Podcasts about longreads

On January 1 this year, Mohammed Harbi died at the age of 92. Harbi was one of the leading historians of modern Algeria and the movement that led it towards independence. Harbi began writing about the Algerian revolution after taking part in it himself. Born under French colonial rule, Harbi became a member of the National Liberation Front in the 1950s. He was an adviser to Algeria's first president, Ahmed Ben Bella. But Harbi was sent to prison after Ben Bella was removed from power in a military coup. He later escaped from house arrest and went into exile. Harbi remained deeply engaged with political events inside the country, from the civil war of the 1990s to the hirak protest movement of the last decade. Muriam Haleh Davis joins Long Reads for a discussion of Harbi's life and work. Muriam is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She's the author of Markets of Civilization: Islam and Racial Capitalism in Algeria. Read her obituary for Jacobin, “Mohammed Harbi Was Algeria's Revolutionary Historian”: https://jacobin.com/2026/02/mohammed-harbi-algeria-historian-obituary Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

The ability to diagnose rare diseases is at a turning point as greater genomic awareness, technological advances in long-read HiFi sequencing, and improved economics are converging to shorten the diagnostic odyssey for patients and families. PacBio's long-read whole-genome sequencing overcomes the limitations of exomes and short read technologies by capturing structural variants, epigenetic signatures, and regulatory information, which raises diagnostic yields by 10 to 15 percentage points and increasingly justifies its use as a first-line test. PacBio CEO Christian Henry discusses the company's long-read HiFi whole-genome sequencing, how it is reshaping the rare disease diagnostic journey, and the growing acceptance of the technology among payers.

In celebration of the launch of season 8, Jill Christman joins Let's Talk Memoir to interview Ronit about growing up with no blueprint for making a relationship work, fending for ourselves in childhood, being driven by curiosity, writing about others with generosity and complexity, conveying to readers that we are not the only one, the use of speculation to move toward a deeper truth, the key to memoir structure, how the now-narrator reaches a hand back to help the character we were, finding a deeper empathy and understanding, opposite world, trying to look perfectly 1980s, trusting that our memories are trying to tell us something, and Ronit's memoir When She Comes Back.   Also in this episode: -Swedish Fish -The Love Boat -being prologue girls   Books mentioned in this episode: The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin Stop-Time by Frank Conroy This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolf To Show and to Tell by Pilllip Lopate Jill Christman bio and links: Jill Christman is the author of The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir (released March 2026 from the University of Nebraska Press). Christman's other books include If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays (2023 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner), Darkroom: A Family Exposure (winner of AWP Prize for CNF), and Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood. Her essays have appeared in many anthologies and in magazines such as Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Iron Horse Literary Review, Longreads, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A 2020 NEA Literature Fellow, she teaches at Ball State University and serves as editor of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative and Beautiful Things (a weekly online magazine of micro nonfiction). Visit her at jillchristman.com. Connect with Jill: https://www.instagram.com/jillchristmanwriter @jillchristman.bsky.social jillchristman.com Order for yourself and all your memoir-loving friends—directly from the University of Nebraska Press or your local independent or by using any of the handy links on my website. Use code 6AS26 for 40% off on any UNP book! Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

Britain held local and regional elections earlier this month that proved to be catastrophic for the Labour government of Keir Starmer. Labour fell behind the right-wing party Reform UK, which is led by Nigel Farage. Ten years after the Brexit referendum of 2016, could Farage be on track to become Britain's next prime minister? Phil Burton-Cartledge, lecturer in sociology at the University of Derby and the author of The Party's Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to Sunak, joins Long Reads for a conversation about the state of British politics. Phil spoke with us two years ago to discuss the UK general election that brought Starmer to power. Read or listen to that interview here: https://jacobin.com/2024/07/uk-elections-tory-party-conservatives-defeat-labour Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Adam Hurrey is joined on the midweek Adjudication Panel by Charlie Eccleshare and David Walker. On the agenda: cutting through the considerable noise of Arsenal's long-awaited Premier League title and the 12-day express saga of Spygate, the Australian Andy Gray, Rory Stewart apparently hearing about VAR for the first time, the one interesting name from the BBC and ITV's World Cup punditry lineups, eminent anthropologists with Peter Drury's voice and a suspiciously made-up-looking Bundesliga club. Play the Happy Hunting Grounds daily quiz at games.footballcliches.com Sign up for Dreamland, the members-only Football Clichés experience, to access our exclusive show and much more: https://dreamland.footballcliches.com Visit nordvpn.com/cliches to get four extra months on a two-year plan with NordVPN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're speaking with Lindsey Danis, a queer writer of fiction and essays whose writing has appeared in AFAR, Fodor's Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, Longreads and more.Lindsey's book (Out) On the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel is out this month. In it, Lindsey weaves personal experience with data and interviews, and offers readers a framework for planning travel, navigating risks, and becoming self-reliant.Lindsey is also the founder of the LGBTQ+ travel platform, Queer Adventurers, that focuses on queer women and nonbinary people. Her work is all about empowering LGBTQ+ travelers to understand and advocate for their needs so that they can plan incredible adventures.We are an audience-supported platform. Become a paid member to support our work and get our many perks.Visit us at goingplacesmedia.com to learn more.Thanks to our Founding Members:RISE Travel Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel educationRadostina Boseva, a film wedding photographer with an editorial flair based in San FranciscoWhat you'll learn in this episode:The "how" of writing a book and securing an agentThe concept of queer joyWriting for LGBTQ+ audiences through a liberatory frameworkWhy queer stories aren't just for queer travelers, but for anyone interested in a more expansive and inclusive worldWhat mainstream travel advice often gets wrong about the queer experienceHow we can use our spending power to advocate for changePractical insights on how to be an ally to a queer travelerFeatured on the show:Read (Out) On the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer TravelLearn more about Lindsey's workFollow Lindsey on Instagram: @lindsey.danis.writerConnect with Lindsey on LinkedInCheck out Lindsey's platform, Queer AdventuresGet Lindsey's book proposal worksheetGet Lindsey's allyship guide for travelersRead Lindsey's piece for Eater about the restaurant industryCheck out the Everywhere is Queer appGoing Places is a reader-supported platform. Get membership perks like a monthly group call with Yulia at goingplacesmedia.com!For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don't forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You'll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more. Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.

