Episode 154: It Wasn't My Idea with Leah Stacy

October 22, 2021 Brian Moritz

Leah Stacy joins us to talk about life as an independent, freelance writer and journalist.

Leah first joined us back in 2016, when she was a professor at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. This week, she and Brian talk about what she’s been up to since then. Topics include:

Leah’s professional and life strategy.
The scariest part about deciding to go independent, and how she overcame that.
How she accidentally got into writing about the food and beverage industry, and what she looks for in telling a restaurant’s story, and what 2020–2021 have been like for restaurants.
The upcoming launch of her new print literary magazine, Lilac.
How good a writer Taylor Swift is.

Leah Stacy

Leah on Twitter

Lilac Magazine

Writers and Lovers by Lily King

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Ritz And Escoffier by Luke Barr

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Leah Stacy joins us to talk about life as an independent, freelance writer and journalist.

Leah first joined us back in 2016, when she was a professor at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. This week, she and Brian talk about what she's been up to since then. Topics include:

Leah's professional and life strategy.
The scariest part about deciding to go independent, and how she overcame that.
How she accidentally got into writing about the food and beverage industry, and what she looks for in telling a restaurant's story, and what 2020-2021 have been like for restaurants.
The upcoming launch of her new print literary magazine, Lilac.
How good a writer Taylor Swift is.

Leah Stacy

Leah on Twitter

Lilac Magazine

Writers and Lovers by Lily King

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Ritz And Escoffier by Luke Barr

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Episode 153: A Snake Did It with Stuart Turton

September 30, 2021 Brian Moritz

Stuart Turton, the best-selling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water, joins Brian to talk about writing, plot, Agatha Christie and more.

A former journalist (among many other jobs), Stuart wrote two of the Moritz family's favorite books of the past three years. Among other topics, Stuart and Brian discuss:

How, exactly, did he plot out insanely intricate plot of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle?
The amount of research he did for The Devin and the Dark Water. You'll learn something you never would have guessed about a ship's poop deck.
How he sees his young daughter in The Devil and the Dark Water.
Why he loves Agatha Christie, and why Brian is horribly wrong about his favorite work of hers.
How his characters take on lives of their own, and what that feels like as a writer.
Why being able to pack a backpack well is not exactly a translatable skill.

Stuart Turton on Twitter

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Devil and the Dark Water

And Then there Were None

Three Blind Mice and other stories

An Instance of the Fingerposts

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Episode 152: Bus Bubble with Tania Elizabeth

September 23, 2021 Brian Moritz

Grammy and Juno-award winning musician Tania Elizabeth joins Brian to talk about the writing and recording of her upcoming album and more.

Tania’s been a touring musician for nearly her entire life, and has spent the past seven years playing fiddle in the Avett Brothers. Before that, she was a founding member of The Duhks and toured extensively both on her own and as an accompanist. In 2021, she recorded her first solo record in nearly 10 years and hopes to release it in 2022.

Tania and Brian discuss:

The difference between a song and a fiddle tune
What the pandemic was like for someone who’s been a touring musician since she was 16.
The value of editing, both in songwriting and recording
Tania’s songwriting process, and the importance of vulnerability in her art

Tania Elizabeth

Tania on Instagram

Listen to Tania’s music on Spotify

Dan Frechette

The Work of Byron Katie

Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss

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Episode 151: Sugartooth with Dr. Molly Yanity

June 10, 2021 Brian Moritz

Five years ago, Brian started a podcast about writing, and his first guest was his dear friend, Dr. Molly Yanity.

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Molly returns to talk about sports journalism, Brandi Carlile, academic writing and more.

Molly talks about how her writing live has changed over the past five years, how she balances writing with teaching and administrative work. Here's the secret — being a sports writer was way harder than being in academia. Molly also describes how teaching sports journalism for a number of years made her better at sports writing when she covered the WNBA for The Athletic.

Molly discusses her upcoming edited book about the 2019 Women's World Cup, and she turns the tables on Brian and asks him questions for a change. She puts him on the spot really quickly. They also geek out about the best things they've read lately.

Thanks to all of you who've listened and shared over the past five years. To many more!

Molly Yanity

Molly on Twitter

2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Media, Fandom, and Soccer’s Biggest Stage

Episode 89: Unintended Consequences Might Ensue with Bob Costas

Broken Horses: A Memoir by Brandi Carlile

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The Overstory by Richard Powers

How Lucky by Will Leitch

Colson Whitehead books

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Episode 150: The Dare I see with John Branch

May 27, 2021 Brian Moritz

John Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The New York Times and author of the upcoming anthology, “Sidecountry,” joins Brian to talk about his career as a writer and reporter.

