Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters
40 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago -Interviews, readings and Q&As with leading sportswriters from Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters, New York City's sports reading series.
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Episodes
Sports Novels Night: A Conversation With Alexander Tilney and Benjamin Markovits
November 09, 2019 11:00 - 47 minutes - 64.8 MBOn November 7, 2019, two novelists appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their books on squash and tennis. Talking about their work in a conversation with Gelf Magazine co-founder Carl Bialik in this episode: Benjamin Markovits—teacher of creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London, and author of nine novels, including Playing Days, about his experience playing pro ball in Germany—read from his pair of nove...
Sports Novels Night: Alexander Tilney and Benjamin Markovits
November 09, 2019 10:57 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBOn November 7, 2019, two novelists appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their books on squash and tennis. Reading from their work in this episode: Benjamin Markovits—teacher of creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London, and author of nine novels, including Playing Days, about his experience playing pro ball in Germany—read from his pair of novels A Weekend in New York and Christmas in Austin, which follo...
Fan Appreciation Night: Jason Gay and Justine Gubar | February 23, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:34 - 55 minutes - 75.9 MBOn February 23, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a night to devoted you, the fans. In this episode: ESPN producer Justine Gubar, author of Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay, author of Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living
Fan Appreciation Night: Jon Wertheim | February 23, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:33 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MBOn February 23, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a night to devoted you, the fans. In this episode: Sports Illustrated executive editor Jon Wertheim, co-author of This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon:
Basketball Night: Shawn Fury | March 22, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:32 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBOn March 22, 2016, two writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on basketball—and one NBA Hall of Famer called in. In this episode: Shawn Fury, author of Rise and Fire: The Origins, Science, and Evolution of the Jump Shot --- and How It Transformed Basketball Forever
Basketball Night: Rick Barry and Alexander Wolff | March 22, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:32 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBOn March 22, 2016, two writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on basketball—and one NBA Hall of Famer called in. In this episode: Rick Barry Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff, author of The Audacity of Hoop: Basketball and the Age of Obama.
Basketball Night: Alexander Wolff | March 22, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:31 - 2 minutes - 3.78 MBOn March 22, 2016, two writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on basketball. In this episode: Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff, author of The Audacity of Hoop: Basketball and the Age of Obama.
Remembering Muhammad Ali: Alex Belth and Robert Lipsyte | June 15, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:31 - 1 hour - 85.4 MBOn June 15, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about work on Muhammad Ali. In this episode: Alex Belth, the editor of Esquire Classic and curator for Deadspin's The Stacks. Robert Lipsyte, a longtime sportswriter who penned the fighter's New York Times obituary.
Remembering Muhammad Ali: Brin-Jonathan Butler | June 15, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:30 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBOn June 15, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about work on Muhammad Ali. In this episode: Brin-Jonathan Butler wrote and directed Ali vs Stevenson: The Greatest Fight That Never Was and authored The Domino Diaries.
Olympics Night: David Davis | July 12, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:30 - 32 minutes - 44.5 MBOn July 12, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on the Olympics. In this episode: David Davis, author of Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku, the first U.S. superstar Olympic swimmer.
Olympics Night: Dvora Meyers | July 12, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBOn July 12, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on the Olympics. In this episode: Dvora Meyers, author of The End of the Perfect 10: The Making and Breaking of Gymnastics' Top Score from Nadia to Now.
Olympics Night: Dave Zirin | July 12, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:29 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MBOn July 12, 2016, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to read from and talk about their work on the Olympics. In this episode: Varsity Letters regular Dave Zirin discussed his book Brazil's Dance with the Devil and what's really going on in Rio.
Ron Kaplan and Greg Prince: Varsity Letters Baseball Night, July 24, 2017
October 27, 2019 20:29 - 54 minutes - 75 MBOn July 24, 2017, four writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to talk about their recent baseball books. In this episode: Ron Kaplan, author of Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War Faith and Fear in Flushing blogger Greg Prince, author of Piazza: Catcher, Slugger, Icon, Star
Bart Davis and Tom Perrotta: Tennis Night at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters, August 17, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:28 - 1 hour - 108 MBOn August 17, 2016, four writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to talk tennis. In this episode: Bart Davis, co-author with Richard Williams of Black and White: The Way I See It. Tom Perrotta, who writes about tennis for The Wall Street Journal and is not the author of Little Children.
Tennis Night: Caitlin Thompson and Gerry Marzorati | August 17, 2016
October 27, 2019 20:28 - 47 minutes - 64.7 MBOn August 17, 2016, four writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to talk about their work on tennis. Reading from and talking about their work in this episode: Caitlin Thompson, co-founder of the quarterly Racquet—which published its first issue later that month. Racquet contributor Gerry Marzorati, who also writes about tennis for newyorker.com and is the author of Late to the Ball, a tennis memoir.
