The Other 51: Recent Episodes
Brian Moritz
The best conversations about writing happen at the bar after deadline. That's the vibe we're going for here. A podcast about writing, with Brian Moritz.
“I think the role of the critic is to bring that nuanced understanding and historical context to explain the music.”
Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins Brian for a deep, deep dive into Cowboy Carter, The Tortured Poets Department, and the role of music writing in today’s media world.
Jenn talks about her recent research into gatekeeping in country music and specifically the reaction to Beyonce’s new album. What is it about country music that brings out such strong gatekeeping tendencies? Jenn talks about her role as a white woman writing about her reaction to Beyonce’s music.
Jenn and Brian discuss the role of a journalist or an academic in writing about music in 2024, especially in a world where fans are doing incredible analyses and album breakdowns on TikTok.
Rabbit holes include their favorite song on each album, the new Pearl Jam record, and staying up past midnight in your 40s.
Links
About Jenn Billinson
Jenn Billinson on Threads
Daddy Lessons (Beyonce and The Chicks, 2016 performance.)
A Complete Review of Beyonce’s New Album on The Right Time
Raw Dog: The naked truth about hot dogs (The Best Thing Jenn’s read lately.)
He turned his garage into a nightclub. Now the city wants to shut it down and kick him out (the best thing Brian’s read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“When in doubt, choose not to harm somebody.”
Jen Moritz, senior editor and inclusive language specialist (and Brian’s wife) joins us to talk about inclusive language.
What is inclusive language?
So glad you asked!
Jen defines the term for us, and also describes how she got interested and involved in this area of editing. She tells us how the pandemic influenced her interest in inclusive language, how editing for inclusive language is an extension of her “Grammar Tingle” and what she does when that is activated by word or phrase, and how inclusive editing can help connect us back to our humanity in an increasingly digital world.
We also go down a rabbit hole about the phrase “rule of thumb” and what to do when people think you’re wrong but you’re actually right.
Other rabbit holes include dragon smut, fairy smut, banned books and Maintenance Phase.
Also, as far as we can tell, “flying by the seat of your pants” is not problematic. As a phrase, at least.
“You will always be learning. You will never have perfect language and perfect representation. You’re just doing your best.”
Links
Jen Moritz on LinkedIn
Maintenance Phase
The Conscious Language Newsletter
Rabbit with a Red Pen
Abraham Piper
Flamer (the best thing Jen’s read lately.)
Other Words For Home (the best thing Jen’s read lately.)
Rebecca Yarros Empyrean Series (the best thing Jen has read lately.)
Sarah J. Mass books (the best thing Brian has read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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Next week, our regularly scheduled episode with Jen Moritz will be out. We’ll be talking all about inclusive language.
However.
Early in April, the Associated Press announced updates to its style book. Including new guidance on writing about “obese, obesity and overweight”
We, um, we have some thoughts.
And so, a bonus episode.
Enjoy! And be sure to listen to our non-bonus episode with Jen next week.
This was largely inspired by the work of Maintenance Phase.
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“We all experience loss differently, but there’s common ground for all of us to find in that.”
Jared Paventi joins Brian this week to talk all about his excellent Substack, Dirt Nap.
Jared discusses how he came to write a weekly blog/newsletter/Substack/whatever we’re calling it about death and grieving, how watching his oldest daughter grieve the loss of her grandpa inspired him, and how he uses writing to work through what he’s thinking and feeling.
Jared talks about how he’s looking to create a space for conversations about grief through his excellent Griever’s Digest series, how grieving can be about more than just the death of someone, and how the writing of A.J. Daulerio and The Small Bow inspired Dirt Nap, especially the tone.
We also talk about what happened to his food blog, Blog Al Dente, and what you do when a project starts to feel more like work than fun.
Rabbit holes include HJ Magazine, how a deadline without a consequence is meaningless, and Brian’s move out of the basement.
“This is some shit that’s going on in my head and my world. Maybe it’s happening to you too.”
Links
Dirt Nap by Jared Paventi
The Griever’s Digest series at Dirt Nap
The Small Bow by A.J. Daulerio
The Other 51 Episode 13: Anti-Federalists with Jared Paventi
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy (The best thing Jared’s read lately.)
Jean Hanff Korelitz books (The best thing Jared’s read lately.)
The Last Boy by Jane Leavy (The best thing Brian’s read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Come in for the show, stay for the tears.”
Alex Brightman joins Brian to talk about Broadway and writing, including a deep dive into his play “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers.”
A two-time Tony Nominee (for School of Rock and Beetlejuice), Alex tells Brian how a YouTube series, a production of Grease, and a shared affinity for Old Hollywood led to him writing a one-man show for Marc Summers based on the Double Dare host’s life. What exactly is a “part interactive game show, part memoir?”
Alex describes the process of writing the show, including the ah-ha moment that made him realize there was something special here.
Alex also tells the story of how he and Drew Gasparini met, became fast friends and writing partners, and how they work together. Alex also discusses how he fits writing into an already busy acting schedule and some of the projects he’s working on now.
Rabbit holes include our shared reverence for calendars, and how Simon’s mom reacted to his message (IYKYK).
Links
Alex on Instagram
The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers (through June 2, 2024)
Spamalot (through April 7)
A Little Bit, sung by Alex Brightman, written by Drew Gasparini
Boom Town by Sam Anderson (the best thing Alex has read lately)
A Strange Loop AND Ain’t No Mo (the best shows Alex has seen lately)
Alex’s coming appearances:
LvlUp Expo in Las Vegas April 26th-28th
GalaxyCon in Oklahoma City May 24th-26th
Rhode Island Comic Con November 1st-3rd
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Oh, I wrote a musical about me. I really did. This is just me.”
Joe Iconis, one of the best writers on Broadway and one of Brian’s favorite people, joins us on The Other 51 to talk all about The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical.
Yep, that’s the name of Joe’s most recent show, which debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2023.
Joe tells the story of the name and why it’s so appropriate for a show about Hunter S. Thompson. Joe also discusses why the show is unauthorized, what that meant for him trying to write a show without being able to use a famous writers’ words, and why it was scary but ultimately rewarding.
Joe and Brian also discuss the show’s multivolume coffee table book trip from an idea in 2007 to the stage 16 years later, what’s next for the show, and the difference for Joe between writing music and writing a script.
Rabbit holes include the coming Broadway Thinkpieces and Huey Lewis and the News. We also get a Diane Kitten update.
“Let there be things that are weird and strange. And good and true.”
Links
Joe Iconis on the internet
Joe Iconis on Instagram
And Joe on Twitter
The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical
Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas from The Strand
Oh Mary (the best show Joe’s seen lately)
Days of Wine and Roses (the best show Joe’s seen lately)
The Untold Stories of Broadway Vol. 4 by Jennifer Ashley Tepper (the best thing Joe’s read lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Do the work. Show Up. Show you care by listening.”
Liz Robbins joins Brian to talk about her remarkable career as a journalist, covering everything from the NBA to U.S. immigration policy.
Liz tells stories about what it was like to cover sports in Cleveland in the late 1990s, including how she broke the news that the WNBA would be forming and traveled on a private jet with Tim Couch. This was the last golden age of traditional newspaper sports journalism, and Liz describes what that was like.
Liz also details how broke a story for The Times that led to the U.S. government literally changing one of its immigration policies. Writing topics include how Liz knows she’s done reporting and ready to write, how to build a network of sources, and how to protect your mental health while covering tough stories.
Rabbit holes include the only time in Liz’s career that she was star struck, Susan Sarandon in Rocky Horror Picture Show, Larry Brown yelling at her, and the St. Bonaventure-Kentucky NCAA Tournament game in 2000.
Links
Liz Robbins official website
Liz on Twitter
Liz at The New York Times
Post Office Fails to Deliver on Time, and DACA Applications Get Rejected
A Record Breaking 2023 in Sports
St. Bonaventure-Kentucky 2000 NCAA First Round
All the Sinners Bleed by Y.A. Cosby (the best thing Liz has read lately)
Roman Stories (the other best thing Liz has read lately)
Criminal Record on Apple TV+ (the best thing Liz has watched lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on Facebook the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“I ended up throughout the midst of the pandemic feeling like I couldn’t write anything anymore.”
Dave Karpf, author of the must-read “The Future, Now and Then” on Substack, joins Brian to talk about writing, the internet, and more.
Dave and Brian discuss this week’s news about Bluesky opening itself to the public, and why the years where there wasn't a lot of money in it was when the internet was the best.
Dave, a political science professor at George Washington University, talks about how he built a weekly writing practice on Substack, and how it helped him unstick as a writer. He talks about his writing about the intersection of technology and society, what we can learn about the present and the future by the stories tech evangelists told us in the past, and the most bonkers thing he’s read in the Wired Magazine archives.
“This is what happens when you give a guy like me tenure”
Links
The Future, Now and Then by Dave Karpf
Dave on Bluesky
Brian on Bluesky
Brian on Threads
Lost Tempo by Matt (Best thing Dave’s read lately)
Dumb Money by Gary Wolf and Joey Anuff (Best thing Dave’s read lately)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Best thing Brian’s read lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site (looking at you, ESPN folks).
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Wendell Barnhouse joins Brian to talk about his long and storied career as a sports journalist.
Wendell talks about what it was like to cover Duke-Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA men’s Tournament (the Christian Laettner shot), how doing layout and editing stories for 13 years helped him be a better writer, and why he views himself as more of a craftsman than an artist.
Rabbit holes include the old SportsJournalists.com message boards, and the eternal question of how do you castrate an orange?
Wendell Barnhouse on LinkedIn
The Sunday Long Read
Dead Reckoning by Robert Kolker
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Joe Posnanski joins Brian this week to talk all about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball.”
In the introduction to this book, Joe writes that "This is the book I always hoped would be on the shelf” of his library when he was a kid. In this episode, he tells Brian why this would have been the perfect book for him when he was 10 years old.
Joe discusses how he had the title of the book before anything else, how he developed the book’s structure, and how he came up with the structures for all 108(ish) essays in the book.
Joe also talks about what he has learned about himself as a writer over the yearsl, and the importance of discipline in writing.
Rabbit holes include our current Taylor Swift eras, Ozzie Smith YouTube, and the dump ballparks of our youth.
Why We Love Baseball by Joe Posnanski
All of Joe’s books
JoeBlog
The Poscast
Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy
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Sam Borden of ESPN joins Brian this week to talk about reporting, interviewing, and life as a foreign correspondent.
Sam has probably the best job title of anyone we’ve had as a guest on the podcast — Global Sports Correspondent for ESPN. Sam talks about how he got that job, how he built a successful career as a sports journalist despite not being a sports fan, and how he finds stories to write.
Sam and Brian also talk about what life is really like as a foreign correspondent. It’s not all Hemingway and lunches on the Seine. Sam talks about finding fixers who can help you report in foreign languages, and how he tracked down Darko Milicic at an apple orchard in Serbia.
Sam also talks about the biggest difference between interviewing for broadcast and interviewing for a print piece, how the concept of the North Star can help any journalist.
Sam Borden on Twitter
Finding Darko
The Most Dangerous Game
Eternal Champions
Open by Andre Agassi
More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
Percy Jackson and the Olympians boxed set
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Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins us to talk about the state of social media, and what the heck is going on with Twitter and Twitter replacements.
Short answer: It’s a mess
Jenn and Brian talk about their reactions to Threads, why that seemed to fizzle out, and what’s next for space. Twitter/BlueSky/Threads. Jenn tells us how social media has changed in the decade she’s been teaching it, what research tells us about why people use Twitter (and twitter-like platforms), and how she teachers social media in a world like this.
In addition, we break down the potential fight between Elon and Zuckerberg. There is some Barbenheimer talk, of course.
Also, in what might become a new regular feature on the show, Jenn gives us the best TikTok Rabbit Hole she has gone down lately.
Jenn on Twitter
And on Threads
And on Bluesky because why not?
Arabian Perfume TikTok
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How did a guy who started his career in radio become one of the most influential newspaper sports journalists in the history of Western New York?
Chuck Pollock, Brian’s former boss and the longtime sports editor and columnist for The Times Herald in Olean, N.Y., joins Brian to talk about column writing, journalism, and his 50-year career.
Chuck traces his career from the Vietnam War, through radio in Pennsylvania, and to the newsroom on Norton Drive in Olean where he worked for 50 years. He talks about working for Mike Abdo and Bob Davies and why they were so influential on him. He talks about what it was like covering Buffalo sports in the 1970s writing for a family-owned newspaper, the changes in the industry, why he left the OTH and what’s next for him.
We talk about the single-best definition of news either one of us has ever heard, and why having a column every day is so vital for newspapers. And where did Chuck’s unique typing style come from?
A heartfelt goodbye to TH readers
The Best Newspaper Man I Ever Worked With
Chuck Pollock: Ending the Absence of Writing
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
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Bob Crawford, podcaster, history buff, and the bass player for The Avett Brothers (Brian’s favorite band), joins Brian this week to talk his new podcast series, Founding Son: John Quincy’s America.
Bob and Brian talk about what made John Quincy Adams stand out as a story worth telling, how Adams is the bridge between Washington and Lincoln, a vessel to tell the story of America between the revolution and the Civil War, and a good, good man. What stories about Adams did Bob most want to tell but had to cut?
Bob discusses how his story editor helped him focus not on the trees that were so fascinating but on the forest as a whole, how he developed his pitch for the show (and even forgot about it at one point), how he used Miro as an organizational tool, and the writing tip that he learned from Twitter.
Rabbit holes in this episode include Martin Van Buren, Abraham Lincoln, the Seward House in Auburn, N.Y., and spinning a stand-up bass.
Founding Son: John Quincy’s America
The Road to Now
Concerts of Change
The Avett Brothers
Miro
The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
Newspaper Archive
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Scott Nover, a technology and media reporter for Quartz, joins Brian to talk about AI, media economics, and why it’s so interesting to write about media.
Scott takes a break from watching the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on artificial intelligence for this episode. For real, though … politicians can’t understand Facebook.
Scott discusses his career path, why he became fascinated in writing and reporting on media, and what is most interesting to him in the AI space right now.
Brian and Scott also talk about why understanding business is fundamental to any career in journalism, and stratagies for making complex business concepts understandable to readers.
And man, we miss David Carr.
Scott Nover at Quartz
Scott on Twitter
OpenAI’s Sam Altman got a warm welcome on Capitol Hill
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
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Arielle Beth Klein, a playwright and actor, joins Brian to talk about her newly published play, "My Shiksa Boyfriend," and all things writing and creative.
Arielle tells us what it's like seeing her play for sale in the Drama Book Shop, and what it's like signing copies of her play to sell in the famed NYC book store. We bond over the awesomeness of Grace Aki.
Arielle describes how improv exercise in a college class set her on the road to being a playwright. She tells us the lasting lessons she's learned from Seth Barrish's storytelling workshops, why she works in 10-page spurts, and her favorite deleted scene from the show and why she cut it.
She also discusses How her experience and work as an actor informs her writing, and how her career as a writer informs her acting, and and her best advice for a young or new playwright.
Arielle Beth Klein
Arielle's linktree
My Shiksa Boyfriend
Signing books at the Drama Book Shop
Just Start Podcast
The Red Shoe
Awakening to the Fifth Dimension
Will Leitch returns to the show to talk all about the writing of his excellent new novel, "The Time Has Come."
Will tells Brian how the writing of this book (“a feel-good book about a shooting!”) differed from his first novel, “How Lucky.” Will discusses how he structured the book, whether the plot or characters came first, and how he was able to make all of his main characters sound authentic to who they are. How do you write a Trump voter whom your readers will find likable - or at least able to empathize with?
Will and Brian talk about why making something specific actually makes it universal, how the novel’s setting of Athens, Georgia ties to the book’s larger theme, and how this book reflects his overall world view.
Pre-order The Time Has Come at IndieBound
Pre-order The Time Has Come at Amazon
All Will’s books on Amazon
Will’s Excellent Weekly Newsletter
The Rise and Fall of theThird Reich
Short Cuts
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Dr. Jenn McClearen, an assistant professor at the University of Texas and author of the Substack newsletter Publish not Perish, joins Brian to talk about what makes academic writing so vexing, and some strategies to improve your writing and time management.
They talk about the crazy coincidence of the both being at the same, relatively small conference in Barcelona and not meeting there, and they discuss the research projects they brought to IACS and their respective interests in Naomi Osaka. The joys of eating in Barcelona and Spanish table wine.
The main topic is Jenn’s excellent newsletter, Publish Not Perish. Jenn tells the newsletter’s origin story and why she wants to make the academy more transparent. She discusses how to deal with the inherent structural challenges of academia, and the importance of reflecting on and trying different strategies and figuring out what works for you.
Publish not Perish
Jenn McClearen on Twitter
Micro Media Industries by Lori Kido Lopez
The Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse
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For the record seventh time, Alysa Auriemma joins Brian to talk about writing. This time, the main topics are social media, making space for creative work, her next novel, and (of course) so much more.
Alysa talks about the reaction her first novel, All Daughter’s Rise, received and what the self-publishing process was like on the back end. She also discusses her plans for the second book in that series and why she’s shifting her writing focus to a new project. We break some news on this episode, as Alysa discusses her next book.
The main topic for Alysa and Brian is social media. Alysa’s off Twitter and has been for a while. Why’d she leave? What’s it like? How does she fill all that time?
Alysa Auriemma’s Amazon Page
All Daughter’s Rise
Ally Marcie Writes
Skeleton Crew: Stories by Stephen King (includes The Jaunt)
Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
Evan Drellich joins Brian to talk about his new book, Winning Fixes Everything, about the Houston Astros' cheating scandal.
Evan — who worked with Brian at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y. another lifetime ago — discusses how he and Ken Rosenthal broke the story of the Astros cheating scandal for The Athletic, what it's like when your reporting becomes the biggest sports story in the country, and how this is much more about players banging trash cans with bats.
Evan also talks about how this is much more than a sign-stealing scandal, how it's a book about corporate cut-throat culture that captures a lot of what was happening in industry in the 2010s, and how he developed those themes. He also talks about the writing lessons he drew from Bernard Malamud (and the late Charlie Jaworski) and his favorite Killers songs.
Winning Fixes Everything by Evan Drellich on Amazon
...and on IndieBound
Evan on Twitter
Evan at The Athletic
The original story on the Astros' scandal
The Complete Stories by Bernard Malamud
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Tyler Dunne of Go Long tells us all about Damar Hamlin, what it was like to be in Cincinnati on Monday night, and about watching and covering football going forward.
Why Damar Hamlins is exactly what the Buffalo Bills need
The light in football’s most horrific hour
Podcast: Damar Hamlin, life, and football
The Chris Borland Effect
The Chasing MS Foundation Community Toy Drive
Axe ALS
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Jeremy Littau, a professor at Lehigh University, an expert in social media with some unfortunate opinions about candy, joins Brian to talk about the present and future of Twitter and new social platforms.
Jeremy talks about where things stood with Twitter as of Dec. 7, when we recorded this. He talks about the migration to Mastodon, why it’s Why its really complicated for people to decide whether or not to leave or join a social network, and why those options are not the same thing.
Jeremy also discusses his willingness to experiment with new digital media, and how he gets his students to think about the future with a bent toward curiosity
Jeremy Littau on Twitter
The Unraveling
Op-Ed: Thinking of leaving Twitter? Its experience is hard to replicate
Conversion via Twitter
Andrew Luck Reveals Why He Walked Away from the NFL
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Pablo Torre, host of ESPN Daily, joins Brian to talk about interviewing, curiosity in reporting, and how podcasting sits at the middle of his professional Venn Diagram.
After a brief delay in starting this episode, Pablo talks about the career path that brought him to ESPN. He tells Brian how he brings a magazine-writer’s sensibility to a daily sports podcast, and why he is so wary about being a redundant voice. Pablo discusses the range of his interests and the show, whether it is taking time to discuss serious topics (mental health in sports, concussions) to approaching fun stories (was Jalen Rose really the first Jalen?) with the seriousness that Michael Caine brought to A Muppet Christmas Carol.
Pablo and Brian talk about the importance of curiosity and how to cultivate it, how he tries to bring out the best in his guests, and whether or not you can create chemistry between two people.
Alternate episode title: The science of butts
Pablo Torre on Twitter
ESPN Daily
JJ Redick on Mental Health vs. Mental Toughness
Inside the NFL’s Concussion Protocol with Alex Smith
Why NFL Scouts Love Big Butts
Is Jalen Rose the First Jalen? We Solve a Sports Mystery
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In our first-ever live event, Tyler Dunne returns to talk about his new book, “The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football.”
Listen to this episode for your chance to WIN A SIGNED COPY OF TY’S BOOK.
Tyler tells Brian why he decided to write a whole book about tight ends. Because, let’s face it, that’s an oddly specific topic. If, as Tyler said he learned, that the position of tight end chooses people, how did he choose to write about tight ends.
Tyler describes what he calls “a cross-country trip about the soul of the sport,” how he reported the book, and why it was so important to interview these tight ends in their own environments.
Tyler tells Brian how he approached writing the book like a series of long-form feature stories, how he balanced that and theme to turn those stories into a book, and how he balanced writing and reporting the book, running his own subscription newsletter AND raising a newborn and a toddler at the same time.
Tyler’s sixth-grade teacher drops also drops by (with Tyler’s football card from 2000)
The episode was recorded on October 27, 2022, at the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure. Thanks to Aaron Chimbel, the staff of the Jandoli School, and the Endowment for Excellence in Business Journalism for their support of the event.
The Blood and the Guts by Tyler Dunne on Amazon
… and at your local indie bookstore.
Tyler on Twitter
Go Long
The Last Folk Hero by Jeff Pearlman
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Jeff Pearlman is back for either his 83rd or 905th appearance, depending on who’s counting. Jeff is back to chat about “The Last Folk Hero,” his outstanding new biography of Bo Jackson that is out this week.
Jeff describes what makes Bo Jackson so iconic and interesting, and why the first thing he did when he decided to write about Bo was to visit eBay.
Jeff did 720 interviews for this book, and he tells Brian who he wishes had been 721. Jeff walks through how he organized all this information with printouts and folders — “It’s a frickin’ nightmare.”
Jeff talks about what makes Bo’s story so intriguing as a writer, how he separated fact from myth, and if it was a bummer to learn the truth behind those myths. He discusses how he developed his writing style, the importance of making the extra call, and how you never stop being afraid but you learn to do what you have to do.
Alternate episode title: Life’s a Crapper
The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson
Jeff Pearlman’s Amazon Page.
Jeff on Twitter.
Afeni Skaur: Evolution of a Revolutionary by Jasmine Guy
Barkley: A Biography by Timothy Bella
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Denny Wilkins' story is that of a geology major from Massachusetts turned into a journalism professor at St. Bonaventure.
It’s also the story of a professor who taught a generation of St. Boanventure journalism graduates — Brian included — to omit needless words.
Denny and Brian, now colleagues at the Jandoli School of Communication, bring faculty meeting energy to this week’s episode. Denny discusses the challenges of teaching college students how to write, the importance of curiosity, and how he teaches it. Denny talks about his own journalism experiences, why he views himself as a coach, and what he learned from former St. Bonaventure women’s basketball coach (and current coach at Providence) Jim Crowley about teaching.
Can you make each sentence one word shorter? If so, you’re halfway to a better story.
Yep. He also talks about what Brian was like as a student. I immediately regret this decision.
Denny Wilkins
St. Bonaventure University Writing Style Guide
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte
The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future by Gretchen Bakke
Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World’s Most Common Man-Made Material by Robert Courland
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Hentry Petroski
The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure by Henry Petroski
Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman
John McPhee’s books
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Dr. Catherine Pearlman joins Brian to talk about her new book, “First Phone: A child’s guide to digital responsibility, safety and etiquette.”
Catherine discusses her career as a social worker, parenting coach and writer, how she got a syndicated column, and the writing lessons she learned from writing two columns a week for several years. She talks about how and why she decided to write a book specifically for kids, what it was like to write for kids, and what kids really think about smartphones. Digital education is a life-long process. Your kids will make mistakes in their digital life, but theyre part of life and what you can learn of life.
And sleep. Good lord, sleep is so important.
Catherine also talks about how she puts together a book proposal, why she likes to write at night, how she uses Notes to collect material and organize her work, and how she balanced writing a book about technology without it sounding dated.
The Family Coach
Catherine on Twitter
First Phone: A child’s guide to digital responsibility, safety and etiquette
Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keffe
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
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What’s it like to be at the Tony Awards?
How do you juggle being both a fan and a reporter?
How do you go from being a TV reporter in West Texas to creating your own site to cover Broadway?
What’s it like to spend an entire day wearing a fushsia ballgown around New York City?
Shoshana from BWaySho joins Brian to answer those questions and more. Shoshana and Brian talk about how TV taglines never leave you, why she doesn’t see herself as a critic, and the importance of just showing up.
This episode also features our first CONTEST. Check @TheOther51Pod for details.
BWay Sho
BWay Sho Patreon
… & Juliet
Legally Blonde at The Muny
The Kite Runner Musical
Into the Woods
A Strange Loop
POTUS
Casey McQuiston’s books
Grace Aki, a playwright and performer, joins Brian to talk about her one-woman show, To Free A Mockingbird.
Here’s the secret. Grace didn’t actually “write” her one-woman show. Well she did. She talks about how she incrementally developed her show over a number of years, and how she used voice memos as her main tool to get material down.
Grace and Brian talk about the lessons she learned from Rick Crom and Seth Barrish, how important the ending and the climax of a show (or a story, or a beat) is, the through line in all of Grace’s work, and what the word storyteller means to her. Grace also gives fantastic advice on how to motivate yourself to do your own creative work.
They also talk ice cream. Let’s normalize meeting up for dessert the way people meet up for drinks!
Grace Aki’s website
To Free a Mockingbird tickets
Noona’s Ice Cream
Perry’s Ice Cream
Oh Rick!
Seth Barrish
Tell Me on a Sunday
My Neighbor Totoro
Which Way to the Stage
A Strange Loop
Crying in H Mart
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Dr. Chris Mackwoski, an author and professor of communication at St. Bonaventure University, joins Brian to talk about writing, the Civil War, the secrets to productivity, and more.
Chris and Brian, who are colleagues at the Jandoli School of Communication, talk about Chris’ long and winding career path. Chris talks about how spending time as a radio reporter in Maine, working in public relations, working as a playwright and a blogger helped shaped him as a writer.
Chris describes his work writing about the Civil War, why he finds that topic to be so endlessly fascinating, and why he views himself as a writer who happens to write about history, not a historian. He discusses the importance of his writing environment and why that is key to his productivity, what time of day he’s always liked writing, Remember to take the time to take the walk.
Chris Mackowski’s books on Amazon
Emerging Civil War
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
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Donna Ditota, who was recently named the New York State Sportswriter of the Year, joins Brian to talk about her career covering sports in Syracuse and Central New York.
Being Bona Pride Day, Donna and Brian naturally start with some St. Bonaventure talk. Donna, a 1983 graduate, tells Brian what Russel J. Jandoli was really like, and talks about how her experience as a basketball player continues to inform her work to this day. It’s all about empathy, an underrated trait for journalists.
Donna traces her career path from St. Bonaventure to her current gig as an award-winning Syracuse men’s basketball beat writer for Syracuse.com. She tells Brian what makes Jim Boeheim so great to cover, why open locker rooms are so important to sports journalism (and why Zoom interviews suck), and walks through her process in writing a profile story.
Find out what life is like as a ACC men’s basketball beat writer and voter in the AP Top 25 really looks like, and also why transcribing is the worst, but also the best.
Donna Ditota on Twitter
Donna at Syracuse.com
Journalism alumna, Syracuse sportswriter Donna Ditota named New York Sportswriter of the Year
Jesse Edwards works to summon an inner mean as he rises from obscurity to become one of the ACC’s most improved players
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Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer joins Brian for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his new book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.”
Mike describes how and why a book about Kobe’s life growing up in Philadelphia was the book for him to write. Why are biographies that focus on a slice of a famous person’s life so meaningful? Mike talks about his reporting process, how time at the Lower Merion Historical Society proved to be invaluable, and how keeping Kobe as the metaphorical sun helped him balance all of the necessary contextual background information.
Mike and Brian talk a lot about Lower Merion and Philadelphia, how they are characters in the book, and why a sense of place is so vital to this story. Mike describes the types of questions he used to get at the Kobe story we didn’t know yet. It’s about being honest and upfront with the people you interview.
This podcast also serves as the backdoor pilot for the Godzilla Geek podcast Brian and Mike really should just launch already.
Buy The Rise
The Rise on Amazon
Mike Sielski on Twitter
Episode 18: Saran Wrap Octopus with Mike Sielski
Episode 69: That’s Good Thinking There, Cool Breeze
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
The White Darkness by David Grann
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Author Alysa Auriemma is back to talk about her debut novel All Daughter’s Rise, which is out TODAY on Amazon Kindle.
Alysa tells Brian about her book’s long journey to publication, why she decided to self-publish through Amazon Kindle, and how writing this book was both fun and stressful. Alyssa discusses how she learned to lean into the fact that her characters are messy and awkward, how you can speak things into existence but still have to do the work, and how Wheel of Time helps her explain her book.
There is also a breakdown of Rogers the Musical. Trust me. We could do this all day.
All Daughter’s Rise on Amazon
The Things They Carried
The Old Guard comics
The Rise by Mike Sielski
Save the City
In writing, self-publishing debut novel, Alysa Auriemma remains unapologetically true to herself
Episode 126: Use Your Words with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 105: Genre is Dead with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 52: Hating Kylo Ren with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 44: Generic Hot Actor Guy with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 27: Always Writing with Alysa Auriemma
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To honor the life and legacy of Stephen Sondheim, Rob Rokicki, Joe Iconis and Brennan Saur join Brian to discuss his influence on their lives and their craft.
Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91
Episode 143: Back to the Book with Rob Rokicki
Episode 121: You Have To See Point Break with Joe Iconis
Episode 13: Joe Iconis
Brennan Saur at New Play Exchange
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Seth Wickersham of ESPN joins us for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his book on Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, "It's Better to be Feared."
Seth talks about what it's like see your first book on The New York Times bestseller list and what the past month has been like since the book came out.
He and Brian go deep into the writing and the reporting process of the book. Seth talks about the notes he’s saved for 20 years, how reporting the book changed due to the pandemic and how he became a better phone interviewer, the interview techniques he learned from John Sawatsky, how he figured out the book’s essential structure, how he wrote early in the morning and how Richard Ben Cramer’s work inspired him.
Seth Wickersham
It’s Better To Be Feared
The Question Man
John Sawatsky is highly questionable
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye by Ivan Maisel
The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality by Mike Sielski
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Leah Stacy joins us to talk about life as an independent, freelance writer and journalist.
Leah first joined us back in 2016, when she was a professor at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. This week, she and Brian talk about what she’s been up to since then. Topics include:
Leah’s professional and life strategy.
The scariest part about deciding to go independent, and how she overcame that.
How she accidentally got into writing about the food and beverage industry, and what she looks for in telling a restaurant’s story, and what 2020–2021 have been like for restaurants.
The upcoming launch of her new print literary magazine, Lilac.
How good a writer Taylor Swift is.
Leah Stacy
Leah on Twitter
Lilac Magazine
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Ritz And Escoffier by Luke Barr
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Stuart Turton, the best-selling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water, joins Brian to talk about writing, plot, Agatha Christie and more.
A former journalist (among many other jobs), Stuart wrote two of the Moritz family’s favorite books of the past three years. Among other topics, Stuart and Brian discuss:
How, exactly, did he plot out insanely intricate plot of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle?
The amount of research he did for The Devin and the Dark Water. You’ll learn something you never would have guessed about a ship’s poop deck.
How he sees his young daughter in The Devil and the Dark Water.
Why he loves Agatha Christie, and why Brian is horribly wrong about his favorite work of hers.
How his characters take on lives of their own, and what that feels like as a writer.
Why being able to pack a backpack well is not exactly a translatable skill.
Stuart Turton on Twitter
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The Devil and the Dark Water
And Then there Were None
Three Blind Mice and other stories
An Instance of the Fingerposts
Project Hail Mary
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Grammy and Juno-award winning musician Tania Elizabeth joins Brian to talk about the writing and recording of her upcoming album and more.
Tania’s been a touring musician for nearly her entire life, and has spent the past seven years playing fiddle in the Avett Brothers. Before that, she was a founding member of The Duhks and toured extensively both on her own and as an accompanist. In 2021, she recorded her first solo record in nearly 10 years and hopes to release it in 2022.
Tania and Brian discuss:
- The difference between a song and a fiddle tune
- What the pandemic was like for someone who’s been a touring musician since she was 16.
- The value of editing, both in songwriting and recording
- Tania’s songwriting process, and the importance of vulnerability in her art
Tania Elizabeth
Tania on Instagram
Listen to Tania’s music on Spotify
Dan Frechette
The Work of Byron Katie
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
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Five years ago, Brian started a podcast about writing, and his first guest was his dear friend, Dr. Molly Yanity.
To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Molly returns to talk about sports journalism, Brandi Carlile, academic writing and more.
Molly talks about how her writing live has changed over the past five years, how she balances writing with teaching and administrative work. Here’s the secret — being a sports writer was way harder than being in academia. Molly also describes how teaching sports journalism for a number of years made her better at sports writing when she covered the WNBA for The Athletic.
Molly discusses her upcoming edited book about the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and she turns the tables on Brian and asks him questions for a change. She puts him on the spot really quickly. They also geek out about the best things they’ve read lately.
Thanks to all of you who’ve listened and shared over the past five years. To many more!
Molly Yanity
Molly on Twitter
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Media, Fandom, and Soccer’s Biggest Stage
Episode 89: Unintended Consequences Might Ensue with Bob Costas
Broken Horses: A Memoir by Brandi Carlile
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Overstory by Richard Powers
How Lucky by Will Leitch
Colson Whitehead books
Michael Chabon books
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John Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The New York Times and author of the upcoming anthology, “Sidecountry,” joins Brian to talk about his career as a writer and reporter.
John talks about the process of putting together the anthology of his sports writing from The Times, and what it’s like to be a reporter who never re-reads his stories to go back over his past work. He talks about how he remembers the experience of writing and reporting his stories much more than the stories themselves. He also talks about what life as a reporter is like after winning a Pulitzer, what it’s like when one of stories becomes a verb, and the backstory of how Snowfall became a multimedia piece.
He and Brian also do a deep dive into his journalistic philosophy, “I try to write stories you didn’t know you wanted to read.”
John Branch
John on Twitter
Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports
Snowfall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek
What Is A Summit
The Bear’s Ears by David Roberts
Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
How Lucky by Will Leitch
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Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, a sports writer for The Athletic, joins Brian to talk about journalism, social media, and her upcoming book, “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.”
Lyndsey describes her twisty career path that took her from college to an office job in Boston to an office job at the Buffalo News and finally back to sports writing. She tell Brian how using Twitter turned her career around in a good way (for real — she’s the one) and how she advocates for women’s sports while maintaining journalistic distance.
Lyndsey tells Brian about how she and co-author Britni de le Cretaz came up with the idea for the book on the NWFL, how they divided the the writing and reporting, how they got sources to trust them with their stories, and why these untold stories are so important.
