All Episodes
The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara — 559 episodes
Episode 538: The Enduring Mystery of Amelia Earhart with Rachel Hartigan
Episode 537: Pamela Colloff's Now-or-Never Moment with 'Catch the Devil'
Episode 536: The Blood, Flesh, and Messiness of Human Existence with Matthew Wolfe
Episode 535: Alex Ronan's Masterclass in the Depth of Reporting
Episode 534: Shoeleather Reporting and Exploring the Riddles of America with Wil Haygood
Episode 533: Susan Orlean on Her 'Best' Rejection, Coming Up with Ideas, and Letting the Reporting Meander
Episode 532: Barry Meier Likes to be Open to Surprises
Episode 531: Austin Kleon Goes Beast Mode in 'Don't Call It Art'
Episode 530: Finding that 'Sinewy Strength' in the Prose with Maccabee Montandon
Episode 529: Dan John says, 'Inspiration is for Amateurs' … and He's Correct
Episode 528: Stuck? Ramona Ausubel Will 'Unstuck' You!
Episode 527: Isaac Fitzgerald says the Truth is a Block of Wood
Episode 526: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's Literary Reading of the Universe
Episode 525: Mary Cain Started with Pure Anger in 'This Is Not About Running'
Episode 524: Nick Davidson Was Writing an Atavist Story All Along
Episode 523: Lidia Yuknavitch Troubles the Edges
Episode 522: Anthony DePalma Won't Wear Headphones on a Walk
Episode 521: Giri Nathan Takes the Insider-Outsider Perspective
Episode 520: R. Renee Hess on the Work that Inspires her and the Founding of Black Girl Hockey Club
Episode 519: Stephen Wood's 'Ocean's 11' Anti-Government Caper
Episode 518: All Hail Gen-X with Geezer Magazine!
Episode 517: The Miracle of Writing a Book with Keith O'Brien
Episode 516: Tom Junod Wrote One of the Best Memoirs You'll Ever Read
Episode 515: Pitching Stories and Not Topics with Atavist Writer Peter Ward
Episode 514: Tony Rehagen is Never and Always on the Clock
Episode 513: Cutting the Toothbrush in Half with Melanie D.G. Kaplan
Episode 512: Mary Margaret Alvarado Likes Her Drafts Ice Cold
Episode 511: Writing to Leave the Past in the Past with Jane Marie Chen
Episode 510: Daniel Pollack-Pelzner's Doesn't Waste His Shot in Lin-Manuel Miranda Biography
Episode 509: Howard Bryant Masterfully Braids History in 'Kings and Pawns'
Episode 508: Motivated by Slights and Play Fighting in Our Underwear with Alison Lyn Miller
Episode 507: 'Enshittification' Author Cory Doctorow Believes in a New, Good Internet
Episode 506: Alexandra Marvar and the Trough of Despair, the Wall of Regret
Episode 505: Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas Talk 'Hush', Investigative Reporting, and Breaking New Trail in Their Careers
Episode 504: Seth Wickersham and the Macbethian Tragedy of the American Quarterback
Episode 503: An Atmospheric River of Rejection with Jason Brown
Episode 502: Christa Hillstrom Takes Pride in Her Rejections
Episode 501: Julian Brave NoiseCat Aimed for a Woven Text
Episode 500: Structure, Spec, and Panic with John McPhee
Episode 499: The Post-Book Malaise is Real with Maggie Mertens
Episode 498: Sasha Bonét on Not Holding Back
Episode 497: The Seduction of Art Thievery with Jack Rodolico
Episode 496: Jeff Pearlman Finds the Little Guys
Episode 495: On Being Merciless with Peter Rubin of Longreads
Episode 494: Co-Writing a Memoir, Becoming a Publisher, and Finding the Passion with Jeremy X. Wagner
Episode 493: Masha Hamilton Asks Is the Writing Worth Rearranging Your Calendar For?
Episode 492: The Host Becomes the Hosted — Brendan O'Meara in conversation with Daniel Littlewood
Episode 491: How Tracy Slater Broke Her Book into Steps
Episode 490: Seeing the Fish and the Tank with Jeff Chang
Episode 489: Staying Power, Book Promotion, Platform, and 'Slip,' a Memoir-Plus with Mallary Tenore Tarpley
Episode 488: Bill McKibben, the Dark Realist, Faces the Light
Episode 487: Robert Weintraub and the 'American Hindenburg'
Episode 486: Cartooning is the Children's Table of Art, says Roz Chast
Episode 485: Tensions and Textures with Poet Patrycja Humienik
Episode 484: Rax King is Sloppy
Episode 483: Off the Page and Into the Ears with Julia Barton
Episode 482: Matthew Wolfe and the Grammar of Delight
Episode 481: Nieman Storyboard's Mark Armstrong Believes in the Beginners' Mindset
Episode 480: Dana Jeri Maier Doesn't Trust Anyone with a Neat Desk
Episode 479: Jeff Sharlet and Finding Real Toads in Imaginary Gardens
Episode 478: Nick Paumgarten says, 'The Reporting Suggests the Root System'
Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In
Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse
Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process
Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai
Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides
Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with 'The Dry Season'
Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues!
