The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

Kelsey Rexroat is a freelance journalist and copy editor who recently reported and wrote a brilliant love story for The Atavist Magazine. Visit magazine.atavist.com to read it.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) is the author of several best-selling books. His latest is Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers (Mariner Books).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Madeleine Blais is the author of several books, her latest being Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble (Grove Press), now out in paperback.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodIn the parting shot, I made an error in math referring to the number of hypothetical Mondays remaining in my life. The "correct" number is 1,872. The error has been scrubbed.

Tommy Tomlinson is a journalist and author of Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show (Avid Reader Press).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Rhana Natour (@rnatourious) and Eman Mohammed (@emanit) collaborated for their Atavist story "Coming to America" about a teenage girl from Gaza who lost her legs in an Israeli airstrike and the journey she's on to walk again.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Darcy Frey is the author of The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams, a masterpiece of a book celebrating its 30th anniversary. It's out with a new audio version performed and read by J.D. Jackson.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Cole Heilborn (@portsideproductions) is a filmmaker and found of Port Side Productions, a film company focusing on outdoor storytelling. His film, Inches to Miles, made in partnership with Athletic Brewing, follows three remarkable people as they train up to and compete in the Lake Placid Ironman.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Rebecca Renner (@rebeccarennerfl) is freelance journalist and the author of Gator Country: Deception, Danger, And Alligators in the Everglades (Flatiron Books)."The reader is the one who creates the scenes. I just give them the ingredients."Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Maggie Gigandet is a freelance writer whose piece "The Extra Mile" appears in the Atavist Magazine.In this episode we also hear from editor-in-chief Seyward Darby.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

John Julius Reel (@johnjuliusreel) is a writer, memoirist, and language teacher who lives in Spain with his family. He's the author of My Half Orange: A Story of Love and Language in Seville (Tortoise Books).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Justin Heckert (@justinheckert) is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in countless publications from Esquire to The Ringer, from Garden & Gun to the New York Times Magazine. Justin wrote the afterward to the late Matt Tullis's post-humous book Stories Can Save Us (Univ. of George Press).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Acamea Deadwiler is an essayist and memoirist and the author of Daddy's Little Stranger.This is a really rich conversation about how her book was once a collection of essays, but she had to rewrite it as a more cohesive memoir, finding voice, breaking down a piece of writing like game tape, and what playing basketball and getting cut taught her about a career in writing.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Sam Jefferies is the author of Legacy on Ice: Blake Geoffrion and the Fastest Game on Earth (Univ. of Wisconsin Press).Sam talks about how he built scenes, folded in the book writing and reporting around his family and day job, listening to tape on commutes to get the material into his bloodstream, and maintaining a sense of individual style without exhausting the reader.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

John Rosengren is a journalist based out of Minnesota whose "Anatomy of a Murder" marks Issue 151 for The Atavist Magazine.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Glenn Stout is the author of Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World. It's now out in movie theaters and re-issued as a movie tie-in paperback by Mariner Books.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Lilly Dancyger (@lillydancyger) is a writer and editor whose latest book is First Love: Essays on Friendship (Dial Press).In this episode Lilly talks about her trepidation around writing a true-crime memoir, braided essays, book marketing, and when to let the emotion of the moment do the talking.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Isa Adney (@isaadney) is a writer and documentary producer and the author of The Little Book of Big Dreams: True Stories About People Who Followed a Spark (She Writes Press).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Brian Fairbanks is an author and journalist whose piece for the 150th issue of the Atavist Magazine, The Last Shall be First, chronicles the actions of a corrupt New Orleans cop and his trail of victims still crying for justice.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Earl Swift is the best-selling author of Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America's Second Slavery (Mariner Books).In this episode we talk about how Earl strings together book projects and what this story from more than 100 years ago still says about today.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Ruby McConnell (@rubygonewild) is one of our great environmental writers and her latest book is Wilderness and the American Spirit. It's published by Overcup Press.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Alex Squadron is a sports writer for Slam Magazine and the author of Life in the G: Minor League Basketball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Darrell Hartman (@dwhartman) is the author of The Battle of Ink and Ice: A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media. It is published by Viking.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Hallie Lieberman (@hallielieberman) is a journalist, writer, and historian. She's the author of Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy. Her latest piece for The Atavist is "The Handcuff Man." Visit magazine.atavist.com to read it.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Hanif Abdurraqib is poet, critic, and author of several books, including There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (Random House).In this episode we talk about his nod to witnessing, specificity, intentionality, making it, and LeBron James.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Elizabeth Rush is the author of The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth (Milkweed).Liz talks about writing toward exactitude, lyricing her way through sticking points, being a character in her own work, and voice.For a couple weeks, visit combeyond.bu.edu, use the promo code NARRATIVE25 at checkout and get 25% your tuition for the two-day Power of Narrative Conference. And, no, I don’t get any dough.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Rob Harvilla (@harvilla on X) is a staff writer for The Ringer and the host and creator of the long-running 60 Songs that Explain the 90s. His first book is 60 Songs that Explain the 90s.We talk about the end of the podcast, the evolution of voice, and the maze he purposefully escapes each episode.For a couple weeks, visit combeyond.bu.edu, use the promo code NARRATIVE25 at checkout and get 25% your tuition for the two-day Power of Narrative Conference. And, no, I don’t get any dough.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Jessica Camille Aguirre (@jessicacaguirre) is a freelance journalist and wrote "Watch it Burn" for The Atavist Magazine.In this episode we talk about racking up rejections, voice, and what makes climate stories drag.For a couple weeks, visit combeyond.bu.edu, use the promo code NARRATIVE25 at checkout and get 25% your tuition for the two-day Power of Narrative Conference. And, no, I don’t get any dough.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Richard Blanco was the Presidential Inaugural poet at Pres. Obama's second inauguration, a winner of the National Humanities Award medal, and the author of Homeland of My Body (Beacon Press).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This originally aired on December 10, 2021 as Episode 291.Mirin Fader is the author of Giannis: The Improbably Rise of an MVP and a staff writer writing features for The Ringer. She is @mirinfader on social media.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This originally aired on September 27, 2019 as Episode 170.Leslie Jamison is the best selling author of several books including Make it Scream, Make it Burn. She has a new book out (not talked about in this paperback edition) called Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

