Best Steven Davidson Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with 'The Dry Season' 1:10:13

1h ago1:10:13

1:10:13

"I talked to my wife, and she was like, 'You're probably tired. You've been writing this book non stop for six months, and you probably just need a break. Like, go get a gelato and chill out.' And I was like, 'I can't,' then I was like, 'All right, fine, I will.' And then I ate a bunch of ice cream and watched the Pam Anderson documentary on Netfli…

1
Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues! 1:11:10

5h ago1:11:10

1:11:10

"We are sort of drinking from a fire hose of content right now. And it makes me wonder, because I feel like I'm stuck on this wheel that I have to produce all the time. Do I even want to write for money anymore? I don't know," says Cassidy Randall, author of the book Thirty Below, and back for her second Atavist story "The Longest Journey." Writing…

1
Ep 38 - Brain Science and Personhood, with Dr. Paul LaPenna - Part 2 38:19

21h ago38:19

38:19

Materialists argue we are essentially brains with legs - what your brain does is who you are. No brain function - no person. This episode is part 2 of a conversation with neuroscientist and Christian, Dr. Paul LaPenna, for a fascinating conversation on the relationship between brain function and who we are as soul-bearing individuals. What does it …

1
Episode 470: Megan Baxter is Into Rewilding Her Writing 1:03:47

6d ago1:03:47

1:03:47

"I've also learned in this rewilding experiment that so much of our time as writers takes place off the page, as we're thinking about our concepts, as we're doing research, and when I actually do come to the page and have a chance to actually type out these ideas, I've done so much pre-writing over the course of the previous season that that draft …

1
Ep 37 - Brain Science and Personhood, with Dr. Paul LaPenna - Part 1 43:08

12d ago43:08

43:08

Materialists argue we are essentially brains with legs - what your brain does is who you are. No brain function - no person. In this episode and the next, I am joined by neuroscientist and Christian, Dr. Paul LaPenna, for a fascinating conversation on the relationship between brain function and who we are as soul-bearing individuals. What does it m…

1
Episode 469: John O'Connor on the Meaning of Bigfoot 1:06:12

14d ago1:06:12

1:06:12

"I don't feel envy. I don't think. Maybe in some deeper and maybe even more troubling psychological level. I do feel competition with with people, competition over resources, trying to claim certain ideas, stake a claim to certain ideas before other people can, especially when you're working with the subject that's in the public sphere. You don't h…

1
Episode 468: Local Journalism and the Folly of Fame with Maggie Messitt 1:20:28

21d ago1:20:28

1:20:28

"I genuinely feel that those of us writing books need to remember that we are writing them simply because we feel the desperate need to write that particular thing. And unless I feel that way, I shouldn't be writing it because it's not for the financial benefit. It is not because it gives me more time to do things with other people. It doesn't matt…

1
Ep 36 - History of Science & Faith, with Dr. Ted Davis 1:11:30

25d ago1:11:30

1:11:30

Science is frequently described as advancing as religious belief is overcome. I am joined by Dr. Ted Davis, a historian of science and Christian faith, to talk about the development of scientific though in pre-Christian/pre-Western cultures, the interplay of faith and science during the Scientific Revolution, and the drift from open expressions of …

1
Episode 467: How to Bounce Back from 'Viscerally Negative' Feedback with Will Bardenwerper 1:22:38

28d ago1:22:38

1:22:38

Will Bardenwerper grew up playing baseball and even was a member of his college team at Princeton. As a result, he has a great perspective to write about baseball as he does in Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America (Doubleday). That soul, in this book, is partially under attack from private equity firms gobbling up an…

1
Episode 466: Katie Goh on Issues of Identity and the Trappings of Mythology 1:13:24

28d ago1:13:24

1:13:24

"Mythology can be really a dangerous thing, because mythology feels like it can't be changed, or it's always been something," says Katie Goh, author of Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange (Tin House Books). Katie Goh is a writer and editor based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s also the author of the slim book “The End: Surviving the W…

1
Episode 465: Miranda Green Searches for the Harm 1:20:06

1M ago1:20:06

1:20:06

"You want to be able to nab the details, but then you also want to be able to tell the story of why this matters and who's harmed by this, and finding the harm is oftentimes the hardest part of investigative reporting," Miranda Green, an investigative reporter. Her latest piece is for The Atavist Magazine titled "All That Glitters" about the seedy …

1
Ep 35 - Archeaology & Inerrancy, with Dr. Steven Ortiz 55:43

1M ago55:43

55:43

In this first episode in a new series on the Web of Science & Christian Faith, I am joined by archaeologist Dr. Steven Ortiz from Lipscomb University. Dr. Ortiz has led many digs in Israel and surrounding lands and was a contributor to the book Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith. Topics include expectations and the reality of archaeological evid…