John talks about the process of putting together the anthology of his sports writing from The Times, and what it’s like to be a reporter who never re-reads his stories to go back over his past work. He talks about how he remembers the experience of writing and reporting his stories much more than the stories themselves. He also talks about what life as a reporter is like after winning a Pulitzer, what it’s like when one of stories becomes a verb, and the backstory of how Snowfall became a multimedia piece.

He and Brian also do a deep dive into his journalistic philosophy, “I try to write stories you didn’t know you wanted to read.”

John Branch

John on Twitter

Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports

Snowfall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek

What Is A Summit

The Bear’s Ears by David Roberts

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

How Lucky by Will Leitch

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Episode 149: My Mom Was Right with Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

May 7, 2021 Brian Moritz

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, a sports writer for The Athletic, joins Brian to talk about journalism, social media, and her upcoming book, “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.”

Lyndsey describes her twisty career path that took her from college to an office job in Boston to an office job at the Buffalo News and finally back to sports writing. She tell Brian how using Twitter turned her career around in a good way (for real — she’s the one) and how she advocates for women’s sports while maintaining journalistic distance.

Lyndsey tells Brian about how she and co-author Britni de le Cretaz came up with the idea for the book on the NWFL, how they divided the the writing and reporting, how they got sources to trust them with their stories, and why these untold stories are so important.

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo

Lyndsey on Twitter

Courtside Column: The WNBA’s first game was a defining moment for me

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League

Broken Horses: A Memoir by Brandi Carlile

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Episode 148: This Ain't The Rosedale Library with Dave Bidini

April 29, 2021 Brian Moritz

Dave Bidini, an author, guitar player in the Rheostatics, and publisher of the West End Phoenix, joins Brian to talk all things writing and journalism.

Dave and Brian revisit “On A Cold Road,” the oral history/diary Dave wrote after his band toured with The Tragically Hip in 1996. Dave talks about what that book means to him all these years later.

Dave discusses the importance of his family's typewriter, why books were magical to him as a kid and what books and writing were formative to him as a young man. Dave also defends sportswriting and discusses how the structure and the language of great sports journalism influences his own work.

Dave talks about his songwriting process (hint: there is no process), why he started the West End Phoenix, and why community journalism is so vital now.

Dave on Twitter

West End Phoenix

Dave’s books

On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock

Rheostatics on Spotify

Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic

Love: A Novel

Alexandra Fuller’s books

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Episode 147: Make Your Editor Happy with Will Leitch

April 23, 2021 Brian Moritz

Will Leitch joins Brian to talk about pandemic life, sports journalism and Will’s upcoming novel, How Lucky.

Will and Brian talk about their lives during the pandemic, how sports journalism survived its self-perceived existential crisis, and how sports’ return helped pave the the way for a return to normalcy.

Will then talks about his upcoming book, which he calls the purest distillation of what he feels abut the world. He talks about how he came up with the idea for How Lucky, why he wanted to write a story about someone with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and the history of the internet, and why he decided to write it as a novel. Will describes his Wonderboys moment with his agent and what it was like when he found out that Stephen King liked his book.

There’s also advice for young writers (and Brian) about how to be more disciplined as a writer. Yes, it’s hard. The trick is to trick yourself out of not doing something.

Will Leitch on Twitter

Will’s Weekly Newsletter

How Lucky on Amazon

How Lucky on Bookstore

Episode 7: Creative Wigwams with Will Leitch

Kevin Wilson’s books

The Shakespeare Requirement by Julia Schumacher

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Episode 146: Good's Not Enough with Jeff Passan

March 11, 2021 Brian Moritz

A warning: This episode includes discussion about suicide, depression and anxiety. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273- TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Jeff Passan, an ESPN MLB Insider, joins Brian to do a deep dive into his remarkable story on San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Drew Robinson.

Jeff describes how he first learned about Robinson’s attempted suicide, how he connected with Robinson over FaceTime, and how his years breaking transactions as a baseball reporter made this story possible, Jeff walks through how he consulted with experts on suicide before even interviewing Robinson, tells how his seven-hour interview with Drew was the most emotionally taxing thing he’s ever done in journalism, describes what it was like to interview his family members and the details that still stick with him. Jeff also talks about important figuring out the story’s structure was and what it was it like to sit down to write, knowing how important a story this was.

Jeff and Brian also talk about their experiences as Buffalo News sports interns, and why desk people are their favorite people.