Episode 470: Megan Baxter is Into Rewilding Her Writing
Episode 469: John O'Connor on the Meaning of Bigfoot
Episode 468: Local Journalism and the Folly of Fame with Maggie Messitt
Episode 467: How to Bounce Back from 'Viscerally Negative' Feedback with Will Bardenwerper
Episode 466: Katie Goh on Issues of Identity and the Trappings of Mythology
Episode 465: Miranda Green Searches for the Harm
Episode 464: John Glionna is a Clown Who Makes Balloons That Kids Don't Like
Episode 463: Leah Sottile on Building Scenes, Sagging Middles, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age
Episode 462: On Podcasting and Gardens with Debbie Millman
Episode 461: For Nick Davidson, Stories Hunt the Storyteller
Episode 460:Pulitzer Prize-Winning Biographer Megan Marshall Takes on Personal Essays in 'After Lives'
Episode 459: Cassidy Randall Talks Forgotten Histories, Sticky Notes, and the Power of Listening
Episode 458: Jaydra Johnson Had to Get Weird
Episode 457: Poynter's Neil Brown Says Editing Isn't Discussed Enough
Episode 456: Neko Case Wrote her Memoir in Bed
Episode 455: Will McGrath's Season on the Sidelines for The Believer
Episode 454: Allegra Rosenberg's Tale of Love on Ice for The Atavist
Episode 453: Chandlor Henderson, Live at Gratitude Brewing, Says 'Focus on the Skill'
Episode 452: lamb of god's Randy Blythe's Search for Perspective in 'Just Beyond the Light'
Episode 451: When Beach Read Meets a System with Lindsay Jill Roth
Episode 450: Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, John Eisenberg Chronicles the Long Journey of the Black Quarterback
Episode 449: Drew Philp Wants to Make Spanakopita Out of Spinach News
Episode 448: Evan Ratliff Returns … Or Did He?
Episode 447: Brooke Champagne Sits Back from the Suckitude
Episode 446: Harrison Scott Key and the Plight of Memoir
Episode 445: For Andrew Dubbins, It's About the Love of the Story
Episode 444: Stephanie Gorton Embraces the Messiness
Episode 443: Jared Sullivan and the Subtle Art of the Cold Call
Episode 442: Steven Hyden Revisits Springsteen's 'Born in the USA'
Episode 441: Seth Wickersham Gets Them Out of the Building
Episode 440: How to be a Truffle Pig with Kate McQueen
Episode 439: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Paul Peart-Smith Bring a Graphic Interpretation of "An Indigenous People's History of the United States" to Life
Episode 438: How It's All Connected with Taiyon J. Coleman
Episode 437: Much Ado About Fact-Checking with Wudan Yan
Episode 436: Mira Ptacin and the Story of How One Town Drove Out a Nazi
Episode 435: Seth Godin Travels at the Speed of Trust in 'This is Strategy'
Episode 434: Mirin Fader on Notebooks, Finding the Breakthrough, Biography, and "Dream"
Episode 433: The Perils of Playing it Safe with Chase Jarvis
Episode 432: Betsy Golden Kellem, Scholar of the Unusual, Closet Historian, Atavist Writer
Episode 431: Sean Enfield, Author of 'Holy American Burnout' Hates the Word Burnout
Episode 430: Louisa Thomas Knows How to End a Story
Episode 429: What Does It Mean to be a 'Hungry Author'?
Episode 428: Brin-Jonathan Butler Remembers Flacco the Owl
Episode 427: Kelsey Rexroat on Dealing with the Monstrosity
Episode 426: Asking for Blurbs, Unauthorized Biographies, and the Mystery of Aaron Rodgers with Ian O'Connor
Episode 425: The Most Brazen of Genres with Madeleine Blais
Episode 424: Tommy Tomlinson on Aiming for One-Word Summations, the Blurt, and 'Dogland'
Episode 423: Rhana Natour and Eman Mohammed Take You Up Close for The Atavist
Episode 422: Thirty Years of "The Last Shot," Lessons from Obstacles, and Old-School Note Taking with Darcy Frey
Episode 421: Cole Heilborn says, "We're Gonna Find What We Find"
Episode 420: Rebecca Renner Makes the Pig
Episode 419: Maggie Gigandet Red Paperclipped Her Way into Freelancing
Episode 418: Surrendering to the Subconscious with John Julius Reel
Episode 417: 'Stories Can Save Us' and the Enduring Legacy of Matt Tullis
Episode 416: A Lifelong Search for Voice with Acamea Deadwiler
Episode 415: Sam Jefferies, Hammering Out Screed
Episode 414: John Rosengren on Cuts, Note Taking, and Darkness for The Atavist
Episode 413: Young Woman and the Sea, from Book to Movie
Episode 412: Leaving the Emotional Moments Unsaid with Lilly Dancyger
Episode 411: The Heart Part and Big Dreams with Isa Adney
Episode 410: Brian Fairbanks and "The Last Shall be First"
Episode 409: Chain Smoking Book Projects with Earl Swift
Episode 408: North to Trees, South to Gold with Ruby McConnell
Episode 407: Alex Squadron Respects the Grind
Episode 406: When to Share a WIP with Darrell Hartman
Episode 405: Hallie Lieberman and the Drawer of Dead Pitches
Episode 404: Hanif Abdurraqib's Nod to Witnessing in 'There's Always This Year'
Episode 403: Elizabeth Rush Moves Toward Exactitude
Episode 402: The Stentorian-Voiced Dudely Bro-ness of Rob Harvilla
Episode 401: Jessica Camille Aguirre on Racking Up Rejections, Online Nothing Burgers, and The Atavist's "Watch It Burn"
Episode 400: Richard Blanco on Fever Writing and Finding the Poem within the Poem
