All Episodes

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