The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

"Part of me thinks nobody should write a memoir," says Anika Fajardo, @anikawrites. Anika Fajardo, author of Magical Realism for Nonbelievers, joined me for a nice conversation about her late-blooming journey through writing. She thinks writing is about community and connection and writers need to be submitting work. Be sure to keep the conversation going on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction. 

"I don't have destinations in mind. I always have experiences in mind," says the poet Jericho Brown. (@jerichobrown) Today I welcome the award-winning poet Jericho Brown to the show, whose latest collection of poems The Tradition just released. It is published by Copper Canyon Press. We talk about his committment to phsyical fitness, experiences over destinations, his new collection of poems, that time he almost died of the flu, and how he invented the poetic structure known as the duplex. Support for this show comes from Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction. 

"The pleasure of reading a book is that it's reciprocal," says Meredith May (@meredithmaysf).  Meredith May, author of The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage, and a Girl Saved by Bees, stopped by the show.  The show is made possible by Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction, Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction and my monthly newsletter! Keep the conversation going on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. Instagram is @cnfpod. Subscribe to the show and thanks for listening!

"Maybe the world will aways be crazy, and creative work will always be hard. Then the question becomes: How do you keep going?" says Austin Kleon. This is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to badass writers, filmmakers, producers, and podcasters about the art and craft of telling true stories. Austin Kleon is the author of Newspaper Blackout, Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, The Steal Like an Artist Journal, and his latest book is Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad.  Keep the conversation going on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod.  Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction for helping make today's show possible.

"At what point are you taxing the reader?" asks Scott Eden, "knowing when the reader has had enough." That’s Scott Eden, investigative reporter for ESPN the Magazine and THIS is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Subscribe at iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher to get this delivered to your feed on every Friday. Follow me on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod and follow the show on Instagram @cnfpod. So Scott Eden is here. He’s an intrepid reporter and we got to dig deep into his process and deconstructed how he wrote his piece on the former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who gambled on the games he reffed and essentially fixed games. Thanks to Goucher College’s MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path Unviersity’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction for making this show possible. Be sure to head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Sign up and get the next one on the first of the month. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

"If I fail, I want to fail because of me. If we succeed, I want to succeed because of us," says Vlad Yudin. Vlad Yudin, director and filmmaker, stopped by the show to talk about his bodybuilding documentaries and why he left Russia to come to the United States. This episode is brought to you by Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction, Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction, and my monthly newsletter. Keep the conversation going on Twitter @CNFPod and @BrendanOMeara.

"I want to do right by these people. I want to tell a story that honors the stuff they did," says Blake J. Harris. Blake J. Harris, author of The History of the Future  and Console Wars came by the show to talk about his latest book on virtual reality, Oculus, and Facebook.  Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction for sponsoring today's show. Keep the conversation going by joining me @BrendanOMeara and the show @CNFPod on Twitter.  Visit brendanomeara.com for show notes to this and many, many more shows!

"You've gotta find new ways to have fun in old things," says Jeff Goins. It’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I talk to badass writers, producers, and filmmakers about the art and craft of telling true stories, how they got to where they are, how the cope with crippling self-doubt, and the routines they enlist to get the work done. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara and today’s episode is a tight 30, man. When you get somebody like Jeff Goins (@JeffGoins) on the show, author of a quintillion blog posts and several books, including Real Artists Don’t Starve, you adhere to the time allotment. So this was a tight window, but I think it’s packed with great stuff. Amazing what you can get done in a tight window if you focus and don’t dither. This episode was made possible by Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Bay Path University's MFA in Creative Nonfiction.

"My system is, it's okay not to have a system," says Evan Ratliff, @ev_rat on Twitter. This week I spoke to Evan Ratliff, who puts the bad in badass. Yes, that means I put the ass in badass. Neither here nor there. Evan came on the show to talk about his career as a freelance journalist and, most recently, his epic new book titled The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. It’s a book that combines all the tools of the trade a master reporter needs to tell the globetrotting story That’s right, this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show were I talk to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. I try and unpack their origins and how they go about the work so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. I’m your host, Brendan O’Meara. So before we get to Evan, you’ll want to find a way to subscribe to this show. I make it easy, man. Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  Spotify, Stitcher. I think that’s enough. If you find the show entertaining or informative, share it across your platform with your pals. You are the social network. Rage against the algorithm, rrrrage. If you’re feeling generous of course you can leave a review on iTunes, but I’m jsut as happy with you sharing it or even emailing the show creative nonfiction podcast at gmail dot com. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to sign up for my monthly newsletter. The latest one went out today. You’ll find book recommendations and maybe a link to a story written about me in the Register-Guard here in Eugene, OR. I always wanted to be a writer worth writing about. But I guess, for the time, I’m a podcaster worth writing about. It’s pretty cool. Check it out. Newsletter, once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. Okay, so Evan Ratliff, @ev_rat on Twitter, came by the show. His latest book The Mastermind is a masterpiece of true crime writing. Evan is also the founder of The Atavist Magazine, a co-host of the Longform Podcast, and a long-time freelance writer. This was fun. He came to play ball, which not every guest does so I’m thrilled that he took the time to jam with me. Here’s my conversation with Evan Ratliff. Let’s kick it!   What else? Oh, yes, keep the conversation going on Twitter by pinging me @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. Wanna barf? The show has an Instagram page now: @cnfpod. And, as always, you can like the show on Facebook. You have no excuse for not seeing the show out there in the world. Thanks to Goucher College's Masters in Nonfiction for sponsoring the show!  

“If you’re gonna be a writer, you gotta sweat,” says James Carl Nelson. James Carl Nelson, author of The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America’s Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919, came by the show. The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I talk to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. It’s here we learn how they became the artists they are, the struggles they deal with, and the routines that allow them to get the work done, so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. Let’s keep the conversation going on Twitter. Tag me and the show @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod to let me know what you liked. And head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes to this show and the previous 139 shows and to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. I share my book recommendations and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. You don’t want to miss out. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

"The freak-of-nature-tiger was actually a man-made disaster," says Dane Huckelbridge, @huckelbridge. You’re here because you love listening to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers talk about the art and craft of true stories. I try and unpack their journey and how they go about the work, so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and hand this episode over to a friend you think would benefit from it. If you want to leave a written review please do. Feel free to email me with kind words or questions. I might just read them on the air. And keep the conversation going on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. You are the social network. Subvert the algorithm, man. Rage against the algorithm (great podcast name by the way). If you need any more evidence of Dane’s cool, check out his Twitter handle is simply @huckelbridge. Dane has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast, Tin House, The New Republic, and New Delta Review. He is the author of Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit; The United States of Beer: The True Tale of How Beer Conquered America, From B.C. to Budweiser and Beyond; and a novel, Castle of Water, which has been optioned for a film. He grew up in Cleveland. Went to Princeton. And he lives in Paris with his French wife. Happy Valentine’s Day, holy shit. Dane’s book was originally going to be a chapter in a book of man-eating animals, but this story got bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s a brilliant exploration of the tiger as well as British colonialism and how the this tiger was a man-made disaster. Let’s get it on, here’s @huckelbridge, the coolest dude living in Europe.