1
Episode 464: John Glionna is a Clown Who Makes Balloons That Kids Don't Like 58:09

1M ago58:09

58:09

"We're sadistic motherf*ckers," says John Glionna, @johnglionna on the Instagrams. John is a longtime journalist and author of No Friday Night Lights (Bison Books). He made a name for himself at the Los Angeles Times pursuing what would be called "Glionna stories," stories about invisible people who have rich lives all their own. In this episode we…

1
Episode 463: Leah Sottile on Building Scenes, Sagging Middles, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age 1:03:19

2M ago1:03:19

1:03:19

"It's kind of a mix of reporting to the very last minute to put off writing, and then when I have to write, having a panic attack, and then, like, booking a hotel room for a week and not leaving that room. This is the thing I have done until I figure it out," says Leah Sottile, in a live event at Gratitude Brewing. She is the author of Blazing Eye …

1
Episode 462: On Podcasting and Gardens with Debbie Millman 57:27

2M ago57:27

57:27

"I'm much more interested in how a person achieves something than in what they specifically achieved," says Debbie Millman, the "Pod Mother" and OG podcaster, twenty years in for Design Matters. She's also the author of the new book Love Letter to a Garden (Timber Press). In this episode, we talk about: The 20 year arc of Design Matters What people…

1
Episode 461: For Nick Davidson, Stories Hunt the Storyteller 1:19:38

2M ago1:19:38

1:19:38

Nick Davidson, @nickgdavidson on IG, says, "We usually think of hunting stories and looking for ideas, but I feel like it's the other way around: stories hunt the storyteller, and I'm just prey." Nick's latest piece is for The Atavist Magazine titled "The Balloon That Fell From the Sky." His work has appeared in Outside, VICE Sports, Garden & Gun, …

1
Episode 460:Pulitzer Prize-Winning Biographer Megan Marshall Takes on Personal Essays in 'After Lives' 1:03:47

2M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

Megan Marshall is the author of After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart (Mariner Books), a new collection of essays. Megan won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for Margaret Fuller: A New American Life. Podcast Specific Substack at creativenonfictionpodcast.substrack.com. Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sponsor: The Power of …

1
Ep 34 - Planetary Rovers and Martian Geology, with Dr. Roger Weins 57:52

2M ago57:52

57:52

Final episode in the 7-part mini-series Designed for Discovery! The creation has not just been designed to explore the history of our planet, but others as well. In this episode, I am joined by Planetary Scientist Dr. Roger Weins to talk about things like how we can tell a meteorite on earth came from a planet 100 million miles away, and how we can…

1
Episode 459: Cassidy Randall Talks Forgotten Histories, Sticky Notes, and the Power of Listening 51:31

3M ago51:31

51:31

“I could suddenly see — and this is how I know when I'm supposed to start writing — is that words start putting themselves together in my head, and I just have to get them out, right? Which doesn't happen all the time, but it did for this," says Cassidy Randall, author of Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All Women's Ascent …

1
Episode 458: Jaydra Johnson Had to Get Weird 58:09

3M ago58:09

58:09

"And then this person said, 'Hey, you know, this needs to be, like, more weird or less weird, but it's in this kind of odd place that isn't working.' And I was like, she's so, right," says Jaydra Johnson, @jaydranicole, and author of Low: Notes on Art & Trash (Fonograf). Lots of good stuff in this episode. We talk about: Luck Growing up poor Dialin…

1
Episode 457: Poynter's Neil Brown Says Editing Isn't Discussed Enough 1:00:53

3M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

"What I was fortunate enough to get exposed to very early in my career, and I really believe is now the way to go, which is the nature of editing as thinking," says Poynter Institute president Neil Brown. Neil has spent more than forty years as a reporter and editor, and he just wrapped up his tenure on the Pulitzer Prize Board. He's one of the mor…

1
Ep 33 - Dinosaurs and Birds!, with Dr. Mary Schweitzer 55:17

3M ago55:17

55:17

Mary Schweitzer is best know for the discovery of surviving organic tissues in 65 million year old dinosaur fossils. Her story is fascinating, for she started her educational journey as a young earth creationist intent on disproving evolution, but studying actual fossils not only convinced life had truly adapted over time, but also that modern bird…

1
Episode 456: Neko Case Wrote her Memoir in Bed 41:56

3M ago41:56

41:56

Neko Case is best known for her career as a musical performing artist and as a founding member of The New Pornographers, but her debut memoir The Harder I Fight the More I Love You (Grand Central) is all the evidence we need to see that she's got the chops for narrative. Podcast Specific Substack Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sponsor: The …

1
Episode 455: Will McGrath's Season on the Sidelines for The Believer 57:32

3M ago57:32

57:32

Will McGrath often thinks he's a phony, a fake writer, a fake journalist. But he isn't. He's very much real, and his piece for The Believer, "American Boys," chronicles the season and the lives of a group of young basketball players. It harkens back to Darcy Frey's brilliant book The Last Shot. Podcast Specific Substack: https://substack.com/@creat…

