NEW: Did you know that magicians have a world championship? Well, Nina Strochlic and I went to it. This story will be my last before paternity leave and was one of the most significant reporting trips I’ve done in my time at @natgeo. A short thread: nationalgeographic.com/culture/articl…

So off we went! It was one of the longest weeks of reporting I’ve ever done. Magicians do not sleep: FISM’s official schedule goes from 8am to 2am. The last two nights I saw the sun rise.

The magic world championship was full of unexpected moments...

Winning the “magic Olympics” requires more than merely fooling other magicians: It demands a new technique, a compelling story, a hilarious twist on.natgeo.com/3MweLcZ

"This is like going into the Colosseum with the gladiators." nationalgeographic.com/culture/articl…

"There were a few doves, but no rabbits, just a handful of clowns, only one person sawn in half, and many, many playing cards." Nina Strochlic and Michael Greshko have something up their sleeve: a visit to magic's biggest contest for National Geographic. nationalgeographic.com/culture/articl…

My new National Geographic just arrived, which includes my latest feature—my 16th, and my last as a senior writer. NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers. I’ve been so lucky. I got to work w/incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It’s been an honor.

Epic run indeed! Nina was my only hire at Nat Geo, and what a hire. She's a kickass reporter and an exquisite writer, just one of the talented journalists lost in these layoffs; we were a formidable team and we had fun. (I'm out too, but staying 'thru Sept. 1 to finish projects.)

The one silver lining of a layoff is your coworkers say really nice things about you!

This coming from a woman who scuba dives in tombs. I don’t accept but I’m extremely honored.

🥰🥰

How exciting! Nina Strochlic and I are finalists for two National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, for a @natgeo feature we co-wrote about the FISM International World Championship of Magic! Read the story here: nationalgeographic.com/culture/articl…

We won a thing!

I'm excited to announce I'm launching a new column at Atlas Obscura that's all about heists and cons and frauds. The first looks at a massive forgery operation that saved thousands of lives during World War II... atlasobscura.com/articles/colum…

I spent last summer in Kosovo and was amazed by the personal home museums that show the human toll of the war. Here’s my story:

“Never again” as DIY project. A powerful story about preserving the past, of being haunted by history but also fearing that moving on could mean forgetting. by Nina Strochlic in The Washington Post. In Kosovo, war survivors turn homes into own museums washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/…

In the northern tip of Somalia, poets have unparalleled political power, Nina Strochlic reports. They’ve sparked wars, brokered peace & changed the course of their nation's history. noemamag.com/a-country-shap…