“I’ve got this crazy idea, it would be Agatha Christie meets Lost. They were like ‘how are you gonna pull that off?’ and I was like ‘I have absolutely no idea.” Stuart Turton joins Brian to talk about the writing of his New York Times bestseller, “The Last Murder at the End of the World.”  Stuart talks about how this was the hardest book he’s ever written, why it was so hard, and how he had to throw a full 130,000-word draft away and start over. He talks about how he knew things weren’t working and the changes he made that changed everything. Turns out, he killed the wrong person.  Stuart and Brian talk about the unintentional symbolism of the fog, the beauty of the mourning lanterns, why Stuart hates red herrings, and how the constraints of writing a mystery novel are like a game of chess to him. “That’s the thing that you started with, that was your premise, that was your holy grail, and that's the reason you started writing this book. But it's not working. So have courage and toss it.”

“After 190 episodes talking about other’s people writing, I finally get to talk about something I wrote!” Brian is joined by Matthew Zimmeran and Lauren Burch, and the three of them talk about their new textbook, Introduction to Sports Journalism.  We talk about how Matt started the project and how/why he asked us to be a part of it. We talk about our different writing styles and methods, how Brian’s writing habits give Lauren anxiety, and how our three voices turned into one cohesive book. We also talk about the challenges of balancing theory with the need for practicality, and how we to tried to balance writing something as permanent as a book about such a fast-changing industry. Anyway, I’m super proud of the book and so proud that I got to do it with friends of mine.

“I feel like my place as a writer is sort of that place between what happened and the mythology of what’s happening.”  Joe Posnanski joins Brian for a deep dive into his new book, Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments.  Joe talks about how he started with a list of more than 300 football moments and the process of whittling those down. It’s an honest and super nerdy discussion about how early drafts of the book weren’t working, what Joe did to work through those struggles, and how writing about The Drive unlocked the book for him Joe also talks about how we was able to write a collection of essays while maintaining a central theme, how the Don Beebe-Leon Lett play is the perfect example of why we love football, and what kind of athlete “Brian Moritz” would be.  “For me as a writer, the moment where the book came alive for me was when I started to think of it as a football game … every play is its own little universe in football.”

“I think those fans deserve the truth. They don't need to be pandered to, they don't need to be misled.” Tyler Dunne, the man behind Go Long and the best NFL feature writer working today, joins Brian to talk about Sean McDermott, Zay Jones and so much more.  Ty talks about the aftermath of his Sean McDermott series, how the coach and the team responded to that explosive series and reached out to him and how he’s now credentialed by the Bills. Tyler talks about the conversation he had with McDermott at the NFL Combine and what it felt like to walk into that meeting.  We then do a deep dive into his feature on Zay Jones that won him a first place award in the APSE National Writing Contest. Tyler talks about his tools for gently steering a conversation in an interview, how to handle the elephant in the room, and the value of doing extra reporting beyond the main interview. He also discusses how he protects his own mental health when writing and reporting heavy features, and how these stories make him want to be a better person. “It's a people business, it's a human business, and you just want to have conversations and you just want to treat people like human beings.”

Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins Brian for a deep, deep dive into Cowboy Carter, The Tortured Poets Department, and the role of music writing in today’s media world.

“When in doubt, choose not to harm somebody.” Jen Moritz, senior editor and inclusive language specialist at (and Brian’s wife) joins us to talk about inclusive language. What is inclusive language? So glad you asked! Jen defines the term for us, and also describes how she got interested and involved in this area of editing. She tells us how the pandemic influenced her interest in inclusive language, how editing for inclusive language is an extension of her “Grammar Tingle” and what she does when that is activated by word or phrase, and how inclusive editing can help connect us back to our humanity in an increasingly digital world. We also go down a rabbit hole about the phrase “rule of thumb” and what to do when people think you’re wrong but you’re actually right. Other rabbit holes include dragon smut, fairy smut, banned books and Maintenance Phase. Also, as far as we can tell, “flying by the seat of your pants” is not problematic. As a phrase, at least. “You will always be learning. You will never have perfect language and perfect representation. You’re just doing your best.”

Next week, our regularly scheduled episode with Jen Moritz will be out. We’ll be talking all about inclusive language. However. Early in April, the Associated Press announced updates to its style book. Including new guidance on writing about “obese, obesity and overweight” We, um, we have some thoughts. And so, a bonus episode. Enjoy! And be sure to listen to our non-bonus episode with Jen next week. This was largely inspired by the work of Maintenance Phase.

“We all experience loss differently, but there’s common ground for all of us to find in that.” Jared Paventi joins Brian this week to talk all about his excellent Substack, Dirt Nap. Jared discusses how he came to write a weekly blog/newsletter/Substack/whatever we’re calling it about death and grieving, how watching his oldest daughter grieve the loss of her grandpa inspired him, and how he uses writing to work through what he’s thinking and feeling. Jared talks about how he’s looking to create a space for conversations about grief through his excellent Griever’s Digest series, how grieving can be about more than just the death of someone, and how the writing of A.J. Daulerio and The Small Bow inspired Dirt Nap, especially the tone. We also talk about what happened to his food blog, Blog Al Dente, and what you do when a project starts to feel more like work than fun. Rabbit holes include HJ Magazine, how a deadline without a consequence is meaningless, and Brian’s move out of the basement. “This is some shit that’s going on in my head and my world. Maybe it’s happening to you too.”

“Come in for the show, stay for the tears.” Alex Brightman joins Brian to talk about Broadway and writing, including a deep dive into his play “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers.” A two-time Tony Nominee (for School of Rock and Beetlejuice), Alex tells Brian how a YouTube series, a production of Grease, and a shared affinity for Old Hollywood led to him writing a one-man show for Marc Summers based on the Double Dare host’s life. What exactly is a “part interactive game show, part memoir?” Alex describes the process of writing the show, including the ah-ha moment that made him realize there was something special here. Alex also tells the story of how he and Drew Gasparini met, became fast friends and writing partners, and how they work together. Alex also discusses how he fits writing into an already busy acting schedule and some of the projects he’s working on now. Rabbit holes include our shared reverence for calendars, and how Simon’s mom reacted to his message (IYKYK).

“Oh, I wrote a musical about me. I really did. This is just me.” Joe Iconis, one of the best writers on Broadway and one of Brian’s favorite people, joins us on The Other 51 to talk all about The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical.  Yep, that’s the name of Joe’s most recent show, which debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2023.  Joe tells the story of the name and why it’s so appropriate for a show about Hunter S. Thompson. Joe also discusses why the show is unauthorized, what that meant for him trying to write a show without being able to use a famous writers’ words, and why it was scary but ultimately rewarding.  Joe and Brian also discuss the show’s multivolume coffee table book trip from an idea in 2007 to the stage 16 years later, what’s next for the show, and the difference for Joe between writing music and writing a script.   Rabbit holes include the coming Broadway Thinkpieces and Huey Lewis and the News. We also get a Diane Kitten update.  “Let there be things that are weird and strange. And good and true.”