The Other 51

Donna Ditota, who was recently named the New York State Sportswriter of the Year, joins Brian to talk about her career covering sports in Syracuse and Central New York.  Being Bona Pride Day, Donna and Brian naturally start with some St. Bonaventure talk. Donna, a 1983 graduate, tells Brian what Russel J. Jandoli was really like, and talks about how her experience as a basketball player conti...

Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer joins Brian for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his new book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.” Mike describes how and why a book about Kobe’s life growing up in Philadelphia was the book for him to write. Why are biographies that focus on a slice of a famous person’s life so meaningful? Mike talks about his reporting pr...

Author Alysa Auriemma is back to talk about her debut novel All Daughter’s Rise, which is out TODAY on Amazon Kindle.  Alysa tells Brian about her book’s long journey to publication, why she decided to self-publish through Amazon Kindle, and how writing this book was both fun and stressful. Alyssa discusses how she learned to lean into the fact that her characters are messy and awkward, how y...

To honor the life and legacy of Stephen Sondheim, Rob Rokicki, Joe Iconis and Brennan Saur join Brian to discuss his influence on their lives and their craft. Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91 Episode 143: Back to the Book with Rob Rokicki Episode 121: You Have To See Point Break with Joe Iconis Episode 13: Joe Iconis Brennan Saur at New Play Exchange Subscribe: Apple...

Seth Wickersham of ESPN joins us for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his book on Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, "It's Better to be Feared." Seth talks about what it's like see your first book on The New York Times bestseller list and what the past month has been like since the book came out. He and Brian go deep into the writing and the reporting process of t...

Leah Stacy joins us to talk about life as an independent, freelance writer and journalist. Leah first joined us back in 2016, when she was a professor at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. This week, she and Brian talk about what she’s been up to since then. Topics include: Leah’s professional and life strategy. The scariest part about deciding to go independent, and how she overcame that. How sh...

Stuart Turton, the best-selling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water, joins Brian to talk about writing, plot, Agatha Christie and more. A former journalist (among many other jobs), Stuart wrote two of the Moritz family’s favorite books of the past three years. Among other topics, Stuart and Brian discuss: How, exactly, did he plot out insanely intricate...

Grammy and Juno-award winning musician Tania Elizabeth joins Brian to talk about the writing and recording of her upcoming album and more.  Tania’s been a touring musician for nearly her entire life, and has spent the past seven years playing fiddle in the Avett Brothers. Before that, she was a founding member of The Duhks and toured extensively both on her own and as an accompanist. In 2021,...

Five years ago, Brian started a podcast about writing, and his first guest was his dear friend, Dr. Molly Yanity. To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Molly returns to talk about sports journalism, Brandi Carlile, academic writing and more. Molly talks about how her writing live has changed over the past five years, how she balances writing with teaching and administrative work. Here’s the secret —...

John Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The New York Times and author of the upcoming anthology, “Sidecountry,” joins Brian to talk about his career as a writer and reporter.  John talks about the process of putting together the anthology of his sports writing from The Times, and what it’s like to be a reporter who never re-reads his stories to go back over his past work. He tal...

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, a sports writer for The Athletic, joins Brian to talk about journalism, social media, and her upcoming book, “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.”  Lyndsey describes her twisty career path that took her from college to an office job in Boston to an office job at the Buffalo News and finally back to sports writing. She tell Brian how using...

Dave Bidini, an author, guitar player in the Rheostatics, and publisher of the West End Phoenix, joins Brian to talk all things writing and journalism.  Dave and Brian revisit “On A Cold Road,” the oral history/diary Dave wrote after his band toured with The Tragically Hip in 1996. Dave talks about what that book means to him all these years later.  Dave discusses the importance of his f...