Lyndsey D’Arcangelo
Lyndsey on Twitter
Courtside Column: The WNBA’s first game was a defining moment for me
Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League
Broken Horses: A Memoir by Brandi Carlile
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Dave Bidini, an author, guitar player in the Rheostatics, and publisher of the West End Phoenix, joins Brian to talk all things writing and journalism.
Dave and Brian revisit “On A Cold Road,” the oral history/diary Dave wrote after his band toured with The Tragically Hip in 1996. Dave talks about what that book means to him all these years later.
Dave discusses the importance of his family’s typewriter, why books were magical to him as a kid and what books and writing were formative to him as a young man. Dave also defends sportswriting and discusses how the structure and the language of great sports journalism influences his own work.
Dave talks about his songwriting process (hint: there is no process), why he started the West End Phoenix, and why community journalism is so vital now.
Dave on Twitter
West End Phoenix
Dave’s books
On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock
Rheostatics on Spotify
Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic
Love: A Novel
Alexandra Fuller’s books
Body
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Will Leitch joins Brian to talk about pandemic life, sports journalism and Will’s upcoming novel, How Lucky.
Will and Brian talk about their lives during the pandemic, how sports journalism survived its self-perceived existential crisis, and how sports’ return helped pave the the way for a return to normalcy.
Will then talks about his upcoming book, which he calls the purest distillation of what he feels abut the world. He talks about how he came up with the idea for How Lucky, why he wanted to write a story about someone with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and the history of the internet, and why he decided to write it as a novel. Will describes his Wonderboys moment with his agent and what it was like when he found out that Stephen King liked his book.
There’s also advice for young writers (and Brian) about how to be more disciplined as a writer. Yes, it’s hard. The trick is to trick yourself out of not doing something.
Will Leitch on Twitter
Will’s Weekly Newsletter
How Lucky on Amazon
How Lucky on Bookstore
Episode 7: Creative Wigwams with Will Leitch
Kevin Wilson’s books
The Shakespeare Requirement by Julia Schumacher
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A warning: This episode includes discussion about suicide, depression and anxiety. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273- TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Jeff Passan, an ESPN MLB Insider, joins Brian to do a deep dive into the remarkable story on San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Drew Robinson.
Jeff describes how he first learned about Robinson’s attempted suicide, how he connected with Robinson over FaceTime, and how his years breaking transactions as a baseball reporter made this story, Jeff walks through how he consulted with experts on suicide before even interviewing Robinson and why being a person before being a journalist mattered with this story. Jeff tells how his seven-hour interview with Drew was the hardest most emotionally taxing thing he’s ever done in journalism, describes what it was like to interview his family members, and the details that still stick with him. Jeff also talks about important figuring out the story’s structure was and what it was it like to sit down to write, knowing how important a story this was.
Jeff and Brian also talk about their experiences as Buffalo News sports interns, and why desk people are their favorite people.
Jeff Passan on Twitter
Drew Robinson’s Remarkable Second Act
Alive: The Drew Robinson Story
Reporting on Suicide
Reporting on Suicide Recommendations
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Inside the dual legacies of NFL players’ union boss DeMaurice Smith
Facebook is a Doomsday Machine
I Am Not A Solider, but I’ve Been Trained to Kill
New York Times Columnist David Brooks Blogged For Facebook’s Corporate Site
Pappyland by Wright Thompson
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Dr. Michael Mirer, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, joins Brian to talk about researching and teaching journalism.
Michael and Brian talk about the challenges of brining writing classes to the online environment. Michael also describes his career path from a kid in Detroit who wanted to write for a literary magazine, to being a sports journalists in the oil patch of New Mexico and California, to eventually graduate school in Wisconsin.
Michael, who is probably the leading scholar in boundary work in sports journalism, breaks down exactly what “boundary work” is, why it’s so important to understanding journalism in 2021, and the evolving relationship between sports journalists and team websites. He tells Brian why teaching professionalism is the most important thing to teach journalism students, and how journalists need to embrace change rather than fight it.
Michael Mirer on Twitter
Michael on Google Scholar
Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Grant by Ron Chernow
The inheritance of Archie Manning by Wright Thompson
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Jennifer Ashley Tepper, a Broadway producer, historian and author joins Brian to talk about the fourth volume of her delightful series, The Untold Stories of Broadway.
Jennifer (who produced Be More Chill), talks about where her love of obscure and forgotten musicals comes from, and how that obsession turned into a book series. She talks about the decision to frame her books by each Broadway theater. Jennifer also talks about how her research and writing process has evolved in the past decade, and how her writing and editing process is like assembling a puzzle.
Jennifer also tells Brian about the Fallen Five theaters and gives him her best quick story for each of the three Broadway theaters he’s been to.
Jennifer Ashley Tepper
Jennifer on Twitter
The Untold Stories of Broadway, Vol. 4
The Untold Stories series
Two Kids and a Broadway Star Episode 6: Jennifer Ashley Tepper
Not Since Carrie by Ken Mendalbaum
Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin
Dancing Man by Bob Avian
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Composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki joins Brian to do a deep dive into The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.
Rob and Brian talk about The Lightning Thief’s long journey from a one-hour free show made for kids to a full-on Broadway musical. Rob discusses how he got involved in the project, how he became familiar with the world of Percy Jackson and how he worked to make a show that rang true to the series’ devoted fans. Rob describes how he worked collaboratively with book writer Joe Tracz to stay true to the books, how early feedback from kids kept them on track, what scene from the book they learned they absolutely had to keep, and how Rob used different instruments to find the voices of each character.
Rob also talks about how he spent 2020, the importance of equity in theater, and what people can do to support theater during the COVID–19 shutdown.
Rob Rokicki on Spotify
Rob on Twitter
Rob’s Website
The Lightning Thief Musical
The Actors Fund
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Geva Theater Center
Syracuse Stage
Spotlight Studios
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The River by Peter Heller
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Tyler Dunne returns to the show to talk about his new NFL newsletter, Go Long.
Tyler discusses why he decided to start a newsletter with Substack and why he believes this is the future of sports journalism. He talks about the lessons he learned from watching his dad start his own company and what it means to bet on yourself.
Tyler and Brian also talk about the challenges of reporting via Zoom and how the early morning hours can be the best time of day to write.
There is also much praise for the Buffalo Bills and Jeff Pearlman. Also, Tyler’s dog Ed - the breakout Instagram Star of Quarantine — makes an appearance.
[Go Long with Tyler Dunne](https://www.golongtd.com/
Tyler on Twitter
The Pressure is on Josh Allen
What Sammy Watkins Believes
Three-Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman
Episode 132: Role Players with Jeff Pearlman
Episode 96: A Little Kelly Tripuka with Tyler Dunne
Episode 3: Tyler Dunne
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Screenwriters Keith and Juliet Giglio join Brian to talk about writing Christmas movies for Lifetime, including their most recent, Dear Christmas.
Keith, a professor at Syracuse University, and Juliet, a professor at SUNY-Oswego (where Brian teaches), talk about how their careers took them from being screenwriters in Los Angeles to academics in Central New York, and how an off-handed comment about the Christmas Prince led them to pitching and writing their first Christmas movie, “A Very Nutty Christmas.” Keith and Juliet describe how they pitch their movies to Paula and Melissa Joan Hart, how they use index cards and Trello to break stories, and how they collaborate on their scripts.
The couple also discuss their four favorite Christmas movies. There is much praise for Jack Black.
Dear Christmas
A Very Nutty Christmas
Christmas Reservations
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Jason Zenor, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego, joins Brian to talk about media law issues and his new book, Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues.
Jason (whose office is two doors down from Brian’s) talks about how he wrote his new textbook and why he saw a market for a book like this. He discusses how he got interested in writing and thinking about virtual reality, artificial intelligence, avatars and how existing media law can apply to these new areas, what it was look turning his research into an accessible textbook, and the challenges of writing for legal and journalistic audiences.
In addition, there is talk of long-suffering Boston sports fans (really, this happens) and a discussion about when it’s appropriate for grown ups to wear jerseys.
Jason Zenor
Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues
How to be an Antiracist
Factfulness
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Amy Bass, a professor of sports studies at Manhattanville College, joins Brian to do a deep dive into the writing and reporting of her book, “One Goal.”
Amy talks about how she first learned the story of the Lewiston High School soccer team and what drew her to it as a potential book. She talks about how she developed the trust of the coaching staff and of the Somali refugee community there. Amy describes her reporting style as “hanging out” and discusses what that logistically looks like. She also talks about how she took the results of all that hanging out and turned it into a book.
Amy also talks about how sticking to sports means talking about politics, race, gender, etc.
Episode Links
Amy Bass
Amy Bass on Twitter
One Goal by Amy Bass
The Resisters by Gish Jen
Tigerbelle
Curveball
The Mighty Oak
Three-Ring Circus
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It’s Episode 138. A true milestone for every podcast. And to celebrate, there is only one guest we could have — Joe Posnanski from The Athletic returns.
And to celebrate, Joe breaks some news and announces what his next book will be!
In addition to the news, Joe and Brian talk about the different mindsets that different types of writing require. Joe gives advice on how young writers can learn to loosen up a bit in their work. You have to master the notes, then master the music, then forget all that and just play.
Joe and Brian also have a minute of meaninglessness, and come to terms with the fact that the Bills and Browns are actually good.
Episode links:
Joe at The Athletic
Joe on Twitter
JoeBlogs
The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini
The Baseball 100
Tiger and Time
The Queen’s Gambit
Episode 4:Joe Posnanski
Episode 100: The Amazing and the Impossibe with Joe Posnanski
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The panel discussion from the 16th Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, hosted virtually by SUNY-Oswego on Oct. 28, 2020.
This discussion was produced in conjunction with the SUNY Oswego School of Communication, Media and the Arts and the SUNY Oswego CTS department.
Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit
Connie Schultz
Michelle Garcia
Ava Lubell
Steve Brown
Bret Jaspers
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Tim Bontemps, an NBA reporter for ESPN, returns to talk about reporting, working at ESPN and life in the NBA Bubble.
The main topic is Tim’s 76 days in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. Tim tells Brian about the two different bubbles in Orlando and what life was like in the Yellow Bubble. Tim described his daily routine, how he reported when he had no direct access to players or coaches, and what it was like to be in arena with no fans.
Tim also talks about his move from the Washington Post to ESPN, what advice he’d give young reporters who want to join him at ESPN, and how being a good reporter is like making friends.
Tim on Twitter
This is bad for America but great for us
Three-Ring Circus
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Sports writer, radio host, and author Julie DiCaro discusses her upcoming book, her career in sports media and more.
Julie talks about her career path from public defender to sports columnist. Julie and Brian discuss the surprising similarities between practicing law and being a sports columnist and how being a lawyer prepared Julie to write about sports. Julie also talks about representation in sports media and the notion of see it to be it.
The main topic is Julie’s book, “Sidelined,” which is scheduled for a March release. Julie tells Brian the story of the book, her writing process and what she learned about writing a book from this experience.
Julie DiCaro
Pre-order “Sidleined”
How the Breonna Taylor case went so wrong
Last
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Searcher
Caste
The New Jim Crow
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
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Author Jeff Bens joins Brian this week to talk about his wonderful new novel, The Mighty Oak.
Jeff, a professor at Manhattanville College, discusses his writing and research process for the book, why place and work are so important to his writing, and why and how he teaches his students to write from the gut and the heart, not from their brain.
The Mighty Oak
The Color of Money
The Hustler
Mrs Bridge
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Mike Freeman, a veteran NFL writer and author, joins Brian to talk about his new book, “Football’s Fearless Activists” and how the movement led by Collin Kaepernick changed the NFL and sports in America.
Mike talks about how he knew he would write a book about this movement the moment he first saw Kaepernick’s protest in 2016, and how he knew he was done reporting and ready to write. Mike discusses how his 25 years of experience covering the NFL helped his reporting on this book, what it’s like to release a book during the resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests, and what it’s like to have Donald Trump read one of his articles during a rally.
Most importantly, Mike gives Brian some much-needed advice on getting into Star Trek.
Mike Freeman on Twitter
Football’s Fearless Activists
Mike’s other books
Caste
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Jeff Pearlman, the New York Times bestselling author, is back to talk about his new book, “Three-Ring Circus” about Shaq, Kobe and the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers.
Jeff talks about where the idea for his latest book came from, what about these Lakers’ teams made them a natural subject for a book and, in the end, why the book was so challenging to write and report. Jeff details why this was the most challenging of all his nine books to write and how the culture of sports has changed over the past thirty years and made reporting more difficult.
Jeff also talks about his love of role players, spending a day in Montana with Phil Jackson, and where he was when he learned that Kobe Bryant had died. He also gives top-notch interview advice for young journalists.
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff on Twitter
Three-Ring Circus
Jeff’s books on IndieBound
The Mighty Oak
A Gentleman in Moscow
Doug Christie-Rick Fox fight
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A special little bonus episode for you about a girl and her dictionary.
(Note: I refer to the Kory Stamper episode as Episode 47 when it was actually Episode 48. Whoops.)
EPISODE 48: INTRODUCTORY LEXICOGRAPHY WITH KORY STAMPER
Dord
The Dog Eared Book
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Zach Roberts, an independent journalist who has been covering protests for more than 15 years, joins Brian this week to talk about covering the recent Black Lives Matter protests in Rochester, N.Y.
Zach, who was Brian’s student back in 2014, talks about how he got his start in freelance investigative journalism, how covering Occupy Wall Street changed the course of his career, and his experiences covering the protests of Daniel Prude’s death in Rochester. Zach discusses what he does when arrives in a city to cover a protest, his tips for staying safe while being on the ground, and what it’s like to have police officers shooting and targeting protests.
Zach Roberts on Twitter
Support Zach’s work on Patreon
Zach’s portfolio
Truth or Fiction
The Boys
Knowledge Fight
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A panel discussion from the AEJMC Conference, recorded virtually on Aug. 7, featuring Brian, Adam Hansmann (The Athletic), Dr. Molly Yanity (Quinnipiac), Ronen Shay (Fordham) and Anthony Palomba (University of Virginia).
Are digital subscriptions the way forward for online journalism? This panel examines the emergence and the growth of the subscription model in digital journalism, with a focus on The Athletic’s impact on sports journalism. The theoretical and pragmatic implications of this business model are discussed. The Athletic’s success requires us as researchers and educators to examine its business model, and similar business models in online journalism, to determine what that success means for journalism writ large. In addition, their editorial focus (less digital churn, more longer stories) is worthy of discussion from both a media sociological point of view and a pragmatic, practitioner one.
Adam Hansmann
Molly Yanity
Ronen Shay
Anthony Palomba
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Julia Azari, a professor at Marquette University and contributor to Five Thirty Eight, joins Brian to talk about public scholarship, politics and more.
Julia and Brian talk about the challenges in teaching politics and journalism over the past four years, whether or not professor and journalists should openly talk about their politics, and how things have changed since the 2016 election.
The main topic is public scholarship. Julia, who won the American Political Science Association’s inaugural Best Public-Facing Scholarship Award, defines what public scholarship is, why it’s so useful, and why it’s not traditionally valued within the academic world. She gives advice to anyone looking to get into this world, but also provides some real talk about the risks involved.
Julia Azari on Twitter
Julia at Five Thirty Eight
Why Conventions Matter
Mischiefs of Faction
Delivering the People’s Message: The Changing Politics of the Presidential Mandate
Range by David Epstein
The Great Migration and the Democratic Party
The Primary Rules
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Dr. Galen Clavio, the director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University, joins Brian to talk about his new book, “Social Media and Sports.”
It’s The Flip Side reunion the world has been waiting for!
Galen and Brian - who’ve been podcasting together since the mid–2010s - discuss the challenges of writing a book on your own as opposed to being a co-author. Galen describes how he kept his target audience in mind throughout the writing process, the things he hated about textbooks that he tried to avoid, and how his focus on this project was specifically writing an eBook.
Galen talks about how social media use in the sports world has evolved over the past decade, and he says that his most exciting moment in the book-writing process was unique.
Galen Clavio on Twtter
Social Media and Sports with web resources
The Flip Side
Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose
The Caregiver by Samuel Park
The History of Rome
Stardew Valley
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Shea Serrano, three-time New York Times best-selling author and columnist for The Ringer, returns to The Other 51 to talk about movies, writing and his new short story.
Take a spoiler-free deep dive into Shea’s short story, Post: What’s the biggest difference between writing fiction and nonfiction? What scared him most about the process? Why is the big idea the most important thing in everything he writes? And how does a great editor make all the difference? There’s a great lesson to be found in knowing when to throw away an idea. And Shea drops some real talk about self-publishing.
Plus, we obviously talk about Calvin & Hobbes and Short Circuit.
Shea on Twitter
Halfway Books - Buy POST here
Shea at The Ringer
Buy all of Shea Serrano’s books
Episode 60: That’s How Jobs Work with Shea Serrano
The Connect
Dear Mr. Watterson
I Got a Monster
Calvin
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Alysa Auriemma, a writer and teacher, makes her record-setting fifth appearance on The Other 51.
The conversation begins with a discussion of Alysa’s forthcoming book, All Daughter’s Rise, which has been accepted for publication. Alysa discusses the editing process and the joys of working with a good editor. Alysa also talks about her new podcast, Brides of Frankenstein.
Then, J.K. Rowling comes up and, well, things go from there.
Alysa on Twitter
All Daughter’s Rise
Brides of Frankenstein
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
KJ Charles books
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois
How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Inside WNBA legend Maya Moore’s extraordinary quest for justice by Katie Barnes
Episode 105: Genre is Dead with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 52: Hating Kylo Ren with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 44: Generic Hot Actor Guy with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 27: Always Writing with Alysa Auriemma
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Michelle Garcia, the newly hired editor of NBCBLK and a veteran journalist, joins Brian to talk about professional reinvention, how journalists should be covering protest movements like Black Lives Matter, scrapbooking and more.