Jill Christman joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about contextualizing a memoir in a post-Roe world, what it means to make a choice as mothers, ending a pregnancy, knowing you will write about an experience while it is happening, writing about childhood sexual abuse, returning to a manuscript with your skirt on fire, writing to a point of discovery, putting down our self-defense and  having to be fully, fully vulnerable, getting clear on why we're showing up to tell this story now, and her new memoir The Heart Folds Early.   Ronit's in-person Fall Workshop - Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story     https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: -writing in present tense -not casting judgment on others -how an imaginary choice is not a choice   Books mentioned in this episode: Love Works Like This by Lauren Slater The Book of Knowledge and Wonder By Steven Harvey Crossed Over: A Murder, a Memoir by Beverly Lowry In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Maha A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander Safekeeping by Abigail Thomas An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken   Jill Christman's recent articles on writing: 1. “Writing the Tooth—Or, How to Find Big Ideas in Tiny Things.” Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies. https://www.assayjournal.com/jill-christman-writing-the-toothmdashor-how-to-find-big-ideas-in-tiny-things-assay-122.html 2. “Three Takes on a Jump.” https://riverteethjournal.com/river_revisted/river-teeth-classics-three-takes-on-a-jump/ 3. “Tacking: A Sailor's Guide to Writing Against the Wind.” Writer's Digest,https://www.writersdigest.com/tacking-a-sailors-guide-to-writing-against-the-wind   Jill Christman is the author of The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir (released March 2026 from the University of Nebraska Press). Christman's other books include If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays (2023 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner), Darkroom: A Family Exposure (winner of AWP Prize for CNF), and Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood. Her essays have appeared in many anthologies and in magazines such as Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Iron Horse Literary Review, Longreads, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A 2020 NEA Literature Fellow, she teaches at Ball State University and serves as editor of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative and Beautiful Things (a weekly online magazine of micro nonfiction). Visit her at jillchristman.com.   Connect with Jill: https://www.instagram.com/jillchristmanwriter @jillchristman.bsky.social jillchristman.com Order for yourself and all your memoir-loving friends—directly from the University of Nebraska Press or your local independent or by using any of the handy links on my website. Use code 6AS26 for 40% off on any UNP book!   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book.   More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

This is the second part of a two-part interview with Sebastian Budgen, senior editor at Verso, about French politics and the state of the French left. In our previous episode, we spoke about developments since the elections two years ago when a left-wing alliance prevented the far right from taking power in Paris. This week, we're going to be speaking about events so far this year and looking ahead to the presidential election in 2027. Hear part one of the interview: https://apple.co/48mdnUa Read the articles from the British press that Daniel and Sebastian discuss in the interview: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/28/political-killing-french-left-quentin-deranque-jean-luc-melenchon https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/frances-socialists-have-gone-to-the-extreme-6djcpgbzn Don't miss Jacobin's annual May Day sale! For a limited time, we‘re offering digital subscriptions for just $1, or $10 for the print edition. You'll receive four issues plus access to the complete archive. This offer applies to first-time subscribers, but, if you're an existing supporter, consider buying a friend or a comrade one as a gift. Just use the code MAYDAY2026R at checkout: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2026R Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Podcast Host and Interviewee:  Host: Sara Hardy;  Interviewee: Caroline Catlin   Caroline Catlin is an artist and also a brain tumor survivor. Her writing and photography can be found in The New York Times, Longreads, Huffington Post, Glamour, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in Writing from Pacific University and a forthcoming memoir in progress, represented by Neon Literary.   Her TED talk, Why I Photograph the Quiet Moments of Grief and Loss, has been viewed over 1 million times. In this interview, she talks about how her diagnosis changed her life and how her art helped her to cope and thrive.

Episode 107 They were looking for a serial arsonist. What they found… was a love story gone completely off the rails. After five months and more than 80 fires, investigators finally catch the person responsible—but the truth behind the Accomack County fires is far stranger than anyone expected. A former firefighter. A controlling relationship. A motive that makes less sense the deeper you look. And in the end? It wasn't just one crime spree. It was two. This is the unhinged conclusion of Lit by Love: The Accomack County, Virginia Serial Arson Case. Buy Monica Hesse's amazing book on this case: American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land here: https://a.co/d/0609yUqG The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Hesse, Monica. American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land. Liveright Publishing, 2017. Johnson, R. Scott, M.D., J.D., LL.M., and Elisabeth Netherton, M.D. “Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania.” American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal, Vol. 11, No. 7, April 2017. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110707 Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission. 2022 Annual Report. “Burning Down Accomack – 10 Years Later.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader. https://www.wboc.com/news/watch-burning-down-accomack---10-years-later/video_0aa43587-4fdc-5678-96d2-ce9eb85d62e2.html “Second Accomack Arsonist Tonya Bundick's Prison Sentence Ends.” Curtis, Sean. WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, September 24, 2025. https://www.wboc.com/news/second-accomack-arsonist-tonya-bundick-s-prison-sentence-ends/article_62e90020-318e-475a-9ae9-a3e8d90557c6.html “Accomack Arsonist Charles Smith to Be Released from Prison Tuesday.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, October 31, 2023. https://www.wboc.com/news/accomack-arsonist-charles-smith-to-be-released-from-prison-tuesday/article_3f047cee-7825-11ee-8c0b-b3dda31728b0.html Cohen, Stefanie. “How a Man's Sexual Performance Led to a Massive Arson Spree.” New York Post, August 5, 2017. https://nypost.com/2017/08/05/how-a-mans-sexual-performance-led-to-a-massive-arson-spree/ Vaughn, Carol. “Serial Arsonist Told Cops Fires an Act of Love.” The Salisbury Daily Times, via Delaware Online. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/1/01/01/serial-arsonist-told-cops-fires-an-act-of-love/3476357/ “The Arsonist Was Like a Ghost.” Longreads, August 2, 2017. https://longreads.com/2017/08/02/the-arsonist-was-like-a-ghost/ “Were There Any Copycats During the Eastern Shore Arson Spree?” WTVR News 3, April 11, 2014. https://www.wtkr.com/2014/04/11/were-there-any-copycats-during-eastern-shore-arson-spree Delmarva Public Media (Don Rush) “Charles Smith Gets 15 Years for Accomack County Fires.” April 24, 2015. “Bundick Enters Alford Plea to Virginia Eastern Shore Fires.” April 21, 2015. “Bundick Faces Third Trial for Accomack County Fires.” December 4, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Gets Over 10 Years in Prison for Arson.” September 4, 2014. “Bundick to Be Sentenced in Eastern Shore Arson Spree.” September 4, 2014. “No New Court-Appointed Attorney for Tonya Bundick.” August 22, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Convicted of Arson in Second Trial.” July 16, 2014. “Bundick Trial Begins, Has New Relationship.” July 15, 2014. “Arson Trial for Bundick Begins Today.” July 14, 2014. “Other Fires Could Be Mentioned in Bundick Arson Trial.” June 17, 2014. “Bundick Could Get 62 Separate Arson Trials.” April 29, 2014. “Arson Trial for Tonya Bundick Will Be Moved to Virginia Beach.” April 11, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Trial Delayed.” February 21, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Pleads Guilty in Accomack Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “Bundick's Fiancé Testifies at Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “New Details from Indictment in Accomack County Arsons.” December 5, 2013.

