Brendan O'Meara
@brendanomeara.bsky.social
Host of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast ... The voice of a generation, haha ... Author of The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine (2025) ... Order: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-front-runner-brendan-omeara?variant=43044900962338
Pinned
2025 saw the birth of Pitch Club, a pretty rad Substack where I invite people to share pitches that either landed them a story, an agent, or a podcast series.
They shared their thinking behind the pitches.
You read a little. You listen a little. And learn a lot.
7 issues in 2025.
Here they are:
They shared their thinking behind the pitches.
You read a little. You listen a little. And learn a lot.
7 issues in 2025.
Here they are:
Reposted by Brendan O'Meara
22 years old defector.com/carlos-alcar...
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...
defector.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:26 PM
22 years old defector.com/carlos-alcar...
Issue 9 of Pitch Club is live, this with Erika Hyasaki and her New York Times pitch for a story about the Maui wildfires.
Erika Hyasaki and the Subtle Art of "Tuning Up" a Pitch
Pitch: 1,021 words; story paid $1 per word
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Issue 9 of Pitch Club is live, this with Erika Hyasaki and her New York Times pitch for a story about the Maui wildfires.
This was pretty rad to be featured. @niemanstoryboard.org doesn't make a habit of featuring jabronis. Much thanks!
Today at @niemanstoryboard.org, Kim Cross sat down with @brendanomeara.bsky.social for an annotated chapter from his book, “The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine.”
niemanstoryboard.org/2026/01/29/b...
#journalism #history #booksky #longreads
niemanstoryboard.org/2026/01/29/b...
#journalism #history #booksky #longreads
Annotation: How Brendan O’Meara Reconstructs Steve Prefontaine's Legendary Races in ‘The Front Runner’ - Nieman Storyboard
The journalist, podcaster, and biographer shares tips on writing scenes you can’t witness firsthand, and getting in the head of characters no longer around to interview
niemanstoryboard.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:54 PM
This was pretty rad to be featured. @niemanstoryboard.org doesn't make a habit of featuring jabronis. Much thanks!
Wanna win @howardbryantbooks.bsky.social new book? It's as easy as subscribing to Pitch Club on Substack.
Wanna Win "Kings and Pawns"?
YouTube video by The Creative Nonfiction Podcast
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Wanna win @howardbryantbooks.bsky.social new book? It's as easy as subscribing to Pitch Club on Substack.
Reposted by Brendan O'Meara
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
January 19, 2026 at 3:05 PM
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
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
January 18, 2026 at 7:02 PM
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
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
Reposted by Brendan O'Meara
Membership has its privileges. Just found out I won @brendanomeara.bsky.social’s Creative Nonfiction Podcast subscriber book giveaway. Thanks Brendan!
January 18, 2026 at 6:45 PM
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.
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.
I hope you'll join the club.
Forever free.
Read a little. Listen a little. Learn a lot.
Pitchin' from the Hip
B.O.'s 476 word-pitch for Geezer Magazine ; pay $300
open.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:21 PM
And by "ripping off," I mean "letting it rip." Not, you know, plagiarizing.
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.
I hope you'll join the club.
Forever free.
Read a little. Listen a little. Learn a lot.
Pitchin' from the Hip
B.O.'s 476 word-pitch for Geezer Magazine ; pay $300
open.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:01 PM
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.
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.
January 12, 2026 at 6:01 PM
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
www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops
Writing Workshops — Larry McMurtry Literary Center
www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org
January 11, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Check out what @glennstout.bsky.social is cooking up for 2026 down in Archer City. Get a wiggle on, friend.
www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops
www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops
Reposted by Brendan O'Meara
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.
January 10, 2026 at 3:50 PM
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.]
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.
January 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
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.
January 9, 2026 at 6:22 PM
It was such a courageous (if tactically unsound) effort ... it was quintessential Pre.
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...
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/pitchin-fr...
Pitchin' from the Hip
B.O.'s 476 word-pitch for Geezer Magazine ; pay $300
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:59 PM
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...
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/pitchin-fr...
Every time you read "sandy blonde hair," drink.
January 7, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Every time you read "sandy blonde hair," drink.
Got my work cut out.
The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Got my work cut out.
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
youtu.be/xSItaBbcWls
"Hemingway River"
YouTube video by The Creative Nonfiction Podcast
youtu.be
January 5, 2026 at 7:01 PM
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
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.
Does every line serve the book? I stumbled across this vintage @dintywmoore.bsky.social post while researching @brendanomeara.bsky.social's podcast and it's every bit as fresh today brevity.wordpress.com/2021/10/22/w... #writinglife #cnf #authorlife #WritingCommnunity
What Metallica’s “Black Album” Teaches Us About Writing Briefly
By Brendan O’Meara Thirty years ago, Metallica’s self-titled record Metallica, better known as ‘The Black Album,’ was released. It was Metallica’s fifth studio album and was a watershed moment for …
brevity.wordpress.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:49 PM
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.
Oooo, thanks for sharing, and I hope your research into the podcast is proving fun and illuminating 🤘💀🤘
January 5, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Oooo, thanks for sharing, and I hope your research into the podcast is proving fun and illuminating 🤘💀🤘
Did the demogorgons unionize and go on strike for the #strangerthings finale?
January 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Did the demogorgons unionize and go on strike for the #strangerthings finale?
Pitch Club is offering a 100% discount forever. You can buy a lot with $0 at Pitch Club!
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
Pitch Club | Brendan O'Meara | Substack
Brendan O'Meara is a journalist, author, and host of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Pitch Club — combining text and audio — dissects pitches from the best longform journalists, how they framed their...
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Pitch Club is offering a 100% discount forever. You can buy a lot with $0 at Pitch Club!
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
Hey, look at that! Hope you dig the book, Ray!
Received a great Christmas gift from my wife. Really enjoy @brendanomeara.bsky.social’s podcast and am looking forward to diving into his writing. Go Pre!
December 27, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Hey, look at that! Hope you dig the book, Ray!
They say your plaque shipped...fingers crossed...it's coming to me first, then I'll ship it to you :)
December 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
They say your plaque shipped...fingers crossed...it's coming to me first, then I'll ship it to you :)
And lastly in 2025, with Shawna Kenney about landing a podcast SERIES:
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/dont-be-af...
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/dont-be-af...
'Don't Be Afraid to Follow Up'
Shawna Kenney pitches a podcast series for a local radio station
welcometopitchclub.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
And lastly in 2025, with Shawna Kenney about landing a podcast SERIES:
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/dont-be-af...
welcometopitchclub.substack.com/p/dont-be-af...