Episode 179: North Star with Sam Borden

August 31, 2023 Brian Moritz

Sam Borden of ESPN joins Brian this week to talk about reporting, interviewing, and life as a foreign correspondent.

Sam has probably the best job title of anyone we’ve had as a guest on the podcast — Global Sports Correspondent for ESPN. Sam talks about how he got that job, how he built a successful career as a sports journalist despite not being a sports fan, and how he finds stories to write.

Sam and Brian also talk about what life is really like as a foreign correspondent. It’s not all Hemingway and lunches on the Seine. Sam talks about finding fixers who can help you report in foreign languages, and how he tracked down Darko Milicic at an apple orchard in Serbia.

Sam also talks about the biggest difference between interviewing for broadcast and interviewing for a print piece, how the concept of the North Star can help any journalist.

Sam Borden on Twitter

Finding Darko

The Most Dangerous Game

Eternal Champions

Open by Andre Agassi

More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Percy Jackson and the Olympians boxed set

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Episode 178: Post-Threads World with Jenn Billinson

August 25, 2023 Brian Moritz

Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins us to talk about the state of social media, and what the heck is going on with Twitter and Twitter replacements.

Short answer: It’s a mess

Jenn and Brian talk about their reactions to Threads, why that seemed to fizzle out, and what’s next for space. Twitter/BlueSky/Threads. Jenn tells us how social media has changed in the decade she’s been teaching it, what research tells us about why people use Twitter (and twitter-like platforms), and how she teachers social media in a world like this.

In addition, we break down the potential fight between Elon and Zuckerberg. There is some Barbenheimer talk, of course.

Also, in what might become a new regular feature on the show, Jenn gives us the best TikTok Rabbit Hole she has gone down lately.

Jenn on Twitter

And on Threads

And on Bluesky because why not?

Arabian Perfume TikTok

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Episode 177: A Newsman's Newsman with Chuck Pollock

July 6, 2023 Brian Moritz

How did a guy who started his career in radio become one of the most influential newspaper sports journalists in the history of Western New York?

Chuck Pollock, Brian’s former boss and the longtime sports editor and columnist for The Times Herald in Olean, N.Y., joins Brian to talk about column writing, journalism, and his 50-year career.

Chuck traces his career from the Vietnam War, through radio in Pennsylvania, and to the newsroom on Norton Drive in Olean where he worked from 1973 to 2023. He talks about working for Mike Abdo and Bob Davies and why they were so influential on him. He talks about what it was like covering Buffalo sports in the 1970s writing for a family-owned newspaper, the changes in the industry, why he left the OTH and what’s next for him.

We talk about the single-best definition of news either one of us has ever heard, and why having a column every day is so vital for newspapers. And where did Chuck’s unique typing style come from?

A heartfelt goodbye to TH readers

The Best Newspaper Man I Ever Worked With

Chuck Pollock: Ending the Absence of Writing

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

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Epsiode 176: Adams Was a Baller with Bob Crawford

June 2, 2023 Brian Moritz

Bob Crawford, podcaster, history buff, and the bass player for The Avett Brothers (Brian's favorite band), joins Brian this week to talk his new podcast series, Founding Son: John Quincy's America.

Bob and Brian talk about what made John Quincy Adams stand out as a story worth telling, how Adams is the bridge between Washington and Lincoln, a vessel to tell the story of America between the revolution and the Civil War, and a good, good man. What stories about Adams did Bob most want to tell but had to cut?

Bob discusses how his story editor helped him focus not on the trees that were so fascinating but on the forest as a whole, how he developed his pitch for the show (and even forgot about it at one point), how he used Miro as an organizational tool, and the writing tip that he learned from Twitter.

Rabbit holes in this episode include Martin Van Buren, Abraham Lincoln, the Seward House in Auburn, N.Y., and spinning a stand-up bass.

Founding Son: John Quincy's America

The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln

Newspaper Archive

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Episode 175: Everything's About Us with Scott Nover

May 26, 2023 Brian Moritz

Scott Nover, a technology and media reporter for Quartz, joins Brian to talk about AI, media economics, and why it's so interesting to write about media.

Scott takes a break from watching the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on artificial intelligence for this episode. For real, though ... politicians can't understand Facebook.

Scott discusses his career path, why he became fascinated in writing and reporting on media, and what is most interesting to him in the AI space right now.

Brian and Scott also talk about why understanding business is fundamental to any career in journalism, and stratagies for making complex business concepts understandable to readers.

And man, we miss David Carr.

