Zito Madu’s writing has appeared in The Nation, Flaming Hydra, GQ, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Zito chats about his personal approach to sports writing, the influence of the gambling industry on sports journalism, and his criticism of Stephen A.'s decisive coverage.   Follow Zito on Twitter/X:  https://x.com/_Zeets Read Zito's Flaming Hydra essay: https://flaminghydra.com/football-in-palestine/   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz  Music by KT The Terrible

Jourdain Searles is a film critic whose work has appeared in Bustle, Los Angeles Review of Books, Indiewire, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Searles chats about her approach to film criticism, the significance of film reviews in the age of aggregation sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and how she handled people upset over her negative reviews.    Follow Jourdain on X: https://x.com/judysquirrels   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible

Peter Rubin is head of publishing at Automattic and an editor at Longreads, a website that curates longform stories and publishes original writing. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Peter chats about the art of the longread, internet curation during the post-Twitter age, the IP potential of longreads, and the attention economy.    More info about Longreads’ member drive: https://longreads.com/join/   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz   Music by KT The Terrible

Erin Somers is a reporter at Publishers Lunch. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Bustle, Esquire, and numerous other outlets. In this episode, she chats about her new novel, The Ten Year Affair. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Erin discusses how authors cultivate a sense of mystique and recounts her experience reporting from a Philip Roth festival.    For more information about The Ten Year Affair: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ten-Year-Affair/Erin-Somers/9781668081440   For more information about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz   Music by KT The Terrible

  Jacob Silverman is a reporter and author of “Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley,”  In this conversation with Daniel Spielberger, Jacob discusses his reporting on cryptocurrency, Silicon Valley’s connection to the weapons industry, and Twitter/X’s involvement with the Saudi Royal family. Jacob also offers insight into how tech billionaires became right-wing and what this foretells for American politics. The author offers tips on how to pursue difficult journalism and hold the powerful accountable.    More info about “Gilded Rage”: https://bookshop.org/p/books/gilded-rage-elon-musk-and-the-radicalization-of-silicon-valley-jacob-silverman/90640a782bd09515?ean=9781399419987&next=t More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz. Music by KT The Terrible  

Charlie Porter is a fashion critic whose work has been published in The Financial Times and The Guardian. In this conversation, Charlie chats about his debut novel “Nova Scotia House.” The novel follows Johnny, a middle-aged gay man who is trying to make sense of his past relationship with Jerry, a former lover who died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. The novel explores the legacy of queer counterculture and the AIDS crisis. Charlie discusses his pivot to fiction and shares insight into how writers and artists can expand their horizons and pick up a new interest. In addition, Charlie chats about the state of fashion journalism.   More info about “Nova Scotia House”: https://bookshop.org/p/books/nova-scotia-house-charlie-porter/261a846e401d0852   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible   

Delia Cai writes the newsletter Deez Links. In this conversation, Delia chats about the newsletter boom, Bari Weiss’s possible LUCRATIVE CBS News deal, and the creator/journalist dynamic. Delia previously was a staff writer at Vanity Fair. She’s the author of the novel “Central Places.”  Keep up with Delia’s work: https://www.deezlinks.com/ More info about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz  Music by KT The Terrible.

Derek Beres is a co-host of The Conspirituality Podcast.  His work examining health disinformation has appeared in The Guardian, Mother Jones, and The New York Times. In this conversation, Derek discusses the origins of the MAHA movement and how journalists can counter health disinformation.    Listen to Conspirituality: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/conspirituality/id1515827446   Derek’s recent opinion piece for The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/opinion/maha-health-wellness-influencers.html   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible

Sarah Miller is a writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Popula. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Sarah chats about her recent N+1 essay chronicling her ayahuasca journey in Peru. She also discusses her essay for The New Yorker on botox. Sarah shares her approach to essays, explaining why she tackles difficult topics like climate change and mental health with humor.    Sarah’s essay on ayahuasca: https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-50/essays/pirates-of-the-ayahuasca/   Sarah’s essay on botox: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/desperate-for-botox   Her newsletter: https://therealsarahmiller.substack.com/   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible 

Osita Nwanevu, a columnist at The Guardian and contributing editor at The New Republic, discusses his new book “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.” In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Osita outlines his proposal to transform the American government and shares how media institutions can become more democratic.    More information about “The Right of the People”:  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704686/the-right-of-the-people-by-osita-nwanevu/   More info about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible

Kylie Cheung is a reporter at Abortion Everyday. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Kylie chats about her new book “Coercion Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans.” Kylie discusses the various manipulative tactics conservative politicians utilize to criminalize abortion and what’s missing from mainstream media coverage of reproductive justice.    For more information about “Coercion”: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745350615/coercion/   More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz    Music by KT The Terrible   

Kaila Yu is a writer, former model, and lead singer of Nylon Pink. In this conversation, she discusses her new book “Fetishized:A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.” In the book, Yu chronicles her own journey in the entertainment industry and delves into the harmful stereotypes about Asian women. In this conversation, Yu offers advice on marketing, memoir writing, and more. More info about Yu’s book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738645/fetishized-by-kaila-yu/ More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz. Music by KT The Terrible

Shawna Kenney’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, VICE, PBS, and The New York Times. She’s the author of I Was a Teenage Dominatrix, a memoir. In this conversation, Shawna discusses her approach to publishing and teaching. She also shares insight into her DIY approach to publicity and the nuances of the creative nonfiction.  Shawna is teaching a course for Study Hall; click here for more information: https://courses.outvoice.com/products/courses/pitch-perfect-workshop If you're a Study Hall subscriber, check the latest newsletter for your 50% discount code. Music by KT The Terrible

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

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

In this conversation, D.D. Guttenplan, the editor of The Nation, and Richard Kreitner, a contributing writer and host of the “Think Back” podcast (https://www.thinkbackpod.com/), chatted about The Nation’s 160th anniversary issue. With dispatches from 50 writers and arts across the 50 states, the issue ponders the current disunited of America. Guttenplan and Kreitner also chat about The Nation’s approach to foreign policy coverage and what it takes to spearhead an expansive project.    For more about the issue: https://www.thenation.com/issue/july-august-2025-issue/   More info about Study Hall: https://studyhall.xyz/   Music by KT The Terrible

Sam Adler-Bell’s writing has appeared in New York Magazine and The New Republic. He’s also the co-host of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast. In this conversation with Daniel Spielberger, Sam chats about researching conservative figures, writing about the internal ideological divide amongst Democrats, and presenting leftist populism to a broader audience.  Listen to the Know Your Enemy podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-your-enemy/id1462703434 More about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz Music by KT The Terrible

Zach Zimmerman is a comedian and writer whose work has been published in The New Yorker, Lithub, and other outlets. He’s also the author of the essay collection, “Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?” Recently, he released a comedy special, “Surprise Me” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM)   In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Zach shares how he got into standup comedy, his advice for managing rejection, and the art of writing a humorous essay.    Watch “Surprise Me”:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM)   More info about Study Hall: Studyhall.xyz   Music by KT The Terrible 

Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent at Axios. Along with CNN’s Jake Tapper, he co-authored the New York Times Bestselling book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Alex shares why he was interested in covering Biden, what Democrats can take away from the book, political information bubbles, the current state of Washington D.C. journalism, and restoring trust in media institutions. For more information about Original Sin: https://sites.prh.com/originalsin/ For more information about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz  Music by KT The Terrible 

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