Intern Insights: David Maraniss Inside Scoop

Humanities exploration through an intern's eyes

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I had the privilege of listening to David Maraniss—associate editor of The Washington Post, New York Times-bestselling author, and Pulitzer Prize winner—speak at an Inside Scoop hosted by the Humanities Research Institute (HRI). This event is an informal lunch talk where all undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are welcome to come listen to a noteworthy speaker talk about their work and enjoy a free lunch.

Maraniss has written numerous articles and books relating to sports and politics. At the lunch, he spoke about Path Lit by Lightning, his biography on Indigenous athlete Jim Thorpe. He appeared as part of HRI’s Sporting Publics Symposium that took place March 28-29, 2024, where he was the keynote speaker.

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Maraniss gave some insights into his writing process. He uses historical context to illuminate events that he is writing about. He drew a connection to his research and writing of Roberto Clemente, a renowned baseball player who he views as a hero who helped others through humanitarian work in Nicaragua before his death. Additionally, Maraniss mentioned that he wrote about Jim Thorpe, in part, as a way to tell the story of Native American history. He explained the reason behind calling his biography Path Lit by Lightning, which was connected to the meaning behind Jim Thorpe’s Indigenous name. When doing research for this biography, Maraniss visited Jim Thorpe’s grave at the Carlisle Indian Boarding School Cemetery, a cemetery where Native American children who attended the school are buried. The school’s purpose was to assimilate Native Americans; basically, to make them white.

A key takeaway that inspired me when listening to Maraniss was his search for the truth. He commits himself to his research and writing by immersing and rooting himself in travel and by interviewing a wide variety of sources connected to the subject. Another tip he gave: being organized in the research process helps the writing process.

When writing about hard topics, he approaches people with sensitivity and respect. He said that he has to cover these topics because there is a need for humans to understand each other through stories. He starts a book from an “I know nothing” perspective and gains inspiration by thinking “I can do something no one else can.”

Maraniss captivated the audience with his interesting stories and insights on his career. The stories he told about his different biographies—ranging from Jim Thorpe to former President Barack Obama—were interesting to hear about. I feel honored that I could listen and learn from an accomplished editor of The Washington Post and the stories he covered in sports and political writing.

By Hafsa Faruqi, David F. Prindable intern

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