Jeff Passan on Twitter

Drew Robinson’s Remarkable Second Act

Alive: The Drew Robinson Story

Reporting on Suicide

Reporting on Suicide Recommendations

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Inside the dual legacies of NFL players’ union boss DeMaurice Smith

Facebook is a Doomsday Machine

I Am Not A Solider, but I’ve Been Trained to Kill

New York Times Columnist David Brooks Blogged For Facebook’s Corporate Site

Pappyland by Wright Thompson

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Episode 145: Cultural Cartography with Michael Mirer

February 25, 2021 Brian Moritz

Dr. Michael Mirer, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, joins Brian to talk about researching and teaching journalism.

Michael and Brian talk about the challenges of brining writing classes to the online environment. Michael also describes his career path from a kid in Detroit who wanted to write for a literary magazine, to being a sports journalists in the oil patch of New Mexico and California, to eventually graduate school in Wisconsin.

Michael, who is probably the leading scholar in boundary work in sports journalism, breaks down exactly what “boundary work” is, why it’s so important to understanding journalism in 2021, and the evolving relationship between sports journalists and team websites. He tells Brian why teaching professionalism is the most important thing to teach journalism students, and how journalists need to embrace change rather than fight it.

Michael Mirer on Twitter

Michael on Google Scholar

Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Grant by Ron Chernow

The inheritance of Archie Manning by Wright Thompson

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Support Me on Ko-fi

Episode 144: Obscure Musicals with Jennifer Ashley Tepper

February 18, 2021 Brian Moritz

Jennifer Ashley Tepper, a Broadway producer, historian and author joins Brian to talk about the fourth volume of her delightful series, The Untold Stories of Broadway.

Jennifer (who produced Be More Chill), talks about where her love of obscure and forgotten musicals comes from, and how that obsession turned into a book series. She talks about the decision to frame her books by each Broadway theater. Jennifer also talks about how her research and writing process has evolved in the past decade, and how her writing and editing process is like assembling a puzzle.

Jennifer also tells Brian about the Fallen Five theaters and gives him her best quick story for each of the three Broadway theaters he’s been to.

Jennifer Ashley Tepper

Jennifer on Twitter

The Untold Stories of Broadway, Vol. 4

The Untold Stories series

Two Kids and a Broadway Star Episode 6: Jennifer Ashley Tepper

Not Since Carrie by Ken Mendalbaum

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

Dancing Man by Bob Avian

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Episode 143: Back to the Book with Rob Rokicki

December 30, 2020 Brian Moritz

Composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki joins Brian to do a deep dive into The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.

Rob and Brian talk about The Lightning Thief’s long journey from a one-hour free show made for kids to a full-on Broadway musical. Rob discusses how he got involved in the project, how he became familiar with the world of Percy Jackson and how he worked to make a show that rang true to the series’ devoted fans. Rob describes how he worked collaboratively with book writer Joe Tracz to stay true to the books, how early feedback from kids kept them on track, what scene from the book they learned they absolutely had to keep, and how Rob used different instruments to find the voices of each character.

Rob also talks about how he spent 2020, the importance of equity in theater, and what people can do to support theater during the COVID–19 shutdown.

Rob Rokicki on Spotify

Rob on Twitter

Rob’s Website

The Lightning Thief Musical

The Actors Fund

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Geva Theater Center

Syracuse Stage

Spotlight Studios

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The River by Peter Heller

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Episode 142: Bet On Yourself with Tyler Dunne

December 16, 2020 Brian Moritz

Tyler Dunne returns to the show to talk about his new NFL newsletter, Go Long.

Tyler discusses why he decided to start a newsletter with Substack and why he believes this is the future of sports journalism. He talks about the lessons he learned from watching his dad start his own company and what it means to bet on yourself.

Tyler and Brian also talk about the challenges of reporting via Zoom and how the early morning hours can be the best time of day to write.

There is also much praise for the Buffalo Bills and Jeff Pearlman. Also, Tyler’s dog Ed - the breakout Instagram Star of Quarantine — makes an appearance.

[Go Long with Tyler Dunne](https://www.golongtd.com/

Tyler on Twitter

The Pressure is on Josh Allen

What Sammy Watkins Believes

Three-Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman

Episode 132: Role Players with Jeff Pearlman

Episode 96: A Little Kelly Tripuka with Tyler Dunne

Episode 3: Tyler Dunne

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Episode 141: Magic and Kindness with Keith and Juliet Giglio

December 9, 2020 Brian Moritz

Screenwriters Keith and Juliet Giglio join Brian to talk about writing Christmas movies for Lifetime, including their most recent, Dear Christmas.

