Writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Her ‘Long Island Compromise’

Taffy Brodesser-Akner (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) is a staff writer at The New York Times, where she covers everything from The Eras Tour to Tom Hanks.

She joins us today to discuss her new book Long Island Compromise (2:00), the real-life crime that inspired it (7:00), and the questions she wanted to explore about wealth, trauma, and inheritance (11:00). Then, we walk through her pivot from profiling celebrities to writing novels (15:00), a defining passage from the new book (18:00), and her childhood, growing up in between Brooklyn and Long Island (24:00).

On the back-half, Brodesser-Akner reflects on her formative interviews with musician Nicki Minaj (33:00) and actor Bradley Cooper (39:00), how those experiences propelled her to write Fleishman Is in Trouble (40:04), what she discovered while profiling Taylor Swift (46:00), and why she hopes to continue telling stories for decades to come (57:00).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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