The Nonfiction Podcast

Sabine Heinlein is the author of the narrative nonfiction book Among Murderers: Life After Prison. Her work can be found in The New York Times, The Guardian, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, Longreads, and many other publications. She has received a Pushcart Prize, a Margolis Award, a Sidney ...

John Woodrow Cox is an reporter at the Washington Post. Prior to joining th...

On this episode, I talk with Amanda Petrusich, author of “Fear of the light: why we need darkness.”  The story appeared in the Guardian in August 2016.  It explores the cultural impact of our increasing inability to see the night sky.  It asks questions about what it means when generations of people live in places where they can’t see the stars.

Amanda Petrusich is a contributing writer for Pitchfork and a contributing editor at Th...

On this episode, I talk with Sean Flynn, author of “The Tamir Rice Story: How to Make a Police Shooting Disappear” The story appeared in GQ Magazine in July. The story looks at the aftermath of the tragic shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland on November 22, 2014, and how the system failed to hold police accountable for his death.

Sean Flynn is writer for GQ. He has also written for Boston Magazine, the Boston Herald, and Parade.

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This week, we look at “13, Right Now,” written by Jessica Contrera for The Washington Post in May 2016.

“13, Right Now” explores how teenagers use social media and the mobile web, focusing one 13-year-old girl who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. It’s part of a series of stories in the Post — “The Screen Age” — which focuses on kids today who “have never known a world without smartphones and social media… what it means to gr...

On this episode, I talk with Clive Thompson, author of “The Minecraft Generation,” which appeared in the New York Times Magazine. It explores the phenomenon of the third-best-­selling video game in history — a game that has more than 100 million registered players. Thompson looks at the cultural, intellectual, and psychological meaning of Minecraft’s popularity. He and I talk about how he approached the task of understanding and ex...

This week, we take a look at “My Son’s Mystery Medical Condition and Our Family’s Brave New World“ written by Taylor Harris for Narratively.

Taylor Harris is a writer and stay-at-home mom living in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Toast, Babble, and other publications.

Next week: We stay focused on family with a look at “My Autistic Brother’s Quest for Love” by Daniell...

“Coyote Bros” by Flinder Boyd is about three hard-partying young men from Corpus Christi, Texas who made a small fortune smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. Flinder and I talk about how he found this story and put it together for Rolling Stone.

Flinder Boyd is a former professional basketball player who played 10 years in Europe. His writing has appeared in The Classical, Sports on Earth, Fox Sports, Newsweek, and ...

This week we look at “The Revolutionary Routine of Life as a Female Trucker," written by Jessica Ogilvie for BuzzFeed in March 2016. She profiles Melissa Rojas, a third-generation trucker who drives thousands of miles every week. We talk about how it went and what she learned along the way.

Jessica Ogilvie is a regular contributor to LA Magazine, Playboy and LA Weekly. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Los An...

This week, we're taking a look at “Crowd Source," written by Davy Rothbart for The California Sunday Magazine, and published in March 2016. The story looks at a company that provides crowds to clients. For a fee, it can deliver a mob of cheering fans or a noisy crowd of angry protesters.

Davy Rothbart is a bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, contributor to This American Life, and the editor/publisher of Found Magazine...

This week, we look at “Fight," written by Dan Barry for The New York Times in March 2016. “Fight” tells the story of two fighters who faced off for their first professional boxing match, and the tragic result that followed. We talk about what it took to put together the story of what led both men into that ring, and what happened to the one who survived.

Dan Barry is a longtime columnist and an award-winning reporter for The New Y...

"The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous" looks at AA (and related treatment programs for alcohol and drug addiction) and asks tough questions about whether it works as well as many believe, and if there are better, more effective alternatives.  I talk with author Gabrielle Glaser about the challenges of reporting and writing about...

"A Million Little Boxes" looks at the 39th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and the battle between two of the greatest puzzle solvers of all time. I talk about the story with writer Oliver Roeder from FiveThirtyEight.com

Oliver Roeder is a senior writer at FiveThirtyEight.  He's written about interesting corners of culture and competition, including ...

This week’s episode looks at “The Long Fall of Phoebe Jonchuck,” by Lane DeGregory for the Tampa Bay Times in January 2016.

The story looks at the life and tragic death of Phoebe Jonchuck, a five-year-old girl, murdered by her father, who dropped her from the side of a bridge. I talk with Lane about the challenges of exploring this difficult story.

Lane Degregory is a feature writer for the Tampa Bay Times. Read more