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 214 with Leah Myers, Chronicler of the Heartfelt, the Specific, the Universal, and the Myth and Proud History of the Jamestown S’Klallam in the Memoir, Thinning Blood
Episode 213 with Andrew Porter, Reflective and Genius of the Understated and Resonant, Creator of Unforgettable Characters, and Author of the Story Collection, The Disappeared
Episode 212 with Theresa Rundstedtler, Savvy, Reflective, Thorough Researcher on Race and Sport, and Author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood and the Generation that Saved the Game
Episode 211 with Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, Passionate Researchers, Veteran Punk Rockers, and Stewards and Proponents of Black Punk Excellence for Future Generations
Episode 210 with Dan Sinykin, Wise, Thorough Chronicler of The Publishing Industry’s Changing Mores, & Author of Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature
Episode 209 with Julie Carrick Dalton, Standout Worldbuilder and Crafter of Plot Twists, Memorable Characters, Salient Storylines, and Author of The Last Beekeeper
Episode 208 with Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion, and Keen Chronicler and Thoughtful Observer of Hip Hop, Pop Culture, and Fashion
Episode 207 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Master of Flash Fiction, Short, Powerful Stories, and Prose that Explores Intricate Emotions in Clever and Profound Ways
Episode 206 with David Mura, Thoughtful, Thorough, Wise Student and Chronicler of the Ills of White Supremacy and the Ways in Which Racism Works, and Author of The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself
Episode 205 with Josh Riedel, Author of Please Report Your Bug Here, Standout Worldbuilder, and Sage Observer and Chronicler of the Evolution/Devolution of Tech and its Impact on Our Society/Ourselves
Episode 204 with Kara H.L. Chen, Standout YA Writer of Love and Resistance and Crafter of Believable and Relatable and Empathy-Inducing Characters
Episode 203 with V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, Master Craftswoman of Tender and Gutting Storylines and Characters, and Author of the Modern Classic, Brotherless Night
Episode 202 with Dennis J. Sweeney, Reflective and Persistently Profound Thinker and Craftsman of Poems Both Abstract and Concrete and Author of You’re the Woods Too
Episode 201 with Erica J Berry, Thoughtful and Thorough Writer Who Seamlessly Combines Multiple Disciplines and Genres in Her Enthralling Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear
EPISODE 200 with Adam Vitcavage, Raconteur, Skilled Writer of Literary and Music Criticism, and Charismatic Advocate for Debut Authors Through his Podcast Debutiful: Discover Debut Authors
Episode 199 with Jared Beloff, Reflective Thinker, Painter of Beautiful Imagery and Debut Standout Author of the Climate Change-Themed Poetry Collection, Who Will Cradle Your Head
Episode 198 with Sarah Thankam Mathews, Master of the Visceral and Rational, Beautiful Sentence and Sentiment Creator, and Author of 2022’s National Book Award Shortlisted All This Could Be Different
Episode 197 with Chloe Cooper Jones, Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Master of Melding Seemingly-Disparate Ideas and Themes, and Author of the Masterful and Profound Easy Beauty
Episode 196 with Rachel Howzell Hall, Painter of Worlds Both Familiar and Unknown, Creator of Psychological Thrillers, Master Crime Writer, and Author of What Never Happened
Episode 195 with Jessica Cuello, Keen Observer of the Connections Between Classical and the Modern, and Painter of Resonant Imagery in the Poetry Collection Yours, Creature
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