Keith, a professor at Syracuse University, and Juliet, a professor at SUNY-Oswego (where Brian teaches), talk about how their careers took them from being screenwriters in Los Angeles to academics in Central New York, and how an off-handed comment about the Christmas Prince led them to pitching and writing their first Christmas movie, “A Very Nutty Christmas.” Keith and Juliet describe how they pitch their movies to Paula and Melissa Joan Hart, how they use index cards and Trello to break stories, and how they collaborate on their scripts.

The couple also discuss their four favorite Christmas movies. There is much praise for Jack Black.

Dear Christmas

A Very Nutty Christmas

Christmas Reservations

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Support Me on Ko-fi

Episode 140: Teacher Voice and Lawyer Mode with Jason Zenor

December 3, 2020 Brian Moritz

Jason Zenor, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego, joins Brian to talk about media law issues and his new book, Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues.

Jason (whose office is two doors down from Brian’s) talks about how he wrote his new textbook and why he saw a market for a book like this. He discusses how he got interested in writing and thinking about virtual reality, artificial intelligence, avatars and how existing media law can apply to these new areas, what it was look turning his research into an accessible textbook, and the challenges of writing for legal and journalistic audiences.

In addition, there is talk of long-suffering Boston sports fans (really, this happens) and a discussion about when it’s appropriate for grown ups to wear jerseys.

Jason Zenor

Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues

How to be an Antiracist

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Episode 139: Full Historian Mode with Amy Bass

November 19, 2020 Brian Moritz

Amy Bass, a professor of sports studies at Manhattanville College, joins Brian to do a deep dive into the writing and reporting of her book, “One Goal.”

Amy talks about how she first learned the story of the Lewiston High School soccer team and what drew her to it as a potential book. She talks about how she developed the trust of the coaching staff and of the Somali refugee community there. Amy describes her reporting style as “hanging out” and discusses what that logistically looks like. She also talks about how she took the results of all that hanging out and turned it into a book.

Amy also talks about how sticking to sports means talking about politics, race, gender, etc.

Episode Links

Amy Bass

Amy Bass on Twitter

One Goal by Amy Bass

The Resisters by Gish Jen

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Episode 138: Fly on the Wall with Joe Posnanski

November 12, 2020 Brian Moritz

It’s Episode 138. A true milestone for every podcast. And to celebrate, there is only one guest we could have — Joe Posnanski from The Athletic returns.

And to celebrate, Joe breaks some news and announces what his next book will be!

In addition to the news, Joe and Brian talk about the different mindsets that different types of writing require. Joe gives advice on how young writers can learn to loosen up a bit in their work. You have to master the notes, then master the music, then forget all that and just play.

Joe and Brian also have a minute of meaninglessness, and come to terms with the fact that the Bills and Browns are actually good.

Episode links:

Joe at The Athletic

Joe on Twitter

JoeBlogs

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

The Baseball 100

Tiger and Time

The Queen’s Gambit

Episode 4:Joe Posnanski

Episode 100: The Amazing and the Impossibe with Joe Posnanski

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Episode 137: On the Front Lines with the First Amendment

October 29, 2020 Brian Moritz

The panel discussion from the 16th Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, hosted virtually by SUNY-Oswego on Oct. 28, 2020.

This discussion was produced in conjunction with the SUNY Oswego School of Communication, Media and the Arts and the SUNY Oswego CTS department.

Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit

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Episode 136: Bubble Adjacent with Tim Bontemps

October 22, 2020 Brian Moritz

Tim Bontemps, an NBA reporter for ESPN, returns to talk about reporting, working at ESPN and life in the NBA Bubble.

The main topic is Tim’s 76 days in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. Tim tells Brian about the two different bubbles in Orlando and what life was like in the Yellow Bubble. Tim described his daily routine, how he reported when he had no direct access to players or coaches, and what it was like to be in arena with no fans.

Tim also talks about his move from the Washington Post to ESPN, what advice he’d give young reporters who want to join him at ESPN, and how being a good reporter is like making friends.

Tim on Twitter

This is bad for America but great for us

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Episode 135: I Spoke Up with Julie DiCaro

October 15, 2020 Brian Moritz

Sports writer, radio host, and author Julie DiCaro discusses her upcoming book, her career in sports media and more.

Julie talks about her career path from public defender to sports columnist. Julie and Brian discuss the surprising similarities between practicing law and being a sports columnist and how being a lawyer prepared Julie to write about sports. Julie also talks about representation in sports media and the notion of "see it to be it."

The main topic is Julie’s book, “Sidelined,” which is scheduled for a March release. Julie tells Brian the story of the book, her writing process and what she learned about writing a book from this experience.

Julie DiCaro

Pre-order “Sidleined”

How the Breonna Taylor case went so wrong

Last

Killers of the Flower Moon

The Searcher

Caste

The New Jim Crow

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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