This American Life Partners

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with This American Life Partners

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1

How do you write?

How do you write your texts? I mean practically: longhand and pencil on paper? Dictation-to-text on your phone? Do you carry a notebook to jot down ideas? And what for you is the best setting for writing creatively?

1

Where are they now?

What stories do you wish you could do a “where are they now?” episode on? Alternatively, what updates do you know of and especially love?

2

Go-to interview questions

Are there particular questions (or maybe it's a line of questions, or a way of asking) that helps you go deeper with someone you're interviewing? Questions you find yourself using your personal lives as well, with friends, family, colleagues?

2

Echoes of the past?

There are episodes, from decades ago, that still ring in my head - ones like "Do-Gooders" https://www.thisamericanlife.org/126/do-gooders/act-one-0 The tale and corresponding "fall" of Canalou ring in my head everytime I hear about Rural America. I checked and the Census puts the population at 158 for the 2020, a 55% from it's 2000 count of 348(the 319 in the story was from the 1990 census) My question is how frequently you find yourself wanting to return those places and find a story - whether of hope or despair - to just document what did or didn't happen? How do you weight the desire to do that vs. trying to tell a new story and a new perspective? Extra question: Have the production staff, when picking backing soundtrack/music, just defaulted to Philip Glass because "eh - why work extra?" Also, when picking "Stage Blood is Not Enough." Which version does production staff pick?

2

What’s the hardest part of your job?

in the writing process and beyond, what’s always the most difficult thing for you and your team?