Interview: Jason Kersten, Author and Journalist

The afternoon session of Saturday's Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA/NC) meeting featured a conversation between Craig Harrison and journalist and author Jason Kersten. An author and journalist since 1998, Jason has written features for numerous national magazines, including Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, and Maxim. His first book, Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of 2003. He has appeared as a guest and commentator on CNN, Fox News, TruTv, NPR, and numerous regional TV and radio shows. His works have been optioned for both film and television. A native Californian, Kersten was raised in Marin County and the Santa Ynez Valley. In 1996, he earned a masters of science from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in New York City. In his conversation with Craig, Jason shared a number of his interviewing tips and read from his latest book, The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter. The Smell of a Bank After the event ended I asked Jason to share his insider's perspective on the ways professional journalists approach an interview and why he would even think of asking a subject to describe "the smell of a bank." To hear what he told me, click on the podcast icon below.