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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Dara Colwell
- Feb 9, 2023
- 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...
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Dara Colwell
- Jan 12, 2023
- 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...
14 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...
9 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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
46 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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
42 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...
38 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...
28 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...
16 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...
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