The Study Hall Podcast

Sports Gambling, Personal Narratives, and Soccer ft. Zito Madu

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

Film Criticism in the Rotten Tomatoes Era ft. Jourdain Searles

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

The Art of the Longread ft. Peter Rubin

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

Adultery, Philip Roth, and BookTok ft. Erin Somers

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

How Tech Billionaires Became Extremists ft. Jacob Silverman

 
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
 

A Fashion Critic’s Pivot to Fiction ft. Charlie Porter

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 
 

The Newsletter Boom ft. Delia Cai

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.

Debunking MAHA Wellness Influencers ft. Derek Beres

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

Botox and Ayahuasca ft. Sarah Miller

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 

An Ambitious Vision For Democracy ft. Osita Nwanevu

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