The Washington Post Magazine

The Washington Post Magazine

Telling the stories of the Washington region through narrative journalism

Feature stories

A matter of conviction

A matter of conviction

Gene Weingarten

In 1979, Brian Murtagh put Jeffrey MacDonald in prison. Then came the hard part: keeping him there.

Stressed? Overworked? You’re alone.

Stressed? Overworked? You’re alone.

Tom Jackman

MAGAZINE | A new poll reveals the true Washington worker bee, and the results may surprise you.

(Deb Lindsey / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Local notables — including Olympian Gabby Douglas, news anchor Alison Starling, mystery writer Laura Lippman and chef Cedric Maupillier — offer their favorite gift-giving ideas.

Date Lab

Do daters know themselves as well as they think they do?

Do daters know themselves as well as they think they do?

Amanda McGrath

We gave her three choices to see if she knows her match better than we do.

More Date Lab

@Work Advice

@Work Advice columnist Karla Miller (DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

Fiscal cliff notes

Karla L. Miller

How to prepare for layoffs and related hazards.

@Work Advice columnist Karla Miller (DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

I’m dreaming of a white elephant

Karla L. Miller

Avoiding gift exchanges, and other survival skills for the office holiday season.

@Work Advice columnist Karla Miller (DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

A bump on the road to recovery

Karla L. Miller

These hired “helpers” are more interested in helping themselves.

@Work Advice columnist Karla Miller (DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

Loud, but no longer proud

Karla L. Miller

Does a chastised co-worker deserve her colleagues’ scorn or sympathy?

@Work Advice columnist Karla Miller (DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

Those infernal ‘internships’

Karla L. Miller

Sorting out legitimate programs from free-labor scams.

Below the Beltway

Dating himself

How Mitt’s old-fashioned values lost all the single ladies.

Frankincense and mirth

God’s got a million of ’em.

Chewish humor

The secrets of “Bazooka Joe.”

Prose and cons

Good news: More people are writing. Bad news: More people are writing.

Writing poems and blowing it

Verse versus Breathalyzer.

More From Gene Weingarten

Tom Sietsema's Dining

Tom Sietsema: Innovation’s great, but it needs elevation

Tom Sietsema: Innovation’s great, but it needs elevation

Tom Sietsema

New Minibar has some oohs, lots of blahs.

More From Tom Sietsema

Closer Inspection

ARLINGTON, VA-OCTOBER 17:Postcard of Memorial Ampitheatre with Writing on Back from the Arlington County Library Virginia Room Collection on October 17, 2012 in Arlington Virginia(Photo by Benjamin C. Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Greetings from Arlington

Postcards offer snapshots of county’s past.

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 9: Marji Lynn, right, and Sue Hopkins embrace before heading to City Hall to get married on the morning of December 9, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. The two are poodle enthusiasts and are surrounded by the five poodles of a close friend. Today is the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)

Day in photos

Gay marriage ceremonies, snow across Europe, Santa run, protests in Egypt and more.

WASHINGTON, DC-AUGUST 8: Detail of the Face of a Wounded Soldier on the Center Panel of The Tiffany Stained Glass Windows at the National Red Cross Headquarters on August 8, 2012 in Washington DC(Photo by Benjamin C. Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Closer Inspection: A mission in glass

At the Red Cross, Tiffany windows highlight its aims.

BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 15: Members of the new Politburo Standing Committee Xi Jinping (C), Li Keqiang (R) and Zhang Dejiang (L) greet the media at the Great Hall of the People on November 15, 2012 in Beijing, China. China's ruling Communist Party today revealed the new Politburo Standing Committee after its 18th congress. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

New leaders in China

Chinese Communist leaders meet in Beijing for the party’s once-in-a-decade power transition.

HYATTSVILLE, MD-SEPTEMBER 14:Royal Blue Luchinny Platforms with Metal Spikes by Dominique Wells, Designer of Jezabelles Shoes on September 14, 2012 in Hyattsville Maryland(Photo by Benjamin C. Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Closer Inspection: Fancy feet

She aims to add flair to what you wear.

More Closer Inspection

Trend Report

Japanese warp weft plate

There’s a pattern to it

How to wear this trend without looking like a couch? Some choices and advice.

Jeweled clutch

Trend Report: Isn’t it rich?

Fall fashions mimic the luxe looks in a new movie based on Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.”

Maisie cape

Trend Report: Take cover

Fashionable coats for fall and winter.

Bunny Hop intarsia sweater from C. Wonder

Knit picking

A menagerie of animals adorns fall’s new crop of knits.

Oxblood Mary Jane heels

Trend Report: Sole comforts

New shoes for fall: the highs and the lows.

More Trend Report

First Person Singular

Aniekan Udofia, 36, Washington, artist

An artist talks about creating his work in public — and the pitfalls of having an audience before a work is finished.

Alexandria, VA - November 8, 2012: Neil Bailey-Harper (center) performs his 'The Mr. B Show' for the students at Children's International School in Alexandria, VA on Thursday November 8, 2012. (Photo by Joseph Victor Stefanchik for The Washington Post)

Neal Bailey-Harper, preschool music instructor, Mr. B Music and Drama

He says teaching preschool children is all about finding your rhythm.

