John Lingan Interview
John Lingan is a writer with bylines in the New York Times Magazine, The Oxford American, and many more. His latest book is A Song for Everyone: The Story of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
How did you get to where you are today, professionally?
My writing career has always been part-time. I was already a father when I graduated college in 2007, which didn't seem like a great time to pursue a full-time writing gig like a staff position. I don't have any journalism training; I have an English B.A., a love of reading, and a lifelong music fandom that came from devotedly playing drums (and in bands) as a teenager.
For a few years after graduation I wrote all sorts of stuff for occasional diaper money and intellectual stimulation: movie reviews, essays on literature, reportage about YouTube video trends, and a reflection on my hometown's minor history of political radicalism. I wanted (still want) to be a feature writer, which led me to seek out what one editor called "the weirdo beat," i.e. whatever characters caught my interest.