Now in Paperback: 'Simple is the Way to Go' with Mirin Fader
Now in Paperback: Leslie Jamison — Make It Scream, Make It Burn, and the Bounded Infinity of Nonfiction
Episode 399: William Ralston Recounts a Harrowing Rescue for The Atavist
Episode 398: Emily Sohn Explores the Complicated Legacy of Virginia Kraft
Now in Paperback: Howard Bryant says, 'Everybody Gets Forgotten'
Now in Paperback: Matt Bell Refuses to be Done, Dammit
Episode 397: Leah Sottile Riffs on Kurt Vonnegut's Rules on Writing
Episode 396: Rae Nudson on Earning Trust, The Atavist, and the Pint-of-Ice-Cream Moment
Now in Paperback: Jackie MacMullan on the Fear of Failure, Writing that Teaches You, and the Final Chapter of 'Best American Sports Writing'
Episode 395: "The Six," Mini-Deadlines and the Twang with Loren Grush
Episode 394: Athena Dixon is OK with the Plateau
Episode 393: Katya Cengel and Finding Enough 'There' There for The Atavist
Now in Paperback: Susan Orlean on Writing for an Audience and the Entrepreneurial Nature of a Writing Career
Episode 392: Damon Brown Goes from Zero to 18,000
Now in Paperback: Glenn Stout on Combining the Things You Love, Effort, and the Poem That 'Knocked Him on his Ass'
Episode 391: For the Atavist Magazine, Lily Hyde Takes Us to Ukraine
Episode 390: How Did the Pitcher Pedro Martinez Help Will Harrison's Writing?
Now in Paperback: Dinty W. Moore on the Gift of Feedback, Reading Like a Mechanic, and Patience
Episode 388: Agency, Empathy, and the Ethics of Writing True Crime with Kim H. Cross
Now in Paperback: Andre Dubus III
Episode 387: Tom Donaghy
Now in Paperback: Jericho Brown
Episode 386: Lana Hall
Now in Paperback: Mary Karr
Episode 385: Robert Kolker
Episode 384: Nicholas Dighiera
I Hate Author Readings (And How to Fix Them)
Episode 383: Pete Croatto
Episode 382: Lucy Sexton and Joe Sexton
Episode 381: Michael Finkel
Episode 380: Wudan Yan
Episode 379: Alison Mariella Desir
Episode 378: Steven Moore
Episode 377: Carlos Barragan
Episode 376: John Vaillant
Episode 375: Hattie Fletcher and Stephen Knezovich
Episode 374: Christine Yu
Episode 373: Seth Godin
Episode 372: Anna Altman
Episode 371: Jen A. Miller
Discovery and Writing Before You're Ready
Episode 370: Christopher McDougall
Episode 369: Akeem S. Roberts
Episode 368: Tyler Hooper
Episode 367: Reid Mitenbuler
Episode 366: David Grann
Episode 365: Maggie Smith
Episode 364: Mitchell S. Jackson
Episode 363: Eric Pape
Episode 362: Svati Kirsten Narula
Episode 361: Ari Shapiro
Episode 360: Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Episode 359: Shannon McCaffrey
Episode 358: Erica J. Berry
Episode 357: Adam Popescu
Episode 356: Siku Allooloo
Episode 355: Flinder Boyd
Episode 354: Nile Cappello
Episode 353: Isaac Fitzgerald
Episode 352: Lauren Fleshman
Episode 351: Leah Sottile
Episode 350: Damon Brown
Episode 349: Madeline Bodin
Audio Magazine Issue 3: Heroes
Episode 348: Carl Hoffman
Episode 347: Emily Fox Kaplan
Episode 346: Lyndsie Bourgon
Episode 345: Sarah Souli
Episode 344: Rachel Dickinson
Episode 343: Kristina R. Gaddy
Episode 342: Remembering Philip Gerard
Episode 341: Isidra Mencos
Episode 340: J.B. MacKinnon
Episode 339: Jeff Pearlman
Episode 338: Remembering Matt Tullis
Episode 337: Ander Monson
Episode 336: Cassidy Randall
Episode 335: Steve Brusatte
Episode 334: Katrina Miller
Episode 333: Malaka Gharib
Episode 332: David Maraniss
Episode 331: Seyward Darby
Episode 330: Kim H. Cross
Episode 329: Alexandra Lytton Regalado
Episode 328 [RERUN]: My #HippoCamp21 Talk — In Their Words: Lessons Learned from the Best of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast
Episode 327: Donna Talarico, HippoCamper
Episode 326: Jana Meisenholder
Episode 325: Kerri Sullivan
Episode 324: Chris Solomon
Episode 323: Leigh Baldwin and Sean Williams
Episode 322: Leah Sottile
Episode 321: Ruby McConnell
Episode 320: Howard Bryant
Episode 319: Neal Bascomb
Episode 318: Greg Donahue
Episode 317: Brad Listi
Episode 316: Chip Scanlan
Episode 315: Tad Friend
Episode 314: How 'Top Chef' Can Help Your Writing
Episode 313: Katia Savchuk
Episode 312: Meredith May
Episode 311: Jane Friedman
Episode 310: Leah Flickinger
Episode 309: Kelly Loudenberg
Episode 308: The Year the Mountain of Manure Was Hit By a Flood
Episode 307: Greg Brennecka
Episode 306: Dan Schwartz
Episode 305: Matt Bell
Episode 304: Bill Donahue
Episode 303: Damon Brown
Episode 302: Neda Toloui-Semnani
Episode 301: Debbie Millman
Episode 300: Gloria Liu
Episode 299: Christine Grimaldi and "The Shadow and the Ghost"
Episode 298: Rachel Krantz is 'Open'
Episode 297: Sonia Weiser is Looking for a Hobby
Episode 296: Bradford Pearson on Reporting, Ambition, and 'The Eagles of Heart Mountain'
Episode 295: Wil Haygood Talks 'Colorization,' Black Films in a White World, and Meeting James Baldwin
Episode 294: 'We Wish to be Able to Sing', Mike Damiano Talks About His Atavist Story
Episode 293: The 'Supremely Tiny Acts' of Sonya Huber
Episode 292: Chip Scanlan says, 'A Writer is Someone Who Writes. Period.'
Episode 291: 'Simple is the Way to Go' with Mirin Fader
Episode 290: 'Only in Oregon': How Drawing Political Cartoons is All About the Writing with Jesse Springer
Episode 289: The Atavist's 'Feast for Lost Souls' with Annelise Jolley and Zahara Gomez
Summer
Episode 288: And the Category Is ... Ricky Tucker
Episode 287: Boomerang with Achy Obejas
Episode 286: Jen Winston on Essay Collection as Memoir
Episode 285: Tony Perrottet and 'The Butcher of Havana'
Episode 284: Kim H. Cross on Scenes, Structure, and The Stahl House
Episode 283: Freelancing, Abundant Mindsets, and Writing from a Place of Anger with Jen A. Miller
Episode 282: Jeannine Ouellette on Wanting to be Devastated, Self-Scrutiny, and Her Memoir 'The Part That Burns'
Episode 281: Susan Orlean Tackles Ledes, Generating Story Ideas, and 'On Animals'
Episode 280: Laura Todd Carns and 'Searching for Mr. X,' an Atavist Original
Episode 279: Athena Dixon on Opening Doors, Day Jobs, and the Personal Essay
Episode 278: Having a 'Blast' with Volcanologist Jess Phoenix
Episode 277: Allison K. Williams Talks Planned Practice, Living a Writer's Life, and Her New Craft Book 'Seven Drafts'
Episode 276: Earl Swift Takes Us to the Moon
Episode 275: Nile Cappello and Her Atavist Story 'The Girl in the Picture'
Episode 274: Ruby McConnell on Stalling Out and Finding Hope Through Writing
Episode 273: My #Hippocamp21 Talk — In Their Words: Lessons Learned from the Best of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast
Episode 272: The Arc of a Goal with Shanna B. Tiayon
Episode 271: Brin-Jonathan Butler, 'The Passenger,' and 'Giving Up the Ghost'
Episode 270: How did Daniel Kolitz Pull Off His Atavist Story?
Episode 269: The Visionary Life of Cecilia Brown, Making Pictures, and This American Life
Episode 268: Overcoming Bad Viewing Hygiene with The Ringer's Alison Herman
Episode 267: Suzanne Roberts on Big Wins, Rejection Clubs, and 'Bad Tourist'
Episode 266: The Expansive Nothing You Have to Fill with Kristen Radtke
Episode 265: 'No Place Like Home' with Ariel Ramchandani and Seyward Darby
Episode 264: Rachel Monroe Talks About the Things Writers Don't Tweet About
Episode 263: Michelle Weber and Catherine Cusick Break Out the Pipe Wrench
Episode 262: Passion + Desperation = Bob Welch
Episode 261: Wudan Yan and Jenni Gritters Talk All Things Coaching, Freelancing, and Mindset Monsters
Episode 260: Jordan Michael Smith Spins a True-Crime Yarn for The Atavist
Episode 259: Lilly Dancyger on Building Community and Finding Her Father in 'Negative Space'
Episode 258: The Saturation of Not Doing It with Brian Broome
Episode 257: From the Backside to the Vatican with Joe Drape
Episode 256: G'Ra Asim and His Mixtape to His Brother 'Boyz in the Void'
Episode 255: Maddy Crowell and the 'Invisible Kid,' Plus The Atavist Gets a New Look
Episode 254: Elena Passarello on Weird Freelance Work, Podcasting, and Oatmeal Brain
Episode 253: Julie DiCaro Won't Be 'Sidelined'
Episode 252: 60 Songs that Explain the 90s ... and The Ringer's Rob Harvilla
Episode 251: Glenn Stout Brings to Life The Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America's First Gangster Couple
Episode 250: Lindsay Jones and Her Atavist Story 'The Lives of Others'
Episode 249: Ximena Vengoechea on Life Audits, Listener Drain, and Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection
Episode 248: Humble and Important Gifts with Bronwen Dickey
Episode 247: Jason Naylor, In Living Color
Episode 246: Jenni Gritters on the Freelance Life, Not Waiting for Perfect, and Sh*t Sandwiches
Episode 245: Phil Hoad and his Atavist Story 'Cat and Mouse'
Episode 244: Jackie MacMullan on the Fear of Failure, Writing that Teaches You, and the Final Chapter of 'Best American Sports Writing'
Episode 243: Claire McNear of The Ringer Talks All Things Writing, Jeopardy!, and the Late Great Alex Trebek
Episode 242: 'How Are You Going to Change the World?' asks Damon Brown
Episode 241: Carolyn Holbrook and the Indispensable Nature of Writing and Teaching
Episode 240: Scott Eden Pans for, Finds Gold in his Atavist Story 'The Gilded Age'
Episode 239: Alexandra DiPalma Leads the Podcast Workshop
Episode 238: Ashkan Soltani Stone and Natale Zappia Rock Out with 'Rez Metal'
Episode 237: A Fiction/Non/Fiction Festival with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell
Episode 236: Michael Leviton on Quantity Over Quality, Play and His New Book 'To Be Honest'
Episode 235: Athletic Brewing's Mason Gravely says 'Make It Easy to Say Yes'
Episode 234: Lamorna Ash Goes Out to Sea in 'Dark, Salt, Clear'
Episode 233: Lee Gutkind on Magical Moments, the Rope Test, and 'My Last Eight Thousand Days'
Episode 232: Change is the Only Constant with Glenn Stout
Episode 231: Pete Croatto on Listening, Showing His Work, 'From Hang Time to Prime Time,' and Adding that Ding
Isolation
Episode 230: Meichi Ng, the Barely Functional Adult behind 'Barely Functional Adult'
Episode 229: A License to be Curious with 'Fossil Men' author Kermit Pattison
Episode 228: Annie Duke Tells You How to Decide
Episode 227: The Futility of Reassurance and Being on the Hook with Seth Godin
Episode 226: Edward Parnell's In Search of a Haunted Country in 'Ghostland'
Episode 225: Amalia Andrade Dances with Her Fears
Episode 224: Patrick Radden Keefe's Atypical Path to Narrative Journalism, Writing Books and Making 'Wind of Change'
Episode 223: 'Why Are You Making it, and Who is it for?' with Kristen Meinzer
Episode 222: Catherine Grace Katz on One-Word Distillations, the Thrill of Research and 'The Daughters of Yalta'
Episode 221: Power Couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham Bring You 'The Gay Agenda'
Episode 220: The Unreality of Elisa Gabbert
Episode 219: Matt Hongoltz-Hetling — $30 Stories, Brute-Force Freelancing (And Some Bears)
Episode 218: Mary Pilon, Louisa Thomas, Seasoned Losers
Episode 217: Lidia Yuknavitch on Usefulness, Riding the Wave, and Being a Word Creature
Episode 216: All-Star Break and a Work-in-Progress
Episode 215: Jean Guerrero on Community, Journalism in the Age of Trump, and Her Stephen Miller Biography 'Hatemonger'
Episode 214: Seyward Darby's Deep Dive into the 'Sisters of Hate'
Episode 213: Tornados, BDSM Potlucks? Welcome to Tomboyland with Melissa Faliveno
Episode 212: Kevin Guilfoile on Uncovering the Chaos and 'A Drive into the Gap'
Episode 211: What to Do When You Hate the Work with Rose Andersen
Episode 210: Stephanie Gorton Looks to the Past with 'Citizen Reporters'
Episode 209: The Evolution of Beth Roars
Episode 208: From Floundering to Freelance Superstar with Wudan Yan
Episode 207: Every Story is a Workshop with Roy Peter Clark
Episode 206: Neal Bascomb on Deep Research, Failed Novels, and Locking into Nonfiction
Episode 205: The Art of Biography with Larry Tye
Episode 204: Peter Brown Hoffmeister on Self-Control, Internal Drive and Regret in Memoir
Episode 203: Emma Copley Eisenberg — A Window into Journalism World
Episode 202: Ruby McConnell — ... And Nothing but The 'Ground Truth'
Episode 201: Walter Thompson-Hernandez on Journalism as Ethnography in 'The Compton Cowboys'
Episode 200: Nick Flynn as Bewilderment
Episode 199: Keith Law's 'Inside Game'
Episode 198: Rani Shah — Blue High Heels, Dude Hats, and Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish
Episode 197: Eva Holland — Coping by Going into Reporter Mode
Episode 196: How to Be Fine with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer
Episode 195: Ben Cohen and 'The Hot Hand'
Episode 194: Michael Schulman — Driven by Joy, New Yorker Profiles, and the 'Secret Word'
Episode 193: Allison Fallon — Find Your Voice
Episode 192: Paul Lisicky — The Book Teaches You What It Wants to Be
Episode 191: Alexander Norman on the Journey of Finding Voice, Ghostwriting, and the Dalai Lama
Episode 190: Adrienne Brodeur on Taking Your Story Head On, Loosening the Grip on Your Narrative, and Her Memoir 'Wild Game'
Episode 189: Damon Brown on 'Bring Your Worth' and the Secret Power of Cocktail Napkins
Episode 188: Katherine Keith — Say Yes to Life
Episode 187: Ander Monson — It's Electric
Episode 186: Brin-Jonathan Butler — Misfits, Status, and 'Tourist Information'
Episode 185: Tim O'Brien on Memory, Failure and his 'Maybe Book'
Episode 184: Kristina Gaddy — 'Flowers in the Gutter' and the Loving What's Underneath It All
Happy 2020, CNFers
Episode 183: Sonia Hamer — Crock-Pot Prose
Episode 182: Jake Gronsky — Discipline, Sticking Up for Your Work, and Always Having an Apprentice Mindset
Episode 181: Amy Fish — Starting Late, Dealing with Rejections, and How to Get Someone to Clean Up After Their Dog
Episode 180: Lindsay McCrae — A Year Among Penguins
Episode 179: John O'Connor — Finding Your Donkey
Episode 178: Elisa Gabbert — Tweet-Size Ideas and Letting Time Do the Work
Episode 177: Steven Moore — Essays About to Break, Keeping Track of the Positive, and 'The Longer We Were There'
Episode 176: Kevin Robbins — Limitations vs. Ambitions, Chasing the Greats, and 'The Last Stand of Payne Stewart'
In Order to Keep Going, You Must Start
Episode 175: Cassandra King Conroy — Mid-life Resurgence and Her Time with Pat Conroy in 'Tell Me a Story'
My Favorite Book on Writing
Episode 174: Bob Batchelor — Humble Beginnings, Breaking Free from Google, and 'The Bourbon King'
A Riff on Success featuring AC Shilton
Episode 173: Sonja Livingston — Expeditions in Devotion, Trust, and The Virgin of Prince Street
What's the Thing That Makes It Fun?
Episode 172: Christopher McDougall — 'Running with Sherman,' 'Born to Run,' and Finding Your Stride
Be a Fan First
Episode 171: AC Shilton — Arrival Fallacy, 'The Innocent Man,' and Chickens
Creating without Judgement with Chase Jarvis
Episode 170: Leslie Jamison — Make It Scream, Make It Burn, and the Bounded Infinity of Nonfiction
Episode 169: Chase Jarvis — Discover Your Creative Calling
Episode 168: Rachel Dougherty — Nonfiction for Kids, Day Jobs, and Finding Confidence
Episode 167: Steven Hyden—Woodstock '99, 'Break Stuff,' and Books as Roadtrips
Episode 166: Kate Hopper—Slap the Bass
Episode 165: Steven Kurutz—The Power of the Library, Getting to New York, and 'Fruitland'
Episode 164: Donna Talarico—Literary Citizenship and Hippocamp 2019
Episode 163: Fred Waitzkin — How Writing a Book is Like a Love Affair
Episode 162: Seyward Darby—Editing as Collaboration at The Atavist
Episode 161: Mark Kram Jr.—Letting the Dust Clear, Being a Late Bloomer, and Smokin' Joe
Episode 160: Chuck Klosterman—'Raised in Captivity,' Being Straightforward, and How Nonfiction is Closer to Bowling
Episode 159: Allie Rowbottom—The Page as Safe Place
Episode 158: Naomi Gordon-Loebl—F*ck-Yeah! Essays
Episode 157: Eric Ducker—'I Want This Weirder'
Episode 156: Sonya Huber—Creative Infidelities
Episode 155: T.D. Thornton—Horses, Cons, Boxers, Oh, My!
Episode 154: Julian Smith—Pitch Clubs, Falling in Love with the Work, and Aloha Rodeo
Episode 153: Amanda Petrusich—Clinging to Tiny Victories, Letting the Process Sustain You, and Wet Jeans
Episode 152: Philip Gerard—Fiction, Nonfiction, and the Writer's Magical Combination
Episode 151: Jenny Odell—How to Do Nothing
Episode 150: Ian Frisch—Good Ideas Know No Age
Episode 149: Anika Fajardo—Writing is About Communicating
Episode 148—Jericho Brown on Discipline, Burpees, and How Poets Are a Special Kind of Nerd
Episode 147—Meredith May on What Cracked Open Her Memoir, Nature as Parent, and Bees, Lots of Bees
Episode 146—Austin Kleon: Steal, Show, and Keep Going!
Episode 145—Investigative Reporter Scott Eden Talks Structure, Sprawl, and Picking Up the Phone
Episode 144—Vlad Yudin and the Independent Mindset
Episode 143—Blake J. Harris Talks Virtual Reality, Facebook, and His Unlikely Path to Nonfiction Writing
Episode 142—Jeff Goins on Amateurism, Clarity, and the Myth of the Starving Artist
Episode 141—Evan Ratliff on Garbage-ing, Legwork in Pitching, and 'The Mastermind'
Episode 140—James Carl Nelson on What It Takes to be a Writer, Jumping into the Action, and 'The Polar Bear Expedition'
Episode 139—Dane Huckelbridge and the Deadliest Tiger the World Has Ever Known
Episode 138—Connor Ratliff on Falling Backward into Show Biz and How Improv Made Him a Better Listener
Episode 137—Bozos on the Same Bus with Bronwen and Brendan
Episode 136—J. Hope Stein on Being a Not-So-Secret Secret Poet, the Sheer Love of Writing, and 'Little Astronaut'
Episode 135—Leanna James Blackwell Talks About Fallow Periods, Running with Ideas, and 90s Grunge
Episode 134—Harrison Scott Key on Finding the Nature of His Talent, Humor, and the Pull to Create
Episode 133—Vanya Erickson Speaks Fluent 'Boot Language'
Episode 132—Laura Hillenbrand on Research Workarounds, Reading Aloud, and Campfire Storytelling
Episode 131—Debbie Millman on Illustrated Essays, the Poem That Defines Her Life, and her Podcast 'Design Matters'
Episode 130—Alexandra DiPalma and the Podcasting Revolution
Episode 129—Lisa D'Apolito Talks 'Love, Gilda', Her Connection to Gilda Radner, and Documentary Film as Discovery
Episode 128—David Lee Morgan on Positivity, Trust, and Telling the Story Straight
Episode 127—Sam Chiarelli 'Digs' Deep with Dino Memoir
Episode 126—Glenn Stout on Shotgunning Ledes, Creative Chain Smoking, and 'The Pats'
Episode 125—Episode 125—Brin-Jonathan Butler Talks "The Grandmaster," Obsession, Madness, and the Power of Being an Outsider
Episode 124—Natalie Singer on Finding the Time to Write and Living a Creative Life Around Day Jobs
Episode 123—Elena Passarello on Listening to the Book, Polaroids, and Self-Doubt
Episode 122—Tracy Kidder on Writing Badly and Looking for People Over Subjects
Episode 121—Susan Orlean on Pacing, Structure, and 'The Library Book'
Episode 120—Eli Saslow, the Pulitzer Prize Winner on Empathy, Muscling Through Drafts, and His Book 'Rising Out of Hatred'
Episode 119—The Multi-Hyphenated Allison K. Williams
Episode 118—Earl Swift on Routines, Proportionality, and the Secret to Being a Fly on the Wall
Episode 117—Steve Brusatte and The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
Episode 116—Adventures in Drawing with Scott Campbell
Episode 115—Candice Hare and Wide World of Horse Racing
Episode 114—Matthew Polly on Bruce Lee, Shaolin Temples, and Video Games
Episode 113—Jennifer Goforth Gregory: Your Ticket to Earning Six Figures
Episode 112—Paul Willetts Slays 'King Con'
Episode 111—The Empowering and Exciting Nature of Film with Emer Reynolds
Episode 110—Scott Neumyer on Podcasting, Writing, and Anxiety
Episode 109—Jean Guerrero Tries to Solve the Mystery of Her Father
Episode 108—Katie Baker on Working Outside of Journalism and Cultivating Enthusiasms
Episode 107—Matt Pentz on Collaboration, Hard Work, and U.S. Soccer
Episode 106—Rebecca Fish Ewan and 'The Forces of Gravity'
Episode 105—From Factories to the Front Pages with Jonathan Green
Episode 104—Elizabeth Rush on "Rising" and What It Means to Be a Woman in the Field
Episode 103—Persistent, Constant, Careful Work with Dennis Overbye
Episode 102—Jane Friedman on The Business of Being a Writer
Episode 101—Creative Writer's Toolbelt Host Andrew Chamberlain Brings the Hammer
Episode 100—Mary Karr Talks 'Tropic of Squalor,' Grinding Through Early Drafts, and Cellos
Episode 99—David Grann on 'The Killers of the Flower Moon' and Why Every Story is a Struggle
Episode 98—Lisa Romeo on Her Memoir "Starting with Goodbye" and the Power of Paper Habits
Episode 97—Jeff Geiger on Oral Storytelling, Failure, and Fear as Feul
Episode 96—Emily Poole Illustrated
Episode 95—Mike Sager on the Magical Nature of Creating, Suspending Disbelief, and Preaching Beyond the Choir
Episode 94—Finding Clarity with Kevin Wilson
Episode 93—The Hidden Life of Life with Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Episode 92—Ellen Stokken Dahl and "The Wonder Down Under"
Episode 91—Mary Pilon's Freelance Rumspringa and the Best Advice She Got from David Carr
Episode 90—Mary Pilon Brings You "The Kevin Show"
Episode 89—Sarah Minor Isn't Your Typical Writer
Episode 88—Rachel Corbett says "Stop Trying So Hard."
Episode 87—Hope Wabuke on Empowering the Marginalized, Starting from the Present, and Finding Her Experience
Episode 86—Noah Strycker on his Big Year in Birding, Community, and What to Leave Out
Episode 85—Jamie Zvirsdin on Sincerity, Permission, and Hard Work
Episode 84—Adam Valen Levinson: Young and Restless
Episode 83—Victoria Stopp on Battling Chronic Pain, Being Disorganized, and Writing in a Camper
Episode 82—The Language of the Gods
Episode 81—Google as Religious Experience and Trusting Self-Doubt with Rachel Wilkinson
Episode 80—The Wild Life of Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Episode 79—From Potholes in Parking Lots to the Jungles of Borneo with Sy Montgomery
Episode 78—Louisa Thomas on Problematic Writers, Mercenary Work, and Picking Up the Phone
Episode 77—Blaire Briody says Good Reporting is Good Writing
Episode 76—Erica Berry on Binge Writing, Writing as Learning, and Werewolves
Episode 75—Chris Arvidson on "The Love of Baseball," Deadlines, Pacing, and Curiosity
Episode 74—Madeleine Blais says Reality is Compelling Enough
Episode 73—Patsy Sims on Book Research as Mini-education, Not Giving Up, and "The Stories We Tell"
Episode 72—Creative Nonfiction's Hattie Fletcher Kickstarts Year 2 of 'True Story'
Episode 71—Working Backward with Elizabeth Rush
Episode 70—Erica Westly on Softball and Structure
Episode 69—Matthew Mercier: From Edgar Allan Poe's Basement to The Moth Stage
Episode 68—Peter Brown Hoffmeister on Failure as Fuel, Staying Hungry, and Wolf Naps
Episode 67—Carol Marine on Daily Painting, Flow States and Overcoming Burnout
Episode 66—Brin-Jonathan Butler on the Risk of Chess, Obsession with Obsessives, and the Blessing of Struggle
Episode 65—How to Start Your Own Conference with Hippocamp Founder Donna Talarico
Episode 64—Matt Tullis on "Running with Ghosts," Aging Out of Jealousy, and Bringing a Reporter's Mind to Memoir
Episode 63—Bronwynn Dean Talks Marijuana, Gonzo Journalism, and the Power of Performance
Episode 62—Penny Lane is Her Real Name
Episode 61—Susan Orlean on Writing for an Audience and the Entrepreneurial Nature of a Writing Career
Episode 60—The Godfather of Creative Nonfiction: Lee Gutkind
Episode 59—Jessica Lahey Reads "I've Taught Monsters"
Episode 58—Get 1% Better with Joe Ferraro
Episode 57—Joe Donahue on the Art of the Interview
Episode 56—Sonja Livingston Serves Up 'Ghostbread'
Episode 55—Do Funny Things Always Happen to Nikki Schulak?
Episode 54—Andre Dubus III on his Accidental Memoir, the Love of Revision, and Getting the F*ck Off Social Media
Episode 53—Jessica Abel and the Power of Creative Focus
Episode 52—How to Write an 80,000-Word Book in 42 Days with Joe Drape
Episode 51—Jessica Lahey on Hidden Monsters, the Gift of Failure, and Keeping Your Butt in the Chair
Episode 50—Ted Conover's Deep Dive into Immersion
Episode 49—Dinty W. Moore on the Gift of Feedback, Reading Like a Mechanic, and Patience
Episode 48—Roy Peter Clark Redux
Episode 47—Shawna Kenney on 'Zines, Advice, and Finding Your Tribe
Episode 46—Editor Hattie Fletcher on Seeing Rhythms and the Power of Reading Slush
Episode 45—Bronwen Dickey Returns to Talk about the Paperback Release of Pit Bull, Troll Culture, and How Perfectionism Kills
Episode 44—Philip Gerard and the 'Thrill' of Creative Research
Episode 43—Mary Heather Noble on Emotional Charges, Emotional Distance, and Not Discarding Work
Episode 42—Roy Peter Clark, America's Writing Coach on Living a Life of Language, Lowering Standards, and the Meaning of Literacy
Episode 41—Jennifer Niesslein, the Full Grown Person behind Full Grown People
Episode 40—How to Be Like Mike (Copperman)
Episode 39—The Gentleman's Guide to Arousal-Free Slow Dancing
Episode 38—Philip Gerard Helps You Get Out of Your Head
Episode 37—Author Angela Palm is a Cartographer? Well, sort of
Episode 36—The Joyful Kim Kankiewicz Writes with Her Ears
Episode 35—Sybil Baker on Discovery and the Art of Being Different
Episode 34—Tom McAllister Talks Podcasting, Plowing Through First Drafts, and the Writer's Need for Urgency
Episode 33—Melissa Chadburn Shares All Her Secrets!
Episode 32—Kevin Wilson on the Comfort of the Uncomfortable, the Power of No Backup Plan, and the Five Minutes That Changed His Life Forever
Episode 31—Jen Miller on Freelancing, Tenacity, Running, and Swinging Her "Where's My Money Bat" (It's a Thing)
Episode 30—I read my Pushcart Prize-Nominated Essay "That Pickoff Play"
Episode 29—Pete Croatto, 10 Years a Freelancer (and counting)
Episode 28—Sarah Shotland Takes Us to Prison
Episode 27—Author Paul Lisicky on Writing in Unlikely Times, Simultaneous Projects, and Preserving Play
Episode 26—Kevin Robbins Talks Harvey Penick and the Sacrifices of Writing a Book
Episode 25—Elane Johnson on her Winning Essay, Accepting Your Work as Good, and Writers Block
Episode 24—Brin-Jonathan Butler Takes Us to Cuba
Episode 23—Tom Stanton on Key Moments, the Use of Timelines, and Starting His Own Newspaper
Episode 22—Jeff Krulik on "Heavy Metal Parking Lot," "Led Zeppelin Played Here," and His Kinship with Oddities
Episode 21—Bronwen Dickey on the Tao of Henry Rollins, Binaural Beats, and Her Three Rules for Any Writer
Episode 20—Glenn Stout Returns!
Episode 19—We Go Back in Time with Brian Mockenhaupt!
Episode 18—Mary Pilon
Episode 17—Brin-Jonathan Butler
Episode No. 16: Charles Bethea on Late-Night Pitching, the Anxiety of Reporting, and the Magnitude of Breakfast
Episode No. 15: Eva Holland on the Nature of her Hustle, Being Super Analog, and liking Faramir
Episode No. 14—Glenn Stout on Combining the Things You Love, Effort, and the Poem That 'Knocked Him on his Ass'
Episode 13—Greg Hanlon on the Audacity of Voice and the Value of Struggle
Episode 12—Sarah Einstein on writing an other-person-centric memoir, Jane Eyre, and Count Chocula
Episode 11—Carrie Hagen on Finding the Essence of Story
Episode 10—Joe DePaulo on Talese, Kramer, and What It Means to be Edited
Episode 9—Inside the Reporting Mind of John Scheinman
Episode 8—Maggie Messitt on Shi#y First Drafts and Making Documentaries on Paper
Episode 7: Richard Gilbert
Hashtag #CNF Episode 6—Brian Mockenhaupt
Hashtag #CNF Episode 5—Sheri Booker
Hashtag #CNF Episode 4—Harrison Scott Key
Hashtag #CNF Episode 2—Author/Nonfiction Editor Tom McAllister
Hashtag CNF Episode 1—Author Susan Kushner Resnick