On writing + some news
Writing is a solitary task. That’s why it can be strange to read the words of another writer on writing. I recently finished reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book The Message, and was struck by his insights on the purpose of writing:
“I think this tradition of writing, of drawing out a common humanity, is indispensable to our future, if only because what must be cultivated and cared for must first be seen.” - Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Message
There is something indispensable about taking a step back from the page and interrogating why exactly we write about what we write about, and further questioning those decisions, whether that be by reading or by speaking with other writers.
I met Robert Leonard a few months ago at a conference on industrialized animal agriculture in Des Moines. I’ve been a fan of Leonard’s for a while — my first piece for Civil Eats links back to reporting from his Substack, Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture.
Last week, he offered to interview me. It was a joy to speak with Leonard, 70, about writing, Substack, and what this all means. He also caught me at a bit of an inflection point — I start a full-time investigative role in January. Below is a short excerpt from our conversation. You can find the full interview transcript on Bob’s Substack.
Note: this interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bob: Nina, welcome.
Nina: Thank you, Bob, so much for having me.
Well, you're just a very interesting writer. You're emerging. You've told me you're only 24 years old, and I know we're not supposed to talk about each other's ages, but I'm 70, and so to me, at 24, you've done some remarkable things. We're going to get to some of that and what you're doing now. But first, would you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm originally from Iowa City. I grew up there, all 18 years. My parents are both immigrants to Iowa City. My dad is originally from Egypt, and my mom is from Poland. I graduated from Iowa City West High where I was very involved in my high school newspaper, the West Side Story.
I got to report on all sorts of things there. I did an investigation into the underground Adderall market at West High. That was really my introduction to journalism. In college, I thought, let me try something else that's not journalism because of all the things I’ve been told. Journalism isn't very lucrative, it's not very sustainable. The industry is dying, etc, etc, etc. I got really interested in the history of science and how corporations manipulate science. I studied that and tried to not do journalism. And here I am now, fully doing journalism. I realized I just couldn't shy away from it. It feels like what I'm meant to do.
Well, great. Tell us about some of your publication history and the places you've been able to place pieces.
My first freelance piece was this published this year. It was in Civil Eats, and it was a piece about Bloody Run Creek. I’ve published a few pieces there and I've published in Inside Climate News, Barn Raiser, High Country News, and most recently, Sentient Media.
Am I mis-remembering a National Geographic piece?
National Geographic, yes, sorry about that. A piece about the history of soybeans, which was the subject of my fellowship last year.
National Geographic is a big score too.
It is. And thank you for saying that. I think my parents were the most excited about that one. Growing up, the yellow magazines were everywhere. To think that I'm now published in it, albeit online, is pretty surreal.
I'm looking at your Substack, Corn Belt Confidential, and if I just happened upon this, I wouldn't even know really where to start. I mean, you've got Farmers React: The Election. I really want to read The Problem with Local CAFO Bans. What's So Important About a Farm Bill? Any of us that work or live in the Midwest and have anything related to farming or journalism should be reading that. Breakfast of Champions: The bitter taste of the world we've created. Is Grocery Store Price Gouging Real? Your County Has More Animal Feeding Operations Than You Think.
You've done a lot of work in a short amount of time.
Yes, that's true. I'm wondering when the adrenaline will wear off. I kind of feel like because I was resisting journalism for so long, I had all these ideas building up, and at this point it feels like I don’t have enough time in the day for all the ideas I have. I'm excited to see where it goes, and especially excited to hear some input from my readers on where it should go, especially going into this new administration.
I probably have 25 tabs open of things that I've started and stopped and may go back to. Are you that way too?
Yes, I have a running list, and just a few weeks ago, I added a notebook to my bedside table. My mind is always racing right before I fall asleep, and I realized I have to get these ideas on paper, or else I'm never going to sleep. There are lists everywhere.
Importantly, some of the subjects that you've written about aren't in a lot of the mainstream journalism places. Is that how you feel?
Definitely, and that's really what my Substack tries to do. You can read about the farm bill in a lot of places, but it's usually pretty wonky. There’s jargon. I want my Substack to expose people who live in the Corn Belt and people who don't live in the Corn Belt to these issues in an accessible way.
Tell me what you think about your subscribers and the people that comment. Tell me about that experience.
It feels so special. I read somewhere, probably on Substack, about the feeling of knowing that if you put all of your subscribers in a room, and you looked out and just thought, all of these people are here to read me, they click that button because I'm writing, that's a feeling that you can’t get elsewhere.
When you're writing for these other publications, you never know who's reading, which is great, but there is something so special about this. It makes me feel like my obligation as a writer is so important, especially when I am delivering to people who are here to see my thoughts on things.
There's nothing better than somebody coming in and saying something that adds value to what you originally did.
Absolutely. I've been getting a lot of feedback from farmers. I think seeing the commentary from farmers who agree with me and from farmers who disagree with me has been really important in shaping how I go about writing about the issues that, for the most part, affect them the most.
I always like to ask people, what didn't I ask you about that you wanted me to ask you?
I think you've done a pretty good job. Such a great question to ask at the end of an interview. I think the one thing that comes to mind is just something that I’ve been inspired by you doing, which is elevating issues and stories from the Midwest to the national stage. It’s a privilege to be able to do that. There are so many writers who are working hard in local communities in the Midwest, and it’s important to be bringing those stories to a national audience, and showing people that what's happening on the coasts isn't all there is. There's a whole country out there. Now more than ever, I think we need to be really focusing on and reading those local stories.
I agree. Now you're moving to a new position. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
I'll be starting a position at Sentient Media on January 2 as an Investigative Reporter. The publication is focused on factory farming, and that's what my role will be focused on. I can't say too much about exactly what I'll be investigating, but as I mentioned before, my own interests are in corporate influence over science and industry. That's something I'll definitely be looking into next year.
Well, that's fantastic. I know we'll be learning more about it. We'll learn more about it in your new outlet. We can learn about it and more at Corn Belt Confidential. And Nina, thank you so much for your time.
Thank you so much for having me, Bob.
Bob and I both posted our perspectives on this interview at the same time this morning. You can find him at Deep Midwest.
November stories:
Glad to get to know you Nina. I am sure that you and I have a lot in common. Sorry I haven’t met you before now. Congratulations on your investigative journalism journey.
Great insight into your motivation to pursue journalism.