April 2020 – Home of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

Episode 199: Keith Law’s ‘Inside Game’

I had the pleasure of hosting the great Keith Law (@keithlaw) on the show for Episode 199. He’s the author of Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves (William Morrow, 2020).

In our conversation, he says, “One of the big takeaways throughout the book is get more data.”

Keith is also the author of Smart Baseball: The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think about Baseball (William Morrow, 2017).

I loved Inside Game and had a nice time speaking with Keith about his voracious reading habit, his penchant for board games, where analytics are heading, and lots, lots more.

This isn’t a conversation deep on baseball, believe it or not. Though he did tell me why it’s best to bat your best hitter No. 2 in the lineup and why RBIs are a misleading statistic.

Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to sign up for monthly newsletter below. Lots of reading recommendations and what you might have missed from the world of the podcast. Keep the conversation going on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

As always, I hope I made something worth sharing, so if you dig the show, pass it along to the others.

Episode 198: Rani Shah — Blue High Heels, Dude Hats, and Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish

By Brendan O’Meara

Rani Shah is the mastermind behind the beautiful, fun, and quirky book Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish: And Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature (Dey St., 2020).

Lots of fun speaking to Rani about how her parents nurtured her creative side, but were worried about she’d make a career out of creative work.

We talk about day jobs, imposter syndrome, growth/fixed mindsets, power heels, and dude hats.

She’s the founder of Fuss Class, a south Asian satire site. Very Onion-esque. Rani hangs out on Instagram @raanstermonster. She came to play ball.

I think you’ll have fun with this one and I’d love to hear from you if you did. Email the show and ping us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

We need more submissions to our first ever audio magazine. The theme is Social Distancing: Essays from Isolation. 2,000 words/15-minute read. Deadline is MAY 1. Email your essay with SUBMISSION in the subject line to creativenonfictionpodcast at gmail dot com. I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.

Questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out. This a community. We’re in this mess together. Share this episode with your people and encourage them to share it to. If you don’t feel the need to share it, then I’ve failed at making something remarkable. And I’ll keep working harder and harder so that it continues to earn your endorsement and, more importantly, your valuable time.

Episode 197: Eva Holland — Coping by Going into Reporter Mode

By Brendan O’Meara

Eva Holland returns to the show after a long, long absence.

In this episode, you’ll hear some of the advanced advice she knows and wants to know regarding freelancing, the nexus of memoir and deep reportage, participatory antics, and overcoming the imposter syndrome of stepping out of her comfort zone.

I’m hesitant to include or first interview because it is a rough production. Eva was great. Me on the other hand …

In any case, Eva has a new book out called Nerve: Adventures in the Science of Fear (The Experiment, 2020) and it is a trip.

“I knew right away I would be writing about my mom’s death. I knew that immediately,” Eva told me, and that was what triggered a years’ long journey into fear and her relationship to it.

Follow the show @CNFPod on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Email the show with questions or kind words creativenonfictionpodcast@gmail.com. If this show means something to you, please consider leaving a kind review on Apple Podcasts.

Episode 196: How to Be Fine with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

By Brendan O’Meara

Man, this was fun, CNFers. We’ve got Jolenta Greenberg (@JolentaG) and Kristen Meinzer (@kristenmeinzer) in the CNFin’ house.

They are the co-hosts of By the Book, a podcast where they read a self-help book, follow its “recipes,” and report back. It’s a great show and the inspiration for their book, How to Be Fine: What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books (Willam Morrow, 2020).

I think this episode pairs well with Austin Kleon, Jeff Goins, Chase Jarvis, and maybe a little Allison Fallon.

So many great insights about negative self-talk, what they feel is fundamentally lacking in most self-help books, and how to ultimately be kinder to yourself.

This book comes at a good time because things are rough. Things are topsy-turvy. We need people like Jolenta and Kristen doing their thing and thankfully their work is out there for us.

As you know, you can keep in touch on social media by following the show @CNFPod wherever. Also, if you’re feeling kind, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Share this show if it means something to you. We’d be honored if you did.

[Again, no art because my website host hasn’t fixed the issue yet.]

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!: Once a Month. No Spam. Can’t Beat It.

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!: Once a Month. No Spam. Can’t Beat It.

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!: Once a Month. No Spam. Can’t Beat It.

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!: Once a Month. No Spam. Can’t Beat It.