Steven interviewed and wrote this online article andf Q&A for Smithsonian Magazine. Desmond is a Harvard University sociologist, a 2015 MacArthur "genius" grant winner, and a dedicated ethnographer. You can read the full piece at Smithsonian.com here.
Writers Panel: "Energizing Long-Form Narratives"
Steven took part in a panel of writers and editors to discuss challenges and approaches to long-form narrative writing at the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors on May 21. He joined author Tim Harper, author/Scientific American editor David Biello, The Atavist edtior Katia Bachko and writer/moderator Christopher Johnston. You can find out more about the conference here.
Frank Lloyd Wright first came to Arizona in 1927, finding inspriation in the Sonoran Desert. The architect set up a winter camp that evolved into a beacon for progressive Southwestern design. In the March/April issue of Dorado magazine, Steven retraces Wright's journey. You can read the article on the following page.
At the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, Steven contributed three travel articles, including "The Soul of Spain" for the in-flight American Way, "Finland's Sauna Obsession" for National Geographic Traveler and "Valley on the Verge" also for American Way. Expect more to come this spring.
In a package of stories written for The Economist Group and its Economist Intelligence Unit, Steven showcases five forward-looking cities--Austin, Berlin, Mexico City, Mumbai and Seoul--each with a distinctly vibrant creative economy. The series combines five urban profiles and two videos that highlight the role of creative talent in driving growth as well as key historical moments that influenced these cities' development. You can read the series and watch the videos here.
An Adapted Excerpt of "The Gunman and His Mother"
Just before the 51st anniversary of the JFK assassination, the Smithsonian Magazine published online an adapted excerpt of Steven's "The Gunman and His Mother: Lee Harvey Oswald, Marguerite Oswald, and the Making of an Assassin." Focused on the burial and aftermath, the piece is titled "When Lee Harvey Oswald Shot the President, His Mother Tried to Take Center Stage." You can read the excerpt here.
Steven joined Ted Simons, host of the PBS show "Arizona Horizons," and Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Keith Galbut to discuss international trade and its impact on Arizona's economy. "Historically, there's been an over-dependence on a small number of industries to drive Arizona's progress," Steven said. "And it's clear that has to change."
The conversation was a lead up the PCFR's annual International State of the State event on October 27, 2014. You can view the video of the interview here.
Steven will be moderating two panels for the American Society of Journalists and Authors' annual conference on April 24, 2014, in New York.
One focuses on the present and future of ebooks and digital publishing for authors. The panelists include digital publishing pioneers such as Jason Allen Ashlock (Frontier Press), Matthew Cavnar (Vook), Scott Waxman (Diversion Books) and journalist/author Matthew Shaer (The Sinking of the Bounty). Read more about the panel and the panelists here.
The other session--entitled "Path to Publish: The Story of My Book"--is a one-on-one interview with award-winning author and screenwriter Ralph Pezzullo, the bestselling author of Jawbreaker, Inside SEAL Team Six (with Don Mann) and a series of SEAL Team Six thrillers (also with Don Mann). Learn more about the interview and Pezzullo here.
Steven's new book, The Gunman and His Mother: Lee Harvey Oswald, Marguerite Oswald, and the Making of an Assassin, hit the top 5 Kindle Single nonfiction bestseller list in November. Selected and released as an Amazon Kindle Single on November 8, The Gunman and His Mother delves into the emotionally disturbed background of Oswald and his troubled relationship with his mother to help explain how he became the desperate, delusional man that ended up in Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
You can read more about the book here, including a sample excerpt, links to online and radio interviews, an adapted excerpt published online at The New Republic, and other media.
In The New Yorker: "Turn On, Tune In: Remote Control"
Steven's piece published online in The New Yorker looks at the history of the remote control--from Nikola Tesla in 1898 to the Flashmatic in 1955 to the future. You can read about the remote control here.
Steven's piece on cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg was published online by The New Yorker on July 19 in a section called "Object of Interest." You can read about Rube Goldberg machines and the mad inventor himself here.
Steven is looking forward to moderating a conversation focused on global competitiveness and leadership at the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relation's annual International State of the State conference. You can learn more about the October 15 event here.
Steven penned the lead essay for the Arizona Republic's Sunday Viewpoints section on March 18, 2012. You can read this piece on American exceptionalism here.
Live on Fox Business: "Has the U.S. Lost Its Mojo?"
Steven joined host Gerri Willis on Fox Business' "The Willis Report" on August 12 to talk about Adrift: Charting Our Course Back to a Great Nation. You can check it out HERE.
Live on MSNBC: "Is the U.S. on the Wrong Track?"
Steven was invited to appear on MSNBC's Martin Bashir Show on August 11, guest-hosted by Jonathan Capeheart, to discuss his new book, Adrift: Charting Our Course Back to a Great Nation. You can check out the interview and segment HERE.
A good writer can recognize a glint of a story in almost any situation. When this freelance writer discovered an unusual character in passing, he pursued the nugget to a full-fledged narrative pitch. Here, the writer and editor chronicle how a casual convo between friends led to a 2,000-word feature in American Way's July 15, 2009, issue -- not to mention an ASJA award and repeat gigs with the pub.
The rest of this can be found here in Mediabistro's paid content section.
Steven received in April a 2010 writing award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors for his profile, "Man With a Mallet." Written for the in-flight American Way, the magazine profile is one of two to be selected for an honorable mention.
Honoring "outstanding nonfiction work produced on a freelance basis," the ASJA presented the awards during its annual writers conference in New York City on April 23. "The publishing world may be changing, but we all still recognize and honor the first-rate writing and honest, accurate reporting exemplified in these awards," said Salley Shannon, ASJA president.
"By Design," published by Private Clubs Magazine, is just out. The piece highlights three expanded art museums, drawing on museum directors and high-profile architects. You can read it online here.
Four Seasons Magazine recently published Steven's feature on Marimekko, the iconic Finnish fashion design firm, and its new CEO who survived a life-threatening brain tumor. Check out the full piece, entitled Marimekko: The Expression of Joy. Coming soon are features for several magazines profiling influential creative leaders in Moscow and a video piece that Steven is writing, directing and producing for a high-end brand.
Once again, Las Vegas is rolling the dice. At a cost of $8.5 billion, CityCenter is billed as the largest privately funded real estate development in U.S. history, a virtual city within a city. Built by MGM Mirage and just opened, this 18 million-square-foot complex of high-end hotels and shops and condos is aiming to reboot Las Vegas and give people a new reason to come. How did it all happen -- and will it be the kick Vegas needs to overcome its recessionary nightmare? Steven's just-published feature for M Magazine explores all this, based on an interview with MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren, the man who gave birth to the idea.
Look closely at the picture to the left. Two men are trying to extract any salable scrap from the decaying hull of this old Soviet sub in Murmansk, Russia. Not exactly a vision of a high-tech future, but maybe not so far from the Mad Max reality that awaits an America currently enveloped by violent partisanship, anti-government fervor, declining school standards, and a refusal to make sacrifices for the common good. It's alarming. But is it alarming enough to shake people from their complacency and reawaken a sense of urgency? The book that Steven is co-authoring describes this drift -- and the risks of inaction.