"You build good habits but the terrain going forward should be unknown to you," says Connor Ratliff. Hey, What’s up there CNFers, today’s guest is none other than Connor Ratliff, actor, comedian, writer, and performer for the Upright Citizen’s Brigade: Hey, it’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. I trace their origin stories and get to the heart about how they go about the work. Go on and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes to this show and every other episode. There you can also subscribe to my CNFin’ monthly reading list newsletter. Book recommendations and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. Like I said, Connor Ratliff is on the show and you might wonder why the hell I invited an improv performer who works with the likes of Chris Gethard, Amy Poehler, Jason Mantzoukas, Zach Woods, and countless others. Thanks also to our sponsor in Goucher College’s MFA in nonfiction and thanks to you, kind listener.

"Clarity is a goal I want to be working toward. The more clear a piece of writing is, the more honest it feels," says three-time guest Bronwen Dickey (@BronwenDickey). Bronwen is the author of "Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon" and a kick-ass journalist, writer, and teacher. Little change of pace with this episode as it is just us talking shop for an hour. Keep the conversation going on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Once a month. No spam. Can't beat it! Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction for the support!

J. Hope Stein, author of the book of poems "Little Astronaut", stopped by the show to talk about her wonderful writing and how she draws power from the sheer act of doing. Follow her on Twitter @poetrycrush and follow me and the show @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod!

"Don't worry if you go through a fallow period. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you," says Leanna James Blackwell. Leanna James Blackwell (@baypathmfaCNF) stopped by the show to talk about her True Story essay "Lethe," as well grabbing hold of ideas, dealing with fallow times, and finding community. This episode is brought to you by Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction. Join me on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod to keep the conversation going! Subscribe to the show and consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

"I always felt this indescribable pull to create something I'm proud of. 'Look. I made this,'" says Harrison Scott Key. Harrison Scott Key came back to the show to talk about his amazing work. Since that day way back in 2013, Harrison has published his first memoir The World’s Largest Man about his father, which also won the Thurber Prize for the funniest book in the country. And his latest book, Congratulations, Who Are You Again? Was my single favorite book from 2018. Do you subscribe this here podcast? You can find it just about anywhere and if you dig this show and others, link up to it on your social media platforms. You are the social network, CNFers. Rage Against the Algorithm. And if you have a minute or two, please give the show a rating over on Apple Podcasts. Follow the show @CNFPod on Twitter and @BrendanOMeara on Twitter. It also has a Facebook page. This is where we continue the conversation and I’d love to hear from you.

"We all need little successes," says today's guest Vanya Erickson. Vanya Erickson, author of the memoir Boot Language. You can find her at vanyaerickson.com, that’s Erickson with a CK, and follow her on Facebook @vanyaerickson.author. In this episode we talk a lot about how she survived her often brutal upbringing. It was one of emotional and physical abuse from two parents who couldn’t be more different. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on Twitter @CNFPod and me @BrendanOMeara. It has a Facebook page too. Go check it out. I’ve curtailed my social media use by a LOT. I check Twitter only on my computer and only once a day to connect with you. If you’ve taken the time to say something nice or engage, I’ll do my best to reply or retweet or otherwise give you a high five. And if you dig the show, share it with your circle. That’s how this thing grows. Trust and passing it hand to hand. I’ll play the long game. Like it or not, I’m not going anywhere. Sucka. Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in nonfiction and the noun despair for their support.

"When I experience something interesting that happens I need to compose it in words," says Laura Hillenbrand. In many ways this is the logical conclusion of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. This is the Tony Soprano cut-to-black moment, Walter White dying beside his precious meth lab, or Gollum plummeting into the fires of Mt. Doom with the Ring of Power clutched in his hand. This interview with the one and only Laura Hillenbrand was about two years in the making and through unshakable endurance on both sides we were able to get this done and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this in the least. For those who don’t know, Laura is the best-selling author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend and Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Rddemption. I think best-selling is an understatement. Unbroken spent a staggering 42 weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times Best seller list. Both books were made into Oscar-nominated movies with Gary Ross directing Seabiscuit and Angelina Jolie directing Unbroken. Laura won the National Magazine Award in 2004 for her New Yorker article “A Sudden Illness,” which describes the acute onset of chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, that has been with her since the 1980s. If you haven’t subscribed to the show, be sure to do that wherever you get your podcasts. If you dig the show, please consider leaving an honest review over on iTunes. You can follow me and the show on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. Like the Facebook page, it’s just The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, and feel free to follow me on Instagram where I post cool audiograms of the shows as well as stupid drawings I do when I need to decompress. Always compressin’ over here. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly newsletters where I share my reading recommendations for the month, articles, and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. It’s a little bite of goodness to start your month. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. Thanks again to our sponsors in Goucher College’s MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine. And, hey, happy New Year, friend. And thanks for being on this CNFin’ journey with me. Here’s to 2019.

Welcome my CNFin’ buddy, how are YOU, doing? I’m @BrendanOMeara, Brendan O’Meara in real life and this is @CNFPod, or The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. If you want to get better at the form, you’ve come to the right place. This is our little corner of the Internet. If you’re here for the first time, welcome, welcome, crack open a notebook, pour yourself a cup of coffee and settle in, CNFers. Where to start, where to start? My guest is Debbie Millman. Yes, you heard that correctly. Your ears did not deceive you. I didn’t bother digging too deep into Debbie’s origin story because there are several podcasts where she dives into that and I wanted to spare her from repeating herself. Maybe I was too timid in that regard, but I figured I’d steer the ship toward other things. At this point in the introduction is usually where I riff …. on what’s going on, maybe offer some insights into how you can improve your work by sharing something I find helpful. But...sometimes the most helpful thing is getting the cuss out of the way. In 17 words Debbie Millman is a writer, designer, educator, artist, brand consultant, and host of the podcast Design Matters. But in a single word? Debbie is an inspiration. She made a name for herself as a graphic designer and branding guru after years and years of rejections, failures, and false starts. She’s persistent sometimes, she admits, to a fault. Her writing is tight and playful. It’s deep, meaningful, resonant, and beautiful to look at as most of her essays are illustrated in her whimsical way of inking and penciling. As for her career in branding, If you’ve seen the Burger King logo, various Pepsi products, Tropicana, Haagen Daas, and Twizzlers (totally twisted) then you’ve seen her work. If it makes the supermarket look prettier, odds are Debbie had a hand in that. She was the president of Sterling Brands for 20 years, and under her stewardship grew the company from 15 employees to 150. But after a decade of being a titan in her field, from 1995 to 2005, often at the expense of her own creative projects, her writing, her drawing, her painting, she was granted the opportunity to host an internet radio program that, I must add, she had to pay to produce, called Design Matters. This was in 2005. 14 years later and she’s still doing it and for my money she, along with Joe Donahue of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, are the best interviews around. I have a reason for this and I talk about this with Debbie. She has interviewed Milton Glaser, Malcolm Gladwell, Anne Lamott, Seth Godin, Shepard Fairey, and hundreds more. Design Matters is a testament to her endurance and generosity. It wasn’t until she had done the show for several years that it really began to gain traction, win awards, and become the behemoth that it is today. I could go on and on and I must apologize for my titanic nerves in this episode. I mean I suffer from them all the time, but this one was especially bad, for that I’m sorry, but getting the chance to speak to Debbie for nearly an hour was such an esteemed an honor that I had trouble keeping my you know what together. You made it this far so I must say thanks for listening. I do this for you guys so you know that even the best of the best deal with the same bullshit we’re all dealing with. If you haven't already, consider subscribing to the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher and subvert the algorithms across the social platforms. If you liked the show, share it with just one friend. Email them the link or share it on social media. And tag me @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod so I can toast to your awesomeness. Consider leaving an honest review on iTunes as well. I want to see it hit 100 ratings. We’re gonna get there in 2019, but it starts with you. If you have five minutes to spare, please give the show some love. I also have a monthly newsletter where I send ou

Today's guest is Alexandra DiPalma, freelance podcast producer to the max! Man, you're gonna love hearing all about her. @LSDiPalma on Twitter. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and wherever you get your podcasts. Visit brendanomeara.com to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat that. So… I’ve done 130 of these podcasts starting incredibly raw with the most primitive ways of recording till now where I even have a boom arm to hold up the microphone. Yet, yet...I ponied up some $200 to buy a podcasting class package from Creative Live (no affiliation) and in that bundle was a class by Alexandra DiPalma, the brilliant freelance audio producer whose list of credits includes Food For Thot and Seth Godin’s Akimbo. She also is the foreman of Seth Godin’s Podcasting Fellowship so you could say Alexandra knows her shit. Be sure to follow her and her shows on Twitter. Hit her up on the internets and hit up the show @CNFPod and @BrendanOMeara. Facebooky is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Give us a follow, like the page, join our little community of badass true story tellers. Rising tides float all boats. Thanks, moon. Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine.

"You're whole life adds up to who you are," says filmmaker Lisa D'Apolito. This is of course The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I talk to bad-ass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories whereby I unpack their artist journey and tap into their routines and habits about doing the work. This week for Ep. 129 is Lisa D’Apolito, the mastermind behind the brilliant documentary Love, Gilda about the legendary comedian and comedic actor Gilda Radner. We talk about her early life growing in Greenwich Village, her transition from acting to filmmaking, and what really drew her to Gilda Radner. Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine for making this show possible. Of course you can follow the show in myriad places. It’s on Twitter @CNFPod and @BrendanOMeara. If you have any questions or things you’re struggling with in your work, shoot me a note. Be sure to share the show across your platforms to help grow our little community and go subscribe to my newsletter at brendanomeara.com.

If you’re anything like me, and one assumes you are because you find some value in this humble little podcast, you need constant prodding in a sense. That can either be to get your work done or to get your brain in check. I’m one of those dudes who gets pretty down pretty easily, so it helps to have guests on who inspire me. Enter David Lee Morgan, @davidleemorgan on Twitter. David was a long time sports writer for the Akron Beacon Journal and most recently he turned his attention to teaching high school English, a move he doesn’t regret in the slightest. For the people who say “If you can’t do teach,” one of the more insulting things you can say to any artist who teaches or teachers who don’t, I give you David, who not only is a brilliant writer, but by the very nature of his attitude and approach, makes him that rare teacher that inspires with every lesson. To be frank, I haven’t been in David’s classroom, but if my 90 minutes with him is any indication of what it’s like to sit at a desk in his class, well, sign me up. Oh, hey, this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best writers, filmmakers, podcasters, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. Here I try and unpack their personal history and also drill down on their routines and habits around getting the work done so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. If you haven’t subscribed, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or Stitcher and hit that button. Share this episode with just one friend, or across your social platforms, and if you’ve got the time, please leave an honest review over on Apple Podcasts. Okay, so David is the author of six books, including LeBron James: The Rise of a Star, which was the book on LeBron before he became King James. We talk about garnering trust among sources, being positive, and using slights as fuel. I think you’re going to love this episode, now, it’s time for the main event. Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College’s MFA in NOnfiction as well as Creative Nonfiction Magazine. What else? Oh, yes, be sure to subscribe to the show and be sure to head over to brendanomeara.com to sign up for my monthly newsletter. New one goes on the first of the month. It’s an inventory of great reading material as well as what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. I hope it gives you as much value as it gives me by putting it together. I’m @BrendanOMeara on Twitter and IG. The podcast is @CNFPodHost on Facebook, so connect with me or the show wherever you like. The show is in service of you, so if you have questions of me or my guests, please don’t be shy to email or ping me on social.

Did you know it’s Di-November. Not die as in death, but dino as in dinosaurs, which is how and why today’s guest is Sam Chiarelli (@DinophileSam on Twitter), author of the memoir Dig: A Personal Prehistoric Journey, published by Hippocampus Books. What is up? It’s the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to bad-ass writers, filmmakers, producers, and podcasters about the art and craft of telling true stories. I try and unpack their artist journey as well as habits and routines so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter. I’m Brendan O’Meara in real life. Sam’s book is about chasing your curiosity and following your deepest passions, or re-finding them again as if they got lost in the rock years and years ago. Maybe consider excavating what excited you as a child, that time when you did what you wanted for no other reason than you thought it was fun and cool. Oh, by the way, Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for coming along this CNFin’ journey. I’d be deeply grateful to you if you shared the podcast with your immediate circle and, if you’re feeling extra generous and maybe a bit doped up on food, writing a review over on iTunes. Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction as well as Creative Nonfiction Magazine.