Scott Nover at Quartz

Scott on Twitter

OpenAI's Sam Altman got a warm welcome on Capitol Hill

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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Episode 174: Ride the Writing Wave with Arielle Beth Klein

May 18, 2023 Brian Moritz

Arielle Beth Klein, a playwright and actor, joins Brian to talk about her newly published play, "My Shiksa Boyfriend," and all things writing and creative.

Arielle tells us what it's like seeing her play for sale in the Drama Book Shop, and what it's like signing copies of her play to sell in the famed NYC book store. We bond over the awesomeness of Grace Aki.

Arielle describes how improv exercise in a college class set her on the road to being a playwright. She tells us the lasting lessons she's learned from Seth Barrish's storytelling workshops, why she works in 10-page spurts, and her favorite deleted scene from the show and why she cut it.

She also discusses How her experience and work as an actor informs her writing, and how her career as a writer informs her acting, and and her best advice for a young or new playwright

Arielle Beth Klein

Arielle's linktree

My Shiksa Boyfriend

Signing books at the Drama Book Shop

Just Start Podcast

The Red Shoe

Awakening to the Fifth Dimension

Episode 173: Low-Risk Person with Will Leitch

May 11, 2023 Brian Moritz

Will Leitch returns to the show to talk all about the writing of his excellent new novel, "The Time Has Come."

Will tells Brian how the writing of this book (“a feel-good book about a shooting!”) differed from his first novel, “How Lucky.” Will discusses how he structured the book, whether the plot or characters came first, and how he was able to make all of his main characters sound authentic to who they are. How do you write a Trump voter whom your readers will find likable - or at least able to empathize with?

Will and Brian talk about why making something specific actually makes it universal, how the novel’s setting of Athens, Georgia ties to the book’s larger theme, and how this book reflects his overall world view.

Pre-order The Time Has Come at IndieBound

Pre-order The Time Has Come at Amazon

All Will’s books on Amazon

Will’s Excellent Weekly Newsletter

The Rise and Fall of theThird Reich

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Episode 172: Primed to Write with Jenn McClearen

April 19, 2023 Brian Moritz

Dr. Jenn McClearen, an assistant professor at the University of Texas and author of the Substack newsletter Publish not Perish, joins Brian to talk about what makes academic writing so vexing, and some strategies to improve your writing and time management.

They talk about the crazy coincidence of the both being at the same, relatively small conference in Barcelona and not meeting there, and they discuss the research projects they brought to IACS and their respective interests in Naomi Osaka. The joys of eating in Barcelona and Spanish table wine.

The main topic is Jenn’s excellent newsletter, Publish Not Perish. Jenn tells the newsletter’s origin story and why she wants to make the academy more transparent. She discusses how to deal with the inherent structural challenges of academia, and the importance of reflecting on and trying different strategies and figuring out what works for you.

Publish not Perish

Jenn McClearen on Twitter

Micro Media Industries by Lori Kido Lopez

The Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse

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Episode 171: Now I Just Cry with Alysa Auriemma

April 13, 2023 Brian Moritz

For the record seventh time, Alysa Auriemma joins Brian to talk about writing. This time, the main topics are social media, making space for creative work, her next novel, and (of course) so much more.

Alysa talks about the reaction her first novel, All Daughter’s Rise, received and what the self-publishing process was like on the back end. She also discusses her plans for the second book in that series and why she’s shifting her writing focus to a new project. We break some news on this episode, as Alysa discusses her next book.

The main topic for Alysa and Brian is social media. Alysa’s off Twitter and has been for a while. Why’d she leave? What’s it like? How does she fill all that time?

Alysa Auriemma’s Amazon Page

All Daughter’s Rise

Ally Marcie Writes

Skeleton Crew: Stories by Stephen King (includes The Jaunt)

Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Episode 170: Under the Hood with Evan Drellich

February 10, 2023 Brian Moritz

Evan Drellich joins Brian to talk about his new book, Winning Fixes Everything, about the Houston Astros' cheating scandal.

Evan — who worked with Brian at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y. another lifetime ago — discusses how he and Ken Rosenthal broke the story of the Astros cheating scandal for The Athletic, what it's like when your reporting becomes the biggest sports story in the country, and how this is much more about players banging trash cans with bats.

Evan also talks about how this is much more than a sign-stealing scandal, how it's a book about corporate cut-throat culture that captures a lot of what was happening in industry in the 2010s, and how he developed those themes. He also talks about the writing lessons he drew from Bernard Malamud (and the late Charlie Jaworski) and his favorite Killers songs.

Winning Fixes Everything by Evan Drellich on Amazon

...and on IndieBound

Evan on Twitter

Evan at The Athletic

The original story on the Astros' scandal

The Complete Stories by Bernard Malamud

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Episode 169: Damar Hamlin with Tyler Dunne

January 5, 2023 Brian Moritz

Tyler Dunne tells us all about Damar Hamlin, what it was like to be in Cincinnati on Monday night, and about watching and covering football going forward.

Why Damar Hamlins is exactly what the Buffalo Bills need

The light in football’s most horrific hour

Podcast: Damar Hamlin, life, and football

The Chris Borland Effect

The Chasing MS Foundation Community Toy Drive

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Episode 168: Digital Media Suburb with Jeremy Littau

December 16, 2022 Brian Moritz

Jeremy Littau, a professor at Lehigh University, an expert in social media with some unfortunate opinions about candy, joins Brian to talk about the present and future of Twitter and new social platforms.

Jeremy talks about where things stood with Twitter as of Dec. 7, when we recorded this. He talks about the migration to Mastodon, why it’s Why its really complicated for people to decide whether or not to leave or join a social network, and why those options are not the same thing.

Jeremy also discusses his willingness to experiment with new digital media, and how he gets his students to think about the future with a bent toward curiosity

Jeremy Littau on Twitter

The Unraveling

Op-Ed: Thinking of leaving Twitter? Its experience is hard to replicate

Conversion via Twitter

Andrew Luck Reveals Why He Walked Away from the NFL

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Episode 167: Rabbit Holes with Pablo Torre

November 23, 2022 Brian Moritz

Pablo Torre, host of ESPN Daily, joins Brian to talk about interviewing, curiosity in reporting, and how podcasting sits at the middle of his professional Venn Diagram.

After a brief delay in starting this episode, Pablo talks about the career path that brought him to ESPN. He tells Brian how he brings a magazine-writer’s sensibility to a daily sports podcast, and why he is so wary about being a redundant voice. Pablo discusses the range of his interests and the show, whether it is taking time to discuss serious topics (mental health in sports, concussions) to approaching fun stories (was Jalen Rose really the first Jalen?) with the seriousness that Michael Caine brought to A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Pablo and Brian talk about the importance of curiosity and how to cultivate it, how he tries to bring out the best in his guests, and whether or not you can create chemistry between two people.

Alternate episode title: The science of butts

Pablo Torre on Twitter

ESPN Daily

JJ Redick on Mental Health vs. Mental Toughness

Inside the NFL’s Concussion Protocol with Alex Smith

Why NFL Scouts Love Big Butts

Is Jalen Rose the First Jalen? We Solve a Sports Mystery

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Episode 166: Kendall Oilers with Tyler Dunne

November 3, 2022 Brian Moritz

In our first-ever live event, Tyler Dunne returns to talk about his new book, “The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football.”

Listen to this episode for your chance to WIN A SIGNED COPY OF TY’S BOOK.

Tyler tells Brian why he decided to write a whole book about tight ends. Because, let’s face it, that’s an oddly specific topic. If, as Tyler said he learned, that the position of tight end chooses people, how did he choose to write about tight ends.

Tyler describes what he calls “a cross-country trip about the soul of the sport,” how he reported the book, and why it was so important to interview these tight ends in their own environments.

Tyler tells Brian how he approached writing the book like a series of long-form feature stories, how he balanced that and theme to turn those stories into a book, and how he balanced writing and reporting the book, running his own subscription newsletter AND raising a newborn and a toddler at the same time.

Tyler’s sixth-grade teacher drops also drops by (with Tyler’s football card from 2000)

The episode was recorded on October 27, 2022, at the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure. Thanks to Aaron Chimbel, the staff of the Jandoli School, and the Endowment for Excellence in Business Journalism for their support of the event.

The Blood and the Guts by Tyler Dunne on Amazon

… and at your local indie bookstore.

Tyler on Twitter

Go Long

The Last Folk Hero by Jeff Pearlman

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Episode 165: Walking Through Your Fear with Jeff Pearlman

October 27, 2022 Brian Moritz

Jeff Pearlman is back for either his 83rd or 905th appearance, depending on who’s counting. Jeff is back to chat about “The Last Folk Hero,” his outstanding new biography of Bo Jackson that is out this week.

Jeff describes what makes Bo Jackson so iconic and interesting, and why the first thing he did when he decided to write about Bo was to visit eBay.

Jeff did 720 interviews for this book, and he tells Brian who he wishes had been 721. Jeff walks through how he organized all this information with printouts and folders — “It’s a frickin’ nightmare.”

Jeff talks about what makes Bo’s story so intriguing as a writer, how he separated fact from myth, and if it was a bummer to learn the truth behind those myths. He discusses how he developed his writing style, the importance of making the extra call, and how you never stop being afraid but you learn to do what you have to do.

Alternate episode title: Life’s a Crapper

The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson

Jeff Pearlman’s Amazon Page.

