Newsletter: The Fifth Draft

Every month, we feature the work and insights from current and past National Fellows. You’ll learn what books and longform articles our Fellows can’t put down and they will offer advice on common challenges for writers and filmmakers.

Read this month's newsletter and sign up today!

• May 2025: Cecilia Ballí on high school mariachi bands.

If you have any feedback, send us a note: FifthDraft@newamerica.org.

2025

• April 2025: Sam Butin on his documentary video game.
• March 2025: Paige Bethmann on storytelling from the heart.
• February 2025: Mayukh Sen on the history of South Asian performers in Hollywood.
• January 2025: Keri Blakinger on the Dungeons & Dragons players on death row.

2024

• December 2024: Jason Fitzroy Jeffers on the history of slavery in Barbados.
• November 2024: Matthew Campbell on Cambodia’s looted artifacts.
• October 2024: Victor J. Blue on documenting the war in Afghanistan.
• September 2024: Meet the Class of 2025!
• August 2024: Atossa A. Abrahamian on extraterritorial spaces.
• July 2024: Casey Gerald on great refusals.
• June 2024: Jessica Pishko on constitutional sheriffs.
• May 2024: JoeBill Muñoz on his film The Strike.
• April 2024: Emily Kassie on her film Sugarcane.
• March 2024: Sian-Pierre Regis on multi-generational living.
• February 2024: Jonathan Blitzer on the long history of the border crisis
• January 2024: Olivia Goldhill on the future of psychedelics.

2023

• December 2023: Ross Perlin on endangered languages.
• November 2023: Lisa M. Hamilton on rice farming and resilience.
• October 2023: Azam Ahmed on seeking justice in Mexico.
• September 2023: Meet the Class of 2024!
• August 2023: Cara Fitzpatrick on school choice.
• July 2023: Eve L. Ewing on education history and writing Black Panther.
• June 2023: Jason Zengerle on Tucker Carlson.
• May 2023: Khameer Kidia on global mental health.
• April 2023: Zeke Faux on cryptocurrency's boom and bust.
• March 2023: Kevin Sack on exploring two centuries of Black history.
• February 2023: Tanisha C. Ford on money and the Civil Rights Movement.
• January 2023: Albert Samaha on service workers and the American dream.

2022

• December 2022: Monica Potts on inequality in rural America.
• November 2022: Jennifer Medina on Latino voters and the midterms.
• October 2022: Abrahm Lustgarten on staying engaged with climate coverage.
• September 2022: Meet the Class of 2023!
• August 2022: Ellen D. Wu on Asian Americans and racial justice.
• July 2022: Keisha N. Blain on finding joy as a scholar.
• June 2022: Josh Chin on surveillance in China.
• May 2022: Melissa Segura on pursuing justice through journalism.
• April 2022: Daniel Bergner on treating mental illness.
• March 2022: Karen Levy on surveillance at work.
• February 2022: Emma Findlen Leblanc and Taylor Lee Nagel on America's Forever Wars.
• January 2022: Matthieu Aikins on covering the collapse of Afghanistan.

2021

• December 2021: Julian Brave NoiseCat on the art of advocacy.
• November 2021: Rose Eveleth on the future of podcasting.
• October 2021: Peter Bergen on decades of reporting on Afghanistan.
• September 2021: Meet the Class of 2022!
• August 2021: CJ Hunt on telling the truth on screen.
• July 2021: Cecilia Aldarondo on the global importance of Puerto Rico.
• June 2021: Brian Goldstone on the working homeless.
• May 2021: Yi-Ling Liu on writing human-centered narratives.
• April 2021: Bart Elmore on investigating large multinational firms.
• March 2021: Jude Joffe-Block on reporting on communities in crisis.
• February 2021: Marcia Chatelain on history as a tool for activism.
• January 2021: Trymaine Lee on his approach to storytelling.

2020

• December 2020: Matthew Shaer on the pandemic and inequality.
• November 2020: Reuben Jonathan Miller on mass incarceration.
• October 2020: Katie Engelhart on empathy in reporting.
• September 2020: Meet the Class of 2021!
• August 2020: Josie Duffy Rice on justice and America.
• July 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 7: Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana on filmmaking and the myth of the "perfect migrant."
• June 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 6: Daniela Lamas on COVID-19, writing about medicine, and the value of taking notes.
• May 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 5: Vann R. Newkirk II on natural disasters, podcasting, and reporting on trauma.
• April 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 4: Sarah J. Jackson on Twitter movements, collaboration, and the power of media.
• March 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 3: Greg Barker on his new feature film, storytelling, and deeper truths.
• February 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 2: Ted Johnson on national solidarity, the military, and using twitter as a mini opinion column.
• January 2020, Vol. 2, Issue 1: Jessica Bruder on subcultures, journalistic collaboration and Edward Snowden.

2019

• December 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 12: Trevor Aaronson on podcasts, Twitter and protecting sources.
• November 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 11: Molly Crabapple on the Jewish Labor Bund, an imagined future, and her collaborative process.
• October 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 10: Jill Filipovic on her work about abortion access in conflict and crisis zones.
• September 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 9: Clint Smith on reckoning with history and twitter.
• August 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 8: Reginald Dwayne Betts on his upcoming book of poetry and the state of the criminal justice system today.
• July 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 7: Chase Purdy on the future of meat.
• June 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 6: Eliza Griswold (2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner) on reporting on America.
• May 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 5: Rachel Aviv on writing about sensitive topics and character-driven reporting.
• April 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 4: Anne-Marie Slaughter on 20 years of storytelling at New America.
• March 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 3: Jeff Goodell on sea level rise, Antarctica, and climate change.
• February 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 2: Sara Hendren on how design is a bridge between the body and the world.
• January 2019, Vol. 1, Issue 1: Nikole Hannah-Jones on school segregation, Detroit and dealing with pressure.