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“The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine,” out now!

By Brendan O’Meara

“Elegant biography… O’Meara’s loving portrait also celebrates Prefontaine’s legacy off the field, most notably his campaign against the Amateur Athletic Union’s rules disqualifying athletes who attempted to monetize their success. Nimble and comprehensive, this is a stirring tribute to a generational runner gone too soon.” — Publisher’s Weekly [FULL REVIEW]

“Surging prose,” from LitHub.

We got a nice review in the Wall Street Journal, you can check that out here.

Hey, CNFers, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine, is officially out. I’m experiencing all the feels, and I can’t wait for you to read it.

This is the link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-front-runner-brendan-omeara?variant=43044900962338

Continue reading ““The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine,” out now!”

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for Issue 4 of the Audio Magazine: CODES

photo “courtesy” of CNN.com

Become a Patron!

This is the way.

The Mandalorian and his kind live by a simple code, always punctuated by saying “This is the way.”

What codes do you live by? What codes were you at one time or another TOLD to live by? Do you admire codes and singular devotion, or do you feel unfairly shackled to a way of life? Has a code led you to the right path or down the wrong? Capt. Fantastic (“Power to the people. Stick it to the man.”) lived by a code, but it put his several children at odds with the world and nearly paralyzed one child.

Essays should be no longer than 2,000 words (a 15-minute read, bear in mind that, in the end, these are audio essays. Write accordingly.). Email submissions with CODE in the subject line to creativenonfictionpodcast at gmail dot com. Original, previously unpublished work only, please. Oh, and I pay $25 per accepted essay. It’s not much, but you can buy a couple burritos with it.

There is cash on the line, so send me your best, fully formed pieces and consider becoming a patron to help put money in the coffers that helps put money in the pockets of writers.

DEADLINE: Oct. 31, 2025

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but if your piece is accepted elsewhere or you’re holding out for a more “prestigious” publication, please let me know ASAP as I read these essays very closely and even give rejected essays detailed notes for improvement.

This is the way.

Episode 478: Nick Paumgarten says, ‘The Reporting Suggests the Root System’

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Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

Next two events are July 17 at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle at 7 p.m. and July 27 at Gratitude Brewing for a live taping of the podcast, 1 p.m.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

“I don’t have to state too baldly what that all means. And because I think part of it is that I’m incapable of stating things like that baldly. I’m not smart enough. I lack the language and the real rhetorical muscle to state things baldly. I’d rather not hit it on the nose, because I have bad aim.” — Nick Paumgarten, staff writer for The New Yorker

Continue reading “Episode 478: Nick Paumgarten says, ‘The Reporting Suggests the Root System’”

Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In

View on Zencastr
Become a Patron!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever!

Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

Next two events are July 17 at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle at 7 p.m. and July 27 at Gratitude Brewing for a live taping of the podcast, 1 p.m.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

“If nothing else, it says a lot about chasing a story even when you don’t have an assignment, because Dave had reported this entire thing before he even pitched it to us.” — Jonah Ogles, lead editor of “Conversations with a Hit Man.”

Continue reading “Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In”

Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse

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Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever!

Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

“I always say, with pitches, make it as easy for an editor to say yes as possible.” — Amanda Heckert, executive editor of Garden & Gun Magazine

Continue reading “Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse”

Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process

Become a Patron!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever!

Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

Continue reading “Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process”

Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai

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Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever!

Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

“There is this myth that you are a writer only if you are butt in chair, banging away at your keyboard for eight hours and then the rest of the time on a fainting couch somewhere, noodling over your ideas. And that kind of imagery does a lot of damage to young writers today.” — Yi Shun Lai

Continue reading “Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai”

The Joy of Leaving Amazon Reviews: Getting Two Feet Inbounds

By Brendan O’Meara

Ok but listen: I don’t like Amazon.

I don’t have a Prime account.

I very, very, very rarely order anything from Amazon. But I realize I’m in the vast minority there.

That said, for authors big and small, Amazon ratings and reviews matter. Many book readers (the few who remain) out there buy their books from Amazon. Or, if they don’t, they look for the validation of a highly rated title. I’m assuming on that last bit of insight.

So I’ve been taking great joy in leaving short Amazon reviews for authors who come on this podcast, something I’ve historically not done.

Continue reading “The Joy of Leaving Amazon Reviews: Getting Two Feet Inbounds”

Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides

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“It’s like trying on clothes when you’re a young writer, early in your career, you’re constantly trying to figure out who you are.” — Hampton Sides, Ep. 473

Continue reading “Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides”

Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with ‘The Dry Season’

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A mostly accurate transcript for Ep. 4721

“As soon as I heard people refer to writers as actual people, I thought, ‘oh, my god, is that an option? Because I choose that option.’ And I just latched onto it immediately.” — Melissa Febos, from Ep. 472

Continue reading “Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with ‘The Dry Season’”

Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues!

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A mostly accurate transcript for Ep. 4711

“I can’t imagine if somebody asked me to share these really vulnerable things and didn’t acknowledge that it’s a gift that that person is giving, and it’s not a gift to the writer. It’s a gift to everybody who will read it.” — Cassidy Randall, from Ep. 471

Continue reading “Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues!”