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  • What Keeps Running When You're Not in the Room

    What Keeps Running When You're Not in the Room
    2026/09/05
    Bob ran the invoices for twenty-two years. Then he retired on a Friday, and by Tuesday nobody could open the spreadsheet.This week it's a solo episode: three essays from the Radical Competency lane of my Substack, All the Fits That's News, read back to back for the first time. On their own they're about a small business I ran for fourteen years, a guy named Bob and my first newsroom job on the obituary desk in 1991. Together they turn out to be the same story, told three ways: the operating instructions we write without noticing, and what keeps running after we've stopped paying attention or left the building for good.In this episode:You Teach People How to Treat You. How four years of answering client texts at midnight taught me more about human behavior than any business degree, and why the fortune-cookie version of that phrase does real damage.Après Nous, le Déluge (aka The Bus Factor). Madame de Pompadour, knowledge hoarding and the difference between being valuable and being a countdown clock.Spell the Name Right. One sentence in a file on a green screen at the Tulsa World, passed reporter to reporter for more than thirty years. The best argument I've got for what work is actually for.Read the essays:You Teach People How to Treat YouAprès Nous, le DélugeSpell the Name RightSubscribe to All the Fits That's News, free or paid. Paid subscribers get the video version of this episode well before the audio drops, with the photographs, art and clips that go with each piece. The audio is just my voice. The video is the whole show.Missed the recent interviews? Catch Matty Dalrymple on helping indie authors own their readers, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian James M. Scott on Empire of Ashes:[link: Matty Dalrymple episode][link: James M. Scott episode]Everything, always, at mgopod.com.Mysterious Goings On is celebrating its 11th year of author interviews, craft talk, and the occasional trip somewhere you legally can't go. New episodes drop weekly — subscribe wherever you listen, and catch the video extras at ⁠All the Fits That's News.⁠CONNECT with ALEX:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations:⁠⁠⁠Speaking & Media FAQ⁠⁠⁠Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    23 分
  • James M. Scott on Empire of Ashes

    James M. Scott on Empire of Ashes
    2026/08/29
    The bomb ended the war in one sentence. The real story took five months and a president three weeks into the job.Everybody thinks they know this ending: two cities, two bombs, one date, case closed. James M. Scott has spent twenty years proving otherwise. He's a Pulitzer Prize finalist, New York Times bestseller, and the author of Black Snow, Rampage, Target Tokyo, The War Below, and The Attack on the Liberty (plus Targeted: Beirut, co-written with Jack Carr). He teaches as scholar in residence at the Citadel, leads battlefield tours, and somehow still finds time to write books that make eighty-year-old history feel like it happened last Tuesday.His latest, Empire of Ashes (W. W. Norton), picks up where his last book, Black Snow, left off — and goes looking for the part of the story everybody skips.Before Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was March 9, 1945: the single deadliest air raid of World War II, deadlier than Dresden by a factor of four, and somehow the raid history forgot. Scott explains why Japanese cities burned the way German cities never could, and how one Time magazine headline and some peer pressure from the British helped talk America into a new level of warfare.We also cover:Scott’s take on the “othering” argument for why the bombs got dropped — and what he found in Curtis LeMay’s and Leslie Groves’s own papers insteadHow Scott tracked down survivor accounts from Hiroshima’s archive that had never been published in English, and what it’s like sitting in a survivor’s living room Harry Truman’s letters home from the trenches of World War I, written decades before he’d need every bit of that experience to make the hardest decision of his presidencyWhat Oppenheimer got wrong about Truman’s personality (spoiler: the “crybaby” scene did some heavy lifting for the movie that the historical record doesn’t fully back up)The end of Dad Books?The Truman Presidential LibraryHistoric Missouri (chock full of Truman!)This is also just a great conversation about how a career gets built by accident — Scott went to Japan in the '90s expecting a gap year and came home with a life's work, one classroom conversation about firebombing at a time.WATCH the video edition — with archival photos from James M. Scott's own research, plus material from the Truman Presidential Library, Wikipedia, and other fair-use sources — is up now for paid supporters of Alex's Substack, All the Fits That's News. Hearing about the Tokyo fire raids is one thing. Seeing the photographs while Scott talks about them is another. It will be up free soon, so subscribe NOW to see it NOW!Find James M. Scott: JamesMScott.com — books, tours, and everything else.Empire of Ashes is out now from W. W. Norton, wherever you buy books.Mysterious Goings On is celebrating its 11th year of author interviews, craft talk, and the occasional trip somewhere you legally can't go. New episodes drop weekly — subscribe wherever you listen, and catch the video extras at All the Fits That's News.CONNECT with ALEX:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations:⁠⁠Speaking & Media FAQ⁠⁠Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    45 分
  • How Matty Dalrymple Turned Substack Readers Into Beta Readers

