The Study Hall Podcast

Shawna Kenney’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, VICE, PBS, and The New York Times. She’s the author of I Was a Teenage Dominatrix, a memoir. In this conversation, Shawna discusses her approach to publishing and teaching. She also shares insight into her DIY approach to publicity and the nuances of the creative nonfiction. 

Shawna is teaching a course for Study Hall; click here for more information: https://courses.outvoice.com/products/courses/pitch-perfect-workshop

If you're a Study Hall subscriber, check the latest newsletter for your 50% discount code.

Music by KT The Terrible

Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Vogue. She regularly writes her own newsletter (https://www.aliciakennedy.news/). In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alicia discusses how she started her newsletter, the state of food media, and integrating food justice concepts into her writing. 

Keep up with Alicia’s work: https://www.aliciakennedy.news

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

Music by KT The Terrible

Brian Merchant is a tech journalist who writes the “Blood In The Machine” newsletter. In this conversation, Brian discusses his ongoing project chronicling the impact of AI on the jobs market and explains why tech companies often lean into dystopia when marketing new products. He also offers his take on how AI is changing the media industry. 

Check out Brian’s newsletter: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz.

Music by KT The Terrible 

In this conversation, D.D. Guttenplan, the editor of The Nation, and Richard Kreitner, a contributing writer and host of the “Think Back” podcast (https://www.thinkbackpod.com/), chatted about The Nation’s 160th anniversary issue. With dispatches from 50 writers and arts across the 50 states, the issue ponders the current disunited of America. Guttenplan and Kreitner also chat about The Nation’s approach to foreign policy coverage and what it takes to spearhead an expansive project. 

For more about the issue: https://www.thenation.com/issue/july-august-2025-issue/

More info about Study Hall: https://studyhall.xyz/

Music by KT The Terrible

Sam Adler-Bell’s writing has appeared in New York Magazine and The New Republic. He’s also the co-host of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast. In this conversation with Daniel Spielberger, Sam chats about researching conservative figures, writing about the internal ideological divide amongst Democrats, and presenting leftist populism to a broader audience. 

Listen to the Know Your Enemy podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-your-enemy/id1462703434

More about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

Music by KT The Terrible

Zach Zimmerman is a comedian and writer whose work has been published in The New Yorker, Lithub, and other outlets. He’s also the author of the essay collection, “Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?” Recently, he released a comedy special, “Surprise Me” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM)

In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Zach shares how he got into standup comedy, his advice for managing rejection, and the art of writing a humorous essay. 

Watch “Surprise Me”:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM)

More info about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz

Music by KT The Terrible 

Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent at Axios. Along with CNN’s Jake Tapper, he co-authored the New York Times Bestselling book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alex shares why he was interested in covering Biden, what Democrats can take away from the book, political information bubbles, the current state of Washington D.C. journalism, and restoring trust in media institutions.

For more information about Original Sin: https://sites.prh.com/originalsin/

For more information about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

Music by KT The Terrible 

Mike Isaac is a technology correspondent for The New York Times who has been covering Meta and Silicon Valley. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Mike discusses his experience covering the FTC vs. Meta trial, deepfakes, and the rise of AI. In addition, Mike offers some tips on how reporters can find overlooked stories.

Keep up with Mike’s work: https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isaac

More information about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz 

Music by KT The Terrible

Kat Tenbarge is an independent reporter who writes at Spitfire News. Before Spitfire News, Kat was a reporter at NBC News and Insider.  In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kat chats about her experience pivoting to independent multimedia reporting, the significance of the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni case, and her coverage of Disney Adults.

Find out more about Spitfire News:https://spitfirenews.com/

Find out more about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz 

Music by KT The Terrible

Marisa Kabas runs the politics-focused newsletter The Handbasket. Marisa has been covering the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to the federal government and deportations. 

In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, she discusses why she started The Handbasket, what it’s like getting scoops as an independent journalist, and how she navigates the dynamic of legacy media outlets failing to attribute reporting to independent journalists.

More information about The Handbasket: https://www.thehandbasket.co/

More information about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

Music by KT The Terrible