Two years ago, the French president Emmanuel Macron called snap elections for the National Assembly. The far right was widely expected to win and form a government for the first time since the fall of the Vichy regime, but things didn't work out that way. The New Popular Front, a left-wing electoral alliance, won a surprise victory. Sebastian Budgen, senior editor at Verso, joins Long Reads to discuss the state of the French left. Daniel and Sebastian look in particular at La France Insoumise, which has been one of the most successful parties of the radical left in any European country since the start of the decade. This is a two-part interview. The first part is going to focus on events between the election in 2024 and the start of this year. In our next episode, we'll be looking at this year's election results and looking forward to the presidential contest in 2027. Read the article from Politico that Daniel and Sebastian discuss in the interview: https://www.politico.eu/article/french-left-new-popular-front-alliance-uk-labour-party-raphael-glucksmann-jean-luc-melenchon-jeremy-corbyn/ Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!In this week's episode author Emily Meg Weinstein joins us to discuss her memoir Turn to Stone. Emily does so much more than just chronicle a significant time in her life or regale the reader with tales of her rock climbing adventures, she examines her own fears and desires, leading to realizations that are simultaneously personal and universal. This is a conversation of and for the heart. We hope you enjoy it.More about Emily Meg Weinstein:Emily Meg Weinstein is the author of Turn to Stone, her début memoir. An essayist, educator, and activist, Weinstein is a founding member of Climbers for Palestine California, the sole proprietor of her own tutoring company, and holds a Bachelorette of Arts with honors from Brown University in the self-created major "Human Freedom and Education." Her work has been featured in Orion, LitHub, Electric Lit, Salon, McSweeney's, The Rumpus, Longreads, Climbing, Rock and Ice, and other publications, and her essay, “Mating Habits of the Asterisk,” received a notable mention in Best American Essays 2015. Born in New York and raised in Queens and Long Island, Emily lives, writes, and teaches on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, roams in her minivan, and roots for the New York Mets.Where to find Emily Meg Weinstein:Website: emilymegweinstein.com Instagram: @emilymweinsteinFacebook: @emilyweinsteinHer book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Turn-to-Stone/Emily-Meg-Weinstein/9781668047859 Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Episode 106 In Part 2 of Lit by Love, the fires in Accomack County escalate from suspicious to unmistakably intentional—spreading fear through a rural community unaccustomed to this level of destruction. As investigators struggle to keep up with a growing number of blazes, tensions rise among residents, rumors take hold online, and volunteer firefighters are pushed to their limits responding to near-nightly calls. But beneath the surface of this arson spree, a more personal story begins to emerge. This episode dives into the background of Charles Smith—a troubled man shaped by addiction, loss, and a lifelong search for belonging—and his intense relationship with Tonya Bundick. What starts as connection and devotion quickly becomes something more volatile, as financial strain, emotional instability, and deep-seated insecurity collide. As the fires continue to burn across Accomack County, one question looms larger than ever: Is this just arson… or something driven by love, desperation, and a need to prove it? Buy Monica Hesse's amazing book on this case: American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land here: https://a.co/d/0609yUqG The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Hesse, Monica. American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land. Liveright Publishing, 2017. Johnson, R. Scott, M.D., J.D., LL.M., and Elisabeth Netherton, M.D. “Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania.” American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal, Vol. 11, No. 7, April 2017. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110707 Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission. 2022 Annual Report. “Burning Down Accomack – 10 Years Later.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader. https://www.wboc.com/news/watch-burning-down-accomack---10-years-later/video_0aa43587-4fdc-5678-96d2-ce9eb85d62e2.html “Second Accomack Arsonist Tonya Bundick's Prison Sentence Ends.” Curtis, Sean. WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, September 24, 2025. https://www.wboc.com/news/second-accomack-arsonist-tonya-bundick-s-prison-sentence-ends/article_62e90020-318e-475a-9ae9-a3e8d90557c6.html “Accomack Arsonist Charles Smith to Be Released from Prison Tuesday.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, October 31, 2023. https://www.wboc.com/news/accomack-arsonist-charles-smith-to-be-released-from-prison-tuesday/article_3f047cee-7825-11ee-8c0b-b3dda31728b0.html Cohen, Stefanie. “How a Man's Sexual Performance Led to a Massive Arson Spree.” New York Post, August 5, 2017. https://nypost.com/2017/08/05/how-a-mans-sexual-performance-led-to-a-massive-arson-spree/ Vaughn, Carol. “Serial Arsonist Told Cops Fires an Act of Love.” The Salisbury Daily Times, via Delaware Online. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/1/01/01/serial-arsonist-told-cops-fires-an-act-of-love/3476357/ “The Arsonist Was Like a Ghost.” Longreads, August 2, 2017. https://longreads.com/2017/08/02/the-arsonist-was-like-a-ghost/ “Were There Any Copycats During the Eastern Shore Arson Spree?” WTVR News 3, April 11, 2014. https://www.wtkr.com/2014/04/11/were-there-any-copycats-during-eastern-shore-arson-spree Delmarva Public Media (Don Rush) “Charles Smith Gets 15 Years for Accomack County Fires.” April 24, 2015. “Bundick Enters Alford Plea to Virginia Eastern Shore Fires.” April 21, 2015. “Bundick Faces Third Trial for Accomack County Fires.” December 4, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Gets Over 10 Years in Prison for Arson.” September 4, 2014. “Bundick to Be Sentenced in Eastern Shore Arson Spree.” September 4, 2014. “No New Court-Appointed Attorney for Tonya Bundick.” August 22, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Convicted of Arson in Second Trial.” July 16, 2014. “Bundick Trial Begins, Has New Relationship.” July 15, 2014. “Arson Trial for Bundick Begins Today.” July 14, 2014. “Other Fires Could Be Mentioned in Bundick Arson Trial.” June 17, 2014. “Bundick Could Get 62 Separate Arson Trials.” April 29, 2014. “Arson Trial for Tonya Bundick Will Be Moved to Virginia Beach.” April 11, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Trial Delayed.” February 21, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Pleads Guilty in Accomack Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “Bundick's Fiancé Testifies at Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “New Details from Indictment in Accomack County Arsons.” December 5, 2013.

