Write About Now

This week on Write About Now, I interview TV recapper and New York Times assistant editor and writer, Jeremy Egner. Jeremy writes insightful and engaging recaps of such show as The Walking Dead, Mr Robot, and Game of Thrones, which are read by tens of thousands each week. On the podcast, he talks specifically about the process and craft of his GOT recaps, the trials and tribulations of getting them right and on time, and his stunning predictions on the final season.

On the lastest episode of Write About Now with Jonathan Small, I sit down with entertainment journalist and gossip maven Marc Malkin to dish on how he went from a Lifestyes of the Rich and Famous-watching, poor kid in Howard Beach to a Vanity Fair party-going journalist of E! News and Us Weekly.

On this week’s Write About Now, I journey to the New York City offices of Real Simple magazine to talk with new Editor-in-Chief Leslie Yazel. Leslie opens up about her impressive career as a writer and editor, which started on the mean streets of Des Moines and continued all the way to the top spot of a major Time Inc. publication. She also gives me a tour of the office, including the legendary fashion closet.

Anna Fricke and Liz Tigelaar are among TV's top writers and producers. They're also best friends. The womance began in the offices of Dawson's Creek, where they were both assistants. Although they never worked together again, their careers took similar paths straight to the tippy top.

Ben Ratliff is one of the most highly-regarded names in music journalism. He's also a friend and former high school classmate, whom I bonded with listening to Treacherous Three and D Train songs back in the day.

For 20 years, Ben held the influential position of jazz and pop critic for The New York Times, where he wrote hundreds of reviews, profiles, and think pieces. He also wrote four acclaimed books, including Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty and The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music. These days, Ben teaches cultural criticism at NYU (I want to take that class!), and and he's a contributor to such publications as Esquire and Rolling Stone.

On this episode of Write About Now, we talk about his rise at the Times from a stringer, to  staffer, to elder statesman. We also dig into the art of music criticism: How to listen to and think about songs in new ways, then translate that aural joy onto the page. As you'll hear, Ben's depth of wisdom and his intellect are off the charts. I understood about 87 percent of what he said, but I enjoyed every second of it!

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Write About Now guest, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, is one of the most prolific and provocative culture writers out there. She was recently named features writer for the New York Times Culture desk, and staff writer for the Magazine. Prior to this, she was a freelance force for seven years, penning numerous features for such publications as GQ, ESPN magazine, the Times, Saveur, Outside, Vulture, Salon, and many more. Getting into the writing game a little later in life, Taffy is proof that passion, talent, and hard work can take you to lofty heights in a short period of time. She is one of the rare, happy writers who gets to tell the stories she wants to tell, the way she wants to tell them. 

In the podcast, she shares her own story of a career in hyperdrive—from writing endless amounts of personal essays about her body to landing a dream assignment with GQ to interview Nicki Minaj. I don't want to give too much away--but let's just say it was an exhausting experience. Taffy also talks about the freelancing vs. taking a full time job. Oh, and you have to hear her story about being dubbed the "mystery brunette" by the British tabloids, after paparazzi caught her hugging Tom Hiddleston on a London street. 

Melissa Clark is a triple threat. She's the creator of the animated television series, Braceface. She’s the author of three novels: “Bear Witness,” “Swimming Upstream, Slowly,” and “Imperfect”. And she’s a creative writing teacher at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

On this episode of Write About Now, Melissa shares some of her favorite writing prompts, her favorite authors and books, and her not-so-favorite few days with her writing idol, Margaret Atwood. To find out more about Melissa and take some of her courses online, check out melissaclarkwrites.com.

On this episode of Write About Now with Jonathan Small, I visit Max Brooks, author of World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and most recently Minecraft: The Island. Max takes me for fascinating tour through his secret bunker. Next, we take a trip to a shooting range to research Civil War-era firearms for his latest project—a comic book series called A More Perfect Union. What follows is a candid, informative, frightening, and extremelly dorky day with a good friend.

On this episode of Write About Now with Jonathan Small, I visit Max Brooks, author of World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and most recently Minecraft: The Island. Max takes me for fascinating tour through his secret bunker, cluttered with antique weapons, books, and ancient maps. Next, we take a trip to a San Fernando Valley shooting range to research Civil War-era firearms for his latest project—a comic book series called A More Perfect Union. It's an alternative history that imagines a 19th-century army, led by General Lee, taking on an invasion of gigantic alien insects.  What follows is a candid, informative, frightening, and extremelly dorky day with a good friend.

 

 

On this episode of Write About Now with Jonathan Small, I visit best-selling author, Max Brooks, in his secret writing and research bunker. He takes me for a fascinating tour through his museum-like laboratory, filled with antique weapons, books, and maps. Max loves to immerse himself in the culture and technology of his characters, and this where he wrote his best-sellers World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and most recently Minecraft: The Island. 

Later, we take a trip to a San Fernando Valley shooting range to test out Civil War-era firearms for his latest project—a comic book series called A More Perfect Union. It's an alternative history that imagines a 19th-century army, led by General Lee, taking on an invasion of gigantic alien insects.  What follows is a candid, informative, frightening, and extremelly dorky day with a good friend.