Portfolio

I've always striven for diversity in my work. I've tried my hand at several different mediums of writing, if only to find I never have a future in this particular genre. I've posted several samples of my work on this page, ranging from newspaper editorials to short fiction. Some might be inspired - others, fit for the recycling bin. Happy viewing.

Editorials: Here's a few opinion pieces I wrote for the campus media. The first two are spin-offs of my trip to Iraq, the third is a death penalty column penned mere days before the execution of an inmate featured in the article.

Sights Unseen -Written for the Daily Tarheel, the official campus rag. Ran on February 12, 2001
The Rest is History - A column printed in the Blue and White, March 2001
Harvey Lee Green -Another op-ed for the Daily Tarheel. Ran in September, 2000

Profiles: Only one sample here. I've written several profile articles for the Blue and White, but this one, a retrospective on the career of Dr. Joel Schwartz, is one of my favorites. Schwartz is a popular public policy professor and a truly wonderful person, a pleasure to have met and known for even the short time I worked on the article.

Poli with a Passion - Printed in the December 2000 issue of the Blue and White

Photographs: Some photos from a trip I made to Iraq with a human rights delegation. These pictures came out surprisingly well for something shot on poor-quality film bought through the Iraqi black market.

Short Fiction: It's not my best piece of writing, but The Most Dangerous Game Show does have a interesting story behind it. I threw this story together for an advanced fiction class I took in Spring 2000. It was the first assignment I wrote for the class, a highly competitive course that seemed, at the time, like grudge match for aspiring writers. I thought, for sure, this class would be the end of the line for my brief career in creative writing. You can imagine my stupefaction when my professor emailed me, raving about the story, and encouraged me to send it to "The New Yorker." She told me that, in all honesty, "The New Yorker" was a long shot for an unpublished writer, and that I probably wouldn't get more than a polite letter from them - the sort that begins, "We regret to inform you, Mr. Murawski..." Well, I submitted the story and waited about a month. Two months. Half a year. Nothing. Not even a cordial letter dismissing my work. I can't imagine what turned them off this piece, though the body of my cover letter might provide a few clues:

...I'd like to apologize, in advance, for having you read this atrocious story. I only submitted it because I don't think there are enough one-note, grub street writers trying to get their names "out there" by foolishly sending their stories to major, national magazines like the New Yorker. In the off-chance that Hell gets an air conditioner and you decide to publish this work, you can reach me at the following address...

I can't imagine why they wouldn't even respond to my submission. The jerks.