    How Matty Dalrymple Turned Substack Readers Into Beta Readers
    2026/08/22
    What if readers paid to help you make your next novel better?Author, podcaster and indie publishing advocate Matty Dalrymple returns to Mysterious Goings On to explain how she serialized her seventh Ann Kinnear suspense novel on Substack, releasing one chapter a day for six weeks to paying subscribers.Matty walks Alex through the mechanics of the experiment: how she structured free and paid access, encouraged reader feedback, navigated Substack’s subscription quirks and used comments to fine-tune backstory, pacing and the mystery itself.The resulting novel, (listen in for the cool title), sends Ann Kinnear aboard a cruise ship under an assumed identity to contact the spirit of a passenger who died during an earlier voyage. Naturally, the dead man has secrets to share.Along the way, Matty and Alex discuss Substack versus Patreon and Kickstarter, turning real places into fictional settings, writing while on vacation and why every author can benefit from approaching publishing with an indie frame of mind.Watch the full video interview exclusively on Alex Greenwood’s Substack, All the Fits That’s News.Connect with MattyExplore the original Ann Kinnear Book Seven serialization on Substack.Find Matty Dalrymple at mattydalrymple.com, Facebook and LinkedIn.The Indy AuthorVisit TheIndyAuthor.com, watch on YouTube, subscribe on Substack or connect on Facebook. Listen to The Indy Author Podcast on all major podcast platforms.From Expertise to AuthorityLearn more at From Expertise to Authority, follow Matty on Substack, listen to the From Expertise to Authority podcast or watch on YouTube.CONNECT with ALEX:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations:⁠Speaking & Media FAQ⁠Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    42 分
  • Everybody Wants a Piece of You

    Everybody Wants a Piece of You
    2026/08/09

    Everybody wants a piece of you. At some point, that stops feeling like flattery and starts feeling like a bill coming due.

    This episode, Alex steps away from author interviews for essays on what happens when being good at something quietly turns into being available for anything.

    One essay looks outward, at the moment a favor stops being a favor. The other looks inward, at what it costs to keep saying yes long after yes stopped being free.

    Plus updates on speaking gigs, and a preview of what's coming to the show next. Coming soon: more author interviews!


    • CONNECT:

      • ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


      Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations:

      Speaking & Media FAQ


      Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠



    • This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    17 分
  • The Vocabulary Gap and the Best "No" I Ever Got

    The Vocabulary Gap and the Best "No" I Ever Got
    2026/07/22

    Two essays this week.

    First: polysemy sounds like a skin condition, but it's why one word can mean several things without anyone getting confused. Usually. An essay about the word "asylum" and the lowest bar in public discourse.

    Then, a serious publisher called my book proposal "true and valid and in our wheelhouse," and said no anyway. Why that rejection was worth more than most acceptances, and what it says about an industry courting authors who no longer need it.

    Watch the video and subscribe (free or paid): https://alex715.substack.com

    25% off a paid year: https://alex715.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=896a6242

    Coming in August: more author interviews.

    Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations:

    ⁠Speaking & Media FAQ⁠

    • CONNECT:

      • ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
      • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


      Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠



    • This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    8 分
  • June Omnibus!

    June Omnibus!
    2026/06/20
    June is handing out lessons Alex didn’t expect. Ever felt like a month was trying to teach you something? Tag someone who needs to hear this! In his latest thoughts, Alex delves into three intriguing topics: A Civil War reunion that should never have happened. The quiet disappearance of the letter T in our speech. The powerful lessons from Anthony Bourdain about being aware of our surroundings. These aren’t just random musings; they reflect our history, our language, and our lives. Get on the bus, the Omnibus, and listen in!---Celebrating 10 Years and hundreds of episodes! Alex needs a coffee. Or ten: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you’ve enjoyed the essays and want to see more of them, here are two simple ways you can help:Become a paid subscriber. Paid support keeps this work sustainable and helps me devote the time and energy it deserves. If you’ve subscribed before, please consider re-subscribing under the new system and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠take advantage of this ⁠25% offer.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spread the word. If a paid subscription isn’t right for you right now, you can still make a big difference by sharing posts with friends, on social media, or anywhere you think they’ll resonate.⁠⁠⁠⁠👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join today and lock in 25% off your first year.⁠⁠⁠⁠Your support—financial or otherwise—is what keeps this going. The best work is still ahead, and I’d love for you to be part of it. —AlexCONNECT:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    34 分
  • IN ONE FOUL SWOOP: The Surprisingly Logical Art of Getting It Wrong