"I never try to write a valentine. I always try to tell the story straight," says Glenn Stout, who makes his third visit to the podcast. Buckle up, CNFers, I’m Brendan O’Meara and this is my podcast, the show where I speak to the best writers and filmmakers, producers and podcasters about the art and craft of telling true stories. I try and extract habits and routines around the work so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, steam on Spotify, find the show and do it up. If you dig the show, if there’s a tasty nugget you know will help a fellow CNFer, pass it along to one person. Share it with you dozen Twitter followers, or your 300 Twitter followers and if you have a moment, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to sign up for my monthly newsletter where I give out reading recommendations, writing tips, and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. So it’s Glenn Stout this week author, at last count, of 3,000 books, go look it up. His latests is the most comprehensive history of the New England Patriots to date titled The Pats: An Illustrated History of the New England Patriots. He put this book together with his long time collaborator Richard Johnson, who handled much of the curating of the art you’ll find in this gorgeous book. So Glenn came back for his third trip to the show. We talk about shotgunning ledes, chain smoking book projects, rationing out energy and, of course the Patriots, my home team, being a New England boy. Thanks to out sponsors in Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine. Glenn is @glennstout on Twitter. Go buy the book for the Pats fan in your life. I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter. You can follow along on Facebook @CNFPodHost/The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. I’m also @brendanomeara on Instagram if you like rando pics, drawings, and audiograms. Is that it? I think that’s it. Happy Thanksgiving, gobble gobble mofos. And remember, if you can’t do, interview, see ya!

Brin-Jonathan Butler has the world record for appearances on The Creative Nonfiction Podcast at four times.His new book The Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match that Made Chess Great Again is a masterpiece. Be sure to visit Brendan O’Meara.com for show notes and to sign up for my monthly newsletter. If you want to connect on social, I”m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on twitter. On Facebook you can search for the podcast by name and the hanlde @CNFPodHost. If you’re an Instagrammer, I post drawings I do and audiograms from the show. Got any questions or concerns? Ping me on social or email me [email protected]. Maybe I’ll answer the question on the show. Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College’s MFA in Nonfiction as well as Creative Nonfiction Magazine. Go check them out.

Natalie Singer, author of California Calling: A Self Interrogation comes by the show this week. So here we are again. Happy to say last week’s episode was featured in Creative Nonfiction Magazine’s November newsletter as a “distraction,” meant only as flattery, of course. Jane Friedman, THAT Jane Friedman, also gave us a great shoutout in a blog post a few weeks ago. That’s riff worthy… Oh, you didn’t think I was gonna drop that hammer did you, sucka? Hey, this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about the craft of telling true stories. I’m Brendan O’Meara (hey, hey) and this is what we do. Today I welcome Natalie Singer, author of California Calling: A Self Interrogation to the show. We talk about confidence, or the lack thereof, books as mentors, and day jobs and feeling shame for day jobs. I hope to change that perception over the next six million episodes, but shame is real, man, it is real. Well, are you subscribed to the show? You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and just about anywhere else you get your pods. If you like this episode, tell one friend. Hand the show off like a baton and let them run with it. I’d love to see the show grow. It’s getting there. We march on. Got a newsletter you should consider subscribing to. I give out reading recommendations, but I’m also thinking of sprinkling in some other cool stuff I’ve stumbled on over the past month in the vein of Austin Kleon’s newsletter. I love his newsletter. I’m gonna Steal Like an Artist. See what I did there? Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction as well as Creative Nonfiction Magazine. So, the show is @CNFPod on Twitter and I’m @BrendanOMeara on Twitter. I don’t know. Following either of those two would be pretty rad. The show is on Facebook too if you’re into that.

"I wanted to dig deeper into the essay collection AS they essay," says Elena Passarello. Welcome wayward CNFers, it’s the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to bad ass writers, filmmakers, movers and shakers about the art and craft of telling true stories. Here you’ll learn the story, tips, and tactics that will inspire you to greater heights in your own own work. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara, hey, hey. Yeah, it’s Elena Passarello, not only is she wicked smaht, but we had a super fun, loose, entertaining conversation about her essays from Animals Strike Curious Poses, as well as the writing process, Metallica, and a host of wide-ranging topics. This was one of the rare in-person interviews so we had a ton of fun riffing (hey, hey) with each other. I probably talk a little too much about myself in this show, but that was the nature of the conversation, so do with that what you will. You can follow Elena on twitter @elenavox. Feel free to follow me as well @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. FWIW, I always respond to tweets. Since you’re here, why don’t you consider A)Subscribing to the podcast wherever you jam and B) Subscribe to my newsletter over at brendanomeara.com (hey, hey). It’s once a month, no spam, can’t beat that. Hey, if you dig the show, consider sharing it with a CNFin’ buddy. Why? Because I don’t want to rely on social networks to do the work. We are the social network and if we email and share with friends we are tethered by something more than algorithms. Right? Don’t forget about my newsletter. It’s a fun bit of monthly goodness. Head over to brendanomeara.com (hey, hey) and subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time, but know that I take it wicked personally if you do. No pressure. Remembah! If you can’t do….interview! See ya! Thanks to today's sponsors Goucher College's MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine for the support!