GAITHERSBURG, MD - SEPTEMBER 05: America 'Mecky' Caballero of Family Services, Inc. poses for a portrait at the organization's Gaithersburg, MD office on Wednesday September 05, 2012. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post)

America Caballero, 52, Montgomery Village, early intervention specialist

Helping at-risk mothers requires a delicate balance of support.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 31: Gail Ross, Esquire, who is President of the Ross Yoon Agency poses for a portrait at their location on Wednesday October 31, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post)

Gail Ross, 57, Washington, literary agent and president of the Ross Yoon Agency

A literary agent talks about the future of books and why she’s the ideal party guest.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 17: Nita Robinson, who is a cashier at the Safeway store along 14th St. SE poses for a portrait on Wednesday October 17, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post)

Nita Robinson, 67, La Plata, Safeway cashier

“I’m not afraid to talk to anybody,” she says.

More First Person Singular

Editor's Query

Tell us about a time when you started a family tradition

One person’s experiment becomes another’s treasured recipe; a reader’s tribute to a beloved family pet.

Tell us about a time when you granted someone’s wish

She fulfilled a child’s wish — in a way she never imagined.

Tell us about a time when you started a family tradition

One reader gets “inked”; another finds a way to spend quality time with her family — and save money at the same time.

More Editor's Query

What Happened To

name of girl to come: school project done at Cheetah Camp Muslim slum earlier this year (Feb-Mar) 2012

... the woman who lost her family in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks?

Kia Scherr publicly forgave the terrorists and helped found a nonprofit organization that emphasizes conflict resolution.

Rachel Harris for the washington post

Tradition reigns supreme
at a White House Thanksgiving

Jell-O molds, Saltines and possum have found a place on the first families’ tables over the years.

... the infertile couple who went to South Africa?

A family that is “full to bursting.”

... the family who shared the story of a young woman with bulimia

Leah Siskin’s sister, Sarah, died nine years ago at age 19 after a long battle with bulimia. Today, Leah and friends are raising money to support the National Eating Disorders Association in Sarah’s memory.

SLUG: ME-MAYOR-1 PHOTOGRAPHER: NIKKI KAHN/THE WASHINGTON POST DATE: 9/9/2006 LOCATION: Washington, DC CAPTION: Mayoral candidate Linda Cropp (D) campaigns in northwest Washington, D.C., on Saturday, September 9, 2006. StaffPhoto imported to Merlin on Sat Sep 9 23:39:01 2006

... the councilwoman who lost to Adrian Fenty?

Former D.C. Council chairwoman Linda Cropp lost her race for mayor to Adrian Fenty in 2006, but she figures she added years to her life.

More Whatever Happened To

Your Turn

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Famed architect, Frank Gehry poses for a portrait at Gehry Partners, LLP on Tuesday April 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA. Gehry has created a design for a memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Eisenhower family have spoken out against his design. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post)

Readers react

Readers write in about Frank Gehry’s memorial to Eisenhower.

Readers react

Readers write in about Gene’s anti-PR column, the “The Good Guy” and “Lost in Space” in the March 6 issue.

COLLEGE PARK, MD-SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 Raymond Stanford has thousands of dinosaur fossils in his home in College Park, Maryland on September 13, 2011. Raymond Stanford recently found a dinosaur fossil in Maryland, that is now on display at the Smithsonian. HEALTH /SCIENCE: Raymond Stanford, a local dinosaur enthusiast has found a fossil important enough to be exhibited at the Smithsonian and to be the subject of a paper with a paleontologist at Johns Hopkins (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Readers react

Readers write in about ‘Dinoman,’ Bergers cookies, the Education Issue and Gene Weingarten.

POOLESVILLE, MD- MARCH 03 Goats enjoying an afternoon of fresh air and hay nibbling at the Polar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland on March 03, 2012 Photos for a SUNDAY MAGAZINE: secondary piece for 4/15 Education Review on the growth of animal studies. We are focusing on a BA and certificate program offered at The Humane Society University in Washington. Jonathan Balcombe teaches the class 'Animal Behavior, Animal Minds and Animal Protection' on Wednesday nights. He spends his Saturday mornings with animals at the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Reader reaction

Readers comment on stories from the April 15 Education Issue and Gene Weingarten’s column.

Readers react

Comments on Gene Weingarten and a travel story on Los Angeles

Second Glance

Can you spot the differences between these two photos?

Dilbert

The comic strip runs weekly in The Washington Post Magazine.

Sunday Crossword

Merl Reagle’s crossword puzzle appears weekly in The Washington Post Magazine.

Top 40 picks: Fall dining guide

Food critic Tom Sietsema shares his personal list of the best fall flavors in the Washington area.

Humor Contest winners

More than a thousand tweeted jokes to us, penned essays and 156 sent photos. Here are the best and a few honorable mentions in each category.

Power to the Peeps!

Creativity, topicality and a keen eye for detail — as well as a sweet tooth — were keys to success for the winners of our sixth annual Peeps Diorama Contest.