Dedicated with Doug Brunt

Tim Blake Nelson: green tea Tim names the best actor of his generation (and the certain things that this actor requires of everyone on set), shares thoughts on AI and the future of film, describes the difference between films that lead with art or with entertainment, reveals how the generosity of Robin Williams touched his family, explains why there can never be another Picasso, and lists the best superhero movies ever made. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joshua Hammer: Negroni (1 ounce gin, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1 ounce Compari, garnish with orange rind) Joshua tells of his harrowing kidnapping in Gaza in 2001 while he was the Jerusalem bureau chief for Newsweek, then of his second kidnapping in Iraq in 2004, recounts overlapping with Jon Meacham at the Reagan Ranch, gives his thoughts on how to structure a magazine piece and a book-length work of narrative history, tells the pros and cons of being an expat in Berlin, and paints a bleak picture for the future of the print magazine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nick Petrie: whiskey on the rocks Nick reveals the sage advice CJ Box gave him at the reception for the Edgar Awards that he’s held onto ever since, explains how his work as a building inspector meeting veterans who were buying a first home became a driving force for his debut novel, tells the meaning behind the character name Peter Ash, identifies the key differences between being a full-time or part-time writer, names the two possessions of each writer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julian Sancton: dry martini (3 ounces gin, 2 drops dry vermouth, lemon twist)Julian shares the greatest sunken treasure story of all time (and it’s real) that makes the treasure of the Outer Banks tv series look puny, warns of the harm that Bob Iger and Disney’s move into OpenAI could do, discusses the impact that podcasts will have on the media landscape, reveals the pros and cons of growing up with a father and grandfather who are published authors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Grant Ginder: Negroni (1 ounce each of gin, sweet vermouth, Campari served with orange rind)Grant tells the story of taking a fiction writing class with Colson Whitehead, describes his reaction to reading drafts of the screenplay for his novel The People We Hate at the Wedding that starred Kristen Bell and Allison Janney, reveals what you can expect from the writing course he teaches at NYU, talks about the process of writing speeches for John Podesta and others, offers a powerful piece of advice for aspiring writers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brad Meltzer: Asombroso tequila, neat Brad discusses the elusiveness of closure in life and how writing THE VIPER helped him come to terms with his own relationship with his father, reveals certain aspects of the top-secret Dover Air Force Base, shares the mysterious ways that witness protection has changed, gives the behind-the-scenes story of his wildly viral commencement speech at Michigan, and names his favorite podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Doug Picks 4 books for 2026 with background noise provided by his dog Thunder who is romping in the snow Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Catherine Grace Katz: Gunner (equal parts ginger beer & ginger ale with fresh lime juice and dash bitters)Catherine describes how Stalin made an emergency dash to the bathroom during the 1945 Yalta conference which was briefly mistaken for an American kidnapping plot, the treasures she found in personal letters of the Churchill and Harriman archives, the friendships and rivalries and sexual affairs that took place in the insular wartime diplomatic community, the key piece of advice she followed throughout the writing process to make the book a success, and which of the Big 3 had the most significant impact on the 20th century. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rick Atkinson: Manhattan (2 1/2 ounces Michter’s rye, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, dash bitters served up with Luxardo cherry) Rick names the most intelligent of the Founding Fathers, shows the ways King George III has been misrepresented in history, explains his experiences visiting the battlefields he writes about and why the visits are important, talks through the ways to manage personal finances in the career of a writer, and suggests that a knowledge of history can help us to cope with life in the present day. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tony Lyons: whiskey sour (2 1/2 ounces rye, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, sugar in shaker with ice, served up with cherry and dash bitters)Tony tells the wild story of meeting in Woody Allen’s apartment in person to sign the deal to publish Woody’s ‘banned’ book, what it was like working with Melania Trump on her memoir, how he personally got the audio recording of Alan Dershowitz’s Epstein accuser that exonerated Dershowitz, the extensive fact checking involved with publishing RFK Jr.’s book, his mission for Skyhorse Publishing, and the type of employee at Meta/Facebook whose book he’d pay big money to publish. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marc Siegel: coffeeDr. Marc Siegel talks about religion and faith in medicine, discusses the merits of MAHA, sounds the alarm that our defenses are down against a future pandemic, describes the ways fiction can advance our thinking on issues in the real world, tells about the early days of founding Doctor Radio and his work at Fox News Channel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seth Wickersham: Johnny Walker Blue (pour over 3 ice cubes)ESNP senior writer Seth Wickersham discusses the extreme difference in the way Belichick handles the media today compared to his days in New England, the different ways elite athletes sometimes struggle in retirement, Tom Brady’s evolving fashion as well as the reason and inspiration for it, recounts America’s first ever sports power couple - long before Swift/Kelce - that resulted in the Rams moving from Cleveland to L.A., and explains why the NFL is the most secretive of all professional sports leagues. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jake Tapper: bourbon on iceJake discusses his stint working for Hooters Restaurant, names the US President with the best sense of humor, names his favorite Eagle football player and why, describes how politics is a day-job that he leaves behind when with friends and family, confesses to the aggressive note he sent to his mother-in-law who is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, reveals some Frank Sinatra stories, and shares a piece of advice for aspiring writers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael Connelly: Old Fashioned (2 1/2 ounces rye, bitters and sugar over large ice cube with cherry and orange peel) Michael Connelly describes his first meeting with Clint Eastwood who was playing piano throughout their discussion of an upcoming movie project, reveals the biggest difference between working with Netflix and Amazon, remembers the strange and unsolved crime he witnessed when only 16 years-old that that helped inspire him to become a crime novelist, names the novels and movies that most influenced him, offers a terrific piece of advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael Lewis: Sazerac (coat a chilled glass with absinthe, mix 2 1/2 ounces rye, sugar, bitters and chill with ice, add to glass with a twist)Michael reveals an incredible professional connection with Steve Bannon, tells how he’s recently been in touch with Sam Bankman-Fried while SBF has been incarcerated, names the key ingredients he needs to have to make a great book, describes the reaction of his boss at Salomon Brothers when he was first working on Liar’s Poker and writing articles for the Wall Street Journal in the 1980s, determines who has committed the greater crime between Michael Milken and SBF, relates the filmmaking process for The Blind Side and The Big Short, and suggests which professional sports leagues you should own and which you should short. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cheryl Hines (dry vodka martini: 3 ounces vodka, dash dry vermouth, olives) Cheryl names which actor should play her husband Bobby in an inverted version of Curb Your Enthusiasm, describes her most embarrassing audition ever (hint: involves a famous horror movie franchise and Michael Jackson), reveals her thoughts on religion and spirituality, offers her prediction whether Ethel Kennedy would have put down the current Kennedy civil war, muses whether this memoir will make anyone come to like her and Bobby more or less, casts the actors to play Trump, Vance, Biden, Harris, Waltz in the docudrama. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Laura Dickerman: Last Word (1 1/2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce green chartreuse, 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur, 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice, Luxardo cherry)Laura tells some George Plimpton stories from her days as an intern at the Paris Review that inspired, in part, her debut novel HOT DESK, discusses some of the important differences in the publishing world during the 1980s and present day, reveals that the idea for her novel was a sentence in an email from her editor/publisher brother, identifies her favorite books to teach her high school English classes, and shares 3 pieces of advice for anyone trying to write their debut novel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ken Follett (champagne)Ken names the #1 event in history that he wishes he could witness (hint: it occurred in 16th century London), declares the worst century in history to be alive, describes the secret door to his home library/office and the reason he uses three computer screens concurrently in his writing process, lists his favorite writers, and makes the offer to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce that he and his rock band will play their wedding for free. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.