Marques Harper

About

I’m a deputy features editor and editor of the Weekend section and the L.A. Affairs column at the L.A. Times. I’m also the person who gets projects across the finish line and I’m a digital-first newsroom leader who digs into data and analytics while overseeing the publication of daily stories, special sections and a weekly print section. At The Times, I’ve been the fashion editor, Image section editor, a deputy magazine editor and a Saturday section editor as well as a department head in features. I've overseen coverage of culture, style, cannabis, wellness, the arts, TV, trendsetters, travel and celebrity. My work was part of The Times' entry that won Best Section in the Society for Features Journalism’s 2020 Excellence in Features awards. Also I assigned and edited a 2022 1st-place-winning essay (about a dying father and a special Thanksgiving hat that brought him joy) and a 2021 1st-place-winning story (about COVID-19 kissing and dating) from the L.A. Press Club SoCal Journalism Awards. As a newsroom leader, two of my goals are advocating for a diverse workforce and expanding audience engagement. My belief is that there's a features section for every generation, and we must constantly evolve. 6 things to know 1. On Aug. 8, 2023, the University of Southern California conferred my M.S. in Digital Media Management. 2. In addition to The Times, my stories have appeared in The New York Times, Austin American-Statesman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Oregonian. 3. I’m a New Jersey native who has lived in L.A. for 12 years. I'm named after Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes ("one of the world's finest ballhandlers”). 4. I enjoy talking about fashion, travel, human nature, pop stars, how to save newspapers, science, internet culture, branding, good storytelling, Hollywood, L.A., New York, London, Paris, recipes I’ll never get to make, people who have power and the people who think they have it, shows I watch on the streamers, Madonna, Beyoncé, Oprah, working out, humans in space and underdogs. 5. When I was a fashion writer, I wrote a viral story about Wrangler jeans, Mikhail Gorbachev, Louis Vuitton, Texans and politics that upset former President George W. Bush as he ate breakfast at his ranch. It bothered him so much that I received a call from the White House. (The Washington Post wrote about it.) That's when I understood the power of fashion, writing and the digital era. 6. I’ve been a guest speaker at USC, UCLA Extension, UC Berkeley and ASU FIDM as well as a speaker for author Sue Shapiro’s writing courses.