Ben McGrath

Ben McGrath has been a staff writer since 2003. His first book, “ Riverman: An American Odyssey,” was released in 2022.

Featured Picks

A Secret Voyage Across the Seven Seas of Central Park

explorers club · April 4, 2022

Two urban Shackletons braved the elements for a clandestine, moonlit canoe excursion down each of the Park’s waterways, from the Harlem Meer in the north to the Pond in the south, dodging the police and “Star Wars” reënactors along the way, Ben McGrath writes.

The Wayfarer

american chronicles · December 14, 2015

Ben McGrath on the transcontinental canoe trips and disappearance of an eccentric Navy vet.

The Movement

a reporter at large · February 1, 2010

The rise of Tea Party activism.

Muscle Memory

a reporter at large · July 30, 2007

The next generation of bionic prostheses.

Project Knuckleball

the sporting scene · May 17, 2004

Ben McGrath writes about Tim Wakefield and the effectiveness of the knuckleball, a baseball pitch that moves unpredictably in the air.