William Ralston is a freelance journalist based out of the UK. In this episode, we talk about his Atavist piece "Mayday."Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Emily Sohn is a freelance journalist and wrote "The Catch," a gripping profile of pioneering sports writer Virginia Kraft for Long Lead.Emily talks about how she arrived at the story, writing through the research, and the dark night of the soul of a piece of writing.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This originally aired on June 10, 2022 as Episode 320.Howard Bryant is the bestselling author of several books, including Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original (Mariner Books).Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This episode originally aired on March 4, 2022 as Episode 305Matt Bell is the author of the craft book Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts. It's published by Soho.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Leah Sottile is the author of When the Moon Turns to Blood, which is now out in paperback. She added a new chapter that concludes the Lori Vallow saga.Leah also talks about: Kurt Vonnegut's rules on writing Writing about overlooked people And putting a bow on her first bookNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Rae Nudson is a journalist and author and she's on the show to talk about her piece for The Atavist Magazine.We also hear from Atavist editor-in-chief Seyward Darby as we close out 2023.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This originally aired as Episode 244 on February 26, 2021.Jackie MacMullan is a long time sports writer for The Boston Globe, ESPN.com, and author of several best-selling books covering the NBA. She was the final guest editor of The Best American Sports Writing series.Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Loren Grush is a space journalist for Bloomberg and the author of The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts. In this episode, Loren talks about: Centering women in space Mini-deadlines And what is the "twang"?Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Athena Dixon is the author of The Loneliness Files (Tin House) and The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Her work has appeared in Hippocampus Magazine, Lit Hub, and The Rumpus.In this episode, Athena talks about: Writing quietly Being OK with the plateau Throat clearing And how to find a damn residencyNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Katya Cengel (@kcengel) is a journalist and author who wrote "The Truth is Out There" for The Atavist Magazine. In this episode we also here from editor Jonah Ogles on: What sets pitches over the top Pitching multiple timesAnd trustKatya takes over and talks about: Untidy endings Earning trust with sources And finding enough 'there' thereNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @creativenonfiction podcast on IG and ThreadsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This episode originally aired as Episode 61 on August 11, 2017.Susan Orlean is the best selling author of The Library Book, The Orchid Thief, and Rin Tin Tin. She's a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker and you can find her on Threads @susanorlean.In this episode, Susan talks about: always having an audience in mind having supreme focus and needing to see yourself as a business person if you plan on doing this type of work Subscribe to the podcast wherever and check out the show notes and the Rage Against the Algorithm newsletter at brendanomeara.com.

Damon Brown is an author, entrepreneur, and coach and his latest book is The Complete Bring Your Worth Collection.In this episode, we talk about: How he grew is YouTube channel from 0 to 18K The BYW Collection as capstone And how obscurity is your friend ... to a pointSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

This episode originally aired on December 6, 2015.Glenn Stout is a brilliant editor and writer. He's the author of Young Woman and the Sea, The Selling of the Babe, and Tiger Girl and Candy Kid.Here, we revisit the first of his many times on the pod to talk about: Effort How none of this makes sense Why we continue to tell stories And a whole lot more!Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

In "Two Thousand Miles from Home," journalist Lily Hyde chronicles the unbelievable true story of three pregnant women torn apart by war.Lily talks about how she hates every thing she writes, struggling with the invasiveness of journalism, and how she earned the truest of her central figures.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

Will Harrison is an instructor at the School for Visual Arts in New York City as well the author of several essays including "My Unlikely Writing Teacher: Pedro Martinez" for the New York Times Magazine.Will talks about: How slow of a writer he is How voice just emerges over time And how "pitch selection" is akin to how you vary your sentencesSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

This originally aired as Episode 49 on May 19, 2017.“The people I know who fail as writers … lack patience, stubbornness.”Dinty W. Moore is the founder of Brevity Magazine and the author of several books including The Story Cure: A Book Doctor's Pain-Free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir.In this episode we talk about: Patience Voice Getting inspired instead of dejected by feedback And the power of dozens of draftsSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

"I try to minimize harm and maximize truth," says Kim H. Cross, author of In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Child (Grand Central Publishing).In this episode we touch on: Giving people agency The ethics of writing true crime Being a human first and a journalist second, And the importance of setting up writing retreats for yourselfSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

This originally aired as Episode 54 on June 23, 2017.Andre Dubus III is the author of the memoir Townie and the novels The House of Sand and Fog and Such Kindness.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSocial: @creativenonfictionpodcast on IG and Threads

Tom Donaghy explored the murder of the "Fudge King" of Ocean City for The Atavist Magazine.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnf

“A poet is a special kind of nerd.” —Jericho BrownThis episode originally ran as Ep. 148Jericho Brown is the Pulitzer Prize—winning poet behind The Tradition.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnf