Grizzly Bear Story

Bizarre, gruesome, funny? What do you think of the ending?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-trw-attackedbyagrizzly29apr29,0,7309450.story?page=1

Endings

Read these stories, and think about the endings. Why do they work? What sets them apart from any other, ordinary ending?

Waiting for death, alone and unafraid (Thomas Curwen of the Los Angeles Times)

About New York; A Gambler Sees Beyond The Jackpot (Dan Berry of The New York Times)