Will Leitch joins Brian to talk about pandemic life, sports journalism and Will’s upcoming novel, How Lucky.  Will and Brian talk about their lives during the pandemic, how sports journalism survived its self-perceived existential crisis, and how sports’ return helped pave the the way for a return to normalcy.  Will then talks about his upcoming book, which he calls the purest distillati...

A warning: This episode includes discussion about suicide, depression and anxiety. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273- TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Jeff Passan, an ESPN MLB Insider, joins Brian to do a deep dive into the remarkable story on San Francisco Giants’ outfi...

Dr. Michael Mirer, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, joins Brian to talk about researching and teaching journalism.  Michael and Brian talk about the challenges of brining writing classes to the online environment. Michael also describes his career path from a kid in Detroit who wanted to write for a literary magazine, to being a sports journalists in th...

Jennifer Ashley Tepper, a Broadway producer, historian and author joins Brian to talk about the fourth volume of her delightful series, The Untold Stories of Broadway.  Jennifer (who produced Be More Chill), talks about where her love of obscure and forgotten musicals comes from, and how that obsession turned into a book series. She talks about the decision to frame her books by each Broadway...

Composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki joins Brian to do a deep dive into The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.  Rob and Brian talk about The Lightning Thief’s long journey from a one-hour free show made for kids to a full-on Broadway musical. Rob discusses how he got involved in the project, how he became familiar with the world of Percy Jackson and how he worked to make a show that ran...

Tyler Dunne returns to the show to talk about his new NFL newsletter, Go Long.  Tyler discusses why he decided to start a newsletter with Substack and why he believes this is the future of sports journalism. He talks about the lessons he learned from watching his dad start his own company and what it means to bet on yourself.  Tyler and Brian also talk about the challenges of reporting v...

Screenwriters Keith and Juliet Giglio join Brian to talk about writing Christmas movies for Lifetime, including their most recent, Dear Christmas.  Keith, a professor at Syracuse University, and Juliet, a professor at SUNY-Oswego (where Brian teaches), talk about how their careers took them from being screenwriters in Los Angeles to academics in Central New York, and how an off-handed comment...

Jason Zenor, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego, joins Brian to talk about media law issues and his new book, Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues. Jason (whose office is two doors down from Brian’s) talks about how he wrote his new textbook and why he saw a market for a book like this. He discusses how he got interested in writing and thinking about virtual reality, artificial inte...

Amy Bass, a professor of sports studies at Manhattanville College, joins Brian to do a deep dive into the writing and reporting of her book, “One Goal.” Amy talks about how she first learned the story of the Lewiston High School soccer team and what drew her to it as a potential book. She talks about how she developed the trust of the coaching staff and of the Somali refugee community there. Amy d...

It’s Episode 138. A true milestone for every podcast. And to celebrate, there is only one guest we could have — Joe Posnanski from The Athletic returns.  And to celebrate, Joe breaks some news and announces what his next book will be!  In addition to the news, Joe and Brian talk about the different mindsets that different types of writing require. Joe gives advice on how young write...

The panel discussion from the 16th Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, hosted virtually by SUNY-Oswego on Oct. 28, 2020. This discussion was produced in conjunction with the SUNY Oswego School of Communication, Media and the Arts and the SUNY Oswego CTS department. Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit Connie Schultz Michelle Garcia Ava Lubell Steve Brown Bret Jaspers Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Spot...

Tim Bontemps, an NBA reporter for ESPN, returns to talk about reporting, working at ESPN and life in the NBA Bubble. The main topic is Tim’s 76 days in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. Tim tells Brian about the two different bubbles in Orlando and what life was like in the Yellow Bubble. Tim described his daily routine, how he reported when he had no direct access to players or coaches, and what it wa...

Sports writer, radio host, and author Julie DiCaro discusses her upcoming book, her career in sports media and more. Julie talks about her career path from public defender to sports columnist. Julie and Brian discuss the surprising similarities between practicing law and being a sports columnist and how being a lawyer prepared Julie to write about sports. Julie also talks about representation in s...