September 2010
8 posts
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Sedaris' 'Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk': Aesop, Rated R →
NPR’s review of the latest David Sedaris book ’Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk’
Cannot wait to pick this up!
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Recommend REJECTED BY THIS AMERICAN LIFE →
Hey kids, if you wouldn’t mind recommending this tumblr I would be forever yours. The more people that know about it, the more likely we are to get submissions! Hazzah!
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Ira Glass has a cameo in the season Premiere of... →
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Ira Glass Likes Excess and Giant M&Ms →
New York Magazine’s interview; “21 Random Questions” with Ira Glass
FABULOUS
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Famous Authors’ Rejection Letters Surface
...
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Rejection letter #4
Awhile back, I posted a link to rejection letters received by Leah (http://leahj.blog-city.com) but was unable to get in contact with her to actually get a copy of the essay “It’s Not Easy Being Green” that she submitted. Well glory be to the powers of the interweb, for Leah stumbled upon this blog and reached out to me! So here again is her letter from TAL, and also her essay....
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It's an Ira life for me!
I am back dear readers and ready to have another go at gathering up forsaken stories.
Admittedly, I found myself getting a bit discouraged by other people’s “discouragedness.” Rejection royally blows, I think we can all agree on that point. The wall I kept hitting over and over was a reluctance by people to share their stories and rejection letters. Are we embarrassed? Ashamed?...
June 2010
1 post
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May 2010
6 posts
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It’s a Hard Knock (This American) Life: An... →
An amazing article about Starlee Kine, former TAL producer, regular contributor, but most famously…the girl who contacted Phil Collins to ask for help writing a break up song in the well loved TAL episode “Break-Up.”
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Rejection Letter #3:
Thank you for your submission to The American Life. Your piece “Hoosier Hospitality” stood out to me as having some really good writing and thought provoking moments. Although I enjoyed it very much, I’m writing to say that the piece isn’t quite right for our show at this time.
I would encourage you to keep writing, and if you choose to submit stories or ideas to our...
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Rejection Letters #1 & #2!! →
Here are our first rejection letters (besides mine) Glory Hallelujah! I’ve been trying to get Leah to send me her “It’s Not Easy Being Green” essay, so hopefully I’ll be able to post that in the future.
Please notice something very important for it is the whole reason behind this project:
Please know that we reject a lot of material that’s perfectly good work...
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Themes!
Ira asks all his intern applicants to suggest a theme idea for an episode. Which seeing as how they’re past the #400 mark on episodes, takes some digging deep down into the ol’ think tank.
On my application I suggested “Awkward Moments” and since those stories probably wouldn’t require the usual 10-20 minute acts, I thought it would be cool to do it in the style of...
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April 2010
5 posts
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“Sadly, one of the problems with being on public radio is that people tend to...”
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Don't Be Shy
OK so I’ve been lax in this endeavor as of late. But no more! Now is the time for frequent posts and shameless blog/project promotion.
If you love This American Life, then help me out here. Forward this to your friends who love TAL, and tell them to forward it to their friends and their friends friends, and friends friends parents and grandparents and mail men. Hundreds and hundreds of TAL...
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"This American Life" Parody, Episode 2: "Phantom... →
More This American Life inspired hilarity, brought to you by Kasper Hauser!
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http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/042210/art_6165... →
March 2010
6 posts
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This American Life - Parody →
“This American Life” Parody, Episode 1: “Going Postal”
This sketch is so spot on it’s scary!
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Call to Action
Send in your letters people! Now is the time. If you don’t have any submissions, you certainly know people who do - forward this on. Let’s get some stories up here!
This is not a place to critique, or judge. That will not be allowed. No need to be timid. I know it’s hard enough to find the gumption to send in a submission to TAL, and I know it practically takes a self-esteem...
This American Life Completes Documentation Of... →
We love it, yes. But it is oh-so-fun-and-easy to mock. And really, who does that better than The Onion?
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Rejection. A dish best served by Ira Glass.
In the Fall of 2008 I decided to apply for an internship at This American Life. I lived and breathed NPR and was living abroad for a year. During that time, This American Life was my comfort food. I not only listened religiously every week, but I would listen to at least 1 episode from the archives each day.
The application guidelines are rigorous. Like applying to University. In addition to the...