Making a view with a node reference argument I have two content types, Contributor and Articles.  The Articles content type has a node reference field linked to the Contributor, so when someone creates an Article they can select a Contributor to reference.

On the Contributor nodes, I'd like to have a block view that shows Articles linked to that Contributor.  When I make the block view, how do I set up the argument, or is there a better way to do this?
you are almost there. Create a view with display type block for content type articles. Then add a contextual filter (called arguments in Drupal 6) and select the node reference field that links articles and contributors.
Select "Provide default value" and "node ID from URL". You can also validate it to make sure it's of the type "contributor".

Give the block a name and then go to "structure/blocks" and assign that block to a region and have it show up for all content type "article".