Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz is a long-form writer and editor recognized for her work in American journalism, particularly as executive editor at Texas Monthly. Swartz is a two-time National Magazine Award winner and a four-time finalist, distinctions regarded as significant honors in the magazine industry. Her career includes roles as a staff writer at The New Yorker and Talk magazine, as well as extensive contributions to Texas Monthly. Swartz's reporting and editorial work have appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Slate, National Geographic, and the New York Times op-ed page and Sunday magazine.

Swartz's investigative journalism is reflected in her award-winning stories, including being a finalist for two National Magazine Awards and winning in the public interest category for "Not What the Doctor Ordered." She received the John Bartlow Martin Award for Public Interest, Magazine Journalism, for her story on tort reform titled "Hurt? Injured? Need a Lawyer? Too Bad!" Her second National Magazine Award, also in the public interest category, was for "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives," which examines women's health care in Texas. Her work has been featured in "Best American Political Writing 2006" and "Best American Sportswriting 2007."

As an author, Swartz has written "Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron" with Sherron Watkins and "Ticker: The Quest to Build an Artificial Heart." In "Ticker," Swartz explores the complexities of replicating the human heart, combining investigative journalism with medical reporting to document decades of innovation and challenges in the field of artificial organs. Both books highlight her ability to address universal themes through stories rooted in Texas.

Swartz is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, where she covers topics such as Texas politics and heart disease. Her work is included in several anthologies, including the textbook "Stories We Tell: Classic True Tales by America's Greatest Women Journalists." Swartz serves on the boards of InPrint, Houston Cinema Arts Society, Texas Institute of Letters, Undies for Everyone, and the Molly National Journalism Prize, awarded by Texas Observer. Her reporting on corporate scandals, women's health, and medical innovation demonstrates a commitment to in-depth journalism and a nuanced understanding of the American South.