You read that last part right. There’s a whole racial reckoning happening in the scrapbooking world, and Michelle spills all the tea.
Michelle, who first joined Brian in 2016 (remember when that was the worst year ever?), talks about the challenges of starting a new job while still working from home, what it was like to get laid off from Vice in May, and how that happening during the pandemic may have been for the best. Michelle discusses the importance of building a wide professional network before you need it as well as the importance of writers approaching stories with curiosity.
And yeah. Scrapbooking.
Michelle Garcia on Twitter
NBCBLK
Episode 11: You May Know Her From the Library with Michelle Garcia
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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Katie Barnes, a feature writer for ESPN, joins Brian this week to talk about writing, reporting, Title IX, activism in journalism, transgender athletes, Maya Moore and more.
Katie talks about their career path to ESPN, and how their experience as an activist in the LGBTQ community helped their reporting. Katie and Brian do a deep dive into the three incredible stories Katie wrote for ESPN in June - about Maya Moore’s quest for justice; the rights of transgender athletes the future of women’s sports; and an interview with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. How did Katie juggle reporting and writing all three stories at the same time? How did a proposed story about Maya Moore’s faith turn into something so much bigger?
Katie discusses their writing process, how being an external processor and talking through stories helps them figure out a story’s big theme and structure.
Also, Brian learns about the feud between St. Olaf and Carlton. It’s a thing.
Katie Barnes
Katie on Twitter
Inside WNBA legend Maya Moore’s extraordinary quest for justice
The battle over Title IX and who gets to be a woman in sports: inside the raging national debate
ESPYS co-hosts Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird plot their course as athlete activists, white allies
The Maddening Promise of Diamond DeShields
A Murder Foretold by David Grann
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Jen Moritz, Brian’s wife and the best editor he’s ever met, joins us this week to talk about the importance of editing, language, and word choice in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
Jen talks about the conversations she is having with writers about the words they choose, what those words mean and how they can be interpreted. She discusses the Associated Press’ decision to start capitalizing Black when referring to people, common phrases that have racist, classist or hateful origin stories, and how writers and editors can do better now and going forward. It’s about reading the room, dude.
Jen Moritz
Jen Moritz on Twitter
AP changes writing style to capitalize ″b″ in Black
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
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Amber Healy, a writer and journalist, joins Brian to talk about her writing career, her career path, and her love of Canadian Rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s.
OK, let’s be real. Amber and Brian talk A LOT about their love of Canadian Rock bands of the 1990s.
Amber and Brian talk about their respective paths to their shared love of Canadian alternative rock, how Toronto radio stations were to Buffalo kids what Buffalo TV stations were to Toronto kids, and what was so special about those bands? Sure, there’s nostalgia. But what is it about The Tragically Hip, The Lowest of the Low, and the Odds that persists?
Amber also talks about her work with Alan Cross (the legendary Toronto DJ), writing for several podcasts and what it was like to work for NASA.
Note: This episode was recorded two weeks ago, before the start of protests against police brutality
Amber Healy on Twitter
A Journal of Musical Things
Geeks & Beats
Gord Downie dead at 53
The True North - A Spotify Playlist
How to be a Person in the World by Heather Havrilesky
Any Night of the Week by Jonny Dovercourt
Donate
Campaign Zero
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Joe Iconis, the Tony-nominated writer and composer of Be More Chill, joins Brian this week to talk about creativity in the time of COVID–19, his songwriting process, Keanu Reeves and more.
Joe describes what it’s like living in New York City during quarantine, what it’s like to be in a dark theater district and a quiet Times Square, how he’s able to keep writing despite everything going on, and how he’s being inspired by art. But the real burning question: How would The Squip in Be More Chill have been different if Joe had seen Point Break before now?
Joe and Brian talk about the collaborative process of writing a musical, how Joe can’t write musical theater in a vacuum, what first drew him to the story of Be More Chill and his obsession with names.
Joe also describes his songwriting process, how he never starts with music. And he gives advice to aspiring writers and performers and answers an incredibly nerdy Be More Chill question.
Joe Iconis
Joe on Twitter
Joe on Instagram
Be More Chill
Scream Queen!
Point Break
Mr. Know-It-All by John Waters
The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead
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Leander Schaerlaeckens, a lecturer at Marist College and columnist at Yahoo Sports, joins Brian to talk about teaching, column writing, Donald Trump’s baseball career, and more.
Leander and Brian compare notes from this crazy spring 2020 semester, and talk about what worked and didn’t work in teaching sports media classes during the pandemic. Leander talks about how he used Discord in one of his classes.
Leander, who refers to himself as an “accidental academic,” traces his career path from a growing up as a sports fan in Europe to being the first full-time soccer writer ESPN hired to his current gigs. He discusses how being an active columnist makes him a better teacher and how being a teacher has made him a better columnist. He also discusses the piece he wrote for Slate about Donald Trump’s claims that he was a pro baseball prospect (spoiler alert, no), and how pursuing the truth no matter what and having the receipts can limit any potential backlash. There’s also discussion of The Last Dance and how Michael Jordan epitomizes toxic masculinity.
Leander Schaerlaeckens
Leander on Twitter
Leander at Yahoo
Was Donald Trump Good at Baseball?
Michael Jordan reminds us who he really is with ‘The Last Dance’ — and it’s not someone you want to be like
Into Thin Air
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Comic artist Katie Cook rejoins the podcast to talk about her delightful webcomic, “Nothing Special.”
Katie and Brian (with help from Brian’s daughter) do a deep dive into the world of “Nothing Special,” which has just started its third book on Webtoon. Katie discusses where the idea for the comic came from, how it was inspired in part by a Neil Gaiman novel and how this is the most “her” project she’s ever done. Katie talks about how writing digital comics is different, and what it’s like to write for a world of your own.
Katie and Brian (and Brian’s wife) also bond over life in quarantine and trying to keep their kids from making complete disasters of their Animal Crossing islands.
Katie Cook
… on Twitter
… on Instagram
Nothing Special
Episode 33: Apple Jack Would Never Say This with Katie Cook
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Small Town Murder
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallach Johnson
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A decade ago, Michael Sharp and Brian had desks right next to each other.
They were both sports writers at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton (N.Y.). Michael covered minor-league hockey, Brian minor-league baseball and college sports.
Now, they’re both former sports writers. Michael works in marketing in Virginia, Brian’s a professor. Michael and Brian reminisce about their careers as sports journalists.
What happens when you realize the only job you’ve ever wanted isn’t for you anymore? What made the 2000s such a weird time to be a sports writer, and what was it like to be the last generation that dreamed of being a “newspaper guy”?
Sports journalist, author and professor Melissa Isaacson joins Brian this week to talk about teaching, writing, reporting and the 1990s Chicago Bulls.
Melissa and Brian start out by talking about what it’s like to teach journalism — particularly sports journalism — during the cornavirus pandemic in 2020. Melissa talks about how being forced to teach online has made her a better professor, how to teach students to do better phone interviews and how this time can be an opportunity for students.
Melissa then discusses her excellent book State and what it was like, as a journalist, to write such an incredibly personal work and the advice that S.L. Price gave her that jumpstarted her work.
Then, of course, Brian and Melissa discuss The Last Dance. Melissa, who was the Bulls’ beat writer for the Chicago Tribune for their first three championships, describes what it was like to cover Michael Jordan and those great Bulls teams. She and Brian also discuss the biggest ways journalism has changed since the mid-1990s. Hint — it’s not all Twitter’s fault.
Melissa Isaacson
Melissa on Twitter
The Prologue to State
Some Things I Remember
State: A Team, a Triumph, a Transformation
Little Fires Everywhere
Fear: Trump in the White House
Catch and Kill
Educated
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Jon Campbell, who covers New York State government and Andrew Cuomo for USA Today Network-New York, joins Brian this to talk about being a government writer both in the BeforeTimes and the post-coronavirus world.
The conversation starts with a lot of talk about where Upstate New York begins, why Jon loves trolling people about it, the differences between regions in New York State, and the trap that national writers fall into when writing about upstate. That moves into a deeper conversation about how Jon’s journalism is influenced by being a lifelong upstate resident (go Lockport Lions).
Jon discusses how he resisted being known as “The Fracking Guy” but also how owning that one specific beat involving state government helped him develop sources to cover the entire government.
Jon then talks about covering Covid-19. He recalls the moment he realized just how major a story it was going to be, what it’s like to cover Andrew Cuomo’s press conferences, what it’s like when Cuomo and President Trump start bickering with each other in real time, and the Covid-19 story he wants to tell.
Jon Campbell at USA Today Network-NY
Jon Cambell on Twitter
Truth in our Times by David McGraw
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Jared Diamond, a national baseball writer for the Wall Street Journal and the author of the new book “Swing Kings: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Home Run Revolution,” joins Brian this week.
Jared talks about how being a baseball writer during the Covid-19 Pandemic is a lot busier than you’d expect and where he was supposed to be this week before the world stopped.
Jared and Brian discuss the writing and reporting of Swing Kings in depth. Jared talks about the unlikely role that Marlon Byrd played in his career, turning a good news paper story into a bool, and what a book proposal looks like and why it was so critical to his process, and why you always take the meeting. Jared talked about how he thought of the book like a movie, the difference between thinking of his sources and characters, and his oddly inspirational dedication to the book.
Less than five months ago, the last time Jesse Dougherty was a guest on the podcast, he had just started writing a book about the Washington Nationals World Series Championship.
Now, the book is out, and Jesse makes the move from “guest star” to “regular cast member.”
Jesse and Brian talk about the writing and reporting of “Buzz Saw.” Jesse describes how he got started with the project, what it was like to write a 90,000-word book in just seven weeks, and why coffee shops are so important to getting his work done and overcoming his natural tendencies toward procrastination.
Jesse also talks about what makes the book’s cover so special, and what it’s like to release a book during the middle of a global pandemic.
Dr. Rick Simpson was … is … one of those teachers.
Simpson, who was an English professor at St. Bonaventure University for 46 years, and Brian reconnect this week. Brian, who took three classes with Doc Simpson, gets to say thank you for teaching him some of the most valuable writing lessons of his life.
Simpson talks about how the sportswriters he read as a kid in San Francisco in the 1950s influenced him as much as the English authors and poets he later taught. Simpson and Brian discuss how modern sports writing can be thought of as poetry, as well as the best lessons that Doc taught again and again. Always think about your audience. Grammar doesn’t matter but it does. Did he mention audience? And of course, there are jazz recommendations.
If you had Doc Simpson as a professor at St. Bonaventure, this is like going back in time to one of his classes.
So what’s it like to be a sports writer when there’s no sports? That’s the question all sports journalists are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and this week, we check in with New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro to see how he’s still doing his job.
Mike discusses how this time is bringing sports journalists back to their roots, the stories he’d most like to do, his favorite sports videos on YouTube and the singular value of persistence.
Nicole Schuman has worked professionally in digital media, in format or another, since 2006.
Somehow, she’s never been a guest on a podcast before this.
Nicole joins Brian this week, and they talk about living through the week that the Coronavirus pandemic became real in the U.S. Nicole talks about what it’s like to live in New York City during the pandemic, what it’s like to write the media aspect of this story, and how she tries to maintain her own mental health after thinking about the virus all day every day. Her cat plays a prominent role here.
Nicole also traces the arc of her career, from her childhood dream of writing for the Buffalo News to her current gig as a reporter and content producer at PR Newswire. She talks about her work on This Built America, how David Carr influenced her, and how she approaches storytelling. It’s all about people.
At 26 years old, Troy Smith found himself laid off from his job as a reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester. He was shocked. But he did what he had done his whole career. He got back to work. He had started a music magazine at St. Bonaventure University. He and a partner started a tattoo magazine in Rochester, and that got him noticed by Cleveland.com, where he now works as an entertainment reporter. Troy joins Brian this week to talk about his career in journalism, how his desire to be a sports writer was curtailed by a stint covering cross country, and what it’s like to be an entertainment reporter both in Rochester and Cleveland. Troy discusses how he ranked every member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, how St. Bonaventure prepared him for his career, and shares his rules for writing good online headlines.
This episode was supposed to be an interview with a recent college graduate about what it’s like to be entering journalism in 2020.
Instead, Cameron Hurst — a recent St. Bonaventure graduate and current part-time sports writer in his hometown of Jamestown, N.Y. - just regales Brian with story after story. Among them:
-
How members of his family were in cahoots both with Lucille Ball and gangsters during prohibition.
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How Cameron found himself performing Lucy’s “vitameatavegamin” bit for Lucie Arnez, Lucy and Desi’s daughter.
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How he started his own sports blog in high school and how that led to his interest in journalism.
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How a family friend predicted he would end up at St. Bonaventure.
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How he covered the Buffalo Diocese’s sexual abuse scandal, including translating push notifications from the Vatican.
Cameron Hurst
Cameron on Twitter
The Rowdy Raider
DePerro’s Call for Malone’s Resignation Is Justified
Vitameatavegamin
Buzzers, burner accounts and conspiracies: Inside baseball’s day of epic chaos by Jeff Passan
Fifty years later, untold stories from St. Bonaventure’s unforgettable run to the Final Four by Tim Graham
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In the first episode of 2020, Brian’s joined by Bruce Arthur, sports columnist for the Toronto Star.
Being a good son of a border town, Brian asks Bruce what it was like to watch The Tragically Hip’s final concert with members of the Canadian Olympic Team on the final night of the Rio Olympics. Many Hip memories are shared.
Bruce discusses his unconventional career path in journalism, what makes college newsrooms so special, and what he learned as an intern at the National Post, and how a writer can improve as by reading great (and bad) sports writing and internalizing what you see.
Bruce and Brian talk about the role of a sports columnist at a major metro newspaper, what it was like to cover the Toronto Raptors’ championship, and how the best writing can fundamentally change your worldview.
Bruce Arthur
Bruce on Twitter
Love-in for the Hip at Rio’s Canada House
The Raptors are the champs. And it’s because of Masai Ujiri
Episode 19: The Fine Art of Hanging Out with Chris Jones
Epsiode 106: The Uncool Kid in the Lunch Room with Jesse Doughterty
This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
God’s Away on Business by Spencer Hall.
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Marnie Eisenstadt, a reporter for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard who was named the 2018 Journalist of the Year by the New York State Associated Press Association, joins Brian this week.
Marnie talks about what it has been like to report on stories in Syracuse lately, whether it was a shooting at the Destiny USA mall or the on-going instances of racism at Syracuse University. Marnie and Brian discuss why stories about real people doing things that matter still resonate within a community, and how Marnie uses social media to find stories and connect with sources.
Marnie also does a deep dive into the reporting and writing of the series she did with a colleague on a rogue AA group in Syracuse. How do you report on something where there are no public documents? Marnie talks about the importance of reporting and of viewing sources as real people, not just pegs on a board.
She and Brian also bond over their mutual love of Mo Willems.
(This episode originally aired July 3, 2019 and has been updated.)
Anthony King, the Tony nominated co-writer of the book of Beetlejuice The Musical, joins Brian this week.
Brian and Anthony do a deep dive into the creative process of a Broadway show, as Anthony describes what a book of a musical is and why it is so important.
Anthony discusses the process he and Scott Brown had in writing the show, how Lydia became the main character, how they changed the conception of the Netheworld, and how the Beetlejuice cartoon influences the show. Anthony talks about how they decided what iconic parts from the movie made the musical, and he shares what he wish he could have brought from screen top stage.
Anthony also talks about the rewriting process that the show underwent after previews in Washington, D.C.
In addition, he answers an incredibly specific question about Gutenberg, the Musical!
Fresh off covering the Washington Nationals’ World Series title for the Washington Post, Jesse Dougherty talks about what it’s really like to be a major-league beat writer.
Jesse discusses what makes the baseball beat so unique, how it can totally warp your life, the advice he received from Barry Svrugla and Ben Shpigel and how transparency helps him to build relationships with his sources. He also walks through what it was like to cover the Nats’ come-from-behind win in the wild-card round, the insanity of Game 6 of the World Series, the pressure of writing Game 7 and why the off-season is in some ways more stressful.
Also this week, we remember Bill Lyon, the former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist who died this past weekend at age 81, with a clip from Mike Sielski’s interview in 2017.
Jesse Dougherty
Jesse on Twitter
MLB players never know what day it is
Nationals storm back late in wild-card game to stun Brewers, 4–3, advance to NLDS
Nationals win Game 6 with dominant Stephen Strasburg performance
This Nationals team will be forever bound by World Series glory built on defying odds
Episode 53: I Remember Getting an F with Jesse Dougherty
Episode 18: Saran Wrap Octopus with Mike Sielski
The most remote emergency room: Life and death in rural America
This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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For the fourth time, Alysa Auriemma joins Brian on The Other 51. But this time, there’s biggest stuff to talk about than Captain America, Chris Evans and Kylo Ren.
(I mean, they do talk about Avengers: Endgame. They’re not monsters.)
Alyssa joins Brian to talk about the writing and publication of her new book, “All Daughters Rise.” Alysa discusses the themes of her book and how she was inspired to write the book in part because of the gaps she saw in contemporary fiction. Where’s the intersectionality? Why does the main character always react so calmly when things happen? We’re all way more Scott Lang than Natasha Romanov, and maybe our fictions should reflect that.
Alyssa also discusses the book’s journey to publication, the challenges and frustrations she faced in trying to find an agent and a publisher, and why she made the decision to use Inkshares. She is nearly halfway to her goal of 750 preorders by January to get the book published.
Also, much praise is lavished upon Rainbow Rowell.
