Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct

by Barry Yeoman on

And whether it can, and should, be brought back to life a century after it disappeared. Originally published in Audubon Magazine. Reprinted in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2015, edited by Rebecca Skloot (Mariner Books, 2015). “Men still live who, in their youth, remember pigeons; trees still live who, in their youth, were shaken by […]

Nervous energy

by Barry Yeoman on

Billions of barrels of oil lie in the Monterey Shale. The windfall from tapping into that deeply buried cache could be mind-blowing – so could the damage. Originally published in Sunset in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network. FLECKS OF GOLDEN EVENING LIGHT are starting to bathe California’s San Antonio Valley as Paula […]

Reports from Moral Monday

by Barry Yeoman on

During 2014, I reported on North Carolina’s Moral Monday movement, a faith-based organizing effort that is becoming a national model. The movement is spearheaded by the state NAACP with broad support from churches and issue-based organizations, including women’s, immigrant, environmental, LGBT, and labor groups. Most of the articles were published online by The American Prospect, illustrated by […]

A Mighty Shout in North Carolina

by Barry Yeoman on

The Moral Monday movement entered its second year with a bang on Saturday. But can it channel that upbeat energy to reverse a conservative tide? Originally published in The American Prospect. All photos © 2014 by Jenny Warburg. GEOFFREY ZEGER DIDN’T ATTEND last year’s Moral Mondays, the series of civil-disobedience events at which more than […]

The Gutbucket King

by Barry Yeoman on

Update: The Gutbucket King is now available free. Click here to go directly to the story. The New New South, a digital publisher of longform journalism about the South, has released The Gutbucket King, New Orleans bluesman Little Freddie King’s epic story of migration, music, booze, bloodshed, race, and redemption. It was written by Barry Yeoman, […]

The Gutbucket King

by Barry Yeoman on

By Barry Yeoman

He stood at the kitchen window waiting. He had memorized everything around him: the pine walls, bare of wallpaper or even paint; the wardrobe where his widowed mother kept her churn for making buttermilk; the stove fueled by the firewood he cut each morning; the two coolers, one for dairy and the other for cakes and pies. He had branded them into his memory, these artifacts of a life that, after today, would no longer be his.

The Shale Rebellion

by Barry Yeoman on

Click here for “The Shale Rebellion,” The American Prospect, December 2013. (Opens as a PDF.)

The End of Moderation?

by Barry Yeoman on

To some Duke professors and alumni, the North Carolina legislature’s recent rightward is a dismantling of Terry Sanford’s legacy. Originally published in Duke Magazine. UNDER A MOONLESS SKY in the North Carolina mountains, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate named Terry Sanford stood on the steps of the Henderson County courthouse and made a proposal that seemed […]

Women Vets: A Battle All Their Own

by Barry Yeoman on

While female service members confront the same problems as male veterans, they also face distinct struggles. Originally published in Parade. WHEN STACY KEYTE WAS DEPLOYED Iraq in 2005, her life as a young wife and mother had just begun to take shape. She had a 15-month-old son, Caleb, a happy boy who loved dancing around […]

Journey to Turkey

by Barry Yeoman on

Situated in one of the world’s most important migratory bird flyways, some of Turkey’s wildest places face threats from massive construction projects. Trying to provide a better way, one visionary biologist aims to put his country on the birder map. Originally published in Audubon Magazine. “THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD,” field biologist Yakup […]