The stories we tell each other uncover the hard work of being human, how we strive and fall and rise every day to try again. Here are the published stories I’ve written on engaging issues — and the remarkable people behind them, who’ve allowed me a glimpse into their passions, their successes, their heartbreaks and their uncommon journeys toward meaning and purpose.


About Me

Reach out: bethmcnichol95 [at] gmail.com

I’ve been a fact-checker, a copy editor, a news reporter and a magazine editor. I’ve written about health and medicine, secondary and higher education, sports, politics and everything in between.

But no matter the subject, nothing is as rewarding as listening to fascinating people tell their stories and share what they know — these tales of perspective and growth and worlds of wonder that appear like fireflies around them, decoding the depths of human experience. Capturing those lights and sharing them with others is always — always — time well spent.

What I do

  • Long-form magazine features and profiles
  • Multi-source reporting and research
  • Department-length topical features and profiles
  • Editing and story development

Peer Recognition

CASE Circle of Excellence/Platinum Awards:

To Build a Cure

  • Research, Medicine & Science Writing, 2021

The Guiding Light

  • Best Articles of the Year, 2020
  • Feature Profile Writing, 2020

Converting the Shot

  • Best Articles of the Year, 2020
  • Feature Profile Writing, 2019

How to Mend a Sole

  • Best Articles of the Year, 2019

The Client She’ll Never Give Up On

  • Best Articles of the Year, 2011

Blue Genes

  • Best Articles of the Year, 2003

Educating Michie

  • News & Feature Writing, 2002

First in Flight

  • News & Feature Writing, 2001

Education

Northwestern University (1999)
M.S. in journalism/magazine publishing from the Medill School of Journalism

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1995)
B.A. in journalism with a concentration in political science


“This highly distinguished and extremely compelling piece grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. It’s well-written, fun, educational, heartfelt, and emotional. This is a profile that is ‘felt’ rather than ‘read.’”

Judges’ comments from CASE 2020 Best Feature/Profile Writing on “The Guiding Light”