Brendan O'Meara

I raffle them off with all my sticky notes and marginalia. I also chuck them in free libraries. What's uncool is any motherfucker who thinks it's uncool.

I miss my boston accent.

Austin folks:
moody.utexas.edu/centers/spor...

Every newsroom I've ever worked in (a few), you stayed the fuck AWAY from the veteran reporter/editor because the last thing they ever wanted to do was help a young, needy reporter.

Pete Croatto: 'You Can't Be Afraid' Pitch: 391 words; Story paid: $1,700

For @brendanomeara.bsky.social's "Pitch Club," I broke down my pitch for my Grantland Marvin Gaye feature and shared my mindset on pitching.

The biggest thing: Learn not to care about hearing "no." If you love a story, an editor somewhere will. welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/pete-croat...

Perhaps an odd peeve of mine: I hate, hate, hate the moment in a magazine profile where the writer and subject "go to a restaurant" and "itemize their order." I have yet to read a story where this adds anything to it, but, hey, who am I? Who. Am. I?

Erika Hayasaki and the Subtle Art of "Tuning Up" a Pitch Pitch: 1,021 words; story paid $1 per word

Tuning up a pitch, that's what Erika Hayasaki is up to:

welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/erika-hyas...

Jane Marie Chen came by the podcast to talk about her memoir "Like a Wave We Break."

Check it out, friend:

brendanomeara.com/episode-511-...

Had crummy day. Made a college.

Pivot to B.O.

Had a great time chatting with Jane Marie Chen, author of the #memoir Like a Wave We Break. Great talk!

Listen wherever, friend.

A good shot at the facts — Mr. Dan Zak Ten years ago today I first reported for work at The Washington Post. Deep Throat had come out a couple days earlier. I might have been wearing a tie. My pants sure as shit didn't fit.

I left The Washington Post last year, but wrote my love letter in the middle of my time there, in 2015.

Everything changed, over my 1st decade there. Then everything changed again, in the decade after this was written. But there were 2 constants: the work & the people. www.mrdanzak.com/blog/10years

Carlos Alcaraz Has Conquered All Terrain | Defector Thanks to the eerie longevity of its recent greats, men’s tennis has been preoccupied with endings over the last few years. It’s all about legacy, the decision to retire, the tally of major titles onc...

22 years old defector.com/carlos-alcar...

This was pretty rad to be featured. @niemanstoryboard.org doesn't make a habit of featuring jabronis. Much thanks!

Wanna Win "Kings and Pawns"? YouTube video by The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

Wanna win @howardbryantbooks.bsky.social new book? It's as easy as subscribing to Pitch Club on Substack.

i think this MLK day the thing to focus on is the strategic focus and tactical brilliance of the civil rights movement and the way it was laser focused on a set of achievable goals

you are so welcome! It's a good one.

I'm going to experiment/tinker with the Rager turning it from a "newsletter" into a "viewsletter," so a video version of it.

First one will be ROUGH! lol

Sensitization by Cory Doctorow

Membership has its privileges. Just found out I won @brendanomeara.bsky.social’s Creative Nonfiction Podcast subscriber book giveaway. Thanks Brendan!

And by "ripping off," I mean "letting it rip." Not, you know, plagiarizing.

Pitchin' from the Hip B.O.'s 476 word-pitch for Geezer Magazine ; pay $300

Sometimes, ripping off a pitch does the trick.

I hope you'll join the club.

Forever free.

Read a little. Listen a little. Learn a lot.

Not sure who will actually see this, but the first live podcast of 2026 at Gratitude Brewing here in Eugene will be Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist.

Check out what @glennstout.bsky.social is cooking up for 2026 down in Archer City. Get a wiggle on, friend.

www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops

Highly recommend @brendanomeara.bsky.social’s biography about legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine. A fitting tribute to one of this country’s gritty originals. Enjoyed the appearances of such runners from my youth as Frank Shorter, Dave Worley, and Kenny Moore.

So glad you got to hang out with some of these pioneering distance runners! Thanks so much, Ray! [rate and review on amazon/goodreads :) They all help so much, and help me secure the next one.]

It was such a courageous (if tactically unsound) effort ... it was quintessential Pre.

Pitchin' from the Hip B.O.'s 476 word-pitch for Geezer Magazine ; pay $300

This essay I pitched has been accepted, but it hasn’t run yet. It’s for Geezer Magazine, a very Gen-X, print-only (yes!) magazine. And the essay should appear in Issue 2 (title TBD), that is, of course, if it doesn’t get killed.

welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/pitchin-fr...

Every time you read "sandy blonde hair," drink.

The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026

Got my work cut out.

"Hemingway River" YouTube video by The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

When I was in Ketchum, ID for a few book events, I went to the Hemingway Memorial and shot a little video of the creek below the statue. It's peaceful. It's awfully nice. I put it on a loop for 10 minutes. Use it for ambient sounds. Or just to relax.

youtu.be/xSItaBbcWls

Over with the Patreon Gang, we just started the Flash52 Sessions: 52 weeks of writing flash together, so Metallica's "Black Album" is basically flash metal, especially compared to their earlier catalog.