Jason Nark

About

The greatest gift someone can give a journalist, in my opinion, is their untold story. Very often, they’re full of painful memories people would rather forget than spill out to a stranger. They often say ‘no’ to me and that’s fine. Every so often, a subject will divulge the most personal details or allow you to observe something deeply emotional and that’s a gift.I’ve covered many stories that unfolded that way, everywhere from Auschwitz to dining room tables in Philly. A few years ago, a New Jersey woman and her young daughter traveled to the beach on Father’s Day for a special ceremony. They had brought the cremated remains of the girl’s father to the beach and planned to toss them into the ocean. They allowed me to watch.The girl’s mother, who had a difficult relationship with the man, said she wanted some lasting record of the moment for her daughter and for the wider world to see there was a pathway to sobriety. She trusted me and I let some moments pass just between them that day: “Katie and Sadie stepped closer to the water. Katie crouched down, face to face with Sadie, and the wind and waves covered up their words, whatever a mother would say to a daughter in a moment like that.”I’m indebted to both of them for allowing me to be there.From my interview with Famous Writing Routines.