All Daughters Rise on Inkshares
Alysa on Twitter
Geek Love: A Novel by Katherine Dunn
The Married Man by Edmund White
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Episode 52: Hating Kylo Ren with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 44: Generic Hot Actor Guy with Alysa Auriemma
Episode 27: Always Writing with Alysa Auriemma
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Joe Buscaglia, who covers the Buffalo Bills for The Athletic, joins Brian this week.
There is the requisite Harry Potter talk between two nerds, and the single hottest take in the history of The Other 51 is given. This yields to talk about another fantasy world, the Bills.
This leads to a discussion about how Joe balances matching the fans’ mood with a more measured approach to covering the team. Joe talks about how he avoids being a hot-take artist and, counterintuitively, how Twitter led him away from the loud opinions that often dominate sports media. The goal is to get fans to look at their team in a different way.
Joe talks about how NFL Game Pass changed the way he covers the Bills, his delightfully nerdy system for grading every player in every game, and the transition from a broadcast career to writing for The Athletic.
Joe at the Athletic
Joe on Twitter
Bills All–22 Review: Dissecting Josh Allen’s day and why there’s more to Zay Jones than meets the eye
‘New England doesn’t lose those types of games’: Sights and sounds from the two weeks that rocked Buffalo
‘You’re not going to outwork him’: How Joe Schoen became one of the most trusted voices in the Bills’ front office
Antonio Brown: New sexual misconduct accusation by Robert Klemko
Talking to Strangers audio book by Malcolm Gladwell
Puff
Harry Potter audio books
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Drew Gasparini, a composer/lyricist/all-around awesome guy, joined Brian in New York City this past weekend to talk about song writing, musical theater and the creative process.
Drew discusses the recent re-release party for his 2009 album, “I Could Use a Drink,” and what it was like to revisit songs he had written 10–15 years ago. How, exactly, did Simon’s mom take that message in “I’m A Little Bit”?
This leads to a greater discussion about the role of the writer in making their characters understandable, which dovetails into a long discussion about the musical adaptation of “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” that Drew is writing with his collaborator and best friend, Alex Brightman. Drew discusses how he and Alex came to the project, what their writing process is like, and how you take a powerful novel like Ned Vizzini’s and adapt it to the stage.
Drew talks at length about his collaboration process, why he’s so addicted to the creative lifestyle, and how he structures his work schedule to make sure his momentum is rarely broken.
Drew Gasparini
Drew on Twitter
Drew on Instagram
I Could Use a Drink
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
The World Doesn’t Require You by Rion Amilcar Scott
A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons by Ben Folds
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
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In another episode that recorded at the AEJMC conference in Toronto last month (thanks Apple), Dr. Jennifer Harker from West Virginia University joins Brian to talk about her award-winning paper.
First off, she learns that Brian does not mess around when it comes to Canadian snack food.
Then, Jennifer and Brian do a deep diver into her study on the Alliance of American Football and their use of hashtags before, during, and after the league’s launch in 2019. This presented researchers with a unique opportunity to study a league’s social media use and fan interaction as the league itself was being born. Jennifer discusses her findings and their implications for sports media.
Jennifer also discusses her writing process, the value in being in constant contact with your data, how she reverse outlines her manuscripts, and how she keeps moving while writing — literalliy.
A reminder that you can support Sports Media Guy and The Other 51 here.
Jennifer on Twitter
AEJMC Sport Communication paper abstracts
The Alliance of American Football
Becoming by Michelle Obama
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This episode was supposed to be recorded at the AEJMC conference earlier this month in Toronto. But Dr. Mark Coddington was busy doing conference stuff, and Brian forgot his Mac dongle, so consider this a makeup in a way.
Mark is an assistant professor at Washington and Lee University and the author of the new book, “Aggregating the News: Secondhand Knowledge and the Erosion of Journalistic Authority,” and he joins Brian for a deep dive into the writing process. Mark describes he got interested in news aggregation in the first place, how he picked it for his dissertation topic and then how he turned that dissertation into a book.
Mark and Brian talk a lot about the idea of writing defensively, why that may be one of the reasons why academic writing is often so bad and how hard it was for Mark to switch modalities for the book. They also talk about what aggregation is in news, why it matters, and why the myth of Woodward and Bernstein is so persistent among journalists.
Mark on Twitter
Snippets from the book
Aggregating the News
How News Happens
The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players
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Back when this podcast started, Joe Posnanski joined Brian for Episode 4 to talk about Hamilton, Buffalo sports, and writing.
This week, for our 100th episode, Joe joins Brian again to talk about … Hamilton, Buffalo sports, and writing.
After nerding out about their favorite moments in Hamilton, Brian and Joe get to the main topic — Joe’s upcoming book on Harry Houdini. Joe talks in depth about his writing and research process on this book, particularly how he balanced writing a biography of Houdini and a book about magic and wonder itself. Joe discusses how he reconciled those two ideas and found the center of the book.
Joe and Brian also talk about the importance of finding that thing that your piece of writing is about, and about how being honest with what you don’t know can build your credibility with sources. There is a brief Harry Potter detour, and reporting is compared to roller coasters (one of which, Brian and Joe love). Joe also discusses how he defines wonder and why that is so important to the book and our lives.
Also noteworthy, after this podcast was reported, someone did in fact hit two home runs in a game that day.
Joe Posnanski on Twitter
Joe Blogs
The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini
Joe on Amazon
Episode 4: Joe Posnanski
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Brian is joined once again by his favorite local* author, Rion Amilcar Scott.
Rion has a new collection of short stories due out on Aug,. 20, “The World Doesn’t Require You.” It’s a followup to his previous collection, Insurrections.
Brian and Rion talk about how the new collection came together, and how both the world it’s set in and Rion’s writing have changed since President Trump’s election. Rion talks about the value of sitting with an idea for a long time until you know it’s ready and how he stretched himself as a writer with this book. How does Rion hope to influence how people see the world with this book? It’s a big question.
They also geek out hard core over SpiderMan.
Rion Amilcar Scott
Rion Amilcar Scott on Twitter
Episode 22: James Baldwin’s Head with Rion Amilcar Scott
Insurrections
The World Doesn’t Require You
A Lucky Man by Jamele Brinkley
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
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Anthony King, the Tony nominated co-writer of the book of Beetlejuice The Musical, joins Brian this week.
Brian and Anthony do a deep dive into the creative process of a Broadway show, as Anthony describes what a book of a musical is and why it is so important.
Anthony discusses the process he and Scott Brown had in writing the show, how Lydia became the main character, how they changed the conception of the Netheworld, and how the Beetlejuice cartoon influences the show. Anthony talks about how they decided what iconic parts from the movie made the musical, and he shares what he wish he could have brought from screen top stage.
Anthony also talks about the rewriting process that the show underwent after previews in Washington, D.C.
In addition, he answers an incredibly specific question about Gutenberg, the Musical!
Anthony King
Anthony on Twitter
Beetlejuice the Musical
The Complete Works of Dashiell Hamett
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Baxter Holmes had one of the best months for a sports features writer in a very long time earlier this year. He published two fantastic stories at ESPN - one on the fancy dinners that San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich hosts, the other detailing the dysfunction of the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the face of it, they are two very different stories. But in his return visit to The Other 51, Baxter tells Brian how the reporting for those stories had a lot in common.
Baxter describes how he first heard about Popovich’s wine dinners and how the Lakers’ dysfunction first got on his radar. He talks about the value of talking to everybody, how writing scenes is a key part of his process, how Robert Caro’s notions of concentric circles help him report, and what it was like the day the Lakers story broke. There was a lot of coffee that day.
Baxter and Brian also discuss how writers are a lot like chefs.
Baxter Holmes on Twitter
Episode 57: Untold Stories with Baxter Holmes
Michelin restaurants and fabulous wines: Inside the secret team dinners that have built the Spurs’ dynasty
Lakers 2.0: The failed reboot of the NBA’s crown jewel
The Day The Music Burned
Work Clean: The life-changing power of mis-en place to organize your life, work, and mind by Dan Charnas
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One of our very first guests on The Other 51 (Episode 3), Tyler Dunne from Bleacher Report returns to kick off our summer season.
Tyler and Brian spend the first several minutes reminiscing about early 1990s NBA basketball, including Brian’s home-economics class gamesmanship involving Chuck Person and Tyler’s origin story as a Charlotte Hornets fan.
Then they get around to the business at hand. What does this time of year look like for an NFL features writer like Tyler? Tyler talks about how this time of year is important to him, helping him lay the foundation for the stories he’ll work on in the fall. Tyler talks about how to approach players as people, not as sources, and how many players appreciate having to think in an interview and having someone really listen to them.
Brian and Tyler then do a deep dive into that fantastic story about the Packers that Tyler wrote in April. What’s it like when Aaron Rogers calls you out? How do you report and write a story like this?
Tyler Dunne’s stories
Tyler on Twitter
What Happened in Green Bay
Tecmo NBA Basketball
INSIDE GANG TERRITORY IN HONDURAS: ‘Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them’
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Travis Clark was never actually Brian’s student at SUNY Oswego. But he was, in his own words, “student adjace.” Travis, a SUNY Oswego graduate and now a media and entertainment reporter for Business Insider, joins Brian this week. They start with the requisite Oswego talk, and Travis talks about how much working for the student paper helped prepare him for his career.
Travis talks about his journey from kid writing movie reviews in his high-school paper to covering the media and entertainment industries for Business Insider. He and Brian discuss the juggling of being a fan of these properties vs. covering them, how entertainment writing has some analogies to sports writing, and how covering the business side of entertainment influences how you watch movies and TV shows.
About 20 minutes in, they get super nerdy in their breakdown of Avengers: Endgame. If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want it spoiled, bail then.
Also, Travis breaks some exciting Hawkeye news to Brian.
Travis Clark at Business Insider
Travis Clark on Twitter
The Oswegonian
‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors describe the 100-hour workweeks and tremendous pressure of making their $2 billion blockbuster
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
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In the summer of 2018, Brian heard Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde from UMass speak on a panel at the annual AEJMC conference. The panel’s title: “So You Wanna Write A Book”
This week, Kathy joins Brian to demystify the book-writing process.
Kathy discusses her research into literary journalism and her first book. What is literary journalism, what’s interesting about that field, and how do we read older pieces when we know a lot of what was presented as fact was more fiction?
Kathy and Brian also talk about the book writing process itself. How do you turn a dissertation into a book? How do you find the narrative thread? Why is thinking about your audience so important? Kathy recommends a book that all would-be authors should read, and she also talks about how one of her upcoming projects is the most important book she’ll ever be a part of.
Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde
Kathy on Twitter
Literary Journalism on Trial: Masson v. New Yorker and the First Amendment
Thinking Like Your Editor
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight
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Writer and podcast Quinn Rose joins Brian this week.
First off .. .there is a TON of musical theater nerdery this week. Brian finally saw Hamilton, Quinn has seen it twice, so they talk A LOT about the show, about what it’s like to see it after listening to the cast recording so much. They also talk about the shows they’re going to see soon. Quinn’s got Be More Chill coming up. Brian’s talking his 8-year-old to see Book of Mormon. It’ll be fine.
That segues into talk about Quinn’s podcasting and writing career. She talks about her excellent four-part series, Setting the Stage, about a community theater in rural Maine. Quinn talks about where the idea for the story came from, how the story evolved as she was reporting it, and why transcribing all of the interviews proved to be such a necessary step. That leads into a bigger discussion on storytelling and podcasting, and what the future holds for the medium.
Quinn Rose
Quinn on Twitter
Quinn’s blog on the 2019 Tony nominations
Quinn’s podcasts
Setting the stage
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How did Arnold Palmer order an Arnold Palmer?
Who dry cleans the green jackets for Augusta National members?
What’s it like to play Augusta National when you are … not a very good golfer?
Steve Politi, who was recently named the top sports columnist in the country by the Associated Press Sports Editors, joins Brian this week to talk about column writing. Steve traces his career path from the Nutley Sun to the Star Ledger, with a detour to cover hockey in North Carolina.
Steve and Brian do deep dives into the four columns that won the APSE top honors, from his fun columns from the Masters, to taking Bob Hurley Sr. to a high school basketball game to spending 24 hours with Eric LeGrand. Steve talks about his reporting process, the importance of a good idea, the value of zigging when others zag, and why he thinks more reporters aren’t willing to break away from the pack.
Steve Politi at NJ.com
Steve Politi on Twitter
His Private Struggle
I played Augusta National and had my own Masters meltdown
Masters 2018: The green jacket dry-cleaning secrets of Augusta National
It takes $2 and a pizza to get Bob Hurley Sr. into a HS hoops game these days
I found the saddest spot in N.J. sports at the state’s wrestling championships
This will be my 17th Masters. Here are the stories I enjoyed writing the most
The Day the Dinosaurs Died by Douglas Preston
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Of all the writers Brian has had on this podcast, you’ve probably read more words more often by John Wawrow than any other guest.
You just didn’t realize it.
John has spent nearly 20 years as the AP sports writer in Buffalo, covering primarily the Bills and the Sabres. He joins Brian this week in an episode recorded at the Village Bakery in Pittsford, N.Y.
John talks about his long career path from journalism school in Toronto, to a pair of small-town weekly papers in Canada and eventually to Buffalo. He talks about how his time at those weekly papers showed him that he truly loved journalism. John discusses the unique challenges presented by writing for the AP, how unlike most of the people around him every day, he’s writing for an audience that is in, say, Alabama. John also talks about the favorite teams he’s covered, how he’s able to put informed perspective into his stories, and he breaks down just what happened the night he shot down a report that Antonio Brown was being traded from the Steelers to the Bills.
Most importantly, John tells Brian where he should start listening to The Replacements.
John Wawrow
Jonn on the Antonio Brown deal
Gore looks forward to sharing Bills backfield with McCoy
Tim by The Replacements
‘Touch with the past’: Inside the homes of Harry Jacobs and Al Bemiller, Buffalo Bills champions living with dementia
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Bob Costas served as a perfect opening act for this week’s guest. Dr. Jeremy Littau.
Jeremy, an associate professor at Lehigh University, joins Brian this week to talk about his experience earlier this year when he legitimately went viral on Twitter. How did it happen, what was it like, and when did Jeremy’s notifications finally become manageable again. That yields into a discussion about public scholarships and why academia, as a whole, does not typically value it.
They also swap stories about life in newsrooms in the early 2000s, and how woefully unprepared newspapers were for the digital age.
But most importantly, they break down the travesty that was the SB Nation Breakfast Cereal Bracket.
Jeremy Littau
Jeremy on Twitter
Jeremy’s vial thread
The SB Nation Breakfast Cereal Bracket
The Guardians and the War on Truth
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When Brian was growing up, his dream was simple — move to New York City and be a broadcaster for NBC Sports. He wanted to be Bob Costas.
That didn’t happen. But this week Brian gets to interview his boyhood idol, as Bob joins him to discuss writing, broadcasting and sports media.
Bob and Brian talk about Bob’s memories of Syracuse University, and his mentor Stan Alten (1:35); the uneasy relationship between sports television and the leagues they cover, and how that has gotten harder to navigate over the past decade (5:45); how writing plays a role in his job, his process for writing commentaries, and how Bryant Gumbel was a master at writing to a specific time (11:00); the sports writers he looks up to (16:34); the newspapers he read growing up (all 5 of them) (21:05); Bob’s legendary story about Goldie Goldthorpe, the inspiration for Ogie Oglethorpe in Slapshot (22:15); and the best thing Bob’s read lately (27:02).
I Wanted to be Bob Costas
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner
You Gotta Play Hurt by Dan Jenkins
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There is no website Brian relies on more during the winter than Finger Lakes Weather. It’s the best weather forecasting site in upstate New York.
This week, Drew Montreuil — the brains and the voice of the site - joins Brian to talk all things weather (and SUNY Oswego).
Drew talks about his lifelong obsession with weather and how and why he turned that into a site about the Finger Lakes. He and Brian discuss the unique nature of the region, both from a meteorological and a media point of view. Drew discusses what goes into his weather forecasts, what frustrates him about mainstream media coverage and what he learned from his most recent storm forecast.
Finger Lakes Weather
FLX Weather on Facebook
Scott Steiger at SUNY-Oswego
Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who’s Lived It
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In our first episode of 2019, Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated joins Brian for a deep dive into his excellent feature story on Todd Marinovich that appeared in the Jan. 14 edition of the magazine.
Michael recounts how he first got interested in the story, how he reported the story and what it was like when the story turned out to be very different than the one he expected. He talks about when he knew he was done reporting the story, why he believes this story is accurate, and why structure is everything when it comes to writing.
TODD MARINOVICH IS LEARNING TO BE HUMAN AGAIN
War as They Knew it
The Nix by Nathan Hill
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Six months ago, Sam Fortier was a college student at Syracuse University. Now, he is the Los Angeles Chargers beat writer for The Athletic.
Sam joins Brian this week, to rub it in about the nice weather and talk about being an NFL beat reporter in 2018. Sam talks about what it’s like to start your career on a pro beat, the challenges he’s faced starting a new beat in a new city. What’s it like to work a locker room when you’re the same age (or younger) than the players?
Sam talks about working for The Athletic and the opportunities and challenges that come from writing for an organization that stresses different kinds of coverage. He shares his best Jim Boeheim story, and tells Brian what he wish he had learned in journalism school.
Sam Fortier on Twitter
Sam Fortier at The Athletic
St. Anthony’s Unanswered Prayer
Drew Brees is Hiding in Plain Sight
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Mike Waters, who has covered the Syracuse University basketball program since 1989, who is the vice president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and one of the best and most generous beat writers in our business, joins Brian this week.
After the requisite talk about how Syracuse is doing this year (there’s a George Costanza theory involved), Mike traces his career path from the University of North Carolina to Nashville and to a loaded Syracuse team in 1989. How has the job changed over the past 30 years, and how has it not?
