Uncover truth. Expose injustice. Empower communities through storytelling.

Writer | Crime Reporter | Founder, Next PAGE

Emily walking with briefcase.

Emily Palmer is a New York–based narrative nonfiction writer and crime reporter whose work examines complicated women, criminal cases, and the systems that shape power. Her reporting appears in The New York Times, People, ELLE, and other national outlets, and sits at the intersection of gender, justice, and the forces that drive human behavior.

An authoritative voice on capos and con artists, she is featured in a new documentary on Emma Coronel, premiering on Oxygen on Black Friday and later streaming on Peacock.

Emily is currently writing her first book, a hybrid memoir that braids personal history with the crime stories she’s covered — exposing the systems shaping and breaking American life.

She also teaches trauma-informed creative writing in New York City’s detention and reentry settings. As the founder of Next PAGE, she leads restorative workshops that help young people build literacy, emotional language, and narrative power.

Read My Work

Selected Reporting

Life as El Chapo’s Wife

Anna Delvey’s First Night of House Arrest

She Wrote a Book on Grief After Her Husband Died. Did She Kill Him?

I’m drawn to stories that sit at the intersection of crime, power, and human behavior — especially when the truth isn’t straightforward. My work often follows women whose lives have collided with criminal or failing institutions, and the systems that shape their trajectories.

Across courtrooms, detention centers, and communities affected by violence and inequity, I trace the deeper forces behind the headlines — revealing not only what happened, but why, and what those stories show us about ourselves.

Watch the Trailer

A new documentary highlighting Emily’s reporting on Emma Coronel premieres on Oxygen on Black Friday and later streams on Peacock.

FAQ

  • I report on crime, courts, and cases involving complex women, coercion, trauma, and systemic inequity. My work often examines how institutions fail — and the human stories that unfold within those failures.

  • I first encountered Emma Coronel while covering the trial of her husband, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in 2018 and 2019. That reporting led to years of continued work on women connected to criminal organizations and the systems surrounding them. My coverage includes courtroom reporting, extensive background investigation and exclusive interviews.

  • Yes, I work with production teams on research, reporting, narrative development, and on-camera commentary for projects involving complex criminal cases.

  • The book weaves together several cases I’ve investigated over the years — a narrative about women, power, systems, and the stories we tell about crime.

  • Next PAGE is a restorative creative writing and literacy program I founded for young people in New York City’s detention and reentry settings. I lead trauma-informed writing workshops that help students build emotional language, narrative agency, and confidence through storytelling.

  • Use the contact form below. I welcome documents, background information, or context that may be helpful for an ongoing or future investigation.

  • Please use the contact form and note the nature of your request.

Contact Emily

Use this form to share tips, documents, story ideas, or media inquiries. Emily reads every message and will be in touch soon.