Why Op-eds Matter
This week I am teaching students at the University of Groningen about writing an op-ed, which is a short, newsy opinion piece. It’s a...
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Freelance journalist and teacher
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Dara Colwell
- Feb 9
- 2 min
Mail Love: writing letters to those in need
February is the month of love—one of the most important yet hackneyed words in the English language. For millennia, writers, poets, and...
14 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Jan 12
- 3 min
Great things take time, especially feature writing
A large part of teaching writing is encouraging students to read more, opening their eyes to engaging stories so they can eventually...
11 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Dec 23, 2022
- 2 min
The Impact of AI on Journalism
Journalism increasingly uses AI to gather news, begging the question: does mingling algorithms with a human touch lead to trustworthy...
7 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Dec 19, 2022
- 2 min
Journalism and Observation: the art of lingering
I’m teaching journalistic feature writing at RUG (University of Groningen) and this week and we have been talking about one of the most...
19 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Nov 23, 2022
- 3 min
That Attitude of Gratitude
I subscribe to Suleika Jaquad’s Isolation Journals (on Substack), which includes writing prompts each week, and this week the focus was...
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Dara Colwell
- Nov 17, 2022
- 3 min
Why I Write
I’ve started teaching journalistic feature writing again at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, which prompts me to think more deeply about...
23 views1 comment
Dara Colwell
- Feb 4, 2022
- 3 min
No Us, No Them. Just Us.
Two years into the pandemic, it’s become glaringly obvious that while we might be in this together, humans have the rotten tendency of...
21 views1 comment
Dara Colwell
- Jan 11, 2022
- 3 min
The Power of Letter Writing
Lockdowns have triggered a resurgence in letter writing--a good thing I came across an article the other day on the art of writing love...
28 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Nov 8, 2021
- 2 min
Positive News isn’t just Positive—but its impact is
I became a journalist to make a difference—but how to do so when the industry struggles to stay afloat in turbulent seas and is...
42 views1 comment
Dara Colwell
- Feb 8, 2021
- 2 min
Igniting the inspiration to write
I love writing and like all passions, it’s not always understood by those who don’t share it. I grew up in a family enthusiastic about...
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Dara Colwell
- Dec 23, 2020
- 3 min
2020: The Gift of Uncertainty
Photo by Marlon Trottmann from Pexels 2020 has left me with a jumble of bizarre impressions: heightened emotions over health scares,...
16 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Nov 23, 2020
- 3 min
Fake news and Facebook: how we need to start caring
I am currently teaching a journalism storytelling course at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, and during our first class we discussed why...
20 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Jul 22, 2020
- 3 min
Disagree with me, but listen
I was trained as a journalist, so you’d think I follow the news daily, but I just can’t. Really, I won’t. The glut of information (and...
42 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Jul 7, 2020
- 6 min
Exploring Outer Space from the Inner Female Perspective: Mindy Howard
Time for the Space Cowgirl! It’s not rocket science to say men hog the spotlight when it comes to the space race, and 2020 is no...
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Dara Colwell
- Jul 3, 2020
- 3 min
Sentimental journey: when travel wasn't tourism
The summer holiday months are upon us, yet I am still in the middle of an extenuated spring-cleaning phase, which started months ago when...
38 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- Jun 10, 2020
- 3 min
A Victorian feminist influencer
It’s 2020, and while technology continues to advance rapidly, human nature remains the same. What drives modern-day technology (such as...
37 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- May 26, 2020
- 2 min
Write about Now
I often tell my students to think of writing as taking a photograph—but of your thoughts. Writing freezes time. As we live in such...
27 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- May 18, 2020
- 3 min
Film and life: seeing character in action
I am still working on my first screenplay, which has been a 5-year process, and after so many years learning how to plot a story, I am...
14 views0 comments
Dara Colwell
- May 11, 2020
- 4 min
To write better, change your perspective
The word “routine” conjures up dozens of associations, both good and bad. When it comes to work, having a routine leads to efficiency and...
7 views0 comments
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