The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

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

Lana Hall is a journalist and essayist based out of Toronto, Canada. Her essay "We Are All Animals at Night" ran in Hazlitt.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnf

This is a rerun and originally published as Ep. 100.Mary Karr is the author of the poetry collection Tropic of Squalor and the memoirs Lit, Cherry, and The Liar's Club.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnf

Robert Kolker is the best selling author of Hidden Valley Road and Lost Girls. He's on the show to talk about his Atavist piece "Dead Reckoning."Newsletter: ragegainstthealgorithm.beehiiv.com/subscribeShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @CNFPod and @creativenonfictionpodcastSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSuds: Athletic Brewing, promo BRENDANO20

Nicholas Dighiera is a writer whose work has appeared in Short Reads, River Teeth, Catamaran, and Under the Gum Tree, among many others.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes/newsletter: brendanomeara.comSocial: @CNFPod and @creativenonfictionpodcast

Author readings ... they mostly suck.Support: Patreon.com/cnfpodNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @CNFPod or @creativenonfictionpodcast

Pete Croatto is a freelance writer and author of From Hang Time to Prime Time. He's back to talk about that strange post-book period.Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm on BeehiivShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @CNFPod and @creativenonfictionpodcast

Lucy Sexton and Joe Sexton, father and daughter, team up for this braided piece for The Atavist titled "Held Together."Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSuds: Athletic Brewing.com, promo code BRENDANO20

Michael Finkel is the author of The Art Thief: A True Story of Passion, Obsession, and a Monumental Crime Spree.Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSocial: @CNFPod

Wudan Yan is a freelancer writer, journalist, coach, podcaster, fact checker, hiker. She wrote about food contamination for Undark.Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSuds: Athleticbrewing.com, promo code BRENDANO20

Alison Mariella Desir (@alisonmdesir) is an activist, marathoner, and author of Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us.Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSuds: Athletic Brewing.com, promo code BRENDANO20 

Steven Moore is the author of The Distance from Slaughter County: Lessons from Flyover Country (UNC Press). Show notes: brendanomeara.comSubstack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSponsor: Liquid IV, code cnfSuds: Athletic Brewing, code BRENDANO20

Carlos Barragan is a journalist and MFA student at the Columbia School of Journalism and his piece for The Atavist is "The Romance Scammer on My Sofa."Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfShow notes: brendanomeara.comSuds: Athletic Brewing, promo code BRENDANO20

John Vaillant (@johnvaillant) is the author four books including Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World (Knopf).Show notes: brendanomeara.comSubstack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSponsor: Liquid IV, code: cnfSuds: Athletic Brewing, code: BRENDANO20

Hattie Fletcher and Stephen Knezovich are part of a team that started Short Reads, short-reads.org a weekly email dispatch of flash nonfiction.Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code cnfSuds: Athletic Brewing, promo code BRENDANO20

Christine Yu is the author of Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes (Riverhead Books).Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSponsor: Liquid IV, promo code CNFSuds: Athletic Brewing, promo code BRENDANO20

Seth Godin is the author of more than 20 books, including his latest The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams.Sponsor: Liquid IV, and use promo code CNFSubstack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSocial: @CNFPodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSuds: Athletic Brewing, promo code BRENDANO20

Anna Altman is a freelance journalist. This is her second time writing for The Atavist. Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @CNFPodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: patreon.com/cnfpodSuds: Athletic Brewing, use BRENDANO20 at checkout

Jen A. Miller (@ByJenAMiller) is a freelance writer and author of Freelance Writing for Laid-Off Journalists (and Those Who Want to Quit).Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comSocial: @CNFPodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: patreon.com/cnfpod

A couple crafty-type essays this week.Substack: Rage Against the AlgorithmSocial: @CNFPodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: patreon.com/cnfpod

Christopher McDougall (@ChrisMcDougall) is the author of Born to Run and Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide. Show notes: brendanomeara.comSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comSocial: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Akeem S. Roberts (@akeemteam) is an illustrator, animator, and cartoonist who regularly draws for The New Yorker.Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comSocial: @CNFPodSupport: patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.com

Tyler Hooper (@thooper8) is the writer behind The Atavist Magazine piece "Titanic of the Pacific."Social: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comShow notes: brendanomeara.com

Reid Mitenbuler (@reidmitenbuler) is the author of Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, an Epic Journey, a Lost Age (Mariner Books).Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comSocial: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.com

David Grann is the best-selling author behind The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. He's also the author Killers of the Flower Moon, The Lost City of Z, and The Devil & Sherlock Holmes.Social: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comShow notes: brendanomeara.com

Maggie Smith is a poet and the author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

Mitchell S. Jackson is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of "Twelve Minutes and a Life" for his piece on Ahmaud Arbery for Runners World. He's also the author of Survival Math: Notes from an All-American Family and the novel The Residue Years.Social: @CNFPodSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.comSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.com

Eric Pape (@ericpape) is a freelance journalist and journalism instructor. In this conversation, Eric talks about his piece for The Atavist Magazine. We also hear from editor-in-chief of The Atavist Seyward Darby.Social: @CNFPodSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodShow notes: brendanomeara.com

Svati Kirsten Narula (@svatikirsten) is an editor and journalist whose "A Mountain Called Her Home" is a wonderful feature that ran in Outside Magazine about the life and death of Nanda Devi Unsoeld.Show notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpodSocial: @CNFPodSubstack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.com

Ari Shapiro (@arishapiro) is the host of NPR's All Things Considered and the author of the memoir The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening (HarperCollins). Social: @CNFPod Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.com Support: Patreon.com/cnfpod Show notes: brendanomeara.com N/A Beer Discount: athleticbrewing.com, use BRENDANO20 at checkout  

Elizabeth Gonzalez James is a novelist and essayist whose chapbook Five Conversations About Peter Sellers (Texas Review Press) puts the creative in creative nonfiction. Social: @CNFPod Support: Patreon.com/cnfpod Show Notes: Brendanomeara.com Substack: rageagainstthealgorithm.substack.com