December 2023 – Home of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

Now in Paperback: Jackie MacMullan on the Fear of Failure, Writing that Teaches You, and the Final Chapter of ‘Best American Sports Writing’

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Nice to re-up Jackie MacMullan, the legendary sports writer for The Boston Globe, ESPN.com, The Ringer, and several books she co-authored.

Over the course of her career, she has co-written books, collaborated on books, and now she can add guest editor to 30th and final volume of The Best American Sports Writing.

In this conversation, we talk about:

The rigor of reporting
Making the extra ten calls
Fear
And how writing should teach you something

Among other things, of course.

I hope you dig it and consider emailing this to a friend and let them know what we’re up to here at CNF Pod HQ.

Episode 395: “The Six,” Mini-Deadlines and the Twang with Loren Grush

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By Brendan O’Meara

Hey, look! It’s Loren Grush (@grushcrush)! She’s a space journalist and author of The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts (Scribner Book Company).

This was a fun chat about:

Centering women in space
Setting mini-deadlines
The Vomit Comet
And what the hell is the “twang”?

Episode 394: Athena Dixon is OK with the Plateau

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By Brendan O’Meara

Look who’s back! It’s Athena Dixon! Her latest book (as of 2023) is The Loneliness Files: A Memoir in Essays. It’s published by Tin House and edited by Hanif Abdurraqib.

It’s a quiet book, but don’t mistake that for meek. And we talk about the quiet authority of her book as well as:

Athena being OK with the plateau
Setting a concrete vision for your goals as a writer
How Hanif helped her with throat clearing
And how she edits clients without losing their voices

Episode 393: Katya Cengel and Finding Enough ‘There’ There for The Atavist

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By Brendan O’Meara

Katya Cengel (@kcengel) is a journalist and author, and she’s the journalist behind “The Truth is Out There” for The Atavist Magazine. A father’s disappearance, dark family secrets, and the hunt for Bigfoot.

It’s a touching story on “searching for elusive truths,” that weaves together cryptozoology and a family in search of their father.

So in this episode we unpack who Katya dug up this story, earning trust, and getting comfortable with untidy endings.

We also speak with editor Jonah Ogles about getting pitches over the hump and the value in pitching again and again.

Lots of great stuff for you to chew on.