Notes and Links Referenced on Episode 75 with Marcos Bretón
On Episode 75, Pete and The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor, Marcos Bretón, talk about his upbringing in Northern California, ideas of representation in media, formative reading, his singular writing style and opinions, his covering of Major League Baseball-including his Hall of Fame voting philosophy- and Caribbean baseball cultures, and much more.
Marcos Bretón’s Sacramento Bee writer page says that he is “Connecting the dots on issues, people and news in the Sacramento region.” He is a journalist and columnist who was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for “Fields of Pain,” a series of stories about the exploitation of migrant farmworkers in California.
He is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering California. The son of Mexican immigrants, Bretón is married and is the father of two daughters. Breton has worked at The Bee since 1989; first as a news reporter, then as a sports columnist, and then as a news columnist. He was recently named The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor.
Marcos Bretón's Sacramento Bee Page
Marcos Bretón’s Article: “I am Mexican American with no hyphen and no apologies – and am haunted by a history of hate”
Marcos Breton’s July 7, 2021 article- “A leader we haven’t appreciated enough: ‘I had the audacity to be a Black woman with a voice.’ ”
Buy Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player
At about 2:50, Marcos talks about bilingualism and his relationship with language as a child
At about 4:25, Marcos talks about his other Mexican-Americans’ experiences in his childhood and beyond
At about 7:30, Marcos talks about the images (or lack thereof) that were used to portray immigrants as he grew up and saw a “hijacked” narrative
At about 9:45, Marcos reflects on learning the “Reader’s Digest version” of our history and the need to “embrace the complexity of the story,” including the current need to redress past wrongs in the local and national media narratives and identify and teach current history without “looking away”
At about 15:35, Marcos discusses his thoughts on the term “pocho” in connection to the great book of the same name by Villarreal, and Marcos discusses the idea of “ni de aquí, ni de alla”
At about 20:30, Pete asks Marcos if he felt represented in what he read growing up, and how reading Richard Rodriguez
At about 22:50, Marcos lists John Steinbeck and local journalists like Ron Fimrite and Sports Illustrated, with its longform writers like Steve Wolff, who gave/give him “chills at will”
At about 27:30, Marcos explains his philosophy on “reading less of what other people were writing” in developing his own voice; he relates it to Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory
At about 30:10, Marcos pinpoints a combination of his childhood, his well-read and opinionated parents, and his reading as making him want to be an opinión writer
At about 32:05, Marcos describes more subtle “Eureka moments” in becoming the writer he wanted to be, and how he ended up in Sacramento to stay
At about 34:05, Marcos discusses his personal circumstances and political circumstances that led to the award-winning and personally-satisfying series done with Genaro Molina and Mike Wagner-he was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for the “Fields of Pain” series
At about 38:30, Marcos talks about his differing views of interacting with readers online and in real life and some of his provocative takes over the years
At about 42:40, Marcos talks about his book Away Games that started with a series for The Sacramento Bee and was written with José Luis Villegas and focused on Miguel Tejada
At about 45:30, Marcos talks about the culture and milieu of baseball in the Caribbean, as evidenced through his research for his book
At around 51:00, Marcos responds to Pete’s question about ignorance versus malice in dealing with players from Latin America as the generations have gone on
At about 53:25, Marcos talks about the ways in which Latin American baseball players have changed the culture of baseball
At about 53:55, Marcos details the process of voting for The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and how he plans his own voting
At about 55:50, Marcos and Pete discuss the merits of performance versus character when it comes to who gets into The MLB Hall of Fame, especially regarding players like Barry Bonds from the “Steroid Era”
At about 1:00:30, Pete asks Marcos how he balances objectivity and subjectivity in his writing
At about 1:04:40, Marcos discusses his visceral reaction and heartfelt column written after the racist El Paso shootings
At about 1:10:45, Marcos describes a recent article on Yvonne Walker, local SEIU head
At about 1:11:20, Marcos talks about future projects, as he now is focused on California stories for McClatchy
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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
I’m excited to share my next episode with Mirin Fader on Aug 31. Mirin has written for The Bleacher Report and The Ringer, and is The New York Times-bestselling author of 2021’s, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.
Episode 94: Lasting Literary Images with Naomi Shihab Nye and Francisco Goldman
Episode 93 with Steph Cha, Food Writer, Book Reviewer, and Author of the Award-Winning Juniper Song Series and Your House Will Pay
Episode 92 with Alan Chazaro, Hip Hop Head, Baller, Aesthete, and Writer of the Prize-Winning This is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album and Piñata Theory
Episode 91 with Annie McDermott, Passionate Translator of the Eccentric and Magnificent The Luminous Novel by Mario Levrero
Episode 90 with Bill Esparza, Writer for Eater LA, Fixer, Professional Musician, and Food Ambassador
Episode 89 with Luke Epplin, Writer of Nonfiction with the Best Qualities of Fiction, and Author of Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball
Episode 88 with Father Greg Boyle, S.J., Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries, the World‘s Largest Gang-Intervention and Rehabilitation Program
Episode 87 with Natalia Sylvester, Heartfelt Writer of Stirring Works for Kids, Teens, and Adults
Episode 86 with Mark Athitakis, Inquisitive Writer, Critic, and Chronicler of Literature for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Many More
Episode 85 with Brett Marie, Multifaceted Artist, Aesthete, and Brilliant Writer of the Brilliant and Beautiful The Upsetter Blog
Episode 84 with Noah Hurowitz, Curious Reader, Journalist, and Author of 2021‘s El Chapo: The Untold Story Of The World‘s Most Infamous Drug Lord
Episode 83 with Larry Strauss, High School Educator, Mentor, Basketball Coach, and Writer for HuffPost, USA Today, and Author of November‘s Light Man novel and Many Other Books
Episode 82 with Sara Elkamel, Passionate and Profound Poet with an Artist‘s Soul and a Journalist‘s Eye for Detail
Episode 81 with Cerise Castle, Producer, Podcaster, Journalist, and Intrepid Writer of The Important Series ”A Tradition of Violence: The History of Deputy Gangs...” for KnockLA
Episode 80 with Dave Zirin, Journalist, Activist, Host of The Edge of Sports for The Nation, and Author of 2021‘s Important The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World
Episode 79 with Matt Ortile, Keen Observer, Masterful Editor, and Profound and Witty Writer of The Groom Will Keep His Name
Episode 78 with Adam O‘Fallon Price, Skilled Tactician of Voice and Narrative, and 2020 Edgar Award Winner for Best Paperback Original, The Hotel Neversink
Episode 77 with Danielle Fuentes Morgan, Professor at Santa Clara University and Expert and Nuanced Chronicler of Pop Culture through her Book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire
Episode 76 with Mirin Fader, Heartfelt Chronicler, In-Depth Reporter, and Author of Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, The New York Times Bestseller
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