Laura Sessions Stepp

{{infobox person

|name = Laura Sessions Stepp

|birth_name = Laura Elizabeth Sessions

|birth_date = {{birth date|1951|7|27}}

|birth_place = Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|2025|2|24|1951|7|27}}

|death_place = Springfield, Virginia, U.S.

|occupation = {{hlist|Journalist|editor|author}}

|spouse = {{ubl|Robert King (divorced)|{{marriage|Carl Stepp|1981}}}}

|children = 1

|alma_mater = {{ubl|Earlham College (BA)|Columbia University (MA)}}

}}

Laura Sessions Stepp (born Laura Elizabeth Sessions; July 27, 1951 – February 24, 2025) was an American author and journalist.

Background

Laura Elizabeth Sessions was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on July 27, 1951. After her parents divorced, she was raised primarily by her father, a Methodist pastor, and her stepmother.{{cite news|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/02/28/laura-sessions-stepp-washington-post/|title = Laura Sessions Stepp, writer who explored adolescent life, dies at 73|last = Langer|first = Emily|date = February 28, 2025|accessdate = March 3, 2025|newspaper = The Washington Post|url-access = limited}} Her father was an outspoken opponent of segregation, which once led to a cross burning on his front yard. The family later moved and eventually settled in Buckhannon, West Virginia. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Earlham College, and then received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/books/laura-sessions-stepp-dead.html|title = Laura Sessions Stepp, Who Reported on Teenage Sex, Dies at 73|last = Rosenwald|first = Michael S.|date = March 3, 2025|accessdate = March 3, 2025|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited}}

Career

She worked briefly as a television weather presernter before becoming a reporter for The Palm Beach Times and the Philadelphia Bulletin. She then went to The Charlotte Observer; there, she was part of a group of reporters and editors who produced the report "A Case of Deadly Neglect" on brown lung disease. The report won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/04/14/Observer-staff-celebrates-Pulitzer-gold-medal/7005356072400/|title=Observer staff celebrates Pulitzer gold medal - UPI Archives|website=UPI}} That year, she married Carl Stepp, a journalism professor; they combined their surnames upon marriage. A previous marriage to Robert King ended in divorce. In 1982, she joined the editorial staff of The Washington Post.

Sessions Stepp became known for her studies of American teen culture. In 1998, she began reporting on changes in sexual practices among teenagers. In 2000, she published the book Our Last Best Shot, an exploration of American adolescents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/laura-sessions-stepp/our-last-best-shot/|title=OUR LAST BEST SHOT | Kirkus Reviews|via=www.kirkusreviews.com}} In 2006, she published the book Unhooked, a critique of hookup culture among teenagers, in which she expressed concern over its potential effects on girls and young women, asking whether it was "contributing to – or destroying – their sense of self-worth and strength".{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/fashion/01hook.html|title=A Disconnect on Hooking Up|first=Stephanie|last=Rosenbloom|work=The New York Times |date=March 1, 2007|via=NYTimes.com}} The New York Times noted that some dismissed her as a "prudish alarmist", though she said, "I am not saying, 'Have less sex'. I am saying, 'Have more romance'".

Sessions Stepp took a buyout from the Post in 2008.

Personal life and death

Carl and Laura Sessions Stepp had a son, and she became a stepmother to his two daughters from a prior marriage. She attended Methodist and Lutheran churches during her adult life.{{cite web|url = https://obits.pennlive.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/laura-stepp-obituary?id=57692993|title = Laura Sessions Stepp|website = Legacy.com|accessdate = March 3, 2025}}

Sessions Stepp died from Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Springfield, Virginia, on February 24, 2025, at the age of 73.