Podcasts about word freak

A Note from JamesI've always loved books where a journalist gets so deep into a subculture that they become part of it. Magic Is Dead by Ian Frisch is one of those. He starts out covering a secret society of magicians—“The 52,” named for the cards in a deck—and ends up becoming one of them.It reminded me of other favorites like Word Freak (Scrabble), The Game (pickup artists), and Moonwalking with Einstein (memory champions). I love that genre of participation—when curiosity turns into obsession and then into mastery.Ian's journey pulled me right in. He didn't just report on the world of magicians; he lived in it, practiced card tricks until his hands hurt, and learned how obsession, storytelling, and performance shape every great craft. Talking to him made me think about how every one of us could benefit from being part of more than one “world”—to have different lives, different subcultures where we're known and respected for something unique. That's real diversification. Not just financial, but personal.Episode DescriptionIn this episode, James talks with journalist and author Ian Frisch about his book Magic Is Dead: My Journey into the World's Most Secretive Society of Magicians and what it means to go all-in on obsession.They explore the underground network of modern magicians reinventing the art for the social-media age—tattoos, streetwear, viral videos, and all—and what these creative subcultures can teach the rest of us about mastery, storytelling, and risk.It's a conversation about transformation: how curiosity becomes discipline, and how the principles behind sleight of hand apply to persuasion, business, and everyday life.What You'll LearnWhy obsession—not balance—is often the key to getting great at somethingHow social media reshaped the art and culture of modern magicThe real psychology behind deception, storytelling, and human connectionHow magicians build trust with skeptical audiences (and what leaders can learn from it)Why belonging to multiple “worlds” or subcultures creates resilience and happinessTimestamped Chapters[00:00] Introduction — Obsession as a superpower [03:00] A Note from James — The journalist who became a magician [06:00] Participatory journalism and the power of total immersion [10:00] What makes this genre work: transformation and obsession [11:30] Discovering the new generation of social-media magicians [14:00] From top hats to tattoos: how magic reinvented itself online [18:30] The challenge of trust when magic meets video editing [20:30] The return of live magic and the human reaction [23:30] Subcultures, hierarchies, and belonging [26:00] Magic as a social tool for outsiders [29:00] How magicians train for a decade to master their craft [37:00] Ian's own training: learning sleight of hand as an adult [40:00] The poker connection and card control secrets [44:00] Why mystery matters more than the trick itself [47:00] Storytelling, psychology, and reading people [52:00] Applying magician skills to real-world persuasion [54:00] Comedy, showmanship, and performance overlap [55:30] The secret societies of magic and “The 52” [58:30] Competition, creativity, and the economics of exclusivity [01:00:40] How Ian earned his place as the “Two of Clubs” [01:03:00] Inventing a new trick and becoming part of the storyAdditional ResourcesMagic Is Dead: My Journey into the World's Most Secretive Society of Magicians by Ian FrischIan Frisch's WebsiteRelated titles discussed:Word Freak by Stefan FatsisMoonwalking with Einstein by Joshua FoerThe Game by Neil StraussThe Biggest Bluff by Maria KonnikovaMentioned magicians:Chris RamsayDaniel MadisonLaura LondonDoug McKenzieSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back for another episode of Nick's Non-fiction with your host Nick Muniz! For many people, Scrabble brings to mind old times with the family around the dining room table or nights spent with friends in a college dorm room or while on vacation. Stefan Fatsis, however, got his interest piqued to explore the competitive world of Scrabble through a Sports Illustrated article. This Wall Street Journal reporter decided to take his interest and turn it into a book. That decision led Fatsis to a strange and convoluted path of self-discovery and obsession; as Fatsis learns more about the game and the people who make playing it a career, he learns more about himself. Subscribe, Share, Mobile links & Time-stamps below! 0:01:00 Introduction 0:0:4:20 About the Author 0:05:50 Ch1: The Park 0:11:25 Ch2: Unrated 0:23:30 Ch3: Edly 0:29:00 Ch4: Tower of Scrabble 0:33:30 Ch5: The Words 0:38:00 Ch6: Matt 0:43:20 Ch7: Marlon in Reno 0:47:15 Ch8: Worlds 0:50:35 Ch9: Dues 0:56:55 Ch10: 1600 1:04:30 Next Time & Goodbye! YouTube: Patreon: Thanks for stopping by!

Our Jewish guest is Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory researcher and debunker who is writing a book about the QAnon conspiracy theory. He tells us what QAnon is and explains the anti-Semitism inherent in the conspiracy theory, confirming for us that all conspiracy theories have Jew-hatred at their core. He also confirms that everyone he interacts with in these worlds asks if he’s one of those Rothschilds. Our Gentile of the Week is NPR and Slate sports commentator Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak, a book about the world of competitive Scrabble players. He tells us about his annual Name of the Year bracket, which he has been running with his college friends since the 80s, and gives us tips on how to start our own Jewish Name of the Year bracket. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year contest! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We’ve got virtual events! Join us tonight at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center, where we will be talking about our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. See our full schedule of events here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service grantees are leading the effort to promote human rights, empower women and girls to fight for equal rights, and advance environmental justice in the face of climate change. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. “Hadassah on Call” is the new podcast from former Unorthodox guest Benyamin Cohen. He goes behind the scenes of Hadassah's world-renowned hospital in Israel, checking in with the healthcare superstars saving lives every day. Subscribe to “Hadassah On Call” wherever you get your podcasts or at hadassah.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Malenia wants to know how her favorite word game came to be. It turns out it took a while for Scrabble to score big. Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak, fills in the blanks. Plus, can you beat Flora's most embarrassing story?

Stefan Fatsis is an author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal. And has also written numerous sports books including "Word Freak" and the focus of today's podcast, "A Few Seconds Of Panic".  In the summer of 2006 Stefan fineggled his way onto the Denver Broncos's training camp roster as a kicker to see what life was like day to day as an NFL player, especially kicker. Stefan's journey not only sheds much needed light on the inner world of kickers, but also humanizes the day to day struggles of being an NFL athlete. Enjoy.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/u0411u0440u0435u043du0434u0430u043d-u041au0430u0445u0456u043b/support

“This is not living room Scrabble!” David, Michael and Torie talk and toast Kobe. They place Super Bowl prop bets (there will be lip synching at halftime), and laugh about abandoned books. Michael Sands of Calvert Woodley joins the group for wine and cheese and his life at CW. Bordeaux rules!  Featured author Stefan Fatsis talks Word Freak (he’s an expert) and A Few Seconds of Panic, his remarkable story as a placekicker for the Denver Broncos.

Author of 'Word Freak' and Scrabble evangelist Stefan Fatsis nerds out about his favorite board game and sharing that passion with his daughter. Plus Greta spent the weekend with some tile slingers and our first ever homework challenge with a prize on the line.

Mike Vuolo talks to "Word Freak" author Stefan Fatsis about the nature of language in Scrabble. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley

Does Scrabble in fact celebrate language? Or does it merely reduce English to a set of mathematical symbols and probability calculations? Mike Vuolo talks to Word Freak author and competitive Scrabble player Stefan Fatsis about how a math game disguised as a word game nevertheless unlocks the essential beauty of the English language. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley

Mike Vuolo talks to "Word Freak" author Stefan Fatsis about the nature of language in Scrabble. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices