Why should I read Persisters?

Persisters is a publication about humans who push, persevere, pivot and persist...despite all the sh*t.

We’re all Persisters, in our own ways. And learning about other Persisters inspires, moves, humors, frustrates and enrages us.

I know this because I wrote about Persisters as a reporter and columnist for The Washington Post for 26 years. Whether it was about a homeless student who lost his scholarship because of a government screw-up or a small business that pivoted and persisted in a crisis, telling these stories sparked change and action. And I saw the way they empowered readers to make a difference when the world feels confounding and hopeless.

I’ll deliver these stories to you every week with the same journalistic integrity, curiosity and rigor that carried me for more than three decades in the news business. I’m not an aggregator, a hack or a partisan. I’m a journalist in full. I chase stories and talk to real people. And I believe we need that more than ever in today’s divided world.

Two years ago, The Washington Post decided to eliminate local columns with no explanation, severing an American tradition. For more than a century, local columnists have been uplifting the unheard, highlighting the hidden and connecting readers to their cities and to one another. It is a crime against our community that these voices were silenced, and part of the reason I chose to leave The Post.

I’m not gonna whine over spilled ink.

I did a survey (thank you, readers who responded) to see what y’all valued most and it was the stories of real people — of Persisters — that you want to keep reading.

So I’ll just Persist doing all of that here.

Why subscribe?

A free subscription will get you weekly stories about Persisters.

Eventually, I’ll offer paid subscriptions that let me know you value this work, and would like the bonus materials that are in the pipeline (audio! video!). But more importantly, you’ll become part of the community of Persisters, where we comment, brainstorm, network and share ideas with Persisters and their advocates. I’ll update Persisters from my Washington Post column — tell me who you’d like to catch up with! This is also where you nominate Persisters who deserve a spotlight.

And during this landmark year, Persisters will have a weekly history component — reviving the project I was trying to launch at The Post highlighting 250 overlooked Persisters who helped build America:

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