Jeff on Twitter.

Afeni Skaur: Evolution of a Revolutionary by Jasmine Guy

Barkley: A Biography by Timothy Bella

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Episode 164: A 70-Word Sentence with Dr. Denny Wilkins

October 20, 2022 Brian Moritz

Denny Wilkins' story is that of a geology major from Massachusetts turned into a journalism professor at St. Bonaventure.

It’s also the story of a professor who taught a generation of St. Boanventure journalism graduates — Brian included — to omit needless words.

Denny and Brian, now colleagues at the Jandoli School of Communication, bring faculty meeting energy to this week’s episode. Denny discusses the challenges of teaching college students how to write, the importance of curiosity, and how he teaches it. Denny talks about his own journalism experiences, why he views himself as a coach, and what he learned from former St. Bonaventure women’s basketball coach (and current coach at Providence) Jim Crowley about teaching.

Can you make each sentence one word shorter? If so, you’re halfway to a better story.

Yep. He also talks about what Brian was like as a student. I immediately regret this decision.

Denny Wilkins

St. Bonaventure University Writing Style Guide

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte

The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future by Gretchen Bakke

Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World’s Most Common Man-Made Material by Robert Courland

The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Hentry Petroski

The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure by Henry Petroski

Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman

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Episode 163: Finding Your Sweet Spot with Dr. Catherine Pearlman

July 1, 2022 Brian Moritz

Dr. Catherine Pearlman joins Brian to talk about her new book, “First Phone: A child's guide to digital responsibility, safety and etiquette.”

Catherine discusses her career as a social worker, parenting coach and writer, how she got a syndicated column, and the writing lessons she learned from writing two columns a week for several years. She talks about how and why she decided to write a book specifically for kids, what it was like to write for kids, and what kids really think about smartphones. Digital education is a life-long process. Your kids will make mistakes in their digital life, what can they learn from them?

And sleep. Good lord, sleep is so important.

Catherine also talks about how she puts together a book proposal, why she likes to write at night, how she uses Notes to collect material and organize her work, and how she balanced writing a book about technology without it sounding dated.

The Family Coach

Catherine on Twitter

First Phone: A child's guide to digital responsibility, safety and etiquette

Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keffe

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

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Episode 162: The Fan's Reporter with Shoshana of BWay Sho

June 17, 2022 Brian Moritz

What’s it like to be at the Tony Awards?

How do you juggle being both a fan and a reporter?

How do you go from being a TV reporter in West Texas to creating your own site to cover Broadway?

What’s it like to spend an entire day wearing a fushsia ballgown around New York City?

Shoshana from BWaySho joins Brian to answer those questions and more. Shoshana and Brian talk about how TV taglines never leave you, why she doesn’t see herself as a critic, and the importance of just showing up.

This episode also features our first CONTEST. Check @TheOther51Pod for details.

Legally Blonde at The Muny

The Kite Runner Musical

Into the Woods

A Strange Loop

POTUS

Casey McQuiston’s books

Episode 161: Boom, Curtain with Grace Aki

June 10, 2022 Brian Moritz

Grace Aki, a playwright and performer, joins Brian to talk about her one-woman show, To Free A Mockingbird.

Here’s the secret. Grace didn’t actually “write” her one-woman show. Well she did. She talks about how she incrementally developed her show over a number of years, and how she used voice memos as her main tool to get material down.

Grace and Brian talk about the lessons she learned from Rick Crom and Seth Barrish, how important the ending and the climax of a show (or a story, or a beat) is, the through line in all of Grace’s work, and what the word storyteller means to her. Grace also gives fantastic advice on how to motivate yourself to do your own creative work.

They also talk ice cream. Let’s normalize meeting up for dessert the way people meet up for drinks!

Grace Aki’s website

To Free a Mockingbird tickets

Which Way to the Stage

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Episode 160: It Gots to Get Out with Chris Mackowski

April 21, 2022 Brian Moritz

Dr. Chris Mackwoski, an author and professor of communication at St. Bonaventure University, joins Brian to talk about writing, the Civil War, the secrets to productivity, and more.

Chris and Brian, who are colleagues at the Jandoli School of Communication, talk about Chris’ long and winding career path. Chris talks about how spending time as a radio reporter in Maine, working in public relations, working as a playwright and a blogger helped shaped him as a writer.

Chris describes his work writing about the Civil War, why he finds that topic to be so endlessly fascinating, and why he views himself as a writer who happens to write about history, not a historian. He discusses the importance of his writing environment and why that is key to his productivity, what time of day he’s always liked writing, Remember to take the time to take the walk.

Chris Mackowski’s books on Amazon

Emerging Civil War

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

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