Write About Now

Three minutes. That's the exact amount of time you need to make an effective and compelling pitch, according to podcast guest Brant Pinvidic. He should know. The Hollywood producer has sold more than 300 TV and movie projects, including The Biggest Loser and Bar Rescue. In his new book, The 3-Minute Rule, he reveals his bag of tricks. Whether you’re pitching yourself, your business, or a writing project, you’ll find this simple storytelling technique from the Pitch Whisperer invaluable.

Austin Kleon is the best-selling author of the books Steal Like An Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, which all offer invaluable creative tips for those working in the digital age. On the show, we talk about the benefits of stealing ideas from your favorite artists, setting up both an analog and digital desk AND a bliss station, and why writing what you like is so much better than writing what you know. Grab a pen and paper, you're going to want to take notes!

Guest Emily Flake is a New Yorker cartoonist and humorist who just released a new guidebook called That Was Awkward: The Art and Etiquette of the Awkward Hug. We talk about how she got her start, her first big break, how she comes up with her comic ideas, and of course, our all-time most awkward hugs including the "Oh No, You Didn't Want That" Hug. Plus, Emily pulls the curtain back on how the New Yorker chooses their cartoons and how not to win the caption contest.

John King is the host of The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life, in which he's interviewed over 350 writers including David Sedaris and Jonathan Letham. King is also the author of Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame, the story of an alcoholic lounge singer who must re-enact the epic of Gilgamesh inside a mountain in Tennessee. We talk about how much to write each day, where ideas come from, and how to get unstuck, among many other topics.

In her new book Doctor Dogs, Maria Goodavage shows how our furry best friends are helping people with their physical and psychological problems in ways never imagined, such as sniffing out cancer and preventing suicide. With her background as a reporter for USA Today and SF Chronicle, Goodavage shares her secrets to uncovering great stories and her advice to aspiring writers of any medium. Even if you're a cat person (which I am), this podcast will put a little lump in your throat.

I love hip hop, especially old school hip hop -- and my favorite group of all time is Tribe Called Quest. My guest poet Hanif Abdurraqib has written a beautiful tribute called: Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest. Part memoir, part love letter, part hip hop history, part social commentary, the book looks at a group through a fresh lens. I enjoyed geeking out with Hanif about Tribe and hearing about his journey growing up in Ohio, becoming a music critic and then transitioning to poetry.

Guest Mignon Fogarty is the host of the popular podcast Grammar Girl, in which she answers her listeners' burning grammar questions and reveals the fascinating history of the English language. Mignon is also the author of seven books, including the NYT’s bestseller, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. On the podcast, we geek out about the most common grammar myths, serial commas, adverbs, the word “however,” and a brief history of Webster's dictionary.

Max Brooks is the author of the bestselling novels World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide. He is also a non-resident fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. His new graphic novel, Germ Warfare, details the brutal history of microscopic diseases used as weapons of war. Max and I talk about how why he wrote the book, his role as a consultant for national security panels, and how his mother, Anne Bancroft, instilled in him an awareness of disease and love of science at an early age.

Amber Scorah is the author of the powerful new memoir, Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life, in which she sheds light on the insular and private cult-like Jehovah's Witness religion. On the podcast, she talks honestly and bravely about what it's like grow up and spend her formative years as a Witness, why she and so many others subscribe to its beliefs, and how she ultimately exited leaving a husband, family, friends, and everything she believed behind.

Writer/Director Jacob Aaron Estes talks about his new movie 'Don’t Let Go', a supernatural, time-bending thriller about a police detective (played by David Oyelowo) who receives calls from his murdered niece. Jacob is super smart and surprisingly candid. Our conversation covers his journey from film school to feature films, the incredible story of how he almost died in Mexico, his shocking experience working with Harvey Weinstein, and his encouraging advice for aspiring screenwriters.