Dan Schwartz is a journalist based in northern California. He writes on a variety of subjects but fundamentally seeks long-form, narrative stories that demand complicated reporting, center on compelling people or processes, and are driven by a sense of urgency. His work is frequently recommended by sites such as Longform and the Sunday Long Read and has appeared in numerous national outlets, including The Atlantic, ProPublica and Outside Magazine.
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Dan just closed a cover story for the magazine Popular Mechanics and is now on assignment for National Geographic Magazine. Previously he had worked for 18 months as a contractor with ProPublica on an investigation into the safety of the railroad industry, which became a topic of national concern following the February 2023 derailment and explosion of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio. He spoke about the project with NPR's Morning Edition, and the work was ultimately honored with an Edward R. Murrow award.
Dan started his career at daily papers in Alaska, New Mexico, and Vermont, winning awards along the way for unearthing government corruption and dogging environmental regulators. He honed his craft in a master’s program at the Missouri School of Journalism, where he worked as a fellow with The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and part-time as a researcher for Investigative Reporters and Editors.
Dan has an undergraduate degree in outdoor education. Back in the day, he worked as a mountain guide. He doesn’t guide anymore but has kept his skills sharp, and when he's not writing he may be found outside, depending on the season and topography, backcountry skiing or ice climbing or rock climbing or mountain biking or trail running or, to his mother’s chagrin, dirt biking. She’s right to worry. Motorcycles are dangerous.
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Dan lives in a cabin in the Sierras with his wife, the writer Gloria Liu.