Episode 105 In rural Accomack County, structure fires are rare—maybe a handful a year across an entire district. So when six fires break out in less than 30 hours, investigators know immediately: this isn't coincidence. It's arson. What follows is one of the most baffling serial arson cases to ever hit Virginia's Eastern Shore. Over five months, 87 fires tear through a tight-knit community of just 33,000 people—stretching volunteer fire departments to their limits and leaving investigators with little more than ash to work with. But what makes this case truly unsettling isn't just the scale—it's the motive. There's no money. No revenge. No attempt to cover up another crime. The fires target abandoned buildings, offering no clear benefit to the person setting them. And the suspects? They don't fit the profile. They're not outsiders. Not isolated. Not young thrill-seekers. They're a couple. In this episode, we break down how a quiet rural county became the center of a serial arson spree, what investigators look for when fire scene evidence is all but destroyed, and why cases driven by psychological motives—like pyromania—are some of the hardest to solve. Because when there's no clear reason… there's often no clear path to a suspect. And when someone sets six fires in 30 hours— they're not finished. Buy Monica Hesse's amazing book on this case: American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land here: https://a.co/d/0609yUqG The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Hesse, Monica. American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land. Liveright Publishing, 2017. Johnson, R. Scott, M.D., J.D., LL.M., and Elisabeth Netherton, M.D. “Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania.” American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal, Vol. 11, No. 7, April 2017. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110707 Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission. 2022 Annual Report. “Burning Down Accomack – 10 Years Later.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader. https://www.wboc.com/news/watch-burning-down-accomack---10-years-later/video_0aa43587-4fdc-5678-96d2-ce9eb85d62e2.html “Second Accomack Arsonist Tonya Bundick's Prison Sentence Ends.” Curtis, Sean. WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, September 24, 2025. https://www.wboc.com/news/second-accomack-arsonist-tonya-bundick-s-prison-sentence-ends/article_62e90020-318e-475a-9ae9-a3e8d90557c6.html “Accomack Arsonist Charles Smith to Be Released from Prison Tuesday.” WBOC Delmarva's News Leader, October 31, 2023. https://www.wboc.com/news/accomack-arsonist-charles-smith-to-be-released-from-prison-tuesday/article_3f047cee-7825-11ee-8c0b-b3dda31728b0.html Cohen, Stefanie. “How a Man's Sexual Performance Led to a Massive Arson Spree.” New York Post, August 5, 2017. https://nypost.com/2017/08/05/how-a-mans-sexual-performance-led-to-a-massive-arson-spree/ Vaughn, Carol. “Serial Arsonist Told Cops Fires an Act of Love.” The Salisbury Daily Times, via Delaware Online. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/1/01/01/serial-arsonist-told-cops-fires-an-act-of-love/3476357/ “The Arsonist Was Like a Ghost.” Longreads, August 2, 2017. https://longreads.com/2017/08/02/the-arsonist-was-like-a-ghost/ “Were There Any Copycats During the Eastern Shore Arson Spree?” WTVR News 3, April 11, 2014. https://www.wtkr.com/2014/04/11/were-there-any-copycats-during-eastern-shore-arson-spree Delmarva Public Media (Don Rush) “Charles Smith Gets 15 Years for Accomack County Fires.” April 24, 2015. “Bundick Enters Alford Plea to Virginia Eastern Shore Fires.” April 21, 2015. “Bundick Faces Third Trial for Accomack County Fires.” December 4, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Gets Over 10 Years in Prison for Arson.” September 4, 2014. “Bundick to Be Sentenced in Eastern Shore Arson Spree.” September 4, 2014. “No New Court-Appointed Attorney for Tonya Bundick.” August 22, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Convicted of Arson in Second Trial.” July 16, 2014. “Bundick Trial Begins, Has New Relationship.” July 15, 2014. “Arson Trial for Bundick Begins Today.” July 14, 2014. “Other Fires Could Be Mentioned in Bundick Arson Trial.” June 17, 2014. “Bundick Could Get 62 Separate Arson Trials.” April 29, 2014. “Arson Trial for Tonya Bundick Will Be Moved to Virginia Beach.” April 11, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Trial Delayed.” February 21, 2014. “Tonya Bundick Pleads Guilty in Accomack Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “Bundick's Fiancé Testifies at Arson Trial.” January 14, 2014. “New Details from Indictment in Accomack County Arsons.” December 5, 2013.

Donald Trump is a huge fan of Nayib Bukele, the current president of El Salvador. Last April, Bukele visited the White House and offered to help with a campaign of domestic repression in the United States. In El Salvador, which relies on US support, Bukele's government has detained tens of thousands of people in mass arrests. Hundreds have died inside their notorious prison system. Our guest today for a conversation about El Salvador under Bukele is Hilary Goodfriend. Hilary is a postdoctoral researcher at UNAM in Mexico City and she writes about Salvadorean politics for Jacobin. Read Hilary's article “An Infinite State of Exception in Nayib Bukele's El Salvador” here: https://jacobin.com/2026/01/el-salvador-us-bukele-trump-authoritarianism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

In this instant classic episode, Wilson M. Sims and Jared talk about the step-by-step process of getting an agent, what they do (or know they shouldn't do) when a story isn't working, how MFA programs are like basketball drills, and approaching craft discussions in ways that are more flexible and time-varying than declarative and concrete. Plus, Wilson discusses making lasting connections with faculty and visiting writers and shares the realities of living on an MFA stipend and pivoting to part-time to maintain a day job.Wilson M. Sims is a behavioral-health worker and policy strategist in the final year of his MFA program at Florida Atlantic University. His work is published in Longreads, The Florida Review, Witness Magazine, and Virginia Quarterly Review. He is the winner of the 2021 Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction, and his essay “Unknown Costs,” received a special mention in the 2025 Pushcart Anthology. Find him at wilsonmsims.com.MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack and Hanamori Skoblow. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at MFAwriters.com.BE PART OF THE SHOW— Donate to the show at Buy Me a Coffee.— Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.— Submit an episode request. If there's a program you'd like to learn more about, contact us and we'll do our very best to find a guest who can speak to their experience.— Apply to be a guest on the show by filling out our application.STAY CONNECTEDTwitter: @MFAwriterspodInstagram: @MFAwriterspodcastFacebook: MFA WritersEmail: mfawriterspodcast@gmail.com 

OpenAI is becoming a superapp. Does Amazon really want to try its hand at a smartphone again? Google is making further steps to obviate classic Google Search in that innovator's dilemma way. And in the Longreads, why has AI gotten worse at writing. OpenAI Plans Launch of Desktop ‘Superapp' to Refocus, Simplify User Experience (WSJ) White House releases AI policy blueprint for Congress (Politico) Exclusive: Amazon plans smartphone comeback more than a decade after Fire Phone flop (Reuters) Super Micro shares tank 25% after employees charged with smuggling Nvidia chips to China (CNBC) Google Search is now using AI to replace headlines (The Verge) Jeff Bezos in Talks to Raise $100 Billion for AI Manufacturing Fund (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: ChatGPT did not cure a dog's cancer (The Verge) The Human Skill That Eludes AI (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've now entered the second week of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Donald Trump's War Secretary Pete Hegseth has boasted about the US military machine bringing “death and destruction” to the country. Afshin Matin-Asgari joined Long Reads on Monday, March 9, to discuss the war. Afshin is a professor of Middle East history at California State University in Los Angeles. His most recent book is Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–US Relations. Read Afshin's coverage of the protests from January: https://jacobin.com/2026/01/iran-protests-khamenei-trump-israel And an edited transcript of this podcast interview here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/trump-iran-regime-war-israel Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Last October, the war in Sudan took a new turn with the capture of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces. The city in western Sudan had been under siege by the RSF for more than two years before the Sudanese armed forces suddenly withdrew. After taking control of El Fasher, the RSF began to carry out a massacre of civilians. A UN fact-finding mission recently found that the crimes in El Fasher bore “hallmarks of genocide.” The Sudanese catastrophe is all the more depressing because it comes after a brief moment of greater political openness and optimism after the ousting of a dictator in 2019. Joshua Craze joins Long Reads to discuss the evolution of the conflict in Sudan and its likely future. Joshua has written many articles about the politics of Sudan and South Sudan for publications such as the New Statesman, the New York Review of Books, and Jacobin. Read Joshua's 2023 essay for Jacobin, “Only You Can Save Darfur”: https://jacobin.com/2023/07/only-you-can-save-darfur And find other work on his personal website: https://www.joshuacraze.com/essays Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Al-Shabaka Co-Director Yara Hawari joins Daniel Finn, host of Jacobin's podcast Long Reads, for an update on Gaza and the wider international context.