1
Episode 454: Allegra Rosenberg's Tale of Love on Ice for The Atavist 58:39

3M ago58:39

58:39

Allegra Rosenberg became obsessed with polar exploration narratives during the pandemic. She soon came across the journals of Harry Pennell and learned of his love for Edward Atkinson. Set amongst the backdrop of the South Pole and the looming possibility of WWI, Allegra weaves a brilliant and tragic story. Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sp…

1
Episode 453: Chandlor Henderson, Live at Gratitude Brewing, Says 'Focus on the Skill' 45:23

3M ago45:23

45:23

Chandlor Henderson is the very definition of a multi-hypenate: a writer, editor, comic book writer, filmmaker, and podcaster. This conversation was recorded live at Gratitude Brewing as part of a quarterly series between the Oregon Writers Colony and The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. In this conversation we talk about his journey to Oregon from the …

1
Episode 452: lamb of god's Randy Blythe's Search for Perspective in 'Just Beyond the Light' 57:35

3M ago57:35

57:35

If Randy Blythe's first book, Dark Days, was about accountability, his second book, Just Beyond the Light, is about perspective. In essays ranging from the premature death of a young fan to surfing waves to revering his beloved grandmother, Randy talks about art and music and the messiness of being a creative person. Visit randyblythe.com to learn …

1
Ep 32 - Evolution of Whales, with Dr. Ryan Bebej 1:04:53

4M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Whales and hippos share a common terrestrial ancestor? And we can tell that how? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Ryan Bebej about the story of discovery of whale evolution from a four-legged land ancestor. The conversation takes us from early speculation on the origin of whales, the discovery of transitional fossils in the Middle East, and how the…

1
Episode 451: When Beach Read Meets a System with Lindsay Jill Roth 59:08

4M ago59:08

59:08

Lindsay Jill Roth was told by a tutor at a young age that she'd become a writer one day. At the time she laughed, but it came to be. Lindsay is the author of the novel What Pretty Girls Are Made Of and her latest is Romances & Practicalities: A Love Story (Maybe Yours) in 250 Questions. Lindsay talks about the writing of the book, structuring it, a…

1
Episode 450: Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, John Eisenberg Chronicles the Long Journey of the Black Quarterback 1:06:26

4M ago1:06:26

1:06:26

John Eisenberg grew up surrounded by books. It was no surprise then that he wanted to write them one day. He has written eleven, his latest being Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 15% discount. Newsletter: Rage Agains…

1
Ep 31 - Discovery of Moving Continents 32:18

4M ago32:18

32:18

This episode continues the Designed for Discover series, but shifting from evidence of intentionality in creation to stories illustrating how creation is designed to allow discovery of earth's ancient past - long before human eyes were around to see. In this episode, you get a glimpse of what my geology students learn about how we figured out that …

1
Episode 449: Drew Philp Wants to Make Spanakopita Out of Spinach News 1:14:12

4M ago1:14:12

1:14:12

Drew Philp went to Ethiopia to report on the front lines of what was likely a genocide that largely went ignored. His story, "There Will Be No Mercy," is for The Atavist Magazine. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 15% discount. Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm Show notes: brenda…

1
Episode 448: Evan Ratliff Returns … Or Did He? 1:03:24

4M ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Evan Ratliff's work often overlaps with the tech industry whether he's disappearing himself as he did for Wired Magazine, or exploring the murky world of AI voice agents as he did with his blockbuster, smashing, DIY podcast Shell Game. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 15% discount. N…

1
Ep 30 - A Special Place in the Cosmos, with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez 50:48

5M ago50:48

50:48

The universe is not only finely tuned for life to exist (see Ep 29), but our unique position in the solar system and galaxy also appears intentionally crafted for scientific exploration and discovery. Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, co-author of The Privileged Planet, joins me in this episode with a special focus on just how unique our earth-moon-sun syste…

1
Episode 447: Brooke Champagne Sits Back from the Suckitude 1:10:52

5M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Brooke Champagne (@champagne_brooke) is a writer in the thick of it: the grind of it, the messiness of it, the working-out-of-it. One minute with Brooke and you know you're in for rollicking fun conversation about the essay, about writing, and about Nola Face: A Latina's Life in the Big Easy (University of Georgia Press). Pre-order The Front Runner…

1
Episode 446: Harrison Scott Key and the Plight of Memoir 1:10:52

5M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Harrison Scott Key knows how to write a funny book, and he did it again, this time with How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told (Avid Reader Press). Only this time, he found a way to find the funny as his marriage was under duress. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 1…

