Writers at Work

Joining me today on Writers at Work is New York Times Enterprise reporter Christopher Maag. Recently, Chris wrote what I consider to be an extraordinary feature about a woman who, at age 17, survived a plane crash. I'll get back to that story in a minute.

Chris is a veteran reporter, having written for national and local magazines including USA Today, The Record, and the Seattle Times. Before joining the New York Times staff, he freelanced for the paper for a decade, covering the Midwest. When you click on the links on his website or in the Times archive, you'll find that Chris has delved into the human side of some of the biggest stories of our lifetime, including the September 11 attacks and the impact of COVID. When he covers breaking news, he occasionally will reveal a sly sense of humor. In a recent piece about a man who filmed himself while breaking into the mayor's residence in New York, Chris disclosed that Mayor Adams believes the house is haunted.

But some stories are absent humor, like his recent piece on the four-month-old who died from a cocaine overdose. As for the tale of the airline crash survivor, you can find his feature in the Times archives or via Google. The headline hints at what's to follow. The plane crash should have killed her. Sometimes she wishes it had, adding, survival has been its own ordeal.

Chris tells us that, traveling by herself, Astrid Lopez was on her way from Bogota, Colombia, to Disney World via New York, the trip a reward for her good grades. Hours after takeoff, Flight 52 crashed into a tree on Long Island. 73 passengers were killed. Chris included this bit of memorable color in his piece: Rescue workers found a toddler dangling from a tree, cold but uninjured. Astrid, now 52, has endured 70 surgeries.

Let me now pause to greet Chris, a writer whose work, to my eyes, has both the propulsion and flow of great storytelling, regardless of medium.