The Sunday Long Read Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 28: Ben Smith Oct 14, 2018

Show notes

Fresh off his guest-editing turn, BuzzFeed News editor-in-chief Ben Smith chatted with Don about how the term "Ben Smith-ing" came into being, why he moved from Politico to BuzzFeed, and the thought process behind publishing the controversial Trump-Russia dossier. They also discussed the journalism industry more broadly, from the blogging heyday to the current environment. "I read a lot of long articles but it’s in spite of the fact they’re long," Ben says.

Episode 27: Elaina Plott Sep 16, 2018

Show notes

“It seemed like everyone knew what to think but me.”

Elaina Plott landed not one but two stories in the Sunday Long Read newsletter last week. The first was a cover story for Pacific Standard magazine about the residents of Tangier Island, Virginia, and their unique relationship with God, Trump, and climate change, which scientists say is likely to wipe their island from the map within the next 25 years. Her second story was a personal reflection on gun violence for The Atlantic, where she is a staff writer. Elaina and Jacob discuss the details of both stories, the intersections of personal and political discourse, the way Elaina (an Alabaman who went to Yale and works in D.C.) approaches her work, and more.

-[1:35] Country's First Climate Change Casualties -- Pacific Standard

-[18:00] Bullet in My Arm -- The Atlantic

-[28:20] A Love Letter to the Upper West Side essay/I Was A Teenage Ann Coulter Fangirl essay

-[43:20] Elaina breaks news on Scott Pruitt -- The Atlantic

Episode 26: Albert Samaha Sep 09, 2018

Show notes

“There are two ways I view toughness and the virtue of it.” BuzzFeed News reporter Albert Samaha has a new book out about a young football team in a changing inner city. But clearly it’s about so much more than that, too. As for what he thinks will happen to America’s most popular sport, Samaha says, “Part of the question is what replaces it.” He also discussed what it’s like working at BuzzFeed, shared how he’s learned to grab attention online, and announced the topic of his next book.
[1:00] The Sunday Long Read with Albert Samaha
[1:30] Never Ran, Never Will
[18:00] Albert’s magazine story about the Mo Better Jaguars
[22:00] Jacob’s story on baseball in Liberty City
[23:00] There Are No Children Here
[41:45] Can A School Ban Its Students From Kneeling During The National Anthem?
[56:30] Fatal Errors
[1:05:00] Looking for Right and Wrong In the Philippines

Episode 25: Maria Bustillos Aug 26, 2018

Show notes

Maria Bustillos is the current editor in chief of Popula, an alternative news and culture magazine that recently launched on the blockchain-based Civil platform. In this week's episode, Don and Maria walk through one of Popula's first pieces published, her 20,000-word interview with the late Anthony Bourdain — “he spent two and a half hours with me in the comfy Irish bar, blabbing about everything under the sun ... And nobody bothered us in all that time, it was like there was a force field around him.” — as well as blockchain-based journalism — “it’s obvious why [blockchain] recordkeeping is valuable for journalism: it allows us to maintain archives that can’t be censored or altered after the fact. We can amend previous records only through addenda, in other words: not through erasure. This is the first benefit of blockchain technology to the free press, and this benefit alone makes it worth moving our news media into blockchain-based publishing systems.” Maria's work has previously appeared in The New Yorker, The Awl, The New York Times, Harper’s and The Guardian. This week’s episode includes explicit language.

[1:05] Bourdain Confidential (Popula)
[8:12] Fiction Confidential (Eater)
[21:24] ZigZag Podcast
[26:22] Why does journalism need blockchain technology? (Civil)
[26:22] Civil is the decentralized marketplace for sustainable journalism (Civil)
[35:11] The Smallness of Mark Zuckerberg (Medium)
[36:50] RIP Jonathan Gold (Popula)
[37:25] STAT: My Daughter’s MS Diagnosis and the Question My Doctors Couldn’t Answer (Longform)

Episode 24: Jo Piazza Aug 12, 2018

Show notes

Jo Piazza is a journalist, podcaster, author of fiction and nonfiction books, and writer of personal essays. Her latest book – her eighth – is a novel called Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, and it’s a fascinating look at what it takes for a woman to run for national office. She talks with Don about how she learned to be a good reporter covering celebrities, how her novel is influencing voters, and how the book might have been different if Hillary Clinton had won.

Jo Piazza
Jo's new novel, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win
NY Daily News celebrity coverage
Emily's List
Lauren Baer for Congress

Episode 23: Brett Michael Dykes Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Through a mixture of humorous tales and handy insights, Uproxx editor-in-chief Brett Michael Dykes explains to Don how he turned a few viral posts on a personal blog into a series of jobs in digital media. He also discusses the book that inspired him to write, where he gets his best thinking done, as well as why he goes by The Cajun Boy online.

Episode 22: Glynnis MacNicol Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Glynnis MacNicol wisely says about writing that "not telling the truth leads to bad writing." She's spot on about that and quite a few other things in her new book, "No One Tells You This," which she discusses with Don on this week's episode. The two talk about her 40th birthday, solo travel, and how Glynnis once ended up eating steak for breakfast. Her book is a memoir about being 40, single, and childless, and although her stomach turns slightly at the phrase "deeply personal," Glynnis has received lots of praise for her book's honesty and clarity, which comes across in this week's episode.

Episode 21: Seymour Hersh Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

A reporter's reporter, Sy Hersh characterizes his work this way: "I'm constantly walking into editors’ offices and throwing a dead
rat full of lice on their desk. Maybe he’s still alive and moving.” Hear his unfiltered thoughts on his career and journalism, and check out Hersh's memoir, Reporter. Subscribe to the podcast here if you haven't already.

Episode 20: Amy Chozick Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Amy Chozick moved to New York after college with nothing but a set of clips from her college newspaper and now, 17 years later, is The New York Times bestselling author of the campaign memoir "Chasing Hillary." In this week's episode, Don (the co-author of a 2007 Clinton book with Jeff Gerth) chats with Amy, a Times reporter, about Hillary Clinton, and the pair trade war stories about the blowback the Clinton camp has dished out to journalists who write unauthorized books about Clinton. They also evaluate the media's approach to the 2016 election and talk about Hillary's press team, a notorious group Amy refers to as "The Guys."

Episode 19: Steve Almond Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Steve Almond says of writing: “The idea is that you are trying to show the reader somebody whose life is in disequilibrium and who is struggling with some universal bewilderment.” His newest book, Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to our Country, is out now. It’s his tenth. He has also published more than 150 short stories and is the co-host of the popular Dear Sugars podcast. He and Don discuss the value of good editing, the apprenticeship a young writer should undergo, and much more.

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