The Study Hall Podcast

Osita Nwanevu, a columnist at The Guardian and contributing editor at The New Republic, discusses his new book “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.” In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Osita outlines his proposal to transform the American government and shares how media institutions can become more democratic.    More information about “The R...

Kylie Cheung is a reporter at Abortion Everyday. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kylie chats about her new book “Coercion Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans.” Kylie discusses the various manipulative tactics conservative politicians utilize to criminalize abortion and what’s missing from mainstream media coverage of reproductive justice.    For more information about “Coercio...

Kaila Yu is a writer, former model, and lead singer of Nylon Pink. In this conversation, she discusses her new book “Fetishized:A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.” In the book, Yu chronicles her own journey in the entertainment industry and delves into the harmful stereotypes about Asian women. In this conversation, Yu offers advice on marketing, memoir writing, and more. More in...

Shawna Kenney’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, VICE, PBS, and The New York Times. She’s the author of I Was a Teenage Dominatrix, a memoir. In this conversation, Shawna discusses her approach to publishing and teaching. She also shares insight into her DIY approach to publicity and the nuances of the creative nonfiction.  Shawna is teaching a course for Study Hall; click...

Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Vogue. She regularly writes her own newsletter ( https://www.aliciakennedy.news/ ). In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alicia discusses how she started her newsletter, the state of food media, and integrating food justice concepts into her writing.  Keep up with Alicia’s wo...

Brian Merchant is a tech journalist who writes the “Blood In The Machine” newsletter. In this conversation, Brian discusses his ongoing project chronicling the impact of AI on the jobs market and explains why tech companies often lean into dystopia when marketing new products. He also offers his take on how AI is changing the media industry.  Check out Brian’s newsletter: https://www.bloodinthemac...

In this conversation, D.D. Guttenplan, the editor of The Nation, and Richard Kreitner, a contributing writer and host of the “Think Back” podcast ( https://www.thinkbackpod.com/ ), chatted about The Nation’s 160th anniversary issue. With dispatches from 50 writers and arts across the 50 states, the issue ponders the current disunited of America. Guttenplan and Kreitner also chat about The Nation’s...

Sam Adler-Bell’s writing has appeared in New York Magazine and The New Republic. He’s also the co-host of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast. In this conversation with Daniel Spielberger, Sam chats about researching conservative figures, writing about the internal ideological divide amongst Democrats, and presenting leftist populism to a broader audience.  Listen to the Know Your Enemy podcast: https:/...

Zach Zimmerman is a comedian and writer whose work has been published in The New Yorker, Lithub, and other outlets. He’s also the author of the essay collection, “Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?” Recently, he released a comedy special, “Surprise Me” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM )   In this conversation with host Daniel Spie...

Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent at Axios. Along with CNN’s Jake Tapper, he co-authored the New York Times Bestselling book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alex shares why he was interested in covering Biden, what Democrats can take away from the book, political inf...

  Mike Isaac is a technology correspondent for The New York Times who has been covering Meta and Silicon Valley. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Mike discusses his experience covering the FTC vs. Meta trial, deepfakes, and the rise of AI. In addition, Mike offers some tips on how reporters can find overlooked stories. Keep up with Mike’s work: https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isa...

  Kat Tenbarge is an independent reporter who writes at Spitfire News. Before Spitfire News, Kat was a reporter at NBC News and Insider.  In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kat chats about her experience pivoting to independent multimedia reporting, the significance of the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni case, and her coverage of Disney Adults. Find out more about Spitfire News: ht...

Marisa Kabas runs the politics-focused newsletter The Handbasket. Marisa has been covering the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to the federal government and deportations.  In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, she discusses why she started The Handbasket, what it’s like getting scoops as an independent journalist, and how she navigates the dynamic of legacy media outlets failing t...

Karen Hao is an award-winning journalist whose work has been published in MIT Technology Review, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Hao discusses her new book,“Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI,” which traces how the company went from idealism to relentless expansion. Hao discusses the environmental and ethical imp...

CONTENT WARNING: VIOLENCE Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, an award-winning journalist, discusses her article for The Guardian about the murder of Fiona Holm. In her article, Brinkhurst-Cuff explores why Fiona’s murder didn’t gain that much attention in the British media and contextualizes it within the phenomenon of “missing white woman syndrome.”  For the Reuters Institute, Brinkhurst-Cuff researched ho...

Ej Dickson, a senior writer at The Cut, chats about the necessity of bringing empathy to reporting.  In a conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, she discusses her profile of Candace Owens, what’s behind RFK Jr.’s rise, and how mom content became so divisive.     Keep up with her work: https://www.thecut.com/author/e.j.-dickson/   Find out more about Study Hall: https://studyhall.xyz/ Music by...

Harron Walker chats about her book “Aggregated Discontent: Confessions of the Last Normal Woman.”  In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Harron discusses what it was like to work in digital media during the late 2010s, her “Devil Wears Prada” fan fiction, the figure of the girlboss, and her reporting on trans people trying to access family planning care. In addition, Harron shares tip...

Francis Zierer is the host and editor of Creator Spotlight, a podcast and newsletter that showcases how various writers, YouTubers, and podcasters monetize their online content. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Francis shares tips on how writers can market themselves in the creator economy. He also discusses the dynamic of running an independent project in a crowded field and how...

In a conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Johanna Fatemen and John Vincler, the co-chief art critics at Cultured Magazine’s The Critics’ Table, reflected on their experience starting a new space for art criticism. Fateman and Vincler discussed the state of art writing, negative reviews, and inclusivity in the art world.  Find out more about The Critics’ Table: https://www.culturedmag.com/the...

  In a chat with host Daniel Spielberger, Sarah Schulman discussed her new book “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity.” Drawing from culture industry case studies and Schulman’s experience as an activist, the book explores how artists and writers can show solidarity with marginalized groups. Schulman is an award-winning writer, novelist, and activist.  For more information about “The Fantasy an...

Sarah Aziza discusses her memoir "The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders." Aziza’s writing has been published in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Baffler, and Jewish Currents. In her memoir, Aziza traces her family’s history of being displaced from Palestine and explores the dynamic of historic erasure. In this conversation with Daniel Spielberger, Aziza discusses the process of w...

Adam Popescu discussed his recent Bloomberg feature about the Cordyceps fungi trade in Nepal. In this discussion with host Daniel Spielberger, Popescu shares his approach to narrative journalism and offers advice on how to find and pitch a compelling story. Popescu also chats about his recent Scientific American report on the implications of Colossal Biosciences creating a woolly mouse.    Popescu...

We were joined by Evette Dionne, the co-founder of The Flytrap and Executive Editor of Yes!. She chatted about the importance of feminist blogging, The Flytrap’s editorial philosophy, and Yes! Media’s approach to covering activism. Support Yes! : https://www.yesmagazine.org/?form=PowerOf30 Subscribe to The Flytrap: https://theflytrap.beehiiv.com/ Find out more about Study Hall: https://studyhall.x...

Daniel chatted with Vittoria Elliott, a reporter at WIRED, about her recent coverage of DOGE, Elon Musk, and the Trump administration. She shared what she learned about reporting on Musk's attack on federal bureaucracy and how her background in startups informs her coverage.  Read Vittoria Elliott’s work: https://www.wired.com/author/vittoria-elliott/ Find out more about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz...

Daniel chatted with Allegra Rosenberg, an editor and journalist who recently published a very in-depth feature for Atavist Magazine about an Antarctic love story between two British sailors in the early 1910s. Rosenberg shared her experience researching, writing, and editing this feature. Read Allegra’s feature here: https://magazine.atavist.com/from-antarctica-with-love-terra-nova-scott-south-pol...