writing – Page 19 – Home of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

Episode 258: The Saturation of Not Doing It with Brian Broome

Every now and again you read a book that blows your brains out. Brian Broome‘s (@bbromb) Punch Me Up to the Gods is one of those books.

It deals with identity, Black masculinity, shame, family, oppression, racism, and community. What a book, man, what a book.

We also dig into Brian’s writing process and how he goes about the work.

“I’m the queen of the run-on sentence,” he says.

And the grind of it all.

“I’m the queen of quitting,” he says.

Consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/cnfpod for transcripts and for exclusive access to the audio magazine. Your dollars go into making the production possible and put money in the pockets of writers. Patrons also get a chance to submit questions that I ask of guests and coaching.

Sponsorship for this episode is brought to you by West Virginia Wesleyan College’s MFA in Creative Writing.

Promotional partner is HippoCamp 2021! Go register!

Episode 257: From the Backside to the Vatican with Joe Drape

By Brendan O’Meara

Become a Patron!

Joe Drape is back to talk about his latest book, The Saint Makers: Inside the Catholic Church and How a War Hero Inspired a Journey of Faith.

Joe is a sports writer for The New York Times covering college football and horse racing, among other feature assignments.

In this episode we talk about diagramming stories the way you would diagram a sentence and

His column on Sheik Mo
His feature on Valdosta High School
And figuring out the landscape of today’s path through journalism.

Joe is the author of several books including American Pharoah, Our Boys, and Black Maestro.

I want to give a shoutout to Hippocamp 2021! It is happening! Registration opens May 15. It’s a writers’ conference for CNFers like you. Check it out.

Episode 256: G’Ra Asim and His Mixtape to His Brother ‘Boyz in the Void’

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

G’Ra Asim is the author of Boyz in the Void: A mixtape to my brother (Beacon Press). He’s @notjadedpunk on Instagram.

He’s a punk rocker and a killer spinner of yarns. It’s a fantastic book on “navigating Blackness, masculinity, and young adulthood: all through wry social commentary and a music/pop culture critique.

We talk a lot about the DIY nature of art, punk rock, straight-edge culture and why he chose to write this book to his younger brother.

Strap in for a fun one, CNFers.

Episode 255: Maddy Crowell and the ‘Invisible Kid,’ Plus The Atavist Gets a New Look

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Maddy Crowell comes by the show to talk about her new piece for The Atavist Magazine titled “Invisible Kid.”

I also speak with Jonah Ogles, the lead editor of this piece, and Ed Johnson, the designer who led the way in the redesign.

This episode is packed with goodness, much like its Atavistian predecessors in Scott Eden, Phil Hoad, and Lindsay Jones.

Consider subscribing to The Atavist and its once-a-month blockbuster piece of narrative nonfiction. Once a month, can’t beat it … sounds like my newsletter!

Anyway …

We dig into a lot of might juice, and I hope it brightens up your day and wherever you are on your writer journey.

Episode 254: Elena Passarello on Weird Freelance Work, Podcasting, and Oatmeal Brain

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

A great pleasure to welcome back Elena Passarello to the show to talk about … jeez … just about everything.

This was very much a shoot-the-shizz pod, but when it comes to Elena, there are few people you’d rather be listening to. So if you dug episodes with Bronwen Dickey and Peter Brown Hoffmeister, you’re in the right place, CNFers!

Episode 253: Julie DiCaro Won’t Be ‘Sidelined’

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Julie DiCaro came by the show to talk about her new book Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America.

It’s a fine read, written by someone who definitively has something of value to say. You can find her on Twitter @juliedicaro.

It’s an engaging, entertaining, and sobering read about feminism and the sorry state of women’s representation in sports journalism.

Episode 252: 60 Songs that Explain the 90s … and The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Rob Harvilla (@harvilla), a Ringer staff writer and the mastermind behind the Spotify Original 60 Songs that Explain the 90s, comes by the show to talk about the flannel-clad 90s. As an aside, most of my wardrobe is flannel. I still wear some of my old flannel from this time. Anyway …

His podcast is great, especially if you love the 90s or came of age in the 90s, as I did.

So you know we dig into some of the great 90s vocalists, what these songs say about the 90s and Rob, and also how this podcast is actually stealth memoir over music criticism.

Hope you enjoy it. If you do, consider linking up to the show and tagging it @CNFPod. And if you want access to forthcoming audio magazines and want to support that endeavor (and pay writers!), head over to patreon.com/cnfpod.

Episode 251: Glenn Stout Brings to Life The Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America’s First Gangster Couple

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Glenn Stout returns for his fifth time to the podcast, this time to talk about his thrilling new book The Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America’s First Gangster Couple.

The book takes us to the 1920s, a time when wars were supposed to be a thing of the past, a pandemic wiped across the globe, and veterans coming from the Great War had little support at home. I’m glad all those things are a relic of the 20th century.

Episode 250: Lindsay Jones and Her Atavist Story ‘The Lives of Others’

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Lindsay Jones took a deep dive into the cottage hospital industry in Canada, specifically in Newfoundland, and what she found was shocking, alarming, but ultimately heart warming.

It was not unlike when the great journalist Earl Swift spent time on a small island town in Chesapeake Bay and said, “The process of being a fly on the wall doesn’t rely on folks forgetting you’re a reporter.”

And not unlike when Scott Eden made the trip down to Peru, or when Phil Hoad shadowed a couple pet detectives, Jones takes us to a new place, small, intimate, and beautiful.

Oh, and the writing is great, too.

Episode 249: Ximena Vengoechea on Life Audits, Listener Drain, and Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection

Become a Patron!

By Brendan O’Meara

Ximena Vengoechea is here to talk about her new book Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection (Portfolio).

I’ll be honest … this book made me realize what a horrible listener I am. For real.

But I put on my big-boy pants and started applying many of the tools in this wonderful book.

So far as self-helpy-type books go, Ximena’s is right up there with Seth Godin’s The Practice and Annie Duke’s How to Decide.

Brendan’s Monthly Newsletter: First of the month! No spam! Can’t beat it!

Brendan’s Monthly Newsletter: First of the month! No spam! Can’t beat it!

Brendan’s Monthly Newsletter: First of the month! No spam! Can’t beat it!

Brendan’s Monthly Newsletter: First of the month! No spam! Can’t beat it!

Brendan’s Monthly Newsletter: First of the month! No spam! Can’t beat it!