In this episode we talk about book proposals, his approach to organizing his notes, and how being a reporter was like being in a “candy store.” Good, good stuff.
I had a lot of fun, and I hope you do, too.
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“I often talk to my students and I feel like I’m looking at the story through a dirty window. And I just want you to take the pane of glass out so I can see the story,” says Emma Copley Eisenberg, @frumpenberg.
Emma Copley Eisenberg is here to talk about The Third Rainbow Girl. It’s been highly touted as one of the better debut works of nonfiction. It’s great for its blending of genres and pushing the boundaries of what it means to write “true crime.”
If you’re looking for a whodunnit, this is not your book, which should pique your interest even more.
A few things we riff on:
A window in journalism world
Structure
Her book’s many false starts
And pushing the boundaries of creative nonfiction
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We had a pretty rad conversation where we talk about how dance taught her the discipline it takes to be a writer and how geology is a, perhaps, the most writerly science. She’s a native Oregonian and a fellow Eugenian and, I don’t know, I had about as good a time as I’ve ever had on this show with Ruby.
Be sure you’re subscribed to the show wherever you get your pods and if you’re feeling kind, leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts. They’ve stalled and it’d be nice to crest that 100-rating threshold.
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It was one of those stories where as soon as published it blew up. Then agents are banging on his door, he’s got a book deal, movie deal and maybe the best of it all: a berth on The Creative Nonfiction Podcast: the show where I speak to badass people about the art and craft of telling true stories.
In speaking with Walter, it reminded me of conversations I had with Mike Sager, Eli Saslow and Maggie Messitt about taking deep dives into various subcultures (and I know I’m missing dozens who have been on this show).
Compton Cowboys is a brilliant book about a subculture tucked into the heart of Compton where, to quote the subhead of Walter’s NYT story, “A group of childhood friends wants to create a safer community and challenge the notion that African-Americans can’t be cowboys.”
I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil this great conversation with Walter (@mychivas).
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In our conversation, Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City and Stay: Threads, Conversations and Collaborations, says, “There’s a certain perverse pleasure in writing a memoir because it’s a bastardized genre. It’s a little bit of the Wild West. I mean, it’s filled with charlatans, posers, and huge egos. It’s a weird genre. It doesn’t have the cachet that the novel has. There’s a bit of a carnival atmosphere to it, which I was attracted to.”
So, you know, there’s that to look forward to.
This is episode 2-0-0 of CNF, the creative nonfiction podcast where I speak to badass people about the art and craft of telling true stories. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to keep the conversation going on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Tagging me and the show will let me jump in the fire with you.
I’d love to know your takeaways?
What resonated with you?
What inspired you?
Here’s to the next 200 of these things.
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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.
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.
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.
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[Again, no art because my website host hasn’t fixed the issue yet.]
This was a fun book, especially if you like Malcolm Gladwell-style books that orbit one idea. This book takes you all over the place, not just basketball, so I think you’ll have a lot of fun with it. If I didn’t already put in the last newsletter, I’ll be sure to include it in the next one.
In any case, don’t forget that we’re putting out our very first audio-mag on the theme: Social Distancing, essays from/on isolation. They must be 2,000 words or fewer (that’s a 15-minute read) and be original work. Email you submission to creative nonfiction podcast at gmail dot com, ya dig?
That’s as good a time as any to say that I’m thinking of all you out there. Some have it pretty rough. I can’t complain. I have shelter, food, clothes and a job (for now) that lets me work from home. And I’ve got this podcast that I get to make for you.
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“Selection is as creative as generation,” says Michael Schulman on the podcast.
Michael Schulman is a staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Her Again, a biography of the early life of Meryl Streep. Go check it out. I haven’t read it yet, as I came to Michael’s work through his profiles in The New Yorker.
As coincidence would have it, once I had lined up Michael to be on the show, he appeared on This American Life during the introduction to the Everyone’s a Critic show.
In any case, it was Michael’s profile on James Cordon that prompted me to reach out, but I also loved his work on Adam Driver and Bo Burnham as well.
In this show we talk about how his work is driven by joy, how he boils down each story down to a single, secret word, and how his background in theater led to his break at the magazine. Some great stuff here.
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And did you listen to the long introduction to this episode yet? I’m publishing the first CNF Pod audio magazine with the theme Social Distancing: Essays from/of Isolation. Word limit is 2,000 as we want the reading to be 15 minutes or less. Email submissions to creativenonfictionpodcast at gmail dot com. DEADLINE IS MAY 1, 2020.
In this time of social distancing and isolation, hearing essays from this challenging time can bring us together. I hope you’ll submit your best work. I’d be honored to publish it three or four of however many submissions I receive.
OK, readyyyyyy, break!
PS: I’m having technical difficulties uploading photographs, so that’s why you haven’t seen author photos for the past few episodes. Hoping the host I pay money to will figure it out.