Mike describes how he builds relationships with sources, why you have to put the notebook away sometimes, and why he doesn’t like to hang out around the media room.
He also answers the big question: What’s Jim Boeheim like to cover?
Mike Waters on Twitter
Mike on Syracuse.com
Nothing on this page is real
This is how the Maui Invitational became an institution
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This week, Brian has collected bits and pieces that didn’t make it into previous episodes but are collected here in a kind of deleted scenes collection of The Other 51.
Tanya Marsh of Wake Forest University (1:25) and Jeff Pearlman (4:23) offer their single best pieces of writing advice.
Doug Schneider (7:40) talks about what he writes about when he’s not covering Making a Murderer, and how he learns the skills needed to do those projects.
And, in the debut of a new segment, Jen Moritz (16:30) joins me for The Secret Life of Words. You know where the word “Halloween” comes from, right? Turns you, you probably don’t.
Special music this week from Ellie Moritz & Andrea Peters.
Episode 79: Live and Die with Tanya Marsh
Episode 80: Labor of Love with Jeff Pearlman
Episode 83: For Real — Did Steven Avery Do It? with Doug Schneider
Episode 45: You Podcast? with Jen Moritz
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What’s it like when an actual phenomenon happens in your backyard?
That’s the position Doug Schneider found himself in a few years ago. A projects reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, Doug found himself writing about Making a Murderer, the Netflix documentary that is set a county near his offices in Green Bay.
Doug, who worked with Brian at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, joins Brian this week to talk about reporting and more. Topics include Why Binghamton was the best news town Doug has ever worked in (6:08); covering Making a Murderer (12:00); what it was like when the documentary became A Thing. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever been a part of.” (18:30); The biggest challenge in writing about a phenomenon like this (23:30); the history of #ScannerSquawk (27:00); the best things Doug and Brian have read lately (33:20).
Doug Schneider
Doug on Twitter
Making a Mania
NY Times on Donald Trump’s wealth
Unintended Consequences
A Place, a people and their team
Football for a Buck
Shots on the Bridge: Police Violence and Cover-up in the Wake of Katrina
Chasing Phil: The Adventures of Two Undercover Agents with the World’s Most Charming Con Man
Grant
Teachers in America
All–22: Former UB quarterback Joe Licata breaks down Allen’s biggest flaws and Peterman’s pick-six
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Mental Illness Awareness Week was last week (Oct. 7–13, 2018), but in recognition of this, Brian’s good friend Dr. Shannon McCarthy joins him for a special episode. Shannon and Brian talk about their own mental health struggles and how it affects and impacts their writing (2:15). They also talk about knowing when you’re really struggling vs. when you’re just being lazy (9:40), how they deal with imposter syndrome (16:20), some of their strategies to beat back the demons and get stuff done (24:00), how they use humor to help (31:26) and the best thing they’ve read lately (34:26).
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Call 1–800–273–8255
Shannon McCarthy on Twitter
Shannon McCarthy on Twitter
Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco
Grant by Ron Chernow
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Two weeks ago, Brian and Bucky Gleason recorded what might have been the perfect podcast. It was witty, insightful, entertaining, everything you’d want from this medium and more.
And, then Brian went and messed up the recording but good.
But Bucky, a former Buffalo News sports columnist and now the editor of Buffalo Maven, is a mensch. He joins Brian again this week. They talk a lot about the Buffalo Bills and what this team is like to cover. Bucky talks about how he writes columns about the team without having press credentials, and the challenges and opportunities that presents.
Bucky details his career path from the Wellsville bureau of the Olean Times Herald to being a columnist at his hometown Buffalo News. He remembers the influence Jim Kelley had on his career (including the infamous Dominik Hasek incident) and discusses the challenges presented of writing what he calls “grossly unpopular” columns about bad teams for the past 10 years.
Bucky Gleason on Twitter
Buffalo Maven
Bucky and Sully
Jim Kelley
Mike Vaccaro books
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Nearly two years ago, Jeff Pearlman joined Brian in the early days of The Other 51. This was just after Jeff’s biography of Brett Favre came out, and Jeff was working on his next book - a history of the USFL.
That book — Football for a Buck — is out this month.
Jeff is back to talk about why he always wanted to write a book about the USFL and what makes that league so interesting to him. He talks about his reporting process — featuring 700 Word docs and his son, Emmett — as well as the challenges of structuring this book compared to his other works. Jeff also discusses the challenges of keeping this book from becoming all about Donald Trump. and how his reporting on the USFL helps him make sense of what’s happening in the world in 2018.
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff on Twitter
Football for a Buck
Jeff on Amazon
The Other Wes Moore
Episode 14: Gunslingers with Jeff Pearlman
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Tanya Marsh and Brian have been internet friends for a few years now, but this is the first time they’e actually spoken to each other.
Tanya is a professor of law at the Wake Forest School of Law. She’s is also as much of an Avett Brothers fan as Brian (she’s seen them 53 times in concert, which puts Brian’s concert count to shame).
Tanya and Brian talk a lot about their favorite band, how they discovered the Avett Brothers and what makes their lyrics so powerful and meaningful. Why did this band stick when the Mumford and Sons of the world did not?
They also talk about Tanya’s writing, her career as a law professor and her fascinating research into cemetery law. They discuss the pressures that young academics can feel to study what’s popular instead of what they’re interested in, the importance of grounding yourself in research, and how you know you’re ready to stop research and start writing. Tanya also answers the question of who owns a grave and the body inside of it?
It’s (yet another) Syracuse University Ph.D. program reunion, and Brian’s good friend and classmate Dr. Jenn Billinson joins the podcast this week.
Jenn, an assistant professor at Christopher Newport University, talks in detail about her research into the use of music and media as a coping mechanism for tragedy. Jen discusses how people used music in tribute videos following the Virginia Tech massacre and her fieldwork in New Orleans post-Katrina. What makes music such a unique media format? Is the way music has become so personal changed the way we collectively experience music?
There’s also some old-school Hamiltalk (including a brutal hypothetical that Brian poses) and some Aretha Franklin memories.
Dr. Andy Billings had written or edited 18 books. He has two coming out this year. He’s published more than 130 journal articles and book chapters.
The Director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication and Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media, Andy was also a part of a wonderful panel discussion at the AEJMC conference in Washington this week, where he talked about what it takes to write a book. He joins Brian on the podcast to recap that discussion and talk about the book writing process. How do you go from “hey, I’d like to write a book some day?” to publishing?
Andy talks about the importance of de-limiting your topic, making sure it’s not too big or too small. He discusses why the table of contents is such and important part of the process, why you have to think two years out when you’re writing a book, how he learned what writing schedule worked for him and how his background as a public speech coach informs his writing.
Kimberley A. Martin began her career working in finance in New York City. Even when she started looking at a career in journalism, she never wanted to work for a newspaper.
Many twists and turns later, she now covers Washington and the NFL for the Washington Post.
Kimberley joins Brian to talk about her convoluted career path, how her study of psychology at Wesleyan University influences her reporting to this day, and how she went from New Jersey to New York to Buffalo and finally to the Post.
Kimberley talks about the balancing act between day-to-day news and longer form features that she must navigate as a beat reporter, what it’s like to jump onto the Washington beat in the middle of the season, and how Syracuse University helped shape her as a writer.
Near the end, she also casually drops in the fact that she knew Lin-Manuel Miranda in college.
Kimberley A. Martin
Kimberley on Twitter
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Grant by Ron Chernow
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Dr. Gina Masullo Chen, a grad-school classmate of Brian’s at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, joins The Other 51 this week to talk about writing for both newspapers and academics.
Gina talks about her 20-plus year career at the Post-Standard in Syracuse and why she decided to leave journalism in 2009 to get a Ph.D. Gina and Brian trade theories on why newspapers were so weird in the mid-to-late 2000s and why they were so bad at adopting new technology.
Gina also talks about her writing process, how she uses deadlines and her own personality to work to her advantage, the difference between disagreement and incivility, and about civility in online discourse. Which means yes, she read the comments.
And yes, Gina tells us that Austin really is that cool.
Gina Masullo Chen
Gina on Twitter
Online Incivility and Public Debate: Nasty Talk
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Does incivility hurt democracy? Here’s what political science can tell us by Emily Sydnor
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In the first roundtable discussion on The Other 51, Drs. Lauren Smith and Shannon McCarthy join Brian this week. It’s like the IACS Summit on Communication and Sport, only in podcast form (and without bacon and beer).
Lauren and Shannon talk about the paths they took to their current teaching jobs at Indiana University and the University of Central Missouri. Along with their research agendas, they both discuss how their experiences as college athletes influence their academic and professional work. They talk about what is interesting about social media in sports in 2018 and the challenges they face as women studying sports.
There’s also a discussion about human tacos.
For real. It’s a thing they all talk about.
Lauren Smith on Twitter
Shannon McCarthy on Twitter
Shannon McCarthy on Twitter
The Curious Case of Bryan Colangelo and the Secret Twitter Account
This Man Made Tacos From His Amputated Foot And Then Fed Them To His Friends
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Fun fact: Richard Deitsch and Brian Moritz are professionally connected.
No, not just because they both write about sports media — Richard for The Athletic, Brian for whomever will let him. But because Richard’s first job in journalism was covering Buffalo sports for the Metro Community News — a free weekly paper that Brian delivered as his first job in middle school.
Richard joins Brian this week to talk about his time in Buffalo as a college student and as a reporter. They talk about what makes Buffalo such a great sports town, how Richard is still influenced by his time in the city, and what’s happening to The Buffalo News’ sports department.
Beyond Buffalo, Richard discusses his career path and how he ended up covering sports media, first for Sports Illustrated and now for The Athletic. He talks about the process that goes into writing his regular media columns, what his perfect sports media world would look like, and entertains Brian’s theory about The Athletic and Sports Illustrated.
Richard Deitsch
Richard Deitsch at The Athletic
Sports Media with Richard Deitsch
Blood Will Tell
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Jeff Di Veronica, who has covered sports in Rochester for nearly two decades, joins Brian this week.
Jeff talks about the challenges that covering high-school sports present reporters. How do you balance accurately reporting what happens in a game with being sensitive to the fact that you’re covering high school kids? How do you critically cover the behavior of some parents when they make up your core audience? How has the job over his nearly two decades in Rochester?
Jeff also discusses how some parents have “email muscles” with both reporters and coaches, and what makes Rochester such a unique sports market.
Jeff DiVeronica
Jeff on Twitter
Powered by their rabid fan base, Knighthawks lacrosse keeps flying high
Angry parents cost this Honeoye coach his job and reputation so he sued them and won $50K
Ruling on Red Creek basketball parent’s appeal against Section V expected June 22
Epsiode 47: Detective Work with Scott Pitoniak
Jamal Lewis Making Most of Post-NFL Life—but Preparing for Darker Days to Come
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It’s a weird flip of the podcast world this week. Normally, Brian co-hosts The Flip Side, a podcast about sports, media and other stuff with Dr. Galen Clavio. But this week, Galen joins Brian to talk about sports media and writing.
Galen, the director of the National Sports Journalism Center and a professor at Indiana University’s media school, discusses his career path from minor-league hockey play-by-play guy to academia. He talks about how writing helped him in his play-by-play and broadcasting career, and how the job is often about figuring out how words go together.
Galen and Brian also talk about the challenges of teaching sports media in an ever-changing marketplace, and their research and writing processes. Galen talks about why the literature review is so important and why he always does the introduction last. He also remembers what it was like covering Bobby Knight’s firing from Indiana as a member of the student media.
There is also news about The Flip Side. And talk about Vlade Divac’s hypothetical burner Twitter accounts.
Galen Clavio on Twitter
National Sports Journalism Center
The Flip Side
Trusting the ESPN Process
Crooked Letters
The Curious Case of Bryan Colangelo and the Secret Twitter Account
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Matthew Fairburn, who covers the Buffalo Bills for NYUpstate.com (or Syracuse.com, or The Post-Standard, depending on which generation you belong to), joins Brian this week for a deep dive into life on an NFL beat.
Matthew discusses how he got the job as a Bills beat writer on a one-season trial, and what it was like for him to not only start a new beat at a paper, but to be dropped onto an NFL beat fresh out of college. Matthew and Brian talk about what it means to cover an NFL team with a digital-first mentality and also how to balance doing something different with your coverage while also giving readers the news they’re looking for.
Matthew also breaks down Josh Allen and gives Brian reasons to be optimistic about the Bills in the future.
As a bonus, Matthew reveals what he was supposed to be doing the New Year’s Eve when Doug Marrone quit as Bills coach.
Matthew Fairburn at NYUpsate.com
Matthew Fairburn on Twitter
The Power of Media Narratives and the Bills’ Playoff Drought
You Gotta Play Hurt by Dan Jenkins
Matt Millen Fights For His Life: ‘It’s Getting Late. We Need a Big Stop’
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Tom Wolfe, the iconic American journalist and novelist, died on May 15 at the age of 88.
In lieu of the usual interview, Brian talks to several previous guests of The Other 51 about their memories of Wolfe. Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baxter Holmes of ESPN (with a quick Twitter appearance from novelist Rebecca Makkai) discuss how they discovered Tom Wolfe and what he meant to them, their careers and journalism.
EPISODE 18: SARAN WRAP OCTOPUS WITH MIKE SIELSKI
Episode 62: The Stream of Time with Rebecca Makkai
Epsiode 57: Untold Stories with Baxter Holmes
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You probably know Kevin Blackistone best from his regular appearances on ESPN’s “Around the Horn.” But he’s also a professor of practice at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, a longtime sports columnist (at both the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning-News and more), an author, a contributor to NPR and much more. As he said at the Summit on Communication and Sport, he’s like a NASCAR driver — he has a lot of labels.
Kevin joins Brian to talk about his career in journalism, his origin story growing up in Washington, D.C. and who he read growing up that influenced him to become a journalist. Kevin and Brian discuss how all journalism is advocacy in one form or another as well as what is and is not changing in the sports media landscape.
Kevin describes life as a sports columnist in the 1990s, including his story about the night of Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear.
Special thanks to Dr. Galen Clavio and The Media School at Indiana University for hosting this week’s episode.
Kevin Blackistone on Twitter
Kevin Blackistone at Maryland
IACS 18
Baked of Bloomington
THE STATE OF THE BLACK MANAGER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WOULD DISGUST JACKIE ROBINSON
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It’s a podcast bowl game, of sorts, and Bryan Curtis from The Ringer joins Brian this week at the IACS 11th Summit on Communication and Sport. Bryan, who is The Ringer’s editor-at-large and media critic, compares the conference to the Final Four or the Combine and talks about some of the interesting research he saw this past weekend.
Bryan and Brian (it’s not confusing) talk about the state of sports journalism and sports media. What do you do when the villain in the story is just the march of history? Bryan discusses how reading the Dallas Morning News as a kid influenced him, what his perfect sports media world would look like, the value he sees in reading print newspapers every day, and why people seem to care so much about media news.
Brian also tries to defend his love of Jurassic World, much to Bryan’s dismay.
Special thanks to Dr. Galen Clavio and The Media School at Indiana University for hosting this week’s episode.
Bryan Curtis
Bryan Curtis on Twitter
IACS 2018: 11th Summit on Communication and Sport
The Loneliest Beat in the NBA
After Each Attack He Carried the Wounded. Then He Became a Victim
The Brilliant Chaos Behind America’s Best Radio Show
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Kendall Baker is the curator and creator of Sports Internet, which is one of the best daily sports newsletters available on the internet.
But what makes a daily sports newsletter interesting and worth it?
Kendall joins Brian this week to talk about his daily process in creating the newsletter and breaks down the skills that are needed to create a newsletter. What makes a newsletter good, and why are newsletters so popular in this media age? He discusses how he iterated many different versions of the Sports Internet and how living on the West Coast is the ultimate competitive advantage. He also gives Brian advice on how he could teach newsletters in his online journalism class.
Sports Internet
Kendall Baker
What the Arlee Warriors Were Playing For
Billion-Dollar Blessings
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Another lifetime ago, Brian and Evan Drellich spent summers together at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. Brian was the Binghamton Mets beat reporter for the Press & Sun-Bulletin, and Evan (an intern at the paper) was covering the team for Scout.com.
This week, Brian and Evan — who now covers the Red Sox for NBC Sports Boston and who’s been a big-league baseball beat reporter for 10 years — reminisce about those days watching Jose Coronado and Fernando Martinez. They remember their late editor, Charlie Jaworski, and how they still hear Jaws’ voice in their heads.
Evan, a graduate of Binghamton University, discusses how keeping covering a high-school football game is the hardest thing to do in sports journalism. He talks about his career path from New York to Boston to Houston and back to Boston and what it’s like to cover the Red Sox. Evan and Brian talk about why the sports media world is so fascinated with Boston sports media, which leads into a bigger discussion about the role of analysis in beat writing and how all news judgment is editorializing.
Evan Drellich on Twitter
The Big 50: Boston Red Sox: The Men and Moments that Made the Boston Red Sox
Jose Coronado on Baseball Reference
El centro y el corazón: Alex Cora went home to Puerto Rico to prepare for his first season as Red Sox manager
How Russia could steal the midterms
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Jen McCaffrey just started a new job. After covering the Boston Red Sox for several seasons for MassLive, she has recently started covering the team for The Athletic’s new site in Boston.
Jen tells Brian why she made that move and details her career path from student at Syracuse University to her new gig, and how working on Cape Cod and in Philadelphia prepared her for her new gig.
Jen talks about life on the Red Sox beat and what it’s really like to be a baseball beat reporter. She talks about bringing the laptop to the bar and writing stories while hanging out with friends, about how an interview with Dave Dombrowski interrupted her half-marathon training, and how that first year on the beat is just about keeping your head above water. Jen discusses what it’s like to cover the Red Sox, what makes that beat unique, and how she turns all of the waiting you do as a baseball writer into a positive.