    IN ONE FOUL SWOOP: The Surprisingly Logical Art of Getting It Wrong
    2026/05/16
    This week, two essays about mondegreens and eggcorns—those moments when the brain mishears something or rewires a phrase to make it fit better. How we confidently get language wrong in ways that make perfect sense.Featuring:"There's a Bathroom on the Right" — On misheard song lyrics and why the brain prefers coherence over accuracy"In One Foul Swoop" — On eggcorns, language evolution, and why getting it wrong is sometimes getting it betterBook J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations!J. Alexander Greenwood speaks on work, writing, media, and the systems people navigate every day, drawing on real-world experience as a writer, communicator, and podcaster.If you’re interested, you’ll find everything you need here⁠⁠: jalexandergreenwood.com.⁠⁠ ---Celebrating 10 Years and hundreds of episodes! Alex needs a coffee. Or ten: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber!⁠⁠⁠⁠If you’ve enjoyed the essays and want to see more of them, here are two simple ways you can help:Become a paid subscriber. Paid support keeps this work sustainable and helps me devote the time and energy it deserves. If you’ve subscribed before, please consider re-subscribing under the new system and ⁠⁠⁠⁠take advantage of this ⁠25% offer.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spread the word. If a paid subscription isn’t right for you right now, you can still make a big difference by sharing posts with friends, on social media, or anywhere you think they’ll resonate.⁠⁠⁠👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join today and lock in 25% off your first year.⁠⁠⁠Your support—financial or otherwise—is what keeps this going. The best work is still ahead, and I’d love for you to be part of it. —AlexCONNECT:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    11 分
  • We Before Me: How Identity Starts Thinking for Us

    We Before Me: How Identity Starts Thinking for Us
    2026/04/05
    In this episode, Alex reads his latest essay from All the Fits That's News — a piece that starts with a Star Trek argument and ends somewhere considerably less comfortable.The essay traces what happens when group membership stops being a background feature of how we live and starts running the cognitive show. Drawing on Henri Tajfel's social identity theory experiments from the 1970s, it looks at how we sort ourselves into groups, absorb those groups into our sense of self, and then quietly let them do our reasoning for us — in politics, in media, in workplaces, and yes, in fandom.Also: Sting, sunk cost fallacy, and at least one book Alex wishes he could take back.Referenced in this episode:Henri Tajfel and social identity theory — foundational research in social psychology on group behavior and in-group favoritismStar Trek: Deep Space Nine — still the best of the lotSting / The Police — inventive, worth your time, not above criticismSunk cost fallacy — the tendency to keep investing in something because of what you've already put in, rather than what it's actually returning---Book J. Alexander Greenwood for keynotes, panels, podcasts, and live conversations!J. Alexander Greenwood speaks on work, writing, media, and the systems people navigate every day, drawing on real-world experience as a writer, communicator, and podcaster.If you’re interested, you’ll find everything you need here⁠: jalexandergreenwood.com.⁠ ---Celebrating 10 Years and hundreds of episodes! Alex needs a coffee. Or ten: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber!⁠⁠⁠If you’ve enjoyed the essays and want to see more of them, here are two simple ways you can help:Become a paid subscriber. Paid support keeps this work sustainable and helps me devote the time and energy it deserves. If you’ve subscribed before, please consider re-subscribing under the new system and ⁠⁠⁠take advantage of this ⁠25% offer.⁠⁠⁠⁠Spread the word. If a paid subscription isn’t right for you right now, you can still make a big difference by sharing posts with friends, on social media, or anywhere you think they’ll resonate.⁠⁠👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join today and lock in 25% off your first year.⁠⁠Your support—financial or otherwise—is what keeps this going. The best work is still ahead, and I’d love for you to be part of it. —AlexCONNECT:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a Book!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Going to Killing City...Alex's True Crime Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy this episode? Please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice, and don't forget to subscribe for more literary journeys! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Announcer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mary McKenna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Original theme music "Mysterious Goings On" by Jamie Green. Want your own cool score for your podcast or website? Contact Jamie at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Greenhouse Consulting.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out Jamie's interview on the show ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Intro music: "Half Mystery" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
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    7 分