Steve Rushin: Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters, August 16, 2017
October 27, 2019 20:26 - 57 minutes - 78.9 MBOn August 16, 2017, Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge featured sportswriter Steve Rushin, author of Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir.
Howard Bryant, Bomani Jones, Teri Thompson, and Luke Cyphers: Best American Sports Writing Night, Varsity Letters, November 21, 2017
October 27, 2019 20:25 - 56 minutes - 76.9 MBOn November 21, 2017, Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge celebrated the publication of The Best American Sports Writing of 2017. Speaking in this episode: ESPN senior writer Howard Bryant, editor of the 2017 volume of the annual series. Bomani Jones, host of The Right Time podcast and author of "Kaepernick Is Asking for Justice, Not Peace" Teri Thompson and Luke Cyphers, who co-wrote "Lost in America" for Bleacher Report
Mark Feinsand and Jay Jaffe: Varsity Letters Baseball Night, July 24, 2017
October 27, 2019 12:03 - 1 hour - 86.1 MBOn July 24, 2017, four writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to talk about their recent baseball books. In this episode: MLB.com executive reporter Mark Feinsand, author of The New York Yankees Fans' Bucket List Sports Illustrated writer Jay Jaffe, author of The Cooperstown Casebook: Who's in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Who Should Be In, and Who Should Pack Their Plaques
Sports Business Night: Ben Reiter
October 27, 2019 09:58 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBOn September 9, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to share some of the most interesting stories in sports business. Speaking in this episode: Ben Reiter, a Sports Illustrated senior editor, discussed the updated paperback of his book, Astroball: The New Way to Win It All.
Sports Business Night: Matthew Futterman
October 27, 2019 09:57 - 41 minutes - 56.3 MBOn September 9, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to share some of the most interesting stories in sports business. Speaking in this episode: Matthew Futterman, deputy sports editor of The New York Times and author of Players: How Sports Became a Business, discussed his new book, Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed.
Sports Business Night: Albert Chen
October 27, 2019 09:50 - 34 minutes - 47.5 MBOn September 9, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to share some of the most interesting stories in sports business. Speaking in this episode: Albert Chen, a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, read from and discussed his new book, Billion Dollar Fantasy: The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America.
Howard Bryant and Bomani Jones: Best American Sports Writing Night, Varsity Letters, November 21, 2017
September 01, 2019 03:52 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBOn November 21, 2017, Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge celebrated the The Best American Sports Writing of 2017. Speaking in this episode: ESPN senior writer Howard Bryant, editor of the 2017 volume of the annual series. Bomani Jones, host of The Right Time podcast and author of "Kaepernick Is Asking for Justice, Not Peace"
Ben Reiter on the Astros: Varsity Letters, August 1, 2018
September 01, 2019 03:50 - 28 minutes - 39 MBOn August 1, 2018, sports-book authors Ben Reiter and Lori Leachman appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge. Speaking in this episode: Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter—who accurately predicted the Astros' 2017 World Series win three years earlier—read from and discussed his new book, Astroball: The New Way to Win It All.
Olympics Night: Thomas H. Murray
September 01, 2019 03:46 - 47 minutes - 64.8 MBOn January 30, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a look at the dark side of Olympic sports. Speaking in Part II: Thomas H. Murray discussed his new book, Good Sport: Why Our Games Matter — and How Doping Undermines Them.
Olympics Night: Carla Correa and Meghan Louttit
September 01, 2019 03:44 - 45 minutes - 62.2 MBOn January 30, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a look at the dark side of Olympic sports. Speaking in Part I: Carla Correa and Meghan Louttit of the New York Times discussed their coverage of the Larry Nassar trial.
Soccer Night: Sebastian Abbot
September 01, 2019 03:38 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBOn March 13, 2018, Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge spent a night devoted to soccer. Author Sebastian Abbot read from and discussed his new book, The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars.
Varsity Letters August 1, 2018: Lori Leachman
September 01, 2019 03:36 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBOn August 1, 2018, sports-book authors Ben Reiter and Lori Leachman appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge. Speaking in Part II: Duke University professor Lori Leachman, the daughter of former New York Giants Super Bowl XXI-winning defensive coach Lamar Leachman, read from and discussed her new book, The King of Halloween and Miss Firecracker Queen: A Daughter's Tale of Family and Football.
Varsity Letters June 18, 2018: Robert Lipsyte
September 01, 2019 03:31 - 20 minutes - 27.5 MBOn June 18, 2018, three of our favorite sportswriters appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge. Speaking in Part III: Legendary sportswriter Robert Lipsyte read from and discussed the reprint of his seminal work, SportsWorld: An American Dreamland.
