“I had this moment, this great joy and excitement, followed by an equal sense of panic and fear because, I got the deal to write the book, and then I realized I had to write the book!”Bob Crawford returns to The Other 51 for a deep dive into the research and writing of his excellent new book: “America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick.”Bob talks about how he built on his 2022 podcast about Adams, Founding Son, and was able to expand the story in book form. He and Brian talk about how the book is as much a snapshot of America in the 1830s and 1840s as it is the story of any one person. Bob talks about how he decided to make Adams’ evolution into an abolitionist the center of the book and how he learned about Theodore Weld and Benjamin Lindy and how important they were to this storyBob describes how life on tour with the Avett Brothers was actually very conducive to writing, how he had a tub of books on the tour bus and how digital media made his work much easier. He also tells the story of his unboxing video gone wrong and describes what makes John Quincy Adams so fascinating to him.  “He’s America’s greatest public servant, hands down.” LinksAmerica’s Founding Son on AmazonAmerica’s Founding Son from an independent book storeAmerican History HotlineThe Road to NowThe Living Declaration (The Best Thing Bob’s read lately.)SupportSubscribe to Sports Media GuyFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“Here’s what I felt through this entire process in writing this book: I felt complete trust.”Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur join Brian to talk about their new book, Big Fan: Two Friends, 81,589 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love.(*I’m told it’s actually 82,490 miles. Thank you to Joe Posnanski, now the official ombudsman of The Other 51.)Joe and Michael talk about how a clip of the World Darts Championship inspired this whole project and how they figured out what events they would attend. They talk about why avoided the big events, and how Joe’s career as a sports writer made that easier. Joe discusses what it was like to write collaboratively, and Michael talked about how they worked to capture the vibe of their friendship on the page. They also say what they learned from writing about each other. “If you have an ego about your writing, you will miss great ideas, you will not be receptive to criticism or rewriting or editing and you will stubbornly stick with whatever your first stupid idea was and your thing won’t be as good.” LinksBig Fan on AmazonBig Fan from an independent bookstoreThe Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (the best thing Joe’s read lately.)On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle (the best thing Michael’s read lately) SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“I find it to be a pleasure. To be able to write a book is a privilege, but to do it, to me, is a pleasurable event. I just really enjoy writing. I still do.”Mike Vaccaro, my good friend, career mentor, and fellow proud St. Bonaventure graduate, joins me for a deep dive into his delightfully fun new book, “Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees under the house of Steinbrenner.”We talk about why and how he came back to book writing after a long break and why this project was the one that stuck. Mike talks about how thinking of each chapter as one of his columns helped him so much through this process, and how important it was for him to tell these stories in his own voice. That leads to a larger discussion about how to develop your voice as a writer, and Mike also talks about what it was really like to cover George Steinbrenner. “Everything that’s in that book is me.”LinksBosses of the Bronx on AmazonBosses of the Bronx from an independent bookstoreAll of Mike’s books. Mike at the New York Post. 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (The best thing Mike’s read lately.)The Uncool by Cameron Crowe (The best thing Brian’s read lately.)SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“I approach these things almost novelistically. I start with character.”Luke Epplin joins the show for the first time for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his new book, “Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship and the Birth of Modern Basketball.”Luke talks about how his experience as a failed novelist — his exact words — trained him to write and research and report the way he does. He describes how learning about one moment from the 1982 NBA Finals propelled him into this story. We talk about how he humanized the almost mythical figures of Julies Erving and Moses Malone, how he made Philadelphia a character in the book, and why pace is so important to him as a writer.“The sort of trick with the book is to convey that larger than lifeness as it was experienced at the time.”LinksMoses and the Doctor on Amazon.Moses and the Doctor on BookshopOur Team (Luke’s first book) on BookshopWhat We Can Know by Ian McEwan (the best thing Luke’s read lately)SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

Friend of the show Alysa Auriemma is back to talk about writing, motherhood, her new collection of short stories, her future books, and so much more. That “so much more” is Heated Rivalry. Yes, the full bonus episode, and more Heated Rivalry content, is here. But before that, Alysa talks about the two short stories in her new collection, “The Archives of Theara: Stories of the Kinborn.” She discusses how they fit into the All Daughter’s Rise extended literary universe, how it served as a way back into this world, and what it was like revisiting these characters years later. We talk about points-of-view as writers and readers, and Alysa also mentions her upcoming rom-com book coming out over the summer.She also talks about being a writer as a new mom, and how writing can be one of the things that helped her find her way back to being herself.LinksThe Archives of Theara: Stories of the Kinborn All Daughters RiseHeated RivalryAlly Marcie Writes on InstagramSupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple Podcasts

Our regularly planned episode with Alysa Auriemma , where we talk about writing and her new collection of stories and motherhood and all of the things, will be out next week. But we also talked a lot about Heated Rivalry. Well, Alysa had a lot to say about the show and the book series. As a bonus, and a preview of the full episode, enjoy some Heated Rivalry talk. Follow Alysa here.

Bestselling author Jeff Pearlman returns to talk all about the writing and reporting of his new book, “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.”Jeff talks about how and when he decided to write a biography of Tupac, what made the late rapper a compelling topic, and how he’s similar to Bo Jackson (the subject of Pearlman’s previous book). Jeff talks about how he interviewed 652 people for this book, how he found them and how he structured the interviews. This leads to a discussion about the importance of sincerity and empathy in reporting, and Jeff describes how he got a Ph.D. in what it’s like to grow up black and poor in education. Jeff also describes why Ebay is his secret reporting weapon, and how he wrote Brian’s favorite sentence of the year. LinksOnly God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac ShakurBuy on AmazonBuy on Bookshop.orgAll of Jeff’s books on AmazonJeff on YouTubeJeff on TikTokWho Knows You By Heart by CJ Farley (the best thing Jeff’s read lately)Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz (the best thing Jeff’s read lately)Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover (the dorkiest/best thing Brian’s read lately)SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“I kept thinking, is there a single quarterback I can write about that I can tell this story through? And no matter who it was … everything felt too small. And so what I wanted to do was write about all of them, in a way, at every level.”It’s our 200th episode, and we’re celebrating by talking to one of our favorite writers. Seth Wickersham joins Brian to talk about the writing and reporting of his new book, “American Kings: A Biography of The Quarterback.”Seth discusses what that word “biography” means to him in this context, and talks about how came to write a book about the quarterback position. He talks about how the writing, reporting, and promotion of this book is different than his first book and the lessons he learned from writing about the New England Patriots that applied here. Seth describes the different reporting methods he used in writing the book, how he landed on this particular structure and how he chose his anchor characters. He tells us how something being interesting to him was his north star, and the moment his repertorial antenna went up. He also talks about how conversations with his friend Wright Thompson and an ESPN editor helped him crack book’s structure. “Having my friends be brilliant writers has just been like, what a blessing. Because it’s like, everyone’s supportive and a teeny bit competitive … You want to have a story that’s worthy of the text thread.”LinksAmerican Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback (Bookshop.org link)American Kings (Amazon link)The Book of a CoachFeds probing NFLPA actions that ‘may be criminal,’ doc says by Don Van Natta and Kalyn Kahler (the best thing Seth’s read lately)Untold  by Tom Junod and Paula LavigneSupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“That’s why I do this. That’s why I’m involved in this. I was one of those young people who was endlessly inspired by female athletes and by women’s sport”Danielle Sarver Coombs and Molly Yanity join Brian to talk about the two scholarly anthologies they co-edited about the 2023 Women’s World Cup. We’ve interviewed writers of all sorts throughout our nine years hosting this show, but this is the first time we’ve ever talked to the editors of an anthology! Danielle and Molly talk about that process, how they decided against writing a book of their own and instead landed on editing an anthology. They talk about how their anthology on the 2019 World Cup influenced these books, what about these events make them so ripe for scholarship, and how important it was for them to include voices from outside of the Global North. The three of us also get deeply nerdy talking about the books we’ve read lately. “We have a responsibility as senior scholars who are also women to help lift the voices of people who have a bigger challenge getting published.”LinksPolitics, Social Issues and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World CupMedia, Communication and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Media, Fandom, and Soccer’s Biggest StageThe best books we’ve read latelyGreat Big Beautiful Summer by Emily HenryThe Creativity Code by Marcus du SautoyJames by Percival EverettAtmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle ZevinThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael ChabonSupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“It was the stories that I woke up the next day thinking about … I want complicated stories about complicated people making difficult choices and facing real things.”Journalist, professor, and author Jane McManus joins us this week to talk about her career, The Year’s Best Sports Writing, her new book and more. Jane was the editor of the 2024 edition of The Year’s Best Sports Writing. She and Brian do a deep dive into what that job actually looked like. Jane describes how she got the gig, how Richard Deitsch helped her, how she leaned on a group of fellow journalists as an advisory board, and what she was looking for in picking the best sports stories. We talk about the importance of scene setting at the start of a feature story, of showing the work that the reporter has done, and the deep reporting you see in a great piece of investigative journalism. They also talk about her introductory essay, a form Brian has studied at great length. Jane also talks about her book, The Fast Track, and why this was the book she wrote at this stage in her career. She describes the biggest differences between writing articles and a book, and why she doesn't want her students to outsource their thinking by letting AI do any writing. “There's no Tik Tok, there’s no short form video on YouTube, hot-take sports talk show that is going to force you to think about something the way that at a well written long form piece of journalism is.”LinksThe Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024The Fast Track by Jane McManusThe Three-Body Problem (The best thing Jane’s read lately.)Middlemarch (The best thing Jane’s read latelyA Gentleman in Moscow (The best thing Brian’s read lately.)SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Apple PodcastsSpotify