Write About Now

Lili Zarghami, founder of Jenny Mag and a veteran of women's magazines, dives into the challenges and triumphs of creating content for Gen X women. She shares why traditional media fails to connect with this audience and how dating stories resonate more than health topics. Lili also discusses the joys of personal storytelling, the complexities of empty nesting, and the generational rifts between Gen X women and their Boomer mothers. With humor and candor, she emphasizes the importance of owning your platform and creating a space that feels authentic.

The legendary crime writer talks about how she builds characters, steals voices, mines real communities for detail, and turns dark human behavior into bestselling fiction. We also get into real police sources in London, writing about Nigerian communities and FGM in a way that doesn't get you canceled, and the piece of advice PD James gave her that changed her life forever. Follow me @ jonsmalltalk@substack.com Try AG1 and get a FREE bottle of Vitamin D3K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase @ drinkAG1.com/writeaboutnow

Smartphones and social media have changed childhood in ways few of us could have predicted. For starters, many children are now getting their first phone at just 10 or 11 — far younger than the technology was ever designed for. Once that phone is in their hand, it can interfere with sleep, friendships, independence, and even mental health. So what can parents do? Guest Jean Twenge, Ph.D, is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, the author 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. In this books she gives parents some really useful suggestions roadmap for helping their children deal with this epidemic. Jean talks about how the culture around childhood has shifted since the rise of smartphones, and what concrete steps parents can take right now to raise healthier, happier, more independent kids. Order AG1 @ drinkag1.com/writeaboutnow Subscribe to my Substack@ jonsmalltalk.substack.com

My guest this week is Kaila Yu. Her new memoir, Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty takes on a provacative question: what happens when you've built a large part of your career in a culture that objectifies you? And how complicit are you in keeping that culture alive? Kaila looks back at her years as a model and musician, and then forward to the harder work of reclaiming her story and challenging the stereotypes that still harm Asian women today. Subscribe to my Substack: jonsmalltalk@substack.com

Captain William Kidd is one of the most famous names in pirate lore. But what if he wasn't actually a pirate at all? In this episode, bestselling author and scientist Samuel Marquis joins me to talk about his new book Captain Kidd: A Story of Treasure and Betrayal. Marquis has a personal stake in the story — he's Captain Kidd's ninth great grandson. We talk about Kidd's rise from colonial sea captain to pirate-hunter, the murky politics of the time, his dramatic trial in London, and the love story that's rarely told. Marquis argues Kidd was less Blackbeard and more fall guy — a man caught in a scandalous power struggle between the English crown, shady investors, and the East India Company. Subscribe to Jon's Substack Small Talk This episode is sponsored by AG1.

When I helped launch Twist magazine in the late '90s, we basically huddled around old issues of Sassy like sacred texts, trying to decode what made them so special. The answer? Jane Pratt. So it was with excitement and a little nervousness that I jumped on a Substack Live Interview with her. We chatted about: Her miserable boarding school experience and how it inspired Sassy Getting pulled off 70% of newsstands after a boycott by the religious right The secret behind Sassy's success and why it changed so many lives Her evolution from Sassy to Jane Working with Michael Stipe, who she dated for years and now calls her best friend and daughter's godfather Her decision to launch Another Jane Pratt Thing on Substack rather than a standalone website How she finds new writers and spots a good story What makes her such a good editor Gen X resilience Why she hates the word "influencer," even though she was one of the first Her optimism about the current state of the media Name dropping The shift to multi-hyphenate careers, and what she puts as her profession on doctor's forms. Subscribe to Small Talk to hear more Substack Live interviews with interesting folk.

Historian Hampton Sides joins the show to talk about The Wide Wide Sea, his riveting new book about Captain James Cook's final—and fatal—expedition in 1776. We get into: Why Cook lost his cool on his last voyage What really happened in Hawaii The crew's wild sexual escapades in the South Pacific What this story reveals about power, empire, and the price of discovery Subscribe to my Substack @ JonSmallTalk

Guest Kim Dower has spent the last 40 years helping authors get noticed — as one of the top literary publicists in the business. She's also a celebrated poet, with a brand-new collection out now called What She Wants. In this episode, Kim pulls back the curtain on what publicists actually do, who really needs one, and the biggest mistakes authors make when trying to promote their work. If you're publishing a book — or even thinking about it — this conversation will help you understand the industry, the stakes, and what it takes to break through. Subscribe to my Substack: JonSmallTalk.substack.com Order AG1: DrinkAG1.com/writeaboutnow

Brian Clark, former lawyer turned online entrepreneur and founder of Further, dives into the evolving retirement landscape for Gen Xers. He discusses the shift from traditional retirement to 'unretirement,' emphasizing resilience and adaptability. Clark shares his journey from discontent in law to thriving in content marketing, urging listeners to monetize their expertise. He also highlights the value of experience in entrepreneurship, explores lifestyle choices like relocation, and offers insights on embracing change in a tech-driven world.

Gretchen Rubin joins the show to talk about her new book, Secrets of Adulthood, in which she boils down a lifetime of wisdom into powerful aphorisms that resonate. Gretchen is a bestselling author, podcast host, and one of today's most trusted voices on happiness, habits, and human nature. In this conversation, we talk about the lessons we learn too late, the advice she wants to pass on to her daughters, and why small, well-phrased truths often carry the biggest impact. Other topics: – Why she made the leap from clerking at the Supreme Court to writing about happiness – The Four Tendencies framework and why so many of us are "Obligers" – Her process for crafting sticky, memorable aphorisms – Why motivation doesn't work as a motivation tool Subscribe to my Substack @ https://jonsmalltalk.substack.com/ This show is sponsored by AG1. Sign up for a $76 discount @ DrinkAG1.com/writeaboutnow