"The possibilities of doing something similar [to fiction] in nonfiction really did appeal to me," says Tracy Kidder, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Are you riffin’ kiddin’ me!? By virtue of today’s guest I’m assuming there might be a new CNFer or two to our little marauding gang of turbulent souls in this corner of the Internet. Welcome. We play heavy metal music, we kick maximum ass, and we will, we will rock you. This is the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to bad ass tellers of true stories about where they came from, what and who inspires them, and how they approach the work, so that you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. I’m your mutha-riffin’ host Brendan O’Meara, hey, hey. Today’s guest is none other than Pulitzer Prize—winning author Tracy Kidder, author of take a deep breath Brendan… Soul of a New Machine, Among Schoolchildren, Old Friends, Home Town, My Detachment, Good Prose, Mountains Beyond Mountains, Strength in What Remains, A Truck Full of Money, and House. That, CNFers, is a body of work. And who tells them better than Tracy Kidder, friends? He’s been a literary hero of mine every since I got into this mess. If you’re as big a headcase as I am, I’d go ahead and read Good Prose, the book he wrote with his long time editor and former mentor of mine Dick Todd. It lets you know that you’re not alone and these increasingly digital times, it’s easier and easier to feel, what’s the word??? Shitty... Tracy’s an apex CNFer in a long line of them that have appeared on this show. Please enjoy this conversation with the one, the only, Tracy Kidder. Cross that one off the Bucket List...How’d you like it? I hope you dug it. I tried my bestest for y’all. Thanks very much to this show’s sponsors Goucher College’s MFA program in nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine. You can visit Tracy Kidder.com for more information about Tracy and his work and events and the like. I believe he has an author Facebook page. While I’ve got your attention, I’d ask that if you dig the show, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave an honest review over on Apple Podcasts. They’re a big, big help and I’m deeply appreciative of whatever you can do to help out the show. Visit brendanomeara.com to sign up for my monthly reading list newsletter. Great books and great podcasts. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat that. I think that’s a wrap. Remember, if you can’t do interview! See ya! Thanks to Goucher College's MFA in Creative Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine for sponsoring this podcast.

Oh, hey, welcome to the show, CNFers, and, my, my, my are you in for a treat. Susan Orlean, @susanorlean on Twitter, a New Yorker staff writer and the best selling author of The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin, and now her latest book, The Library Book, is out now. And it’s everything you’d expect from her work. But before we get to that, maybe you’re new to the show. Let me tell you what me and the voices in my head are up to here. This is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to great artists about the craft of telling true stories: Leaders in narrative journalism, memoir, documentary film, essay, radio, and podcasting stop by so we can talk about their creative path and how they go about the work so you can apply those tips, tricks, and routines to your own work. Susan Orlean, susanorlean.com, came back to the show. I recommend listening to both her shows. Episode 61 talks a lot about her origin story as a writer and running your show like a business. This time around for Episode 121, she dives into her methods of structure and what her latest book—a book she never thought she’d write—is all about. Thanks to our sponsors, Goucher College’s MFA in Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction magazine for the support. Be sure to give me a fist bump over on Twitter @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod. You can like the Facebook page too if that’s where you spend your time. And if you have questions, feel free to reach out. Also, if you dig the show, consider sharing it with a friend or even write a short review over on iTunes/Apple Podcasts. If you head over to brendanomeara.com, not only will you find show notes for the podcast, but you will also be able to sign up for my monthly newsletter where I send out reading recommendations and other CNFin’ goodies. You’d enjoy getting something tasty in your inbox from me on the first of the month, head over to the site. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

Eli Saslow is a Pulitzer Prize—winning journalist for The Washington Post and author of the book "Rising Out of Hatred." Thanks to our sponsors Goucher College's MFA for Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Magazine. Lots to love in the episode. I hope you dig it, and if you do, please share with a friend and even consider leaving an honest review over on Apple Podcasts.

"Every project I do has made me more fit and better to do my next project," says Allison K. Williams. It’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the very best in the genre of telling true stories, how they got to where they are and the tools, tips, and tricks that make them so good at what they do. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara. Today’s guest is none other than Allison K. Williams. She’s @GuerillaMemoir on Twitter and you can visit her website at idowords.com. Allison is a performer, an editor, and a writer. She also hosts the Brevity Podcast so I recommend subscribing to that wherever you get your podcasts. I mean, while you’re doing that, why don’t you consider subscribing to this show if you don’t already. Share it with your pals if you think they’ll get some value. This is our tiny corner of the Internet and we’re making it bigger each and every week. That’s on you, brah. Oh, and you gotta sign up for my monthly newsletter. I send out my monthly reading recommendations and some other tasty goodies straight to your inbox on the first of the month. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it? Be sure to give your buddy Brendan a follow on the socials: @BrendanOMeara on Twitter and @CNFPod on Twitter. I post cool audiograms and quote cards on Instagram @brendanomeara. One more, there’s a Facebook page for the podcast if you do most of your hanging out over there. Remember, kids, if you can’t Do, Interview! See ya!

Earl Swift, author of Chesapeake Requiem, stopped by CNFPod HQ to talk about his reporting and writing life.

Today I present to you Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of the Lost World. The entirety of the book is brilliant but the way Steve talks about T-rexes and the Asteroid are some of the most compelling reading you’ll come across. What’s so great about this show is Steve’s passion for his work and the story behind the book, which is part serendipity, but more just how doing your THING, whatever that is over and over and over again SHOWING UP and what good things can come if that happens. It’s what I like to say is BEING IN THE GAME. You can’t be noticed, you can’t be recognized unless you’re putting it out there. I love Steve’s passion and energy and I hope you do too. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music, and Stitcher!

"I find it inspiring to see people have successes. It makes me want to do better stuff," says Scott C. Scott is an author and illustrator and his latest wonderful creation is Adventures in Drawing: A Guided Sketchbook. This thing is tons of fun. I love drawing as a way unplugging my brain from my daily nonsense. His Instagram feed is chock full of his amazing and playful sketches and water colors. His great showdowns are hilarious and cute and fun. I won’t do them justice by talking about them so you should visit Scottc.com or look him up on Insta at Scottlava. We talk a lot of creative insecurities, comparing yourself to others, and the importance of community in any artistic pursuit. I wish I had two hours to talk to Scott, but we’ll have to made due with one. One other thing...are you subscribed this pod? Go find it on Apple Podcasts, Sticher, Google Play, and Spotify. And if you’re feeling kind, leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Please share this with a buddy. Go find Scott at scottc.com and follow him everywhere. Buy his book. Buy his merch. Buy a great showdown print. I deserpately want the Infinifty War print and the Spiderman Homecoming print, and the Wonder Woman print. I was thinking of suggesting a Titanic and Iceberg Great Showdown, but that seemed in bad taste. Thanks for listening CNFers. Much love from your humble host. If you can’t DO, Interview! SEE YA!

Candice Hare, on-air talent for TVG, joins me on the show this week.

"The great thing is if you find the right story it often is more interesting than fiction because it's weird and quirky," says author Matthew Polly. Today’s guest is Matthew Polly. You can find him on Twitter @MatthewEPolly or visit his website mattpolly.com. He’s the author of three books of nonfiction, most recently Bruce Lee: A Life. He’s a graduate of Princeton and a Rhode’s Scholar, so you can say my 1050 SAT score didn’t exactly level me up any in this conversation. You think you know Bruce Lee, but you have NO idea. None. But after 500 pages about the Kung Fu master you come away knowing the whole story. In this episode you’ll learn about Matt’s approach to writing biography, taking risks, how comedy writing helped Matt find his voice as well as who was the most influential writer to Matt as he developed as a writer himself.

