Two Writers Slinging Yang

Jeff Pearlman has written bestselling books on Walter Payton, the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, Brett Favre, and the USFL, and his weekly podcast is essentially him sitting down with another writer and talking shop for an hour. That sounds simple, and it is, but the execution is what makes it work. Pearlman is a genuinely curious interviewer who treats every guest like their process matters, whether they're a Pulitzer-winning reporter or a mid-career sportswriter at a regional paper. With 456 episodes and a 4.8-star rating from 355 reviewers, the show has built a substantial archive. The guest list skews toward journalists and nonfiction authors, though screenwriters, musicians, and editors show up regularly too. Each conversation typically runs 50 to 70 minutes and gets into the specific details of how writing actually happens: the bad first drafts, the reporting dead ends, the financial realities of trying to make a living as a writer. Pearlman is not afraid to ask about money, which makes the career advice particularly useful. He also has a talent for drawing out stories about the writing life that guests clearly have never told on a podcast before. The show has an explicit content rating, which reflects Pearlman's casual, unfiltered conversational style. It is not a polished NPR production. It sounds like two people talking, which is exactly what it is, and that rawness makes the insights feel more honest. Essential listening for anyone who writes for a living or wants to.