“Not to confuse journalism with newspapers. Newspapers are one set of communication methods. But it's certainly not the only one. If they have the right mindset, and that's what I try to get them to do, there are so many more opportunities. You can go out and do a podcast, or you can do a newsletter. You can't think of it as I need to work at The New York Times. You have to think of it as I need — I need — to tell stories, and I've got this curiosity.”

Anthony DePalma is a journalist and professor at Columbia University. He’s the author of several books, his latest being On This Ground: Hardship and Hope at the Toughest Prep School in America. It’s published by Mariner Books.

He spent 22 years as a reporter for The New York Times, and another 8 as a stringer for them, so, let’s do the math … that’s 30 years. He reported a lot on Mexico and Cuba, as well as Albania, Guyana, and Suriname. You can find him at anthonydepalma.com and on the Facebooks and Substacks, at anthontyrdepalma

Anthony DePalma has been all over the world telling true stories. He’s the author of The Cubans, City of Dust, The Man Who Invented Fidel, and Here: A Biography of the New American Continent.

In this conversation we talk about:

How not to confuse journalism with newspapers
The NEED to tell stories
The stunning lack of curiosity among young journalists
Not wearing headphones on walks
Accelerated intimacy
Challenge of being of satisfied with the writing
Still being a WIP
What to do when you can’t be everywhere at once
Cutting 30-40% of his ms
Radical pragmatism
What makes St. Benedict’s tough
And how grafting apple trees is like writing

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Show notes: brendanomeara.com

Episode 522: Anthony DePalma Won't Wear Headphones on a Walk

The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

Episode 522: Anthony DePalma Won't Wear Headphones on a Walk