Natalie Pompilio is an award-winning writer and editor based in Philadelphia.
Natalie has worked on the staffs of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News and The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. She was part of the Associated Press team covering Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to Philadelphia and the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She worked as a freelance entertainment journalist contributor to The (Newark) Star-Ledger for four years until the COVID-19 pandemic began. She continues to contribute to newspapers including The Washington Post.
She is a frequent contributor to Brain and Life magazine, Super Lawyers magazines, the patient portal of GoodRX, and alumni magazines for institutions including Haverford College, the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn’s School of Nursing. Her web work includes the Philadelphia Citizen, oncolive.com, legacy.com, cityandstate.com and cruisecritic.com. She’s also engaged in commercial writing projects with local Fortune 500 companies and smaller local businesses, government offices and non-profits.
Natalie reported from Baghdad in 2003 as the insurgency against US military operations began gathering force. She was honored by Knight-Ridder for her work there.
She was in New Orleans in August 2005 before, during and after Hurricane Katrina as a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Some of her work is included in the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ publication Best Newspaper Writing 2006.
Natalie has authored or co-authored four books:
This Used to be Philadelphia (Reedy Press, 2021), with photographer Tricia Pompilio
Walking Philadelphia: 30 Walking Tours featuring Art, Architecture, History, and Little-Known Gems (Wilderness Press, 2017), with photographer Tricia Pompilio
More Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell (Temple University Press, 2006), written with Jane Golden and Robin Wright.
Philadelphia A to Z (Self-published children’s alphabet book, 2008), with photographer Jennifer Zdon
In 2011, Natalie shared a Clarion Award from Women in Communications for story with Philadelphia Daily News writers Molly Eichel and Becky Batcha for their piece documenting 24 hours at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
In 2014, the Keystone Press Association said her Philadelphia City Paper article Michael’s Story, was the year’s best feature article in its category. The piece documented the unlikely relationship between a mother who lost her son to violence and one of the men responsible for his death.
In 2021, the Pennsylvania Press Club awarded her second place in “Personality Profile, more than 500 words” for Shop Talk, a profile of Philadelphia lawyer Bernard Smalley that appeared in Super Lawyers magazine.
In 2023, the Pennsylvania Press Club awarded her first place in “Personality Profile, more than 750 words” for The Public Service Call, a profile of former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. She also earned a second place nod in the magazine feature story category for All the Single Ladies, an article about five female Pennsylvania lawyers with solo practices. Both articles were written for Super Lawyers magazines.
Natalie’s strength is documenting the world through the eyes of ordinary people going about their lives — or facing extraordinary challenges. She has an eye for the telling detail and an ear for dialogue. She presents her subjects as themselves and not as characters.
Natalie has a Bachelor’s degree in The Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Maryland.
Natalie spends a few months in New Orleans every year and hasn’t missed a Mardi Gras since 1997. She is a proud member of the Krewe of Muses.
