Write About Now

2020 is the year of the cult. TV shows, documentaries, bestsellers, and podcasts flood popular culture with stories of charismatic leaders and their brainwashed followers. The word is even being used to describe Donald Trump and his conspiracy-loving acolytes. But what is a cult? How do they work and why do otherwise normal people become involved in them? Our guest is therapist Rachel Bernstein, an expert in cultic groups who counts over 80 former cult members as clients. Rachel is also the host of the terrific podcast Indoctrination, which features interviews with former cultists.  

Stanley Kubrick was one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. With classics such as Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the director changed the way we viewed the world. Guest David Mikics has written an engrossing new book called "Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker," which explores the personal side of Kubrick's films. We talk about what made his movies so powerful, his controversial approach to working with people, and the lessons we can take from his genius. 

Looking for a way to earn some extra money as a writer? There are plenty of side hustle opportunities if you know where to look. In Part 1 of our side hustle series, we talk to married couple Alexander and Sarabeth Lewis of Lewis Commercial Writing, who have found great success in business copywriting. What is that exactly? It's creating copy for businesses hungry for content in all sorts of forms: blogs, white papers, conversion copy, emails, UX, to name a few. In this episode, the Lewis's lay out what's selling, who's hiring, and how to get a piece of the action. 

In this age of social media distraction and "doom scrolling," the ability to be present is often lost. My guest Rob Walker offers a solution to this predicament. In his book and newsletter "The Art of Noticing," he gives suggestions on becoming a clearer thinker, a better listener, and a more creative person. We discuss the power of being able to turn away from your devices and become a "first-class noticer," seeing what others overlook and paying attention to what seemed invisible to everyone else. 

How will Donald Trump's narcissism play out over the next few months? Guest Dr. Bandy Lee offers a sobering analysis. She is a forensic psychiatrist, president of the World Mental Health Coalition, and author of bestsellers The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump and Trump’s Mind and America’s Soul. On the pod, she explains Trump's mental disorder and his uncanny ability to amass so many followers. Dr. Lee also offers some suggestions on how to manage the anxiety so many of us are feeling right now. 

Misinformation and disinformation fill the news, our social feeds, and our minds in a time when the truth is more important than ever. How do we as readers and writers separate facts from fiction? Thomas C. Foster has some answers. He is the author of How To Read Nonfiction Like a Professor and professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan, Flint. In this episode of Write About Now, we talk about the election, the pandemic, and other hot-button topics and cover essential strategies for becoming better readers, thinkers, and consumers of media. 

When Rebecca Deng was just six years old, rebels soldiers ransacked her village in South Sudan, killing her parents and loved ones. Rebecca escaped into the forest and wandered 1,000 miles to a refugee camp in Kenya. She ultimately found asylum in Michigan. Her riveting tale is captured in a new memoir called What They Meant for Evil. On the podcast, Rebecca shares her amazing journey both in war-torn Africa and in her strange new land of Grand Rapids. She also talks of survivor guilt and managing to stay sane in incredibly stressful situations. 

Is there life beyond Earth? The question has fascinated famed astrophysicist Sara Seager her entire life. In her new memoir, she chronicles the trials and tribulations of researching exoplanets, while enduring heartache closer to home. Seager was widowed at the age of 40, leaving her a single mom with two young children. Around this time, she also discovered she was on the autism spectrum. This is her moving story of looking within while gazing at the stars.  

'Games of Thrones' ended in 2019, but the fascination with the epic TV series will live on for ages. A new book by Entertainment Weekly editor at large James Hibberd called Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon chronicles the making of the epic series, which ran on HBO for eight seasons. Hibberd had access to hundreds of cast members, producers, executives, and crew and managed to get some behind-the-scenes gems, including the time Bruce Willis might have disrupted a shoot, Peter Dinklage's odd request before accepting the role, and the North Korean-like security on the set. Plus, he offers tips on how to get people to open up in interviews. 

J. Todd Scott has been a federal agent with the DEA for more than 20 years, investigating domestic meth labs and going undercover to bring down drug cartels. Scott is also a bestselling crime novelist. His latest book is Lost River, a murder mystery set in rural Kentucky. Scott shares his exciting real-life exploits as a DEA agent. Why and how he got into writing. How much of his real-life experiences inform his stories. And what it's like to be in law enforcement in a time of Black Lives Matter and mass protests against the police.