She also breaks Brian’s heart and admits that she doesn’t use the Comm Law he helped teach her at Syracuse very much — even though she did keep the textbook.
Jen McCaffrey on Twitter
The Athletic: Boston
Jennings: Red Sox aiming to make analytics-based positioning simple for infielders
A father’s pride: Watching my daughter find her strength in a Southern California pool
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Lindsay Boyle has been a journalist in Ghana, and she has also reported on immigration and the option crisis in Southeastern Connecticut. She joins Brian this week to talk about her work and her career.
Lindsay, a graduate of Ohio University, talks about her day-to-day life as a breaking news reporter for The Day. She describes the entire process of breaking news, from how she finds out about news to her reporting and writing process. Lindsay talks about how she tries to balance reporting on breaking news and reporting longer stories. She also talks about why she started writing about immigration issues and how she decompresses after writing about such heavy issues all day.
Lindsay also tells Brian about the three months she spent as a journalist in Ghana, what reporting was like there, and how that experience informs her worldview to this day.
There is also talk on Hamilton and Cleveland sports.
Lindsay Boyle on Twitter
Lindsay at The Day
Lindsay Boyle on Weebly
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Don’t forget: Sister Jean is more than just a meme
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Before going on vacation last summer, Brian was looking for one more book to take with him and he found a collection of short stories that looked interesting. “Music for Wartime” by Rebecca Makkai. He picked it up. And well … three books later, he had a new favorite author.
Rebecca joins Brian this week to talk about writing novels and short stories and the writing life.
Rebecca talks about her new novel. The Great Believers, how she came up with the idea for the book and how important her research was to telling an authentic story. She also talks about how her teaching writing informs her own work, why you should never write about dreams, the difference between writing short stories and novels, and how one of her books was like a 300-page Sodoku Puzzle. She and Brian also talk about Montessori schools and why they are awesome. .
Rebecca Makkai
Rebecca on Twitter
Rebecca on Amazon
Music for Wartime: Stories by Rebecca Makkai
The Hundred-Year House
The Borrower
The Great Believers
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Dideon
The Caregiver by Samuel Park
Lost, Almost by Amy P. Knight
Story Studio Chicago
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Tim Bontemps got his first break in journalism while he was standing in his parent’s pasture.
Tim tells that story, and more, as he and Brian catch up on writing, the NBA and all things St. Bonaventure.
Tim describes his career path from St. Bonaventure University (where he and Brian met in 2004, when Brian was an adviser to the school newspaper’s sports department) to his current gig as the national NBA writer for the Washington Post. Tim talks about where he gets story ideas, the difference between covering a team vs. covering an entire league, and how LeBron James is so good in the media. Tim also talks about the differences between college and pro basketball.
There is also a lot of Bonaventure talk. Tim describes what it was like to be at the Bonnies’ first-four victory over UCLA in this year’s NCAA tournament and why that game meant so much to us.
Tim Bontemps on Twitter
Tim Bontemps at the Washington Post
St. Bonaventure, scandal and snub in the past, can finally move on Tuesday night
How LeBron James fixed his back and is on track to play all 82 games
The penance of John Calipari
UMBC proved again that in sports, not even history goes undefeated
Selection Sunday anything but a day of rest
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Shea Serrano, the author of the NY Times bestsellers “The Rap Yearbook” and “Basketball and Other Things” and a columnist for The Ringer, joins Brian this week.
Shea talks about why writing books isn’t much fun, but why he does it anyway. Shea talks about how the way he writes is influenced by his time as a teacher, how researching books is a lot of fun but the actual writing of a book is a lot of work, and how he goes from column idea to execution. Shea and Brian talk about who would win in a one-on-one basketball game between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, why they love 1990s NBA basketball, and why Coco was such a great movie.
Shea also discusses the many successes of the FOH Army.
Shea Serrano on Twitter
Shea Serrano at The Ringer
Basketball and Other Things
The Rap Yearbook
The Game When Kyrie Irving Scored Every Different Way
A Whole Ocean of Oil Under Our Feet”: ‘There Will Be Blood’ at 10 by Sean Fennessey High Dive by Jonathan Lee
Sean Fennessey
Jia Tolentino
Kara Brown
Kris Ex
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James Mirtle, the editor-in-chief and columnist for The Athletic, joins Brian this week to talk about business models in sports journalism.
James talks about The Athletic’s business model and its approach to sports journalism. He views the site as one of the feel-good stories in media these days and explains to the skeptics (like Brian) why their subscriber-funded approach can work. He also talks about why it is freeing for journalists to not have to chase page views as a primary metric.
James, who wrote about Toronto sports for the Globe and Mail before moving to The Athletic, also discusses what he looks for when he is hiring journalists; why columnists have to tell readers something they don’t already know, how the Leafs have rebuilt their organization and what makes a good Toronto story.
James Mirtle
James Mirtle at The Athletic
The Athletic
In one: My four wild days trapped in minor-league hell with the Brampton Beast
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Fifteen years ago this week, Brian broke the biggest story of his career.
As a reporter for The Times Herald in Olean, N.Y. covering St. Bonaventure basketball, Brian was one of the outlets breaking the ongoing news about a player-eligibility scandal with the Bonnies and an ensuing player boycott of two games.
His main competition on that story? Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
This week, 15 years after that story broke, Mike and Brian reunite to reminisce about what Mike calls “the weirdest story” of his career. They look back at how the story unfolded, how they reported it, the mistakes they made along the way. They talk about Jamil Terrell, Jan van Breda Kolff, Robert and Kort Wickenheiser and more. They also talk a lot about how sports media has changed in the past 15 years, and how this story would be reported if it happened now. Mike also takes us behind the scenes of the most infamous Atlantic 10 conference call ever.
As a bonus, Mike tells us if there is any hope for the Buffalo Sabres.
The strange connection between a small town in North Carolina, a near nuclear disaster and the NBA. Pro basketball players’ love affair with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Carmelo Anthony’s obsession with wine.
Baxter Holmes has a knack for finding the untold stories in pro basketball, the ones that are kind of hidden from plain view but emerge through his tireless reporting.
Baxter joins Brian this week to talk about his recent story about Kinston, N.C. and the unlikely pipeline that town has to the NBA. Baxter talks about how he followed the threads of this story, how he decided what to lede with, and how he handled the emotional nature of the story. Baxter also talks about his reporting process, how his editors have helped him find and shape stories, and why listening is such a lost art.
Baxter Holmes on Twitter
America’s Basketball Heaven
The NBA’s Secret Wine Society
The NBA’s Secret Addiction
Steve Padilla: 21 ways to find story ideas
The White Darkness: A solitary journey across Antatctica by David Grann
A Kingdom from Dust by Mark Arax
Lost, Almost by Amy P. Kngiht
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Cyd Zeigler, a writer, activist and founder of Outsports.com joins Brian this week.
Their first order of business is, naturally, defining what makes a catch.
It makes sense. Cyd is a high school and college football official and has written a lot about why the much-maligned NFL catch rule actually makes perfect sense.
Cyd and Brian talk about the founding of Outsports.com, why no athletes in the major U.S. team sports have come out in the past few years, the way the mainstream media covers gay athletes, and how that has and hasn’t changed. Cyd recalls Michael Sam’s coming out and the ESPN “report” that undid so much of the positive aspects of that story.
What’s it really like to cover the Super Bowl?
Stephen Cohen go first hand experience in 2015 as a sports writer for the Seattle Post Intelligencer. At the time, he was the paper’s Seahawks beat writer and he covered the team’s loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 49.
With this year’s Super Bowl between the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles just a few days a way, Cohen — now a general assignment reporter for the paper — joins Brian this week to talk about his Super Bowl experience. Stephen talks about what it was like to be at media day and on the Marshawn Lynch “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” beat, how the Super Bowl is really all about formal logistics, and what makes the event so overwhelming. He also talks about the actual game, how the reporters in the normally staid press box lost their minds at the end of that game, and how the Seahawks locker room provided some real human moments at the end of a surreal week.
Brian and Stephen also trade craft beer recommendations.
In the summer of 1998, Brian was a summer copy editing intern at the Buffalo News. During that summer, Lisa Wilson came on these copy desk for a tryout and eventually a job.
Since then, Lisa became the sports editor for The News and is now the senior editor, sports, at The Undefeated.
Lisa joins Brian this week, and they Share memories of that summer. Lisa talks about working with Milt Joffee, Milt Northrup and Bill Wolcott and what she learned from working with old-school veterans like them. Lisa describes what diversity means to her, why it is so important and how sports journalists can get better at it. She also tells us what makes as good story two her, why descriptive writing is so moving, and why trust between writers and editors is so important.
Lisa also gives advice for young writers and editors, and reminds them that you never know who’s watching you.
Jesse Dougherty was Brian’s student back in 2014, when he was a sophomore at Syracuse University and Brian was a doctoral student.
The student has become the master. Now, Jesse’s a sports writer for the Washington Post, and he joins Brian for a fun and wide-ranging conversation. Jesse talks about how the first hockey game he ever saw in person was the first one he covered for the L.A. Times, and how Hall-of-Famer Helene Elliott gave him a crash course in the sport. Jesse also talks about what it’s like to work at the Washington Post at this point in journalism history.
Jesse and Brian do a deep dive into Jesse’s recent feature story on Mya Fourstar, a star high school basketball player living on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Frazer, Montana. Jesse describes about how he found out about the story, how he spent his four days on the ground in Montana reporting it, and how he wrote it very quickly. Jesse talks about picking the right details for the story, how the reporting he did before he got to Montana informed his story and the challenges he faced as an outsider trying to report on this world.
They also share their best Jim Boeheim stories.
In what may be the back-door pilot for an upcoming podcast about nerd and comic culture, University of Connecticut professor Alysa Auriemma returns to The Other 51. She and Brian do a deep dive into The Last Jedi (if you haven’t seen the movie, it will be spoiled for you) and what the Star Wars fanboys dislike about the movie. Alysa talks about how much she loved the story of Rey’s parentage, how great Mark Hamil was in this movie, and how much she hates Kylo Ren.
This leads to a greater discussion about diversity in comic culture. Why is it so hard for a certain population of fans to accept women or people of color as superheroes?
Also, how it is that the guy who plays Bill Weasley is also General Hux?
Annihilation: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
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Bob Crawford, bass player for The Avett Brothers, joins Brian to talk about his family’s connection to St. Jude, the work he's doing through the Press On Fund, and his quest to cure child cancer.
Bob talks about the day his then 22-month-old daughter, Hallie, was diagnosed with brain cancer and how St. Jude gave him and his family hope. He also discusses how his daughter’s diagnosis changed songwriting for him, and how he wrote part of The Avett Brothers' song “Good to You.” He and Brian also discuss their favorite Founding Fathers (Bob goes way off the board for his pick) and the theology of Thomas Merton.
Anyone who knows Brian knows he and his family are big fans of The Avett Brothers. They're also in the middle of a month-long Avett Nation fundraiser for St. Jude in Hallie Crawford's honor. So this is a special episode.
Best-selling author and noted ruckus maker Seth Godin joins Brian this week. They talk about the importance of not only writing every day but publishing every day, what school should teach students, and why work is always the answer. Seth explains to Brian why the recording of Kind of Blue can be compared to writing, why he benefits from writing every day, and why books are the perfect technology. Seth is one of Brian’s favorite people on the internet. This was a fun episode to do.
If you’ve been following Brian on Twitter the past few weeks, your timeline was flooded with his student posts to the #MoritzMemeWar.
The inspiration for that joins the podcast this week. Dr. Nick Koberstein, an assistant professor at Keuka College, created the original meme war (#kcmemewar). He joins Brian this week at Eddie O’Brien’s in Farmington, N.Y. to talk digital pedagogy in higher ed. Nick talks about the ways he tries to challenge his students in an environment that is still a bit relaxed and supportive, and how he gets students to make work that surprises him. He and Brian also talk about the importance of revisions in writing, and how to teach students to become risk takers.
It’s a UConn guy and a Syracuse guy together, and there is no fighting and it is not a 6 overtime podcast.
Nick Koberstein
Nick on Twitter
MoritzMemeWar
KCMemeWar
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ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is the best reporter in sports journalism. You already know this. Everyone knows this. He’s also been a friend and mentor of Brian’s for nearly two decades.
Woj joins Brian this week and describes why he feels this is a golden age of sports journalism. Woj describes why he thinks the mobile phone did more to revolutionize reporting than almost anything else. He describes his reporting process, why it’s important to connect with sources and talk to them when you’re not quoting them. Sometimes, it’s the 53rd time you talk to a source that yields the important piece of information. Woj also talks about how he works with his ESPN colleagues, how he stays in front of stories, and how he had to make a choice between waiting for Bill Parcels and taking out his garbage.
And, since Woj is a Bona guy, there’s the requisite 10 minutes about St. Bonaventure.
Woj on Twitter
Woj on Facebook
The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty
Weinstein’s complicity machine
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The last time Amy Moritz joined Brian on the podcast, she said that she was working on her first book. Good little brother that he is, Brian said he’d have her back when the book was out.
Hey, guess what? The book is out! And it’s outstanding!
Amy joins us to talk about the writing of “I Though You’d Be Faster.” She talks about where the idea for the book came from, what her writing process was like, and why she self-published. Amy and Brian talk about how newspaper writing is different than book writing and the challenges it presents, why doing just a little bit each day means so much, and why when something keeps calling you (whether it’s a book project or grad school), you’ve just got to be fierce and go after it. They also talk about why Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is one of the best books you could ever read. Amy also drops a spoiler alert on Book No. 2.
And hey, did you know that Ernest Hemingway is a good writer?
Our new theme music this week is by Ellie Moritz.
Kory Stamper has the best job title of any guest in the history of The Other 51.
She’s a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster.
She writes the dictionary.
No, the dictionary doesn’t just appear, handed down by the grammar gods. It’s written by people. People like Kory.
Kory talks what it’s like to wield the power to decide what part of speech a word is. She describes her job, and she and Brian talk about how people who write the dictionary are much more open about language and usage then you might assume. There’s a difference between language and writing, and Kory describes that. Kory talks about her book Word by Word and how writing the dictionary has made her more attuned to the rhythm of her language and her writing.
Kory also gives Brian the perfect gift idea for his wife.
Scott Pitoniak is one of the defining voices in sports writing in Upstate New York. He’s written about the Buffalo Bills, Syracuse University, and sports in and around Rochester for the better part of three decades.
Scott joins Brian at Spot Coffee in Rochester (excuse the ambient noise and fun 80s music in the background), which is appropriate for a couple of writers. Scott talks about what it was like to cover the Buffalo Bills during the late 1980s and in their Super Bowl run in the early 1990s and why Marv Levy is his favorite coach he ever covered. Scott, who spent much of his career writing for the Democrat and Chronicle, talks about what makes Rochester such a unique sports town and what makes upstate New York special.
Scott also describes what it was like to write a book with Lou Gramm of Foreigner and a book about Jim Boeheim. Scott also discloses what his dream book project is.
The Atlantic 10 Media Association reunion tour continues, as long-time listener, first-time caller Matt Vautour joins Brian to talk about the life of a college sports beat writer.
Matt, who covers the University of Massachusetts for the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and Brian reminiscence about their days covering the A-10 in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the requisite John Chaney stories (for every Phil Martelli, theres a Darelle Porter ). This leads to a larger discussion about how being a beat writer has changed over the past 20 years. Matt talks about how message boards were the original Twitter, what it was like to cover John Calipari as a student journalist, and how everything is a story these days.
They also talk about how blogging has changed. Matt used to say that his blog was like the deleted scenes part of a DVD, which now is two dated technological references. But he and Brian talk about how publishing news online and social media has totally changed what we considered “blogging.” Matt also discusses why he’d like to write three minutes of a stand-up comedy routine.
Matt also makes the best obscure West Wing reference you’ll hear on the internet all day.
Jen Moritz is the best editor Brian knows. And he’s not just saying that because he married her.
Really, she’s awesome.
And since Brian’s been talking to writers for more than a year, he figured it was time to get the scoop from an editor.
Jen, who is the senior copy editor at Dixon Schwabl advertising, talks about what makes a good editor and how editing should be like gardening. You know your Facebook friend who posts memes about its/it’s and how they love grammar? Jen tells us that just shows they don’t know what an editor does. She also gives writers advice on how to instantly improve their writing — use ALL the contractions, folks! End your sentence in for. It’s OK!
Jen also tells us what grammar tells us about the identity of The Last Jedi. She also reveals Brian’s biggest sin as a writer.
In the first return guest spot on The Other 51, author and professor Alysa Auriemma is back.
Brian promised Alysa the chance to talk about her love of Chris Evans, and so there is a lot of talk about Chris Evans. A lot of Chris Evans talk. Then there’s a super-deep dive into the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Things get super nerdy, folks.
But buried in all of this is an important question for writers — what is the role of fandom in our work? Is it like sports writing, where fandom is traditionally a very separate thing? Or can fandom play a role in how we conceptualize and write stories?
Can a podcast be live? Sort of? Maybe? Brian gives it a try this week with Kate Fagan from ESPN, the author of one of the best books he’s read all year.
Fagan is the author of “What Made Maddy Run,” a poignant look at college, college athletics, social media, mental illness and more told through the lens of Madison Halloran. During her visit this week to SUNY Oswego (where Brian teaches), she sat down with Brian to talk about the book and about writing.
Kate and Brian talk about how she first heard about Madison’s story and walks through the reporting and writing process of both an ESPN The Magazine article and later, the book. Kate answers a question she expected to hear more frequently than she did, how writing Madison’s story has changed how she uses social media and how she took care of herself while writing such an emotional topic.
