By Brendan O’Meara
“The great thing is if you find the right story it often is more interesting than fiction because it’s weird and quirky.” —Matthew Polly (@MatthewEPolly)
This is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I speak to the best in narrative journalism, doc film, radio, podcasting, essay, and memoir about the art and craft of telling true stories.
Today’s guest is Matthew Polly. He’s the author of three books of nonfiction, most recently Bruce Lee: A Life. He’s a graduate of Princeton and a Rhodes Scholar, so you can say my 1050 SAT score didn’t exactly level me up any in this conversation.
You think you know Bruce Lee, but you have NO idea. None. But after 500 pages about the Kung Fu master you come away knowing the whole story.
In this episode you’ll learn about Matt’s approach to writing biography, how screenwriting helped him with narrative, taking risks, how comedy writing helped Matt find his voice as well as who was the most influential writer to Matt as he developed
But before we get to that, I’ll let you know that I’m hanging up my editing/writing coach shingle. If you have an essay that needs development, or a book manuscript that needs help, look no further.
Right now I’m paying money to have my terrible memoir looked at and it’s a way better book than it was just a few months ago. I’ve been working on the thing for nine years off and on, and only now does it look a little better than that Voldemort baby from the last Harry Potter movie.
If you need similar help, email me and we’ll start a dialogue.
Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re feeling generous, ratings and reviews are super helpful, but if you merely share with a friend, that’s every bit as good. I think you’re gonna wanna hang on for the ride, people.
Buckle up, put your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. Here’s Matt Polly!
Books by Matt Polly
