Chatter: Journalism as Fodder for Fiction with Mary Louise Kelly

David Priess, Shane Harris, Mary Louise Kelly
Thursday, August 11, 2022, 12:00 PM

Mary Louise Kelly talked to Shane Harris about how she got her start, where her travels have taken her, and how journalism has proved to be a rich source of material for her fiction.

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Mary Louise Kelly is one of the most recognizable voices in American journalism. A co-host of NPR’s flagship program “All Things Considered,” she has spent years interviewing top newsmakers and traveling the world to chronicle stories about national security and foreign policy. 

And on top of all that, she’s a novelist. Kelly has written two books that incorporate many of her own experiences covering corridors of intelligence and international intrigue. 

This week, Kelly talked to Shane Harris about how she got her start, where her travels have taken her, and how journalism has proved to be a rich source of material for her fiction. 

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo with engineering assistance from Ian Enright.

Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 

Mary Louise Kelly’s bio: https://www.npr.org/people/2780701/mary-louise-kelly 

Kelly’s books, Anonymous Sources and The Bullet: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Mary-Louise-Kelly/408483298 

Kelly’s website: https://marylouisekellybooks.com/


David Priess is Director of Intelligence at Bedrock Learning, Inc. and a Senior Fellow at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security. He served during the Clinton and Bush 43 administrations as a CIA officer and has written two books: “The President’s Book of Secrets,” about the top-secret President’s Daily Brief, and "How To Get Rid of a President," describing the ways American presidents have left office.
Shane Harris is a staff writer at The Atlantic covering national security and intelligence. He can be reached on Signal at shaneharris.64. He has written about intelligence, security, and foreign policy for more than two decades, including as a staff writer for The Washington Post, where he was part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In 2023, he co-reported the documentary The Discord Leaks with PBS Frontline, which was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding investigative news coverage. He is the author of two books, The Watchers and @War.
Mary Louise Kelly is a broadcaster and author. She anchors the daily news show All Things Considered on National Public Radio, and previously covered national security at the network.
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