Dan Zak

Washington, D.C.

Feature writer Education: American University, BA in literature and journalism Dan Zak is a reporter for The Washington Post. He has written a wide range of news stories, narratives and profiles while on local, national and foreign assignments. He is the author of "Almighty: Courage, Resistance and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age," a non-fiction book about nuclear weapons and anti-nuclear activism. He joined The Post in 2005. Honors & Awards:

First place (general feature) from the Society for Features Journalism (2018) for "After the Blast" (wapo.st/west)
Best feature in the Excellence in Journalism awards from Street Sense Media (2017) for "The Polaroids of the Cowboy Poet" (wapo.st/earnshaw)

Professional Affiliations: Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting grantee (2015), for reporting on nuclear and environmental issues in the Marshall Islands (wapo.st/marshallislands)

Books by Dan Zak:
Almighty: Courage, Resistance and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age
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Latest from Dan Zak

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Texas is freezing, but the roast of Ted Cruz is on

A senator nobody likes walks into a scandal nobody can resist.

Feb 18, 2021

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The grid leaves us powerless

The trouble in Texas is a chilling reminder of the fragility of our foundations.

Feb 18, 2021

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Analysis

Day 1 of Impeachment 2: Tears, fears and seasick poetry

Are we sinking, or just riding out another political storm?

Feb 9, 2021

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Perspective

Cloris Leachman rose to the bottom of our hearts

Over her 74-year career, the actress showed us the highest lows and the lowest highs.

Jan 28, 2021

The last day of Donald

“Macho Man” fades out.

Jan 20, 2021

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What does Josh Hawley think he’s doing?

A law-geek Missouri senator with an elite pedigree tries to grab the mantle of right-wing populism.

Jan 17, 2021

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Joe Biden, 78, will lead an American gerontocracy

He’ll be the oldest president, but hardly the last of his kind in Washington.

Jan 12, 2021

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Perspective

The grand finale of the Trump show: America watches farce devolve to horror

A four-year descent into political madness ends with insurrection at the Capitol.

Jan 7, 2021

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Here are some good things about this year

Amid the wreckage of 2020, we found weird, unexpected gifts.

Dec 29, 2020

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A Kraken is loose in America

What is it, and what does it want?

Dec 10, 2020

About Dan Zak

Dan Zak is a reporter for The Washington Post. He has written a wide range of news stories, narratives and profiles while on local, national and foreign assignments. He is the author of "Almighty: Courage, Resistance and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age," a non-fiction book about nuclear weapons and anti-nuclear activism. He joined The Post in 2005.