The Other 51

Brian Moritz
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Writing advice? We've got that. A podcast that gets your favorite writers to spill their secrets. Every episode is a new writer: comic artists to Broadway scribes, sports reporters to authors.

  1. The Archives of Theara with Alysa Auriemma

    JAN 23

    The Archives of Theara with Alysa Auriemma

    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. Links The Archives of Theara: Stories of the Kinborn All Daughters Rise Heated Rivalry Ally Marcie Writes on Instagram Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Subscribe at:  Apple Podcasts

    56 min
  2. BONUS EPISODE: Heated Rivalry with Alysa Auriemma

    JAN 13 · BONUS

    BONUS EPISODE: Heated Rivalry with Alysa Auriemma

    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.

    23 min
  3. Only God Can Judge Me with Jeff Pearlman

    12/19/2025

    Only God Can Judge Me with Jeff Pearlman

    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.  Links Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur Buy on Amazon Buy on Bookshop.org All of Jeff’s books on Amazon Jeff on YouTube Jeff on TikTok Who 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) Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Subscribe at:  Apple Podcasts Spotify

    32 min
  4. American Kings with Seth Wickersham

    08/14/2025

    American Kings with Seth Wickersham

    “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.” Links American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback (Bookshop.org link) American Kings (Amazon link) The Book of a Coach Feds 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 Lavigne Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Subscribe at:  Apple Podcasts Spotify

    34 min
  5. Editing Anthologies with Danielle Sarver Coombs and Molly Yanity

    07/31/2025

    Editing Anthologies with Danielle Sarver Coombs and Molly Yanity

    “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.” Links Politics, Social Issues and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Media, Communication and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Media, Fandom, and Soccer’s Biggest Stage The best books we’ve read lately Great Big Beautiful Summer by Emily Henry The Creativity Code by Marcus du Sautoy James by Percival Everett Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Subscribe at:  Apple Podcasts Spotify

    38 min

  6. 06/06/2025

    Episode 198: The Fast Track with Jane McManus

    “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.” Links The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024 The Fast Track by Jane McManus The Three-Body Problem (The best thing Jane’s read lately.) Middlemarch (The best thing Jane’s read lately A Gentleman in Moscow (The best thing Brian’s read lately.) Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Apple Podcasts Spotify

    34 min

  7. 05/22/2025

    Episode 197: Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride with Will Leitch

    “The challenge is to make you love Lloyd and make you realize that Lloyd is extraordinary and that you realize that before Lloyd does.” Will Leitch returns to the show to talk all about his new book, “Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride.” which is out now and you should totally buy!  Will describes how a pre-pandemic visit to a family friend helped plant the seed for the book’s premise, and how that premise allows him to address the existential angst that parents are feeling about the world they’re leaving their kids. Will also reveals the biggest challenge in writing Lloyd as a character, why he wrote the book in the present tense, and how all of his novels have clocks in one way or another.  Will and Brian talk about the action sequences in the book, how they were influenced by Will’s love of movies and how listening to The Donnas was Will’s secret for those scenes. They also talk about how Will’s excellent weekly newsletter influenced parts of this book.  “I want you to feel the entire time like this is happening right now.” Links Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride on Bookshop.org (to support independent bookstores.) Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride on Amazon All of Will’s books Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (The best thing Will’s read lately.) Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham (The best thing Brian’s read lately.) Support Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Apple Podcasts Spotify

    36 min

  8. 04/11/2025

    Episode 196: Love, Abby with Sam Borden

    “I never really thought about it as something I would ever do a story on. I didn’t even think of it in terms of a story … these were just our friends.” Sam Borden from ESPN joins us for a deep dive into his moving feature story on the friendship between Abby Zittoun and the UConn women’s basketball team.  Sam discusses the intensely personal nature of this story for him, how he navigated being both a friend and reporter in telling Abby’s story, and why being transparent and intimate as a journalist is so vital to doing stories like this. He also talks about how he dealt with the personal pressure he felt writing this story. Sam and Brian also discuss the writing and reporting of the story. The details make this story so memorable, but how does Sam know he has the right details, and how do you keep from overwhelming the reader with them? Sam also talks about how he avoided making an inherently sad story like this feel like a long march for the reader. This is not a story about grief, it’s the story about an amazing young girl, her family, and the connection she had with this team. “I want Abby to be alive for as much of this story as possible.”  Links: Love, Abby: Inside UConn basketball's eternal bond with a magical fan Love, Abby (TV version of story) Trump is selling Jews a dangerous lie by Michael S. Roth (The best thing Sam’s read lately) Support: Support the show at Buy Me a Coffee Follow us on Instagram. Apple Podcasts Spotify

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Writing advice? We've got that. A podcast that gets your favorite writers to spill their secrets. Every episode is a new writer: comic artists to Broadway scribes, sports reporters to authors.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Moritz
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    190
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Brian Moritz
  • Show Website
    The Other 51