Dan Zak
Reporter

Dan Zak is a feature writer based in the Style section. His latest project is The Prophets of Oak Ridge. Recent assignments include the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Barack Obama’s second inauguration, the shooting in Newtown, and David Letterman. Past reporting trips include Louisiana for the BP oil leak and Iraq for the final months of the U.S. military presence. He has also written about official and casual pageantry at the White House, penned profiles of the famous and non-famous, and explored rural Virginia, suburban Maryland and non-federal Washington for the odd feature story. With Monica Hesse, he is co-sovereign of The List. He previously covered crime, community and exurban exotica in southern Maryland for the Metro section, and co-bylined the Three Wise Guys humor column. He joined the Post in 2005, after stints as an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a city-desk reporter and obituary writer at The Buffalo News. He was born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y. E-mail him at zakd@washpost.com.

Latest by Dan Zak

The quirk of the court

The quirk of the court

In Zimmerman case, potential jurors seem largely uninterested, suspicious of media.

The ‘Trial of the Century’ begins in Sanford

The ‘Trial of the Century’ begins in Sanford

All eyes are on this Florida town as it tries the man accused of killing an unarmed black teen.

What the sisters taught me

What the sisters taught me

What do Catholic nuns want? They want to set us straight, either by startling us or inspiring us. Sit up. Stop talking. Behave. Do your homework. Don't be lazy. Ask questions. Learn. Value life. Do what's right.

‘Arrested Development’: A chore to watch, a delight to decrypt

‘Arrested Development’: A chore to watch, a delight to decrypt

The cult-favorite TV show returns via Netflix with its many complexities firmly intact.