Finding Renée Richards with Julie Kliegman

In 1976, a transgender tennis player named Renée Richards won a landmark New York Supreme Court case and a victory for trans rights in professional sports. In 2026, YWA sports correspondent Julie Kliegman is publishing a biography of her. In honor of their new book, Finding Renée Richards: The Groundbreaking Story of Tennis’s Trans Pioneer, Julie returns to the Renée Richards beat to tell Sarah about the long process of creating this expansive work. In addition to the sometimes complicated conversations Julie had with Renee, they share with Sarah the process of writing a biography, from the first lunch with a subject, to the pitch, to the long days searching the archives, and finally, to its publication and reception. They discuss how to write “Not A Tennis Book,” how to deal with your subject's feelings about their own biography, and what to do with the pressure of writing about an individual who will inevitably be interpreted as a voice for an entire group of people. Digressions include cave anxiety, Type 2 Fun, and Legally Blonde. More Julie Kliegman: https://juliekliegman.com Use code YWAPOD15 for 15% off Julie's new book Finding Renée Richards on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/finding-renee-richards-the-groundbreaking-story-of-tennis-s-trans-pioneer/0a8690bc4b3ada79 For signed copies: https://www.astoriabookshop.com/item/1sM1NJwkMQf6v7NQU-bIXA Edited + produced by Miranda Zickler: http://www.linktr.ee/mirandatheswampmonster More You're Wrong About: www.linktr.ee/ywapod