Ep. 387: Prison Journalist John J. Lennon on Life Lessons and How Writing Made Him a Better Person

The Chauncey DeVega Show

Prison journalist John J. Lennon is currently serving a 28-years-to-life sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility for murder, drug sales and gun possession.

He is a contributing editor at Esquire and a contributing writer at the Marshall Project. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and elsewhere.

In this wide-ranging conversation John J. Lennon discusses the craft of writing, life journeys, masculinity, violence, mental health, and what it means to try to be a sane person in an insane and mad world.

Chauncey DeVega has returned from his trip home to visit his mother and reflects on that epic journey and grappling with working-class financial anxieties, health worries, and the other fears that come with being the only child of an ageing parent.

Chauncey also shares his obligatory thoughts on Donald Trump’s indictment for allegedly violating the Espionage Act and how contrary to the mainstream media and those others who are drunk on American Exceptionalism that this is not a country where “justice is blind” and “no one is above the law”.

Chauncey DeVega honors the now departed writer Cormac McCarthy, professional wrestling superstar the Iron Sheik, and actor Treat Williams.

And do be sure to listen through to the end of this episode of the podcast for a very special “Easter egg” bonus segment.

LINKS OF INTEREST

• · On Trump's federal indictment: A historic low brings hope
• · "This was his campaign plan": Trump has flipped the stolen documents case into "a farce"
• · The Iron Sheik, Villainous Hall of Fame Wrestler, Is Dead
• · Wrestling world pays tribute to WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik

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