"We're not each other's competition; we're each other's colleagues," says Jennifer Gregory. Content marketing superstar Jennifer Gregory came by the show this week. Her book, the Freelance Content Marketing Writer, could be a life changer for you. @ByJenGregory on Twitter, @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter.

"Revision as you go along can be tremendously destructive of what you're doing," says author Paul Willetts. I’ve had quite a run of late of guests from the other side of the pond as it were. Today is no different as I welcome Paul Willetts to the show. Paul is very smart and he loves the work. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, most recently King Con: the Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age’s Greatest Imposter.” Yes, that’s right. Hey, there CNFers, I’m Brendan O’Meara and this is my show... it’s the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about the art and craft of how they approach telling true stories: doc filmmakers like Emer Reynolds, narrative journalists like Susan Orlean and David Gran, memoirists like Mary Karr and Andre Dubus III, and essayists like Hope Wabuke, to tease out origins, routines, and habits, so you can improve your own work and maybe realize you’re not alone out there. Cuz it can be a lonely, desolate, hell scape and sometimes we need some reassurance that someone who has quote-unquote made it feels the same way. Hey, you know the drill. Reviews and ratings on Apple Podcasts, the app most of your are listening to this show on are gold. Would you consider taking a few moments out of your day to leave a review? And while you’re at it, visit brendanomeara.com for show notes and to sign up for monthly newsletters. I’ve been doing that for a few years. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. Well...Paul Willetts, everybody for Episode 112, we talk about how he struggles with beginnings, walking as writing, revision, building scenes. I hope you like it. I know I I did. Here’s me and Paul.

"You're really finding the film in editing the documentary," says Emer Reynolds. The brilliant filmmaker Emer Reynolds' documentary The Farthest chronicles the incredible story behind the Voyager Mission and the desire to seek out the unknowable while also seeking to be known. The Golden Record, Carl Sagan, the personification of this little spacecraft carrying with it everything that makes us human. My guest today is based in Ireland and talks about the craft of making doc film, her obsessiveness with research, and how exciting and empowering making a film is. If you love film and true stories, as well as the vast reaches of space, then you’re going to love this. If you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, please head over to Apple Podcasts and do so. And consider leaving a rating or a review to help with the show’s visibility. Also, head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly newsletter where I send out my book picks and other goodies from the podcast. Please share this episode across your platforms if you dig it. Thanks to Hippocamp for the support. You only have this week to use that promo code CNFPOD, so get on it to save $50. Be sure to head over to brendanomeara.com to sign up for the monthly email newsletter. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

"I want to make something happen and I just work really hard to do it," says today's guest Scott Neumyer, a writer and host of the Anxiety Diaries Podcast. Today’s guest has a voice as smooth as velvet. It’s a voice you want to listen to over and over again and you know what? You can! Today I welcome Scott Neumyer to the show. Scott Neumyer is a writer who has been published by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, GQ, Esquire, Wired, Men's Fitness, and many more publications. He is a contributor to the anthology Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles, which Simon Pulse published in 2018. He is also the creator and host of the popular Anxiety Diaries Podcast. He lives in central New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and two cats. You can find his work at scottwrites.com This is the show where I speak to the best creators about telling true stories, how they’re told, and why it matters so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. I’m Brendan O’Meara, and this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Scott has been working hard on his new podcast, Anxiety Diaries, and it’s raw, it’s honest, and it showcases interesting people across the mental health-sphere. In this episode we dig into his origin as a writer, influential writers, lots about the craft of interviewing, and how to launch a successful podcast. If you dig the show, please subscribe and leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Joe Rogan doesn’t need anymore. I need them. Me. Okay, CNFers, thanks for listening, let’s get right into it.

"I could leave my father as a mystery, because he was the mystery I was trying to solve," says Jean Guerrero. Today I’m joined by a special guest. You may have heard of her, maybe not, but nevertheless her name is Jean Guerrero. She is a television reporter for KPBS in San Diego covering immigration. Too bad that’s not a topical subject. She is the winner of the PEN/FUSION Emerging Writers Prize and has worked for the Wall Street Journal and has won several reporting awards. Most recently she is the author of Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir, a story about discovering her father by crossing borders both physical and spiritual. This is the show where I speak to the world’s best artists about telling true stories, how those stories are told, and why it matters to them. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara and this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast! Hey, did you enjoy the show? Be sure to tweet us some love, I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod and Jean is @jeanguerre. If you have a moment and you made it this far, please consider leaving an honest review on Apple Podcasts and if you want more goodies, head over to brendanomeara.com to sign up for my monthly reading list newsletter. Once a month. No Spam. Can’t beat it. The Creative Nonfiction Podcast is sponsored by Hippocamp 2018. Now in its fourth year, Hippocamp is a three-day Pennsylvania writing conference that features 50+ speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive all-conference panels, author and attendee readings, social activities, networking opps, and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. The conference takes place in lovely Lancaster, from Aug. 24 through the 26th. Past keynotes have been Lee Gutkind, Mary Karr, Dinty W. Moore, and Jane Friedman (all have been past guests on the podcast. Whaaaat?) This year Abigail Thomas will be the featured speaker. Visit hippocampusmagazine.com and click the “Conference” tab in the toolbar and if you enter the keyword CNFPOD at checkout you will receive a $50 discount. This offer is only good until Aug. 10 or until all those tickets are sold. There are a limited number so act now! Like RIGHT NOW. Hippocamp 2018: Create. Share. Live.

“Working outside of journalism before working in journalism can be a useful thing in terms of seeing how the world works,” says Katie Baker. Hey there, CNFers, it’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories, whether that’s narrative journalists, documentary filmmakers, essay and memoir writers and radio producers, I try unpack their lives and their work so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. I’ve been a fan of today’s guest for quite some time. Today for Ep. 108 I welcome Katie Baker to the show. She’s a staff writer for The Ringer. Prior to that she worked for Grantland, so there’s a Bill Simmons continuity thing going on there. Her work often focuses on a singular subject and she’s one of those writers that when you see her byline you know you’re in for some fun. Naturally I’ve linked to some of her work in the show notes. She’s @katiebakes on Twitter. Hey, if you enjoyed the show, let me know. I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter. You can also email me. I’d ask that if you like this episode and others that you kindly subscribe to the podcast and share it across your social platforms. Also, please consider leaving an honest rating or review on Apple Podcasts. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly reading list newsletter. Once a month. No Spam. Can’t beat it.

