Welcome to Conversations With Journalists! In this new series, we invite students every two weeks to join a discussion about a New York Times article with a Times journalist and other teenagers from around the world. Learn more about the feature and find a schedule of the pieces we’ll be reading together in the future here.
What’s it like to share your opinions with millions of readers each week? How do you decide what to write about? How do you craft your arguments so they will be compelling to a wide audience? What impact has your writing had?
So far in this series we have featured reporters whose work is to gather facts and information to inform readers about a topic with as much objectivity as possible. The job of an opinion writer is different: Though they too are journalists who must gather reliable information, their role is to express a point of view about it.
Why are we featuring a Times Opinion writer now? Because our annual opinion-writing contest for students opens March 12, and we hope having a conversation with someone who does this kind of writing for a living can illuminate and inspire.
This year we’re inviting students to write open letters on the issues that matter to them. As you might already know if you’ve read the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail, an open letter is a literary device. Though it may seem to be intended for just one individual or group, and therefore usually reads like a personal letter, it is really a persuasive essay addressed to the public.
Our guest for this discussion is Margaret Renkl, a contributing Opinion writer for The New York Times. Her weekly column focuses on nature, politics and culture in the American South, and she often makes powerful use of the open letter format.
Whether you’re participating in our contest or not, we hope you’ll have many thoughts and questions for Ms. Renkl — about the role of an opinion columnist in a newspaper in general, and her role in particular; about how open letters work and when and why a writer might employ them; or about the moving pieces you’ll read below.
To join the conversation, just post to the comments by March 20.
Featured Articles
We will be discussing two of Ms. Renkl’s pieces this week: “An Open Letter to John Lewis,” addressed to the civil rights leader after the news of his terminal cancer diagnosis, published Jan. 6, 2020, and “An Open Letter to Governor Lee on the Slaughter of Our Children,” written to the governor of Tennessee after a school shooting in Nashville, published March 29, 2023.
You might also consider her piece, “An Open Letter to Jimmy Carter, on His 100th Birthday,” published Sept. 30, 2024.
To learn more about Ms. Renkl’s work, you can also read some of her recent columns:
We’ll be joined by Margaret Renkl, a contributing Opinion writer, who reports from Nashville. She is the author of “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” (2019), “Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South” (2021) and “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year” (2023). Since 2017, she has been a contributing Opinion writer for The Times, where her essays appear each Monday. She is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Carolina.
Questions to Think About as You Read
What parts of each essay — whether individual lines, paragraphs, quotes or anything else — stand out to you? Why?
Is there anything that challenges what you know or thought you knew? What did you learn?
What connections can you make between these pieces and your own life?
Is there anything missing from either essay that you wish was included? If so, what and why?
What questions do these pieces raise for you?
What would you like to ask or say to Ms. Renkl?
What would you like to ask or say to other teenagers who are joining this conversation with you?
Focus questions: What’s it like to be a professional opinion writer? How are these essays crafted to make them as persuasive as possible? Why might one choose to write in the format of an open letter rather than a traditional essay?
How to Join the Conversation
First, read the featured Opinion essays. Use the questions above to help you reflect on them.
Respond in the comments. Be sure to introduce yourself and then share your reactions to what you saw and read. Ask Ms. Renkl a question, either about the pieces or about her work in general.
Post your response by Thursday, March 20. Ms. Renkl will begin responding by Monday, March 24.
Come back to the conversation to read Ms. Renkl’s replies and to respond. What is something she shared that intrigued you? What is something you learned about her reporting process? What questions do you still have?
Remember that you can reply to and recommend other students’ comments throughout the two weeks. We hope you’ll keep the conversation going.
Lastly, remember: We are timing this Conversation With Journalists with the start of our second annual Open Letter Contest for Students, which is open to teenagers around the world. If you’d like to read the work of last year’s teen winners, visit this page.
(Not sure what to ask? Check out this list of more than 20 ideas (PDF) — but don’t feel that you have to stick to them!)
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Are you a teacher or student who has feedback on this new feature or would like to suggest a Times piece for future discussion? Please post a comment here.
