5 Talented Authors Who Write About Pop Culture
There are plenty of people writing about movies and TV on the web, but few of them have the access, research, and critical analysis of the most thoughtful practitioners of the craft. Each of these writers mines popular media of the past in order to create writing, whether fiction, biography, or cultural criticism, that shows how the stories we grew up with inform our lives and shared myths today. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
5 Authors With An Eye On Popular Culture
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
10 Nerd-Friendly Books Examining Popular Media And Obsessive Fan Subcultures
Mark Voger Delves Into The Monster Craze
In Depth
The variety of internet media has made it more difficult than ever to keep up with popular culture. Cultural journalists and critics are essential for figuring out where to direct one's attention. This list, presented in no particular order, presents five authors who write about television, movies, music, comics, and the internet.
#1 on our list is Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything. The book tells the behind-the-scenes story of how Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld created one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1990s. Armstrong made many appearances to promote the book, on programs like The Open Mind and You and Me.
Her other books include a history of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, called Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, and Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love. She spent a decade on staff at Entertainment Weekly and has since written for many publications, including BBC Culture, The New York Times Book Review, Vice, New York magazine, and Billboard.
Her other books include a history of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, called Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, and Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love.
At #2, Mark Voger writes about entertainment topics for print and online media. At The Star-Ledger, he was the home video critic for five years. Before that, he was a longtime writer and designer for the Asbury Park Press. With his brother, he helped put together a CD with tracks from New Jersey musicians to benefit the fight against Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
His book, Groovy: When Flower Power Bloomed in Pop Culture, looks at psychedelic pop objects from the late 60s and early 70s, with sections on music, movies, television, festivals, cartoons, comics, and much more. An earlier title, Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze in America 1957-1972 explores that period's love for outrageous, spooky characters in shows such as The Addams Family and The Munsters.
Coming in at #3, Andrea Warner is the author of the bestselling book Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography. The book looks at the life of the iconic Indigenous Canadian folk singer, drawing on more than sixty hours of exclusive interviews. It has been covered by outlets like NPR, Publishers Weekly, and Quill and Quire.
It has been covered by outlets like NPR, Publishers Weekly, and Quill and Quire.
In an earlier book, We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the 90s and Changed Canadian Music, Warner examines the simultaneous success of Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain, Sarah McLachlan, and Celine Dion. Her criticism and music journalism has appeared in outlets like CBC Music, Pitchfork, and Exclaim. She also co-hosts the Pop This! Podcast.
The #4 position is held by internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch. She's the author of the New York Times bestselling book Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, which looks at the ways that online communication has deeply affected grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. It has been praised everywhere from The Economist to BoingBoing to Real Simple.
McCulloch is Resident Linguist at Wired, writing a monthly column on questions of language. She formerly held the same position at The Toast. A podcaster too, she created the Lingthusiasm show, featuring passionate conversations on the online speech acts that are her specialty. She also regularly appears on other programs as an interview guest, and at live events.
She also regularly appears on other programs as an interview guest, and at live events.
Finishing things up at #5, Cavan Scott writes books and comics for both children and adults. He has written for a large number of high-profile comics series including Doctor Who, 2000 A.D., Pacific Rim, Vikings, and Penguins of Madagascar. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a magazine editor for Future Publishing and BBC Magazines.
Beyond comics, Scott's credits include novels, children's activity books, award-winning audio plays, and short stories. He has contributed to book series like Star Wars, Countryfile, Sherlock Holmes, Warhammer 40,000, and Angry Birds. He has appeared at such high profile literary festivals and conventions as both San Diego and New York Comic Cons.