“The work that you put in is what comes out,” says freelance Seattle-based sports writer Matt Pentz. Well, well, well, what’s going on CNFers, my CNF Buddies, it’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast whereby I interview purveyors of the almighty true story. Today is no different as I welcome Matt Pentz, @mattpentz on Twitter, for Episode 107 of the podcast. Matt is a freelance sports writer based out of Seattle. In this episode we dig into his co-written expose on the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team that he wrote with Andrew Helms for The Ringer. We get real granular on how he collaborated on that piece. We also talk about how he handles his days as a freelancer and other influential writers. Share the episode if you dig it and tag me on social @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter. You guys are the social network so when you share it, I know you’re digging it. Thanks for listening everybody. If you dig the show, consider leaving an honest review on Apple Podcasts and sharing with a friend. Reach out on the socials if you have questions, concerns, or feedback. Also, if you head over to brendanomeara.com, not only will you find show notes for every episode, but you can sign up for the ever-growing monthly reading list newsletter where I share my book recommendations for the month, as well as what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

“I couldn’t, as an adult, get past the story of how her life ended. And I wanted to tell the story of she lived,” says Rebecca Fish Ewan. And away we go, it’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories. For Episode 106, I welcome Rebecca Fish Ewan, author of By the Forces of Gravity (Books by Hippocampus 2018), a love story between friends that ends in tragedy told through free-verse poetry and cartoons. It’s a great reading experience and a wonderfully told story of adolescence in the 1970s Berkley. You can buy the book by visiting books.hippocampusmagazine.com or via Amazon. In this episode we dig into how Rebecca chose to write the story in the way she did The power of community Writing from the POV of her 12-year-old-self And dealing with self doubt Rebecca is @rfishewan on Instagram, her preferred social network and is @rfishewan on Facebook. Go check her out. If you’re not subscribed, be sure to hit up Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Stitcher so you get a fresh delivery every Friday. Share this with people you think will dig it. Ad let me know what you think of it, what you got out of it. I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter and @CNFPodcast on Facebook. Pick a network, any network and let’s connect. If you dig the show and you have a minute, please leave a review over on Apple Podcasts. If you show me evidence of your review, I will edit a piece of your writing of up to 2,000 word. Also, show notes and the like are at brendanomeara.com. While there you can sign up for my monthly reading list newsletter. Four books and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. You can’t beat that.

"It was always the story behind the headlines I found more intriguing," says Jonathan Green (@jonathanjagreen on Twitter). This is the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories where we dig into origins, work habits and process so you can be a better a better storyteller. For Episode 105 I welcome Jonathan Green, author of “Sex Money Murder: A Story of Crack, Blood, and Betrayal” to the show. Jonathan’s story of how he became a journalist is inspiring in that he didn’t have the traditional route. We talk about his origin Using Tape Recorders Making the extra call Forming relationships among sources and much, much more. If you’re not already subscribed to the show, please head over to Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or Stitcher and subscribe so you can get this into your feed every Friday. Thanks to you, thanks to Jonathan for his time. Before you go on about your day, would you be so kind as to consider leaving a review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts? I’d love to see us get to 100 ratings or reviews and we’re almost halfway. It takes just a few moments, but those few moments help immeasurably. Also, if you head over to brendanomeara.com, not only will you find show notes for the episodes, but you’ll also be able to sign up for my monthly reading list newsletter. In it I share my reading recommendations for the month and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @BrendanOMeara and followed the podcast @CNFPod on Twitter and @CNFPodcast on Facebook. You can also email me if you have any questions or concerns. If you’re struggling with your work, I’d love to help you out. So, you know, it’s been a while since I tried to get my wife to subscribe to the podcast and you know what she said: Okay, see you right here next Friday. Have a great CNFin’ week, friends. Promotional support is provided by Hippocampus Magazine. Its 2018 Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions until July 15th! This annual contest has a grand prize of $1,000 and publication for all finalists. That’s awesome. Visit hippocampusmagazine.com for details. Hippocampus Magazine: Memorable Creative Nonfiction.

Here we are again, welcome to The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories. I’m Brendan O’Meara. I gotta say right up top that there’s been some serious issues with my hosting, Podomatic for those in the know, with the RSS Feeds. Shows are coming up unavailable in Apple Podcasts and it disappeared from Google Play and Stitcher. They say they’re on it, but it’s been three days with no improvement. You can still stream the episodes from the embedded player on my website, brendanomeara.com, but in the meantime, downloading through the most popular and widely used platform—Apple Podcasts—is impossible until Podomatic gets it fixed. You might say I’ve been shopping around for other options. Episode 104 brings back Elizabeth Rush to the podcast. Her new book Rising: Dispataches from the New American Shore (Milkweed Editions) is out. She could be coming to a city near you so check the show notes for the Rising Tour. I think that’s what Bruce Springsteen called his tour when his Rising came out. In this episode we talk about: Rising sea levels How to turn bleak material into something beautiful How Elizabeth finds teaching energizing And sexual harassment while doing fieldwork, something she’s never been asked about and was happy to get to talk about. So that’s where we’re at. Please bear with me on the RSS nonsense. If you follow the social feeds, that links you up to my website so go find @CNFPod and @BrendanOMeara on Twitter and @CNFPodcast on Facebook. Follow Elizabeth @ElizabethaRush on Twitter for all things Rising. If you made it this far I suspect you might like the show and want to help it out. Would you mind leaving an honest review on Apple Podcasts? That helps with validation and visibility. Let’s try and get to 100. We’re 57 ratings away at the moment. If a small fraction of you take out your phones, click on the star you deem appropriate, hit submit, that’s all you gotta do and you will have helped out the show in a major way. That takes like 10 seconds, if you want to leave a review, I will still edit a piece of writing up to 2,000 words for your kindness and time. Just send me a screenshot of the review with the date and we’ll get started. I also have a great monthly reading list newsletter where I send out four book recommendations and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. I don’t get any kickbacks or anything, so it’s just things I dig and endorse for your pleasure. First of the month. No Spam. Can’t beat that.