Along with the heavy issues, Kate and Brian also talk about what she learned from being on the 538 Hot Takedown podcast, how she found out about Hamilton before basically anyone else and also discusses why she hates Aaron Burr (the song. Not the guy.)
Special thanks to Jeff Bradbury and SUNY Oswego for the production help and to Dan Roberts for helping set this up.
Hamilton. Jason Isbell. Sports writing.
Kevin Van Valkenburg is pretty much the perfect guest for The Other 51.
Kevin, a feature writer for ESPN The Magazine, joins Brian to talk about seeing the original cast of Hamilton (apparently, it was worth it). He and Brian talk a lot about their admiration for Jason Isbell and what makes him such a gifted lyricist and songwriter. They also talk about how to develop the instinct to find the right details, how Kevin connected with Eddy Lacy before writing a recent feature story, and why reading is so, so important to being a writer. Kevin, who taught for a semester at the University of Montana, also describes how teaching writing improved his own work, and how he showed his students that you are never too busy to do a great piece of writing.
*This episode originally came out in February. Erik's book on the Golden State Warriors is out today.
Erik Malinowski of Bleacher Report talks about writing a book about the Golden State Warriors, our favorite Simpsons episodes (including which one to best introduce Brian’s daughter to the show), and why you should never Tweet. We also get super nerdy talking about Scrivener.
Bob Crawford, bass player for The Avett Brothers, joins Brian to talk about his family’s connection to St. Jude, the work he's doing through the Press On Fund, and his quest to cure child cancer.
Bob talks about the day his then 22-month-old daughter, Hallie, was diagnosed with brain cancer and how St. Jude gave him and his family hope. He also discusses how his daughter’s diagnosis changed songwriting for him, and how he wrote part of The Avett Brothers' song “Good to You.” He and Brian also discuss their favorite Founding Fathers (Bob goes way off the board for his pick) and the theology of Thomas Merton.
Anyone who knows Brian knows he and his family are big fans of The Avett Brothers. They're also in the middle of a month-long Avett Nation fundraiser for St. Jude in Hallie Crawford's honor. So this is a special episode.
Mike Jensen has Brian’s dream job.
When Brian was a young reporter covering St. Bonaventure basketball, his career goal was to write about college basketball in Philadelphia. That’s what Mike has been doing since the 1990s. The two covered some of the Atlantic 10’s most memorable games in the early 2000s, which always somehow involved St. Bonaventure and Temple. Today, they swap John Chaney stories (spoiler, he wasn’t calling about an adverb) and discuss what made the Temple coach so unique and so awesome to deal with. Mike talks about whether or not Chaney would be successful in this media environment.
Mike also discusses his year-long look series at the Philadelphia Inquirer about Philly Hoops. He talks about how Philadelphia basketball is a neighborhood of its own, how he picks his stories, why he’s not writing nostalgia stories in this series and defines what Philadelphia basketball is in 2017.
The only thing missing is Ray Cella.
Dr. Sherri Williams and Brian were classmates in the doctoral program at Syracuse University. Sherri is a former newspaper reporter who is now a newly hired assistant professor at American University in Washington D.C. and incredibly gifted and prolific writer on the intersection of race, media and popular culture.
She and Brian talk about the difficulty they faced in moving from newspapers to academia and why they both, in part, don’t consider themselves fully academics. Sherri also discusses the impact Oprah had on her life and career, why she considers herself a storyteller above all else, the importance of the bulletin board at the supermarket or listening to people talk at a bar to finding story ideas, and how a looming deadline led her to write one of her most personal stories.
Matt Cerrone was one of the pioneers of digital sports media. MetsBlog.com, the site he created in the 2000s, has been an indispensable resource for New York Mets fans.
He joins Brian this week to talk about just what the heck happened to the Mets this season, and the challenges and opportunities that a bad year like this presents to writers and storytellers. Matt talks about how he created MetsBlog and how he maintains it while still being a dad to two young kids, why knowing your own strength and weaknesses is so important to being a writer, how blogging really hasn’t changed that much and why journalists need to realize that they’re in the customer service.
He and Brian also talk about Matt’s new book and the joys of New England IPAs.
Russell Westbrook.
In Jenni Carlson’s job as a sports columnist at The Oklahoman, she could probably write those two words in the lede of a column and attract readers. But there is more to Jenni’s job than just writing about Oklahoma football and the Thunder.
She and Brian talk about where she finds ideas for more off-beat columns and the balancing act between writing “off-Main Street” columns with ones about subjects her readers care about. She also discusses how writing is kind of scientific and what the ingredients of a good column are, and makes a good Oklahoma story — beyond just football, tornados and military affiliation.
They also talk about how they relate to current politics through The West Wing, what makes that series so beloved by writers and why you should NEVER invoke Leo McGarry’s name in comparison with anybody in the current administration.
A few years ago, when Brian was writing his dissertation at Syracuse, one of the books that provided the best material and most inspiration was Rebuilding the News by Dr. Chris Anderson.
Today, Chris — a professor at the University of Leeds and the City University of New York - joins Brian to talk about academic writing and the profession of journalism. They talk about what made the era between 2003-09 so fascinating for media sociologists, why tabloid newspapers were probably better suited for the digital revolution than broadsheets, why Chris misses being a doctoral student, and how he is a fast writer of truly awful first drafts. They also discuss Chris’ upcoming book on digital journalism and his respect for Aaron Burr (sir).
You know those banal-sounding cliches you hear baseball players say in interviews with reporters every day? Stacey May Fowles finds a lot of truth in them. She’s built a newsletter and written a book about the life lessons she’s learned as a baseball fan.
After breaking down exactly what’s up with the Toronto Blue Jays, Stacey May talks about her career writing about baseball from a fan’s perspective. She and Brian talk about how the Blue Jays’ recent run of success has changed the fan culture in Toronto, the value of writing on a closed platform like a newsletter, how Jose Bautista would be an awesome life coach, and how being an outsider can help you find your voice as a writer (especially in a closed world like sports).
Brian and Stacey May also share their favorite memories of Exhibition Stadium, the best worst stadium in Major League history.
ESPN The Magazine investigative journalist Seth Wickersham joins Brian this week. The two bond over Jason Isbell and talk about the idea for a SiriusXM channel called “Byline” that would feature Isbell, Bruce Springsteen and other singers journalists tend to love.
Seth calls himself “an accidental byproduct of people landing on ESPN.com” but he’s one of the best reporters in sports journalism today. He talks about his work with Don Van Natta Jr and the lessons he’s learned from working with him on several ESPN stories and their upcoming book about the NFL. Seth also talks about why compassion is such an important skill for journalists, how he organizes his stories, why the worst thing you can feel as a writer is that you’ve plateaued, and why he has faith that the writing process will always work itself out.
Seth also tells the story of what happened when he asked Ben Bradlee a question at a Washington Post internship lunch. You can imagine how this one goes.
She’s a comic book writer and artist. She’s written My Little Pony comics, worked on books for Marvel, D.C. and IDW. She’s written her own comics, including the adorably awesome Gronk. She drew pictures of the cast of Hamilton for Broadway Cares and has been on stage at the Richard Rogers Theater twice. She’s basically living every nerd’s dream life.
She and Brian talk about the comic book writing process. Katie talks about why it can be easier to write for an already defined, established character as compared to one you create yourself, why she always thinks of herself as an artist first, the importance of having a sounding board as a writer, the delights of hearing your 6-year-old singe age-inappropriate Broadway songs, and how Hamilton inspires us all to create something unique that lasts.
Kate was also kind enough to answer a question from Brian’s daughter about My Little Pony.
Patrick Hruby is probably best known as the sports journalist who writes about all the unpopular issues in sports. Whether it’s concussions in football, amateurism in the NCAA, or cities subsidizing sports stadiums, Hruby writes about the intersection of politics and sports for Vice (among other places).
Patrick joins Brian to talk about how sports can serve as a gateway drug to talk about bigger issues in society, and why “stick to sports” is such a false position. They also talk about the generational use of social media, why curiosity is such an important trait for journalists and why he sometimes feels like Darth Vader at the end of Rogue One.
It’s a WSBU/88.3 The Buzz reunion, and Brian catches up with fellow St. Bonaventure alum and author Michael Farrell. The two talk about the importance that Dr. Rick Simpson played in both of their writing lives, with Michael telling the story about how Doc Simpson line-edited the 600-page first draft of his first novel.
Farrell talks about the writing process of his two novels, Running with Buffalo and When the Lights Went Out. He discusses the lessons he learned in several grad-school meetings with Dennis Lehane, why it’s important to keep a story moving forward, what it’s like to see Buffalo’s resurgence and how he’s happy his children won’t have to grow up through his stories.
But most importantly, Michael helps Brian figure out how to start listening to Wilco.
Mike Vaccaro and Brian both attended St. Bonaventure University as journalism/mass communication majors. Their first jobs out of college were at The Times Herald in Olean, N.Y., working for the legendary sports editor Chuck Pollock.
The professional similarities pretty much end there.
Mike, a senior sports columnist at the New York Post, joins the podcast this week to talk about the art of writing a sports column. Mike talks about why the lede of his column can be so important, what makes a good New York City story, the value of a great editor and the challenge of writing something that stays with the reader. They also talk a lot about St. Bonaventure and A LOT about the Beatles and Mike’s ranking of all 189 Beatles songs.
There have been days in the past month where Keith Law has done more than 20 interviews in one day.
So what’s one more?
Law, the ESPN columnist and author of the outstanding new book “Smart Baseball,” joins Brian to talk about writing and analytics in sports. Keith talks about how he learned to slow down his writing, how writing about analytics doesn’t mean you don’t have passion for your subject material, and how being open-minded can help you ask better quesetions and write better stories. He also describes how numbers can never drive a story, and he reveals what question interviewers ask him that is a giveaway that they haven’t read his book.
Brian also gets his first-ever board game recommendation.
Commonweath: A Novel by Ann Patchett
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Don Van Natta Jr.’s favorite song in Hamilton is “The Room Where It Happens.” Partially because, in his own words, as an investigative journalist, he is always trying to find out what really happens in the rooms where things happen. Seriously. It’s pretty perfect. Van Natta Jr., a senior writer at ESPN, joins Brian this week and talks about how covering the White House, Pentagon and CIA prepared him to write about the NFL, how he keeps organized when interviewing 100 people for a story and how he builds the architecture of his stories. He also shares tips on how to become a better rewriter, and he and Brian figure out why writers drink so much.
Professor, essayist and novelist Alysa Auriemma joins Brian this week. In between nerding out over both Hamilton and comic books, they really do talk a bit about writing. Alysa, who teaches at the University of Connecticut, talks about why she always writes her fiction longhand, how she uses her phone to help her write and what student writers can do to improve their writing by 10 percent today. She also discusses how Twitter has helped make her a more nuanced writer. I know, right?
Author, writer and award-winning columnist Sean Kirst has lived in and written about upstate New York his entire life. He joins Brian this week, and they talk about why writers work best at extreme times of day (late night for Brian, early morning for Sean), the discipline that comes from writing on deadline, how column writing is like both archery and pitching, and why communion is the essence of writing. They also break down the subtle differences between Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse and what makes a good Central New York Story.
Best-selling author and noted ruckus maker Seth Godin joins Brian this week. They talk about the importance of not only writing every day but publishing every day, what school should teach students, and why work is always the answer. Seth explains to Brian why the recording of Kind of Blue can be compared to writing, why he benefits from writing every day, and why books are the perfect technology. Seth is one of Brian’s favorite people on the internet. This was a fun episode to do.
In the first-ever bonus track, Ellie Moritz (episode 21) interviews Amy Moritz (episode 24)
Brian’s origin story as a reporter and writer is an easy one — his older sister is a writer and reporter, so of course he wanted to do it to. But what’s Amy Moritz’s origin story? Sitting in Brian’s kitchen, they talk about how their grandma taught them how information is power, how their mom’s love of books made reading an important part of their lives, and the moment Amy realized she could be a sports writer. Amy also provides an in-depth look at life as a sports writer at The Buffalo News and why Bob Huggins loves Buffalo (and doesn’t wear a tie). They also (eventually) get around to talking about Amy’s current book project.
Molly Knight, bestselling author of “The Best Team Money Can Buy” about the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Brian reminisce about the 5th Summit on Communication and Sport and Bradley University. Molly was the keynote speaker and was terrified. Brian was a first-year doc student and somehow impressed Dave Kindred. Molly talks about how baseball players are the easiest athletes to relate to, the adorableness of Vin Scully and his wife, how doing a little bit at a time can make a huge project seem less daunting, and why the best sports stories end in losses. She and Brian also talk about the balance of being a sports fan and a sports writer, and the importance of authenticity and passion in your writing.
It’s Press & Sun-Bulletin reunion day, as the former Binghamton University education beat writer and Binghamton University athletics writer reconnect. Rion Amilcar Scott left journalism 10 years ago and is now a fiction writer and professor at Bowie State. He and Brian talk about creating and chronicling the fictional town of Cross River, Maryland; the biggest sins young writers make and how they can improve their writing, and the pure magic of watching your kids learn to read. Rion also gives Brian several recommended collections of short stories.
Ellie Moritz (first grader, actress, human spoiler alert) talks about her favorite Harry Potter books, the books and plays she’s written and been in, why she loves theater, and who her favorite actresses are. She also becomes the first guest of The Other 51 to sing.
Rochelle Bilow has been a writer, a line cook, a culinary student, and a farmer. She’s also the first second-generation guest of The Other 51, coming on at the recommendation of Leah Stacey. Rochelle and Brian talk about making yourself a character in your own book, why Rochelle’s memoir doesn’t have any exposition, and what people can do to make themselves a better cook.
National Magazine Award winner Chris Jones talks about what it’s like to replace Charles Pierce, why reporting is so important to his work, and finding your voice when you start writing for a new publication. Chris talks about how the Ellie-award-winning story “The Things That Carried Him” came together. They also discuss Chris’ favorite building in North America (Buffalo City Hall) and Brian’s strange romantic affinity for the southern-most stretch of the Q.E.W.
Many years ago, Mike Sielski (now a columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer) tried to get Brian a job as a sports reporter at the Bucks County Courier Times. It didn’t happen, but life has a funny way of working out. The two get back together to talk about what makes a good Philadelphia story, why you can’t scream and yell about everything, picking your sports for a personal column, and the wonderful career of Bill Lyon. They also spend a good nine minutes geeking out about Godzilla. It’s quite a thing.
Erik Malinowski of Bleacher Report talks about writing a book about the Golden State Warriors, our favorite Simpsons episodes (including which one to best introduce Brian’s daughter to the show), and why you should never Tweet. We also get super nerdy talking about Scrivener.
Dr. Ben Sawyer, a historian from Middle Tennessee State, joins Brian to talk about why Forest Gump is a dangerous movie, why journalists are kicking historians butts in terms of writing compelling works, and why Lenin was making it all up as he went along (validating a long-standing theory of Brian’s). They also discuss their favorite Founding Fathers.
Dan Horan, ofm, is Alexander Hamilton to Brian’s Aaron Burr. OK, not exactly. But the writer, theologian and Franciscian friar talks about how he keeps up an insanely productive writing schedule (seriously, six books and 120 articles in just about a decade), reinvention, the problems with academic writing, and drops some Post-Colonial Theory on us. (Also, there’s a fair amount of St. Bonaventure talk).
Author Jeff Pealrman tells us why the 1980s were an awesome time in sports, how he turns 400-500 interviews into a narrative, and why he loves writing in coffee shops. He also tells us the real reason he wrote the excellent book “Gunslinger” about Brett Favre.
Food writer Jared Paventi tells us how to eat like a food critic, how he uses his camera to write recipes and the challenges in trying to maintain a blog you’re proud of . He also breaks down why he doesn’t like Hamilton.
ESPN’s Bomani Jones joins us to talk about the lessons writers can learn from economics; how his writing career influences his broadcasting work; and why college journalism students should take philosophy courses. He also gives Brian a long-overdue education to James Brown.
Michelle Garcia, senior editor for race and identities at Vox, talks about growing up as the daughter of an award-winning author, growing up in the shadow of Donald Trump, and why journalism is all about verbs. She and Brian also share some shocking confessions about Harry Potter and Oswego. It’s amazing they stay friends.
Writer, podcaster and one of Brian’s favorite people on the internet Merlin Mann talks about how the best writing books are kind of self-help books; how writing can influence every aspect of your life; and Hamilton. So much wonderful Hamilton nerdery.
New York Times columnist Dan Barry talks about the benefits of slowing down, the clarifying power of deadline and how the Franciscan sensibility informs his writing. He and Brian talk A LOT about St. Bonaventure. You’ve been warned.
Writer, editor and professor Leah Stacy talks about why we’re drawn to stories about food and eating; how storytelling influences everything she does; and why she never uses red pen when editing or grading students’ work.
Will Leitch from Sports On Earth (and Bloomberg Politics, and New York Magazine, and New Republic, and Deadsoin) talks about the importance of giving yourself deadlines, why being organized is important to being a writer, and making editors happy. We also talk about when to start reading Harry Potter to your kids.
Tim Graham from the Buffalo News talks about why writers hate mediocrity, writing stories no one else does, and a shocking amount about Rich Bartel. He also tells me whether or not I have any reason to hope for the Buffalo Bills this season (spoiler alert: nope).
Mark Obbie talks about what it's really like to make your living as a freelance writer.
Columnist and author Joe Posnanski talks about Hamilton, the importance of both a good idea and good execution, and why he doesn't believe in writers' block.
Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News talks about balancing beat and featuring writing, bringing the reader into the interview, and getting out of the way of the story.
Author and copywriter Charles Benoit discusses Hamilton, his writing process, and why he has to get technology out of his character's hands quickly.
Dr. Molly Yanity, a former sports journalist, assistant professor at Quinnipiac University and author #QU Reads