Varsity Letters June 18, 2018: Mike Pesca
September 01, 2019 03:30 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBOn June 18, 2018, three of our favorite sportswriters appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge. Speaking in Part II: Mike Pesca is the author of Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History and host of the podcast of the same name, as well as Slate's daily podcast, The Gist.
Varsity Letters June 18, 2018: Dave Zirin
September 01, 2019 03:29 - 39 minutes - 54 MBOn June 18, 2018, three of our favorite sportswriters appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge. Speaking in Part I: Dave Zirin discussed his two new books: Jim Brown: Last Man Standing, and Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, co-written by Michael Bennett.
Basketball Night: Sam Anderson
September 01, 2019 03:25 - 30 minutes - 42.2 MBOn October 9, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a celebration of the history of basketball. Speaking in Part I: New York Times Magazine staff writer Sam Anderson read from and discussed his book, Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, its Chaotic Founding... its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis.
Basketball Night: Jonathan Coleman
September 01, 2019 03:24 - 40 minutes - 54.9 MBOn October 9, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a celebration of the history of basketball. Speaking in Part II: New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Coleman is the co-author of Jerry West's memoir West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life.
Basketball Night: Rafe Bartholomew
July 23, 2019 16:00 - 36 minutes - 50.1 MBOn October 9, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge for a celebration of the history of basketball. Speaking in Part I: Veteran Varsity Letters speaker Rafe Bartholomew made his return. He is most recently the co-author—along with Jackie MacMullan and Dan Klores—of the new book Basketball: A Love Story, an oral history of the game and an accompaniment to a new ESPN documentary series.
Hockey Night: Greg Wyshynski, Ryan Lambert, Sean Leahy
July 22, 2019 19:00 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBOn November 28, 2018, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge as part of an evening devoted to hockey—hosted by Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer at ESPN and co-host of the Puck Soup podcast.
Tennis Night: Rowan Ricardo Phillips
July 21, 2019 17:00 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBOn February 11, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge as part of an evening devoted to books about tennis—hosted by Racquet cofounder and publisher Caitlin Thompson. Speaking in Part II: Paris Review columnist Rowan Ricardo Phillips watched every single watchable match of the 2017 ATP season and brought us back The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey, his literary tour of a historic season in men's tennis.
Tennis Night: Judy Aydelott and Julie Heldman
July 21, 2019 16:03 - 1 hour - 87.4 MBOn February 11, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge as part of an evening devoted to books about tennis—hosted by Racquet cofounder and publisher Caitlin Thompson. Speaking in Part I: A trial lawyer and former U.S. Congress candidate, Judy Aydelott brought stories—and slides—about playing tennis after the age of 50, in Sport of a Lifetime: Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis. Former Top 5 player Julie Heldman came from Ca...
A Tribute to 'Ball Four' Author Jim Bouton | Part II
July 19, 2019 18:23 - 26 minutes - 36.6 MBOn July 18, 2019, five writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to pay tribute to Jim Bouton, who passed away last week. The pitcher-cum-author wrote the seminal work "Ball Four," which gave fans an unprecedented look inside the world of professional baseball. Speaking in Part II: Neil deMause, Deadspin contributor and co-author of Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit Read deMause's remember...
A Tribute to 'Ball Four' Author Jim Bouton | Part I
July 19, 2019 18:20 - 52 minutes - 71.8 MBOn July 18, 2019, five writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to pay tribute to Jim Bouton, who passed away last week. The pitcher-cum-author wrote the seminal work "Ball Four," which gave fans an unprecedented look inside the world of professional baseball. Speaking in Part I: Jay Jaffe, senior writer at FanGraphs and MLB Network guest analyst Read Jaffe's interview with Bouton and Dr. Paula Kurman: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/ball-fo...
Jack McCallum on 'Golden Days'
October 23, 2017 03:11 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MBAhead of his appearance at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters in New York City, Jack McCallum talks with Carl Bialik about his new book about the Lakers of the 1960s and '70s, and the Warriors of today. Gelf Magazine: http://www.gelfmagazine.com/ Jack's website: http://jackmccallum.net/ Music by Lee Rosevere ('Southside'): https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-podcasts-4
David Gessner on 'Ultimate Glory'
August 15, 2017 05:07 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBAhead of his appearance at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters in New York City, David Gessner talks with Carl Bialik about his new memoir and history of ultimate frisbee: 'Ultimate Glory: Frisbee, Obsession, and My Wild Youth.' Gelf Magazine: http://www.gelfmagazine.com/ Book site: http://www.ultimateglory.net/ Music by Lee Rosevere: https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-podcasts-4