1
Mike Capozzola 33:07

5M ago33:07

33:07

Steven Davidson drags Mike into an alternative dimension of the Capozzola mind where things worked out very differently. Amongst other adventures, we hear about Mike's successful crossbow stall at Buckingham Palace, his early years living at Neverland ranch, working with a young David Bowie at the United Nations and why he wil never have more than …

1
Ep 29 - Fine Tuning of the Universe, with Dr. Luke Barnes 1:11:31

5M ago1:11:31

1:11:31

Multiple physical properties turn out to require incredibly precise values for stars, planets, and life to exist. I am particularly intrigued by how weirdly easy it is for stars to produce carbon, an atom that turns out to have no equal in its ability to support life, and the cosmic distribution system for supplying that carbon to planets. I am joi…

1
Episode 445: For Andrew Dubbins, It's About the Love of the Story 57:18

5M ago57:18

57:18

For Andrew Dubbins, stories of this nature are resource intensive, so he’s always seeking the story engine, what drives the narrative forward. In this case, it’s a cops-and-robbers story with sibling discord at the center. It’s that Atavisitan time of the month and we have Andrew Dubbins, a journalist based out of L.A. who tells the tale about the …

1
Episode 444: Stephanie Gorton Embraces the Messiness 1:03:17

5M ago1:03:17

1:03:17

Stephanie Gorton once fretted over her not-neat process of writing books and soon came to embrace her messiness as a feature, not a bug, while she wrote The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America (Ecco). (Photo credit Sasha Israel) Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power …

1
Ep 28 - Water: Weird and Wonderful 38:25

6M ago38:25

38:25

New series: Designed for Discovery! Our universe has the hallmarks of being intentionally fashioned with exploration and discovery in mind, allowing scientific methods to be applied to discover ancient earth history (before any humans were around to observe), and to find bread crumbs to a trail that leads back to a Creator. In this kickoff episode,…

1
Embracing Life's Detours: A Conversation with Julie Edelman 51:57

6M ago51:57

51:57

Somewhere in the Middle welcomes Julie Edelman to discuss sisterhood, resilience, and finding strength in unexpected journeys Julie Edelman is the bestselling author of the how-to book The Accidental Housewife: How to Overcome Housekeeping Hysteria One Task at a Time. She is a well-known lifestyle expert and has appeared on “The Today Show,” “The V…

1
Episode 443: Jared Sullivan and the Subtle Art of the Cold Call 1:07:18

6M ago1:07:18

1:07:18

Jared Sullivan got his start primarily editing and admired the kinds of writers and reporters who do both well, like a David Remnick. Valley So Low is Jared's new book, and it is along the lines of Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action and illustrates the toll that greed and negligence exert on the people exposed to toxins and the cost cases of this natur…

1
Episode 442: Steven Hyden Revisits Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' 1:04:39

6M ago1:04:39

1:04:39

Steven Hyden (@steven_hydenwriter) is a music critic for Uproxx, producer of Break Stuff, the podcast about Woodstock 99, story producer for the the documentary Yacht Rock, and the author of Twilight of the Gods, This Isn’t Happening, Hard to Handle, and Long Road. His latest is There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springtseen’s ‘Born in the USA’ …

1
Episode 441: Seth Wickersham Gets Them Out of the Building 1:14:00

6M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Seth Wickersham (@seth.wickersham on IG) didn't always want to be a sports writer, but he found his way to it by being a high school quarterback, covering the University of Missouri Tigers, and "crashing the party" at the Super Bowl with fellow writers Wright Thompson and Justin Heckert. This episode was a chance to revisit his amazing story on its…

1
Episode 440: How to be a Truffle Pig with Kate McQueen 1:06:31

6M ago1:06:31

1:06:31

Kate McQueen is the editorial director for the Pollen Initiative and a literary journalist whose work is featured this month for The Atavist Magazine. The story chronicles the story of Carl von Ossietzky, a German journalist imprisoned for his dissent at the start of Hitler's rise to power. A cohort of fellow journalists sought a means to break him…

1
Ep 27 - Heresy of Ham, with author Joel Anderson 59:09

6M ago59:09

59:09

In the 7th and final episode in the mini-series on Questions of Creation, I am joined by author Dr. Joel Edmond Anderson to discuss his newly revised book, The Heresy of Ham. Joel shares his story of loss of employment and severed relationships that resulted from questioning young earth dogma, and explains why he now believes the young earth messag…

1
Episode 439: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Paul Peart-Smith Bring a Graphic Interpretation of "An Indigenous People's History of the United States" to Life 1:00:18

7M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Paul Peart-Smith talk about how and why graphic interpretations are such a powerful vector for storytelling. Roxanne's An Indigenous People's History of the United States is a must-read and Paul's rendering is the perfect gateway in. Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm Show notes: brendanomeara.com Support: Patreon.com/c…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Steven Davidson Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide