Journalist Bradley Hope talks narrative writing and the future of AI

In a new Q&A with the Sunday Long Read, journalist Bradley Hope chats about his recent story for WIRED: a deep dive into the deadly sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, which sank off the coast of Italy during a storm last year, killing seven people—including the vessel’s billionaire owner, Michael Lynch.  

The yacht’s tragic, and initially unexplained, sinking immediately became fodder for conspiracy theorists. This year, Hope painstakingly unraveled the full story for WIRED.

In a wide-ranging interview with SLR, Hope gives behind-the-scenes details about the reporting of that story, and also weighs in on the value of writing across different mediums, the pros and cons of AI, and his hope for the future of narrative writing.  

Hope is a journalist, a bestselling author and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He is also the co-founder of the production company Brazen.

This episode was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

Sunday Long Read co-founder Jacob Feldman talks with ProPublica’s Max Blau in a wide-ranging conversation about his piece “I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network, the art of combining investigative and feature reporting and what it was like to see his story adapted for a stage performance. This episode was recorded in July live at the University of Georgia, in partnership with the school’s Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction. 

This episode was hosted by Jacob Feldman and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie. This episode would not have been possible without the help and support of Monimala Basu, the director of the MFA program at the University of Georgia. 

Show notes : 

2:18 : ProPublica author page

2:20 : “I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network (ProPublica)

3:08 : Creative Loafing author page; Atlanta Magazine author page; CNN author page

3:15 : Max Blau’s personal website

3:38 : About the Local Reporting Network (ProPublica)

4:10 : Sunken Costs (ProPublica)

6:25 : An Unbelievable Story of Rape (ProPublica & The Marshall Project)

6:48 : T. Christian Miller’s ProPublica author page

6:50 : Ken Armstrong’s Marshall Project author page

6:50 : Lizzie Presser’s ProPublica author page

6:51 : Ava Kofman’s ProPublica author page

18:45 : Jason Molina’s long dark blues (Chicago Reader)

59:00 : How Jim White Helped His Bluebird Spread Her Wings (Sunday Long Read)

The Sunday Long Read chats with Bloomberg’s Patrick Clark about one of his latest articles: a deep dive into the hotel chain Hampton Inn, and why its reputation as being "rigorously OK” has led, unexpectedly, to world domination. 

Read Patrick's story : American Mid: Hampton Inn’s Good-Enough Formula for World Domination

As Americans take some of their last summer vacations this Labor Day weekend, Clark digs into everything from Hampton Inn’s “good-enough” business formula, to the perceived value of a free hotel breakfast, to the reporting process when writing about the country’s largest hotel chain. 

Clark covers housing, hotels and real estate for Bloomberg.

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Justin Greenawald. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

Q&A: Thinking about your sun exposure this summer? Journalist Rowan Jacobsen has answers

As summer officially kicks off, Behind the Story host Amanda Ulrich chats with fellow journalist Rowan Jacobsen about his in-depth reporting on sunlight and sun exposure—and its many benefits you may not know about. Rowan gives his take on when you should wear sunscreen, how to write a narrative-driven science story, and whether or not moving to a sunny place may just be the key to longevity. 

Rowan is a journalist and author who writes about science and nature for many publications, including most recently for Scientific American. He is a current media fellow with Nova Institute for Health. 

8:24 Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? (Outside)

8:40 Against Sunscreen Absolutism (The Atlantic)

9:00 Australia’s sun safety guidelines updated to take account of diverse skin types (The Guardian)

35:44 An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives (Outside)

35:47 Truffle Hound (Bloomsbury Publishing)

Talking ’60s rock and the art of the celebrity interview with Geoff Edgers

Behind the Story host and journalist Amanda Ulrich chats with The Washington Post’s Geoff Edgers about everything music and pop culture — from Edgers’ recent story about a group of diehard Kinks fans, to his approach to interviewing celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and the late Norm Macdonald.

His biggest reporting tips? Don’t be afraid to reach out to big names for an interview (repeatedly) and then spend as much time with them as possible. Show notes :

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

SLR podcast host and writer Amanda Ulrich talks with fellow journalist Rhana Natour about her National Magazine Award-winning story, "Coming to America." That piece, written for The Atavist Magazine last year, tells the story of one teenager from Gaza: 14-year-old Layan Albaz, who lost both of her legs in an Israeli airstrike and traveled to the United States for medical treatment.

Read Rhana's story : Coming to America

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

Host and journalist Amanda Ulrich chats with fellow writer Natalia Galicza of Deseret Magazine about her reporting on solitary confinement, the future of long-form journalism, and Natalia's surprise at being selected as a finalist for a National Magazine Award.

Read Natalia’s Deseret Magazine story : What’s the future of solitary confinement?

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

In a new piece for Vanity Fair, author and presidential historian James Robenalt, who has written about commanders in chief from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, uncovers the full story of JFK and Jackie’s surprising and little-known home video — and what it might say about the late president’s state of mind in his final months.

The SLR’s Amanda Ulrich talks to Robenalt about the story, his interest for the former president, and political assassination attempts. 

Read James’ piece : Why JFK Staged His Own Murder in a James Bond–Inspired Spy Film—2 Months Before His Assassination

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

The first time Caity Weaver, a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, heard about the legend of Zozobra, she stumbled upon it almost by accident. Back in 2018, Weaver and her now-husband happened to be visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the sole night of the year when one of the country’s most unique celebrations was taking place.

In her latest piece, Weaver delves into the broader idea of Zozobra, a gigantic effigy made of wood and wire and cloth burned down as part of a festival. The piece begs one evergreen question: Could this quirky annual rite be Santa Fe’s unexpected “secret to happiness”?

Read Caity’s piece : One City’s Secret to Happiness: The Annual Burning of a 50-Foot Effigy

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

This holiday season, we are rereleasing some of our favorite Sunday Long Read Podcast episodes of all time. A few years ago, SLR cofounder Don Van Natta Jr. spoke to his friends and colleagues, Wright Thompson and Seth Wickersham about their careers, finding your voice in writing and share some fun stories : 

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was produced by Matthew Whitehurst. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.