Over the years I cut out articles and essays from various magazines and newspapers and, along the way, throw some out while others are keepers. Those I keep I sometimes later find in the most unlikely places.

I found this one, “Writers as Plunderers,” which ran in the New York Times in 1998, on my dryer in the garage. It’s yellowed and brittle, but still timely. I found what the writer said about why we’re so fascinated with true stories especially interesting. See what you think.