Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a writer who has contributed compelling non-fiction features to major publications such as the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Los Angeles Times, SElf, and so many more. Taffy is also the author of the forthcoming Random House novel, Schrödinger's Marriage. Taffy has been a finalist for multiple awards, including the James Beard Award and the Mirror Award, and has won awards from the New York Press Club, the Los Angeles Press Club, Society of Feature Journalists. She also teaches a phenomenal writing class, but the class we discuss in this interview unfortunately sold out before we launched. Subscribe to "How I Broke Into" on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, I Heart Radio, or Google, or listen to the entire podcast here:
Notes from the show:
Inspired by writer Lauren Slater.
"It’s also telling that I’m not a trained journalist. I have a degree in screenwriting from NYU. The highest priority when I’m writing is on storytelling, not voice, but storytelling. That’s my business. Voice comes easily to me because it’s easy for me to write how I sound. And structure is the thing that I think about the most. ‘What is the beginning, middle, and end of this?’ "
Loved the soap opera Santa Barbara, and got a job at a Soap Opera publication
Worked at Mediabistro in Los Angeles
PTSD from giving birth
"Chasing the New American Dream"
"Obsessive-compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life" by Sarah Maraniss Vander Schaaff
"Who Controls Childbirth?" - Self Magazine
"We Have Found the Cure! (Sort Of)" - Outside Magazine
Water's Edge (The story of Bill May, the greatest male synchronized swimmer who ever lived, and his improbable quest for Olympic Gold) - ESPN Magazine
The Art of War by Steven Pressfield
Interviewing celebrities is never not weird.
Classes at: taffyakner.com/classes (but August 2017 class is sold out)
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.