Write About Now

Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of 19th Century American History at Boston College and author of the immensely popular and lucrative Substack newsletter, "Letters from An American." On the pod, she talks about how she built up over 1.5 million followers on Facebook, why she chose Substack as her medium, how she chooses her topics. She also shares what history can teach us about the present, and how understanding what happened in 1850s can help us navigate today's news. Heather also gives us permission to take a break from social media and the news to connect with literature and the arts, suggesting that our society may be better off for it. Finally, she talks about how she works with her six closest friends to decide what she will print.

One of my favorite non-fiction books of all time is S.C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon, which tells the dramatic story of Quanah Parker and the Comanches. Quanah was the son of Cynthia Ann Parker, a frontier girl who was kidnapped by the Comanches when she was 9 years old and recaptured by the Texas Rangers when she was about 33. Her son Quanah went on to become a great warrior for the Comanches. In this episode, I revisit a fascinating 2019 conversation with Gwynne.

From funk to punk, pop to power ballads, Boy George to breakdancing, the year 1984 is largely regarded as the golden era of music. This week, I welcome Michaelangelo Matos, author of Can't Slow Down, to talk about what made 1984 such an important year in the industry. We discuss artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince Springsteen, Run DMC, Husker Du, and the most important 1984 song. We also discuss the lull in music leading up to its renaissance in 1984, and what happened in the late 80's that we wish we could forget. We also discuss both the business and cultural movements forward that 1984 gave us, from MTV to Boy George and breakdancing.

Do you try hard to be a “good” person? This week’s guest Dolly Chugh says that striving to be “good-ish” may be good enough. Dolly is a social psychologist and Associate Professor at NYU’s Stern School. She is also the author of The Person You Mean To Be, where she mixes science and evidence-based research with mindset tips to help the reader better understand themselves and learn what it means to be more inclusive. On the pod, Dolly shares why it’s so hard to spot our biases and acknowledge mistakes, and how to let go of the attachment to being a “good person” and step into real growth. Dolly and I discuss how our moral identity in society plays a role in how we show up and hope to be seen by others, and some obstacles that stand in the way of us being a truly “good” person. She gives concrete tips on being more inclusive in a virtual world, and how she found her community as a writer.

In 2001, when writer Jill McCabe Johnson heard the details about a newly caught "Green River Killer" named Gary, she thought a few of the details matched a man she met and took home from a country-western bar in Seattle as a young and eager 18 year old girl. However familiar the description was, she shrugged it off first as a coincidence. Then, the more evidence mounted, the more it became undeniable that it was the same Gary she remembered sitting outside her own apartment a decade before. This June, Jill used her writing and investigative skills to pen an essay about her chilling discovery for Slate. As a prolific poet, Jill was used to an audience, but this story attracted attention and interest from thousands worldwide. Many wrote in to share their own close calls with serial killers, including Ted Bundy. 

Jill joins me this week to talk about her chance meeting with a serial killer who later was convicted of killing 49 women and girls (probably more), one of those victims also living in her same apartment complex. She shares how most serial killers come across not only normal, but charming and charismatic, and her conflicting emotions around this story even to this day. Jill opens up about why she decided to write Gary Leon Ridgway as he lived out his sentence at a Washington State penitentiary. Lastly, Jill gives great memoir writing advice for owning your pain without being a victim, and transcending your self pity.

Espree Devora is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Women in Tech and WeAreLATech podcast. Many know Espree and rely on her for great advice surrounding the present and future of tech and podcasting, but as we learn this week, we’ve still got a lot to learn about this dynamic community builder and creative woman. Espree talks about her passion for writing including time studying poetry in Paris, and how she blocks off time in her busy schedule to make time to write. Espree also talks about how she got involved in tech, and shares all too relatable emotions around not finishing her project. Espree talks about networking in a way that doesn’t play off people’s pain, writing for the audience you want, and a few of her proudest moments unifying a global community of women in tech, helping them hack their way into play. She also shares some wonderful and practical tools for finding your community and developing your personal brand.

My guest this week is Dr. Jud Brewer, New York Times best selling author, Addiction Psychiatrist, and pioneer in the world of getting people to change their habits and enjoy life a little more. Dr. Jud is the author of the much needed book, Unwinding Anxiety, which uses proven and science based techniques to help the reader break the cycle of worry and find new more productive habits. In this episode, Dr. Jud first defines what anxiety is and how we can observe it in ourselves, he shares how he got into the creation of the mindfulness based app also called Unwinding Anxiety, and tells us the three gears to break the anxious loop and become more curious about the world around us.

Rima Fujita is my guest this week. She is the extraordinary artist behind the stunning new picture book called The Extraordinary Life of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illuminated Journey. Rima talks about the high honor of being asked by one of the Dalai Lama's confidants to create this book which both captivates readers and shares the details behind His Holiness that have never been shared before. Rima shares her journey into art, coming to the United States from Japan at the age of 15, and her journey to find meaning and heart in her community after quickly becoming a celebrated creator in the New York art scene. Rima talks about the voice that spoke clearly to her, telling her she needed to help Tibet, and now her Books for Children organization has donated over 15,000 books to Tibetan children in exile. Rima tells us what it was like to sit down and interview the Dalai Lama for an hour, and how he is a shining example of creating happiness within despite going through the hard times that life presents.

My guest is Danielle Henderson, TV writer and author of the moving and thoughtful new memoir THE UGLY CRY. She talks about using humor as a way to process some of the strange and disturbing events throughout her childhood, and chronicles what it was like to find solace and protection from abuse as her one of a kind and tough as nails grandmother. Danielle speaks about creating her very popular site Feminist Ryan Gosling, and gives advice to writers who feel as though they are starting without any connections to the publishing industry. Danielle's writing credits also include NY Times, Buzzfeed, and the Netflix project Maniac.

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