Amanda Ulrich

1 month ago | sundaylongread.com | Amanda Ulrich

In a new episode of our Behind the Story series, host and journalist Amanda Ulrich chats with The Washington Post’s Geoff Edgers about everything music and pop culture — from Edgers’ recent story about a group of diehard Kinks fans, to his approach to interviewing celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and the late Norm Macdonald. His biggest reporting tips? Don’t be afraid to reach out to big names for an interview (repeatedly) and then spend as much time with them as possible.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Amanda Ulrich

Osvaldo Ruiz and a friend were hiking through an isolated stretch of mountains, just a few miles from the sprawling US-Mexico border wall that fringes San Diego, when the federal agent stopped them in their tracks. It was late March, mid-morning, and Ruiz, who works for a local non-profit called Border Angels, was busy. That day he was scouting a new route where his group could leave life-saving water and food for the sporadic waves of migrants who still cross through these desolate borderlands.

2 months ago | sundaylongread.com | Amanda Ulrich

In a 2024 piece for The Atavist Magazine, independent journalist Rhana Natour tells the story of one teenager from Gaza: 14-year-old Layan Albaz, who lost both of her legs in an Israeli airstrike and later traveled to the United States for medical treatment. That story, which details Layan’s complex recovery in the U.S. while she continues to grapple with the horrors of war happening back at home, won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors earlier this month.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Amanda Ulrich

It was just after 8am on Tuesday, a thick morning fog still clinging to the California coastline, and SeaWorld’s animal rescue team had already made their first save of the day: a hefty, sick-looking sea lion that had been waddling dangerously close to a four-lane highway in downtown San Diego. Now, in a private area of SeaWorld that few of the theme park’s thousands of daily visitors ever get to see, the rescue team was in full “triage” mode.

Mar 28, 2025 | sundaylongread.com | Amanda Ulrich

In a 2024 piece for Deseret Magazine, writer Natalia Galicza brought to life all of the complexities and horrors of solitary confinement through the story of one man: Frank De Palma, who spent more than 22 years alone in a cell. “Darkness became like a blanket of protection to me,” Frank has said about those decades of isolation.