“What interests me are questions that don’t have answers,” says Dennis Overbye. Promotional support is provided by Hippocampus Magazine. Its 2018 Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions until July 15th! This annual contest has a grand prize of $1,000 and publication for all finalists. That’s awesome. Visit hippocampusmagazine.com for details. Hippocampus Magazine: Memorable Creative Nonfiction. So what is this show? It’s the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to artists about telling true stories. Today’s guest for episode 103 is Dennis Overbye, @overbye on Twitter, a science writer for the New York Times. He’s a Pulitzer Prize-finalist and author of two books: Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos: The Story of the Scientific Quest for the Secret of the Universe and Einstein in Love: A Scientific Romance. I’d love it you subscribed to the show wherever you get your podcasts and share episodes across your social streams with people you think might get some value from the interview. You are the social network.

"You have to decide how you want to live in this ecosystem that is morphing around you," says Jane Friedman Hey, CNFers, guess what? Promotional support is provided by Hippocampus Magazine. Its 2018 Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions until July 15th! This annual contest has a grand prize of $1,000 and publication for all finalists. That’s awesome. Visit hippocampusmagazine.com for details. Hippocampus Magazine: Memorable Creative Nonfiction. It’s the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. For Episode 102 of CNF Pod, I welcome Jane Friedman, the titan (though not like Thanos) of the publishing industry, whose book The Business of Being a Writer, published by the University of Chicago Press, is the best and most frank book on earning a living with words. It debunks a lot of myths and, quite honestly, could save a bunch of people from getting into the biz on false delusions and might even save more people from pursuing an MFA, a degree, IMO, that leads to more debt than fulfillment, controversial as that may be. And I have one, earned on the false pretenses of career advancement, but that’s not why we’re here. Jane talks about her upbringing in a small mid-western town, I wish it was Pawnee, but it wasn’t. How a writing career is very much individualistic Dealing with shame Playing the long game Embracing Change instead of fighting it And getting beyond the idea that the book is the be all, end all Jane can be found on Twitter @janefriedman and you can find me @BrendanOMeara on Twitter and Instagram. The Podcast is @CNFPod on Twitter and @CNFPodcast on Facebook. If you have a minute or two, please consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts. That would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach more people looking to tell their best true story. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly reading list newsletter. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

"You can’t be passive and just sit back and wait for things to happen," says Andrew J. Chamberlain. I’m Brendan O’Meara and this is the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories: leaders in narrative journalism, podcasting, radio, doc film, essay, and memoir and tease out origins, habits, routines, tactics, so you can improve your own work. For Episode 101, I welcome fellow podcaster Andrew Chamberlain. He hosts The Creative Writers Toolbelt, a podcast that gets real granular on the writing process. He has a fiction slant, but his experience interviewing and with ghost writing opened the door for him to come on my show. As an FYI, I went on his show not too long ago, so you should go and check that out. I’ll include it in the show notes. Andy breaks it down for you in this episode. Many of the tools apply to fiction, but if you’re anything like me, you want your nonfiction to read like fiction so I think you’ll get a lot of tasty nuggets from this one. Hey, if you haven’t subscribed, go and do that on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and soon Spotify, still waiting for approval on Spotify, but it’s coming, I promise. Today’s podcast is brought to you by the 2018 Creative Nonfiction Writers’ Conference. Now in its 6th year, the CNF Writers’ Conference is three days celebrating the art, craft, and business of writing true stories. May 24th through 26th in downtown Pittsburgh. Details at creative nonfiction.org/conference. Listeners of this podcast receive 20% off the registration price by entering coupon code CNFPODCAST during checkout. Promotional support is provided by Hippocampus Magazine. Its 2018 Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions until July 15th! This annual contest has a grand prize of $1,000 and publication for all finalists. That’s awesome. Visit hippocampusmagazine.com for details. Hippocampus Magazine: Memorable Creative Nonfiction. Head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes for this and 100 other episodes. Follow me on Twitter @BrendanOMeara or @CNFPod. The podcast is on Facebook @CNFPodcast. Sign up for my monthly reading list newsletter. It comes out on the first of the month and gives you a sampling of good books and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat it.

"If I can get through the horribleness of the first draft, I have a chance," says Mary Karr. Today’s podcast is brought to you by the 2018 Creative Nonfiction Writers’ Conference. Now in its 6th year, the CNF Writers’ Conference is three days celebrating the art, craft, and business of writing true stories. May 24th through 26th in downtown Pittsburgh. Details at creative nonfiction.org/conference. Listeners of this podcast receive 20% off the registration price by entering coupon code CNFPODCAST during checkout Promotional support is provided by Hippocampus Magazine. Its 2018 Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions until July 15th! This annual contest has a grand prize of $1,000 and publication for all finalists. That’s awesome. Visit hippocampusmag.com for details. Hippocampus Magazine: Memorable Creative Nonfiction. Whoa, boy, CNFers, it’s Episode 100 of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. 100? Here for the first time? This is my jam, the show where I speak to the best artists about telling true stories: leaders in narrative journalism, memoir, doc film, radio, and personal essay to tease out tactics, habits, origins, and routines so you can improve your own work. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your pods and share with a fellow CNF Buddy. Man…Are you serious? 100 episodes and for this special occasion we here at CNF Pod HQ bring you Mary Karr. I’m sure 99.9% of you know who she is, but if you don’t here’s the rundown: She’s the best-selling author of The Liar’s Club, Cherry, Lit, The Art of Memoir, and five books of poetry, including her latest, Tropic of Squalor published by Harper. Mary is a professor at Syracuse University and is best known and most responsible for the boom in memoir when The Liar’s Club kicked all our asses and showed us what a personal story could be. We talked a lot about the importance of patience, working through dozens of drafts, the nature of talent, and cellos, yes, cellos. She’s @marykarrlit on Twitter and Facebook and her website is marykarr.com. Be sure to stick through the end of the show where Mary reads two amazing poems from Tropic of Squalor. You don’t want to miss out on that tasty goodness. If you head over to brendanomeara.com you’ll find show notes as well as a chance to subscribe to my monthly reading list newsletter. And, no, if you click through and buy books I don’t get any kickbacks so you can rest assured that I’m selecting books that I enjoyed and get no compensation for. Once a month. No spam. Can’t beat that. You can also support the podcast by leaving a review on iTunes as that helps our little corner of the internet get a little bit bigger. If you leave an honest review and send me a screenshot, I’ll coach up a piece of your work of up to 2,000 words. No diggity. That’s gonna do it, CNFers. Here’s to the next 100 CNFin’ shows up in your ears.