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 154 with Ian MacAllen: Versatile Writer and Creator, Student of Foods and Cultures, and Author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American
Episode 153 with Luivette Resto, 24/7 Poet, Wordsmith, Versatile and Profound Chronicler of Family and Home and Identity, and Writer of Living on Islands Not Found on Maps
Episode 152 with Tommy Dean: Master Editor, Reflective Teacher, and Craftsman and Student of Powerful Flash Fiction
Episode 151 with Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, National Book Award Nominee for Poetry for Look at This Blue and Renaissance Woman
Episode 150 with Elizabeth Williamson, The Reflective, Dogged, Balanced, and Well-Researched Journalist for The New York Times and Author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth
Episode 149 with Erika T. Wurth: Author of White Horse and Expert Student of, Teacher of, and Practitioner of Horror, Suspense, Psychological Thrillers, and More
Episode 148 with Chen Chen, Writer of Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency and Brilliant Thinker, Craftsman, and Highly-Awarded and Esteemed Poet and Educator
Episode 147 with Jonathan Escoffery, Master Builder of Suspense, Empathy, Aversion, and Keen Chronicler of Survival, Identity, and More in The Masterful Collection, If I Survive You
Episode 146 with Sandy Ho, Discussing the Work and New Book (Year of the Tiger) of Alice Wong, Partner in Meaningful and Change-Inducing Work in Disability Circles and Beyond
Episode 145 with Vanessa A. Bee, Reflective, Creative, and Multitalented Writer of Home Bound: An Uprooted Daughter’s Reflections on Belonging
Episode 144 with Gustavo Barahona-López, Master Crafter and Chronicler of Grief, Masculinity, and Beauty in his Poetry Collection, Loss and Other Rivers that Devour
Episode 143 with Neema Avashia, Dedicated Educator, Mentor and Chronicler of Moving, Heartbreaking, and Reflective Stories in Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place
Episode 142 with Sadie Shorr-Parks, Lifelong Poet and Creator, Aesthete, and Educator, as Well as Author of the Wonderful Collection, Honey Month
Episode 141 with Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Brilliant Storyteller and Master of the Ethereal and the Concrete, and Author of the Stunning The Man Who Could Move Clouds
Episode 140 with Oscar Hokeah, Author of Calling for a Blanket Dance and Storyteller of the Old Made New, Subtle Master of Dialogue and Realism, and Builder of Unforgettable Characters
Episode 139 with Felicia Taylor E., Renaissance Woman, Creator, Storymaker, Raconteur, Poet, and Writer of Southern Spiced: A Brown Girl’s Tale
Episode 138 with Dr. Miguel Valerio, Brilliant Researcher and Student of Language, Philosophy, History, and author of Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640
Episode 137 with Vanessa Angélica Villarreal: Gifted Wordsmith, Crafter of Unique and Beautiful Language, and Creator of a Stunning and Memorable Visceral Experience through her Beast Meridian
Episode 136 with Rachel Yoder, Witty, Prescient, and Skillfully-Creative Author of Nightbitch
Episode 135 with Briana Muñoz, An Activist, Dancer, and Poet of Healing, Challenging, Beautiful Words and Author of Loose Lips and Todo Vuelve a la Tierra/Everything Returns to the Soil
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