Blair Glaser joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about her time on a Catskills ashram during her twenties in the 1990s, yearning and the thrilling and perilous idolization of other human beings, spiritual development, group think, revisiting our experiences with curiosity and excitement, navigating writing about others, pitching agents and digesting their feedback, writing in scene in a sustained way, growing thematically, digging deeper, allowing the unconscious to inform our writing process, being the stewards of our stories, and her new memoir This Incredible Longing:Finding My Self in a Near Cult Experience. Info/Registration for Ronit's 10-Week Memoir Class Memoir Writing: Finding Your Story https://www.pce.uw.edu/courses/memoir-writing-finding-your-story   Also in this episode: -composite characters -working with smaller presses -our foundational, formative experiences Books mentioned in this episode: -Permission by Elissa Altman -Seven Drafts by Allison K. Williams -Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg   Blair Glaser, MA, is a writer, speaker, leadership consultant and licensed psychotherapist who helps create collaborative cultures and increase bottom lines across sectors including finance, law, healthcare, entertainment, and nonprofits. She has run a variety of workshops at renowned retreat centers, including Women Writing to Change the World. After working for six years for V's (formerly Eve Ensler) nonprofit V-Day, a movement to stop violence against women and girls, she developed and facilitated The Vagina Monologues Workshop, a creative approach to sexual empowerment for women, and later worked with actor-activist Jane Fonda on an empowerment workshop for teenage girls.    Glaser earned her B.S. in theater at Northwestern University and received her master's in Drama Therapy from Vermont College and The Institutes for the Arts in Psychotherapy, where she eventually served as a senior faculty member.  She was a New York-licensed creative arts therapist from 1998 to 2022, when she left therapy to work full-time with leaders and organizations. Glaser was the first ever online actor-advice columnist when her weekly column “Ask Blair” appeared on Playbill On-Line.    More recently, her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Longreads, Quartz, The Muse, HuffPost, Shondaland and literary publications such as Dorothy Parker's Ashes, Brevity, and the Mantlepiece. Her new memoir is This Incredible Longing:Finding My Self in a Near Cult Experience.   Connect with Blair: Website: www.blairglaser.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairglaser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blair.glaser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blair_glaser/ Substack: https://thehistack.substack.com/ Books: www.blairglaser.com/books Events: www.blairglaser.com/events   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Last October, the Trump administration announced a ceasefire deal in Gaza after two years of relentless carnage. Since the deal was announced, Israel has continued to occupy much of Gaza, and its forces have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has launched his so-called Board of Peace to administer Gaza without any input from Palestinians. Having received a blank check for his scheme from the UN Security Council, Trump now presents the Board of Peace as an alternative to the UN itself. Yara Hawari joins Long Reads for an update on conditions in Gaza and the wider international context. Yara is the co-director of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network. Read her analysis of Palestinian politics here: https://al-shabaka.org/authors/yara-hawari/ Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

As this episode was being finalized, the Trump administration was threatening to attack Iran for the second time in less than a year. The threats come against the backdrop of mass protests inside Iran that appear to have been repressed by the state security forces for the time being. Long Reads is joined by Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi. He's a lecturer on the international politics of the Middle East at the University of St Andrews. And the author of Revolution and Its Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran. Eskandar joined us last summer to talk about the situation in Iran, and we spoke again earlier this week to cover the latest developments. This interview was recorded on Tuesday January 27th. Read a transcript of this interview: https://jacobin.com/2026/01/iran-protests-authoritarianism-trump-israel Listen to our interview from last summer here: https://apple.co/4rI5ekr Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Kavita Das is a an author and mother who has worked for social change for close to fifteen years, addressing issues ranging from community and housing inequities, to public health disparities, to racial injustice. Her first book Poignant Song: The Life and Music of Lakshmi Shankar tells the life story of Grammy-nominated Hindustani singer Lakshmi Shankar.Kavita has been a regular contributor to NBC News Asian America, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Rumpus. In addition, her work has been published in Salon, WIRED, Poets & Writers, Catapult, LitHub, Tin House, Longreads, Kenyon Review, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Guernica, McSweeney's, Fast Company, Quartz, Colorlines, Romper, and elsewhere. Kavita created the popular “Writing About Social Issues” nonfiction seminar, which inspired Craft and Conscience, and has taught at the New School and continues to teach across multiple venues and serve as a guest lecturer. Kavita Das is currently a Masters in Fine Arts candidate in creative nonfiction and screenwriting at Antioch University where she is the Eloise Klein Healy Scholar. Previously, she received a B.A. in Urban Studies from Bryn Mawr College. She lives in her hometown of New York City and tries to keep up with the city that never sleeps and her six-year-old daughter Daya.

This is a special, extra episode of Long Reads. It's now two weeks since the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro. Donald Trump and Marco Rubio made explicit threats to countries like Colombia and Cuba in the aftermath, washed down with the usual fantasies about drug trafficking. Tony Wood joins Long Reads to discuss the attack on Venezuela and what it means for the Latin American left. How have left-wing governments and parties been reacting, and what are the long-term implications going to be? Tony is a professor of Latin American history at the University of Colorado Boulder and a regular contributor to publications such as New Left Review, the London Review of Books, and Jacobin: https://jacobin.com/author/tony-wood Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

This week's episode of Long Reads is the second part of a two-part interview about the history of Western Sahara. Our last episode covered events leading up to Morocco's invasion of the country. This episode examines the fifty years of occupation and the recent push by the Trump administration to legitimize Moroccan rule. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He's the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Laura Goode about REIMAGINING SUCCESS THROUGH SELF-ADVOCACY AND COLLABORATION, including how authors can build supportive writing communities, strategies for finding the right mentors and artistic partners, overcoming comparison and competition in the writing world, and how redefining success can strengthen your writing practice and your confidence as an indie author.   Interview video at https://bit.ly/TIAPYTPlaylist  Show notes, including extensive summary, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all    If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Laura Goode is the author of a collection of poems, Become a Name, and a YA novel, Sister Mischief, which was a Best of the Bay pick by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and a selection of two ALA honor lists. With director Meera Menon, she wrote and produced the feature film Farah Goes Bang, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the inaugural Nora Ephron Prize from Tribeca and Vogue. Her nonfiction writing on intersectional feminism, female friendship, motherhood, gender, and race in culture, TV, film, and literature has appeared in BuzzFeed, New Republic, New York Magazine, Longreads, Elle, Catapult, Refinery29, and elsewhere. She received her BA and MFA from Columbia University and currently teaches at Stanford University, where she was honored with the 2025 Walter J. Gores Award, Stanford's highest award for excellence in teaching.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer's Digest" magazine. She is a Partner Member and Team Member at the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Sari Botton, writer, editor, and publisher of the Substack hits Oldster and Memoir Land, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her unconventional path through publishing, why she ultimately chose ownership, longevity, and creative control over chasing traditional industry validation, and how she built a thriving ecosystem around her work.In this episode, Sari breaks down what it really takes to build a sustainable writing and publishing career outside the gatekeepers. She shares how she launched bestselling anthologies like Goodbye to All That and Never Can Say Goodbye after being repeatedly told “you can't do that,” what it was like working at Longreads during a pivotal moment in digital publishing, and why Substack ultimately gave her the freedom she'd been seeking all along. We also dig into her debut memoir And You May Find Yourself... and the realities of publishing creative nonfiction, including the emotional and ethical challenges of writing about real people, the importance of blurring and revision, and why small presses—and even self-publishing—can sometimes offer more protection and creative freedom than major publishers. This conversation is a must-listen for writers questioning what success in publishing actually looks like in the creator economy.Subscribe to Sari's Substacks Oldster, Memoir Land, and Adventures in "Journalism." Follow her on Instagram @saribotton, and buy your copy of And You May Find Yourself... on Bookshop.org, or wherever books are sold!The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on Instagram @courtneykocak and Bluesky @courtneykocak.bsky.social. For more, check out her website courtneykocak.com.Courtney is teaching some upcoming workshops you might be interested in:How to Make 2026 Your Best Writing Year Yet: Manifest Your Writing Goals: https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-make-2026-your-best-writing-year-yet-manifest-your-writing-goals-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocakNew Year's Newsletter & Pitch Party Extravaganza (use code BLEEDERS for $100 off): https://www.courtneykocak.com/store/new-years-newsletter-pitch-party-extravaganza-2026How to Build a “Platform” for Writers Who Shudder at the Thought: https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-build-a-platform-for-writers-who-shudder-at-the-thought-zoom-seminarStart a Newsletter to Supercharge Your Platform, Network and Business: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminarLand Big Bylines by Writing for Columns: https://writingworkshops.com/products/land-big-bylines-by-writing-for-columns-zoom-seminarSo You Want to Start a Podcast?: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-podcast-workshop-courtney-kocakEdit & Elevate: Revision Intensive: https://writingworkshops.com/products/edit-elevate-revision-intensive-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak

The occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco has now lasted for half a century. The anniversary of the invasion passed at the beginning of November. It came just as the Trump administration was working at the United Nations to legitimize permanent Moroccan rule over the land and its people, including the indigenous Sahrawis. Today's episode is the first part of a two-part interview on the history of Western Sahara. Part one is going to cover the experience of Spanish colonial rule and the emergence of a movement for independence before the invasion by Morocco in 1975. Part two will carry the story up to the present day. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He's the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Since Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have killed more than 300 Palestinians. They also continue to occupy large parts of Gaza and have vowed not to withdraw. Despite the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank alike, Western states clearly want to move on as if the atrocities of the past two years had never happened. Yet Israel is still facing efforts to hold it accountable under international law. South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention. And the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. To discuss the ongoing case, Long Reads is joined by John Reynolds, a professor of law at Maynooth University. He's the author of Empire, Emergency, and International Law. Find John's previous interviews with Long Reads here: https://jacobin.com/author/john-reynolds Support for this episode comes from Revol Press: revolpress.com Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

225 Want to see your words in print but don't know where to begin? Or maybe the rejections are racking up and you don't know why. The world of publishing can feel illusive at best and cutthroat at worst, but once you know the unspoken rules, you can get published in no time. Learn how Nadine has gotten her writing in top mags and how she's helped hundreds of writers get published in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, Brevity, Boston Globe Connections, the Chicago Tribune, Hippocampus, Longreads, Writer's Digest, and more (and how they've gotten nominated for major awards like the Pushcart Prize).Covered in this episode: Why your typical approach isn't workingThe 4 ways to make your writing stand outWhat has helped Nadine and her students get published in major magsWhat Nadine has learned about publishing in her 20-year writing career (first as a Chicago magazine intern, then as a writing professor, a published writer, and a writing coach) If you want to finally publish your personal essays, look no further! Sign up for Publish the Personal, which will run on Fridays, Jan 23-Feb 27. In this 6-week intensive, we'll write, workshop, revise, and submit 2 of your personal essays to major publications. Success Stories mentioned in this show:Margaret GhielmettiSally Schwartz Barbara Phillips Sarah Robertson About Nadine:Nadine Kenney Johnstone is an award-winning author, podcast host, and writing coach. After fifteen years as a writing professor, she founded WriteWELL workshops and retreats for women writers. She interviews today's top female authors on her podcast, Heart of the Story. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal. She has been featured in Cosmo, Authority, MindBodyGreen, Natural Awakenings,Chicago Magazine, and more. She writes a regular column about mid-life reclamation on Substack.

On this episode of Match+Book, librarian Paul recommendssome longer reads for the upcoming winter nights. Check out these titles with your EBPL or STELLA library card: https://ilove.ebpl.org/adults/news/matchbook-long-reads-long-nightsThe Stand by Stephen KingMiddlemarch by George EliotThe Goldffinch by Donna Tartt

What do poets and humorists have in common? For Caylin Capra-Thomas, whose writing is sure to make you laugh, both pay close attention to life's idiosyncrasies in the search for truth. In this episode, she also tells Jared about her experience getting a PhD in creative writing for an advantage in the academic job market (it worked: she's a professor!), conquering the comprehensive exam, and key differences between the PhD and the MFA.Caylin Capra-Thomas is the author of a poetry collection, Iguana Iguana, and her poetry and essays have appeared widely, including in Georgia Review, Pleiades, Longreads, 32 Poems, New England Review, and elsewhere. Her scholarship has appeared in the T.S. Eliot Studies Annual. The recipient of fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center and the Sewanee Writers Conference, she earned an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from the University of Montana, and a PhD in English and creative writing (nonfiction) from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She now teaches English and creative writing at Stephens College. Find her at caylincaprathomas.com.MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack and Hanamori Skoblow. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at MFAwriters.com.BE PART OF THE SHOWDonate to the show at Buy Me a Coffee.Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.Submit an episode request. If there's a program you'd like to learn more about, contact us and we'll do our very best to find a guest who can speak to their experience.Apply to be a guest on the show by filling out our application.STAY CONNECTEDTwitter: @MFAwriterspodInstagram: @MFAwriterspodcastFacebook: MFA WritersEmail: mfawriterspodcast@gmail.com

We're joined again today by Eoghan Gilmartin to continue our discussion about the government of Pedro Sanchez in Spain. Eoghan is an Irish journalist based in Madrid, a regular contributor to Jacobin, and co-host of the Sobremesa podcast about Spanish politics. In contrast with Greece and Portugal, Spain still has a government today headed by the center left. The Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has attracted a lot of interest from the international media for appearing to buck the trend as many European countries shift to the right. He's been unusually outspoken on the subject of Gaza. And Sanchez was the only European leader to directly challenge Donald Trump over his demand for a big increase in military spending. Sanchez feels confident that he will lead the Socialist Party in the next general election, but his government is facing a number of challenges, including a corruption scandal that implicated some of his political allies. Today, we're going back to the early stages of the Sanchez government, before asking whether it has a future in the years to come. Hear part one of our interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/long-reads-pedro-sanchez-and-spanish-politics-w/id791564318?i=1000732303080 Find Eoghan's recent articles, including “Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending,” on the Jacobin website: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/trump-nato-spain-military-sanchez Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Howard Lovy is a journalist, book editor, and author with forty years of experience covering everything from Jewish issues and the Mideast conflict to nanotechnology and the auto industry. His work has appeared in Publishers Weekly, Longreads, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Daily Forward, and other publications. Howard's debut novel, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, follows two musicians who reconnect in middle age when their 40-year-old song goes viral. The book explores themes of music, faith, aging, and second chances. In addition to writing and editing, Howard produces and hosts podcasts for the Alliance of Independent Authors. He lives in Northern Michigan with his wife, Heidi, and their dog, Henry. About Found and Lost: "In 1985, they met by chance.As a young guitarist and violinist, Jake and Cait created something transcendent each time they locked eyes and finished each other's musical phrases.... until the music stopped.Forty years later, the song that started it all brings them back together. But time changes everything." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Howard Lovy is a journalist, book editor, and author with forty years of experience covering everything from Jewish issues and the Mideast conflict to nanotechnology and the auto industry. His work has appeared in Publishers Weekly, Longreads, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Daily Forward, and other publications. Howard's debut novel, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, follows two musicians who reconnect in middle age when their 40-year-old song goes viral. The book explores themes of music, faith, aging, and second chances. In addition to writing and editing, Howard produces and hosts podcasts for the Alliance of Independent Authors. He lives in Northern Michigan with his wife, Heidi, and their dog, Henry. About Found and Lost: "In 1985, they met by chance.As a young guitarist and violinist, Jake and Cait created something transcendent each time they locked eyes and finished each other's musical phrases.... until the music stopped.Forty years later, the song that started it all brings them back together. But time changes everything." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Long Reads continues our recent focus on the politics of southern European countries over the last decade. This week and in our next episode, we're looking in detail at what's been happening in Spain. In contrast with Greece and Portugal, Spain still has a government today headed by the center left. The Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has attracted a lot of interest from the international media for appearing to buck the trend as many European countries shift to the right. He's been unusually outspoken on the subject of Gaza. And Sanchez was the only European leader to directly challenge Donald Trump over his demand for a big increase in military spending. Sanchez may be gaining admirers as well as enemies on the international stage. But his position at home is quite precarious. His governing coalition with the left-wing party Sumar doesn't have a majority in parliament. And some of his political allies have been accused of corruption. Over the next two episodes, Long Reads will concentrate on how Sanchez came to power, what his record in office has been, and whether his government is likely to endure. Eoghan Gilmartin is an Irish journalist based in Madrid. He's a regular contributor to Jacobin, and he co-hosts the Sobremesa podcast about Spanish politics. Find his recent articles, including “Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending,” on the Jacobin website: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/trump-nato-spain-military-sanchez Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

"When I came in [to Longreads], I didn't come in and say, I think we need to grow aggressively. I said, 'Let's figure out who we are. Let's figure out what other people aren't doing, that we do , and that we can do better.' And so the only real thing that changed when I first came in was to try to make the editors known quantities," says Peter Rubin, head of publishing at Automattic, where he works primarily with Longreads, but also The Atavist Magazine.Today we have Peter Rubin. He's on the pod to talk about a lot of things, but he's also drumming up attention for a membership drive for longreads.com, a hub of curation for the best longreads on the web, first started by Mark Armstrong. Longreads has since gone onto publish original works of criticism, journalism, and personal essays and won a National Magazine Award for best digital illustration in 2020. In conjunction with with Oregon Public Broadcasting, they produced Bundyville, the hit podcast that made Leah Sottile something of a household name (shoutout to her new season of Hush).He spent many years at Wired Magazine and he's also the author of Future Presence: How Virtual Reality is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life, which came out in 2018, but with Chat GPT going full porn for verified adult users (what could possibly go wrong?), Peter's book seems oddly of the moment … also it's only seven years old, but I guess in tech that's like the stone age.You can learn more about Peter from his very stripped down website ptrrbn.com, yeah, he hates vowels, don't come at him with vowels, or on the gram @provenself. In this conversation we talk about: Finding diamonds in the rough How he cultivated his editor eye Being merciless in the edit Figuring out the new identity of Longreads when he took over in 2021 Curation And the Longreads membership driveVisit longreads.com to read more and to pony up … that's what I'm going to do, for you people who think I get handouts, just know that I'm not that savvy.Order The Front RunnerNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmWelcome to Pitch ClubShow notes: brendanomeara.com

218 To celebrate Sari's 60th bday, we're bringing back this beloved chat, and listeners access to the full-length conversation! Oldster magazine creator, Sari Botton, joins Nadine to talk about the highlights and hardships of “traveling through time in a human body at every phase of life.” As a collector of stories, Sari also shares what she has learned about aging and new beginnings from others. Ultimately, Nadine and Sari explore how to embrace life's contradictions and feel less alone in the process. If you've ever asked yourself, “Am I the only one who feels this way?” this episode is for you!Covered in this episode:-What inspired Sari to start Oldster magazine-What Sari has learned from Oldster interviewees and her own aging process-Her plans for her 60s and beyond-Her self-compassion and boundary-setting practices-Two unexpected life events that made her feel the urgency of time-Why people love, leave, and come back to NYC-The benefits of being a community builder and story collector-Two things that bring Sari great joy About Sari: Sari Botton is a bestselling author, editor, and teacher with decades of experience. She is the author of the memoir in essays, And You May Find Yourself…Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo, which was chosen by Poets & Writers Magazine for the 2022 edition of its annual “5 Over 50” feature. An essay from it received notable mention in The Best American Essays 2023, edited by Vivian Gornick. For five years she served as the Essays Editor for Longreads. She edited the bestselling anthologies Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving NewYork and Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for New York. She publishes Oldster Magazine, Memoir Monday, and Adventures in Journalism. About Nadine:Nadine Kenney Johnstone is an award-winning author, podcast host, and writing coach. After fifteen years as a writing professor, she founded WriteWELL workshops and retreats for women writers. She interviews today's top female authors on her podcast, Heart of the Story. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book,

Apple removes an app after the DOJ asked them to. People are using AI, but which AI are they actually paying for? Sora is now the number one app in all the land. And in the Longreads, now is it time to blame ChatGPT for breaking up marriages? Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from Bondi DOJ (Fox Business) A new a16z report looks at which AI companies startups are actually paying for (TechCrunch) AI is not killing jobs, US study finds (Financial Times) OpenAI wraps $6.6 billion share sale at $500 billion valuation (CNBC) OpenAI's invite-only video generation app Sora tops Apple's App Store (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Egon Durban's $55bn buyout bet raises stakes for Silver Lake (Financial Times) Silver Lake Cements Power Broker Status With $55 Billion EA Deal (Bloomberg) ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as Spouses Use AI to Attack Their Partners (Futurism) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode of Long Reads is the second in a two-part interview. In our last episode, we spoke to Catarina Príncipe about the politics of Portugal since 2015. Today we're going to cover developments from 2022 onward. One of the main themes in that period has been the rise of the far right. In 2022, the parties of the radical left, the Communist Party and the Left Bloc, lost ground and were no longer part of the governing majority. In this year's general election, the right-wing Chega Party became the second-largest force in the Portuguese parliament. Chega's breakthrough came at the expense of the Portuguese Socialist Party, which now had the third-largest group of MPs. For the Socialists, it represented a dramatic fall in the space of three years. Catarina Príncipe is a contributing editor for Jacobin and she co-edited the book Europe in Revolt. She's also a member of the Left Bloc. Listen to the first part of the interview here: https://apple.co/4mmUUec Read Catarina's article “How Portugal's Right Won the Election” here: https://jacobin.com/2024/03/portugal-right-wing-chega-election Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Long Reads spoke to Yanis Varoufakis earlier in the year to mark the tenth anniversary of the Greek referendum on the austerity programs of the European Union. This week, we're going to be looking at another country that bore the brunt of Euro-austerity after the 2008 crash. Ten years ago, the Portuguese Socialist leader Antonio Costa formed a government with the support of two radical-left parties, the Left Bloc and the Communist Party. Costa's government appeared to be a success story for the European center left at a time when most of its parties were losing ground. Portugal also stood out as one of the few West European countries where the far right was still a marginal force. Costa's party increased their vote share in 2019 and he remained in office. In the election of 2022, the Portuguese Socialists even won an absolute majority. But Costa resigned as prime minister two years later and his party lost power after the fourth general election in less than a decade. Another general election this year was a disaster for the Socialist Party and the radical left. With just over 20 percent of the vote, the Socialists were now on a level footing with the far-right party Chega. The combined vote share for the Left Bloc and the Communist Party was less than a third of the figure from 2015. Our guest today for a conversation about the last decade of Portuguese politics is Catarina Príncipe. Catarina is a contributing editor for Jacobin and she co-edited the book Europe in Revolt. She's also an activist in the Left Bloc. This week's episode is the first of a two-part interview. Today we're going to cover the period from 2015 until the general election in 2022. Read Catarina's article “How Portugal's Right Won the Election” here: https://jacobin.com/2024/03/portugal-right-wing-chega-election Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

He forced a standoff with the federal government over grazing rights, then gave the world a peek into his follower's radical vision for America. We'll revisit our August 3, 2018 review of season 1 of Bundyville from Longreads, Oregon Public Broadcasting and host Leah Sottile. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BUNDYVILLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL FIVE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

The war that Benjamin Netanyahu launched against Iran in June killed hundreds of Iranian civilians. After pleading with Donald Trump to intervene on his behalf, Netanyahu even managed to anger his patron in Washington. Still, the possibility of a second Israeli attack on Iran remains. Long Reads is joined by Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi for a conversation about Iran, Israel, and the US. Eskander is a scholar of Middle Eastern politics and history at the University of York and the author of Revolution and its Discontents: Reform and Political Thought in Iran. Read the recent piece Eskander co-wrote for Jacobin, “The Failson and the Flag,” here: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/reza-pahlavi-iran-israel-intervention Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine as Israel blocks the supply of almost all humanitarian aid. By the start of August, Israeli soldiers had killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians as they were looking for food. Most of the killings happened near sites managed by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the GHF. The GHF was sponsored by the Trump administration earlier this year to replace legitimate aid organizations with a track record of operating in Palestine. For this week's episode, we spoke to Akbar Shahid Ahmed of the Huffington Post about the famine and recent massacres in Gaza. Akbar has been a guest on the show several times before. He's currently working on his book about the Biden administration and Gaza, which will be published next year. Find Akbar's previous interviews with Long Reads here: https://jacobin.com/author/akbar-shahid-ahmed Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Back in 2023, Long Reads spoke with Ramaa Vasudevan of Colorado State University for an episode about the development of crypto capitalism. Since then, the crypto industry has launched a concerted effort to establish itself at the heart of the global economic system. Just a few days ago, Donald Trump gave his approval for a major bill designed to boost the sector. Ramaa Vasudevan spoke to Long Reads again about the mainstreaming of crypto and the threat it poses to global economic stability. This conversation was recorded at the end of March. Read a transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/the-crypto-state And find Ramaa's essays for Catalyst here: https://catalyst-journal.com/author/ramaa-vasudevan Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Could Intel exit the high-end chip game entirely? Why are public companies loading up on crypto? GPT-5 is probably coming in a matter of weeks. What if it's actually AI jobpocalypse… not now? And in the Longreads, the best explainer of those GLP-1 drugs I've read so far.Links:Intel beats on revenue, slashes foundry investments as CEO says ‘no more blank checks' (CNBC)Google is testing a vibe-coding app called Opal (TechCrunch)Companies load up on niche crypto tokens to boost share prices (Financial Times)OpenAI prepares to launch GPT-5 in August (The Verge)Is AI killing graduate jobs? (FT)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:First Look: macOS Tahoe Public Beta (SixColors)If GLP-1 Drugs Are Good For Everything, Should We All Be on Them? (Derek Thompson)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's now ten years since the people of Greece voted in a referendum on the austerity program of the European Union. The referendum was called by the government of Alexis Tsipras and his left-wing Syriza party after months of negotiations with the EU. It brought the attention of the world media to what was happening in Greece after years of economic crisis. To the surprise of many, there was a decisive 61 percent majority for the “no” side. But then, with bewildering speed, Tsipras signed up to a new austerity program that was more punitive than the one voters had rejected a few days earlier. The U-turn triggered the resignation of the Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. Yanis joins Long Reads for a discussion about the legacy of the 2015 referendum. You can find a loosely edited transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/07/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-legacy-of-greeces-oxi-referendum Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

This episode is one that Matt and Sam have been anticipating for years: after two-and-a-half decades of research and writing, Sam Tanehaus's authoritative biography of William F. Buckley, Jr.—youthful booster of America First, enfant terrible at Yale, CIA agent, founder of National Review, best-selling author, brilliant television host, and more—has blessedly arrived. Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America stretches to just under 900 pages of text, before you get to the endnotes and index, an appropriately epic biography of an overstuffed, consequential life, containing far more than could be covered in a single episode. This conversation focuses on the challenges of writing a biography of a man whose archives rivaled those found in presidential libraries; Tanenhaus's discovery of a newspaper the Buckley's owned in South Carolina that essentially was a mouthpiece for the White Citizens' Council, and the Southern roots of Buckley's "northern segregationist" politics; the influence of his oilman father, who fled the revolution in Mexico and instilled anti-communist politics, as well as the Catholic faith, in his children; Buckley's role in forging the post-war conservative movement, through National Review and his frenetic endeavors as a columnist and speaker; the controversies, disappointments, failures, and triumphs of his decades-long career; and more. Sources:Sam Tanenhaus, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America (2025)— Whittaker Chambers: A Biography (1997)John Judis, William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives (1988)Sam Adler-Bell, "A Practical Fanatic," The Idea Letters, June 26, 2025Alexander Chee, "Mr. and Mrs. B.," Longreads, June 18, 2025Christopher Owen, Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall, (2022)Listen again to these Know Your Enemy episodes for background on:Brent Bozell: "Keeping up with the Bozells," Feb 26, 2021Willmoore Kendall: "The Long Farewell to Majority Rule? (w/ Joshua Tait)," May 17, 2021Frank Meyer: "Frank Meyer, the Father of Fusionism," Nov 10, 2021Joan Didion: "Joan Didion, Conservative (w/ Sam Tanenhaus)," Jan 13, 2022William F. Buckley, Jr.: "Buckley for Mayor (w/ Sam Tanenhaus)," Aug 23, 2021— "The Conservative and the Convict (w/ Sarah Weinman)," May 9, 2022— "Consider the Cranks (w/ David Austin Walsh)," May 21, 2024...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!   

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Emile Habibi, Leila Khaled, and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were still the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah, although the Left has lost much of its influence in the period since then. Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series from Long Reads exploring radical movements and progressive organizations of the region. We examine the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. We also look at the outsized impact of the Left on Palestinian cultural life. Our final episode examines the framework of the Oslo Accords and, as Hamas became the main force articulating opposition, the response of the Left. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies. Music provided by Fadi Tabbal.