Media

Upcoming Events

City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco, featuring a conversation via Zoom with Alice Waters and Davia Nelson of NPR’s Kitchen Sisters: TBD.

Podcasts

The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, S8E38: Fresh Idea with Randy Fertel: October 8, 2024.

I joined Bret Easton Ellis on his podcast to discuss writing, the books and music that inspire each of us, and the power and perils of improv.

Seize the Moment Podcast, Ep. #221: September 30, 2024.

On Seize the Moment Podcast, hosted by Leon Garber and Alen Ulman, we discussed the history of improv, the importance of a liberal arts education for creativity, Trump’s charisma and use of off-the-cuff comments to charm his audience, the neuroscience of creativity, SNL, improv as a symbol of authenticity and why that connects with an audience, trauma and reintegration into the community, and how to cultivate a “yes, and” mindset.

The Second City Works’ “Getting to Yes, And…” Podcast: September 10, 2024.

As a guest on Second City’s “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast with Kelly Leonard, our conversation threads together the worlds of improvisation, Donald Trump, and a “gumbo” of ideas, artists, philosophers, and scientists from Winging It. Listen here.

Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda: September 10, 2024.

It was an honor to discuss the intricacies and real-world applications of improv with one of improvisation’s most thoughtful greats, Alan Alda. Listen here.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer: September 3, 2024.

I had a great time talking with host Frank Schaeffer about my life and work, and the themes of Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril in the Time of Trump. Listen here.

Louisiana Insider, from Louisiana Life Magazine: August 1, 2024.

In Episode 190: Randy Fertel – Improv and the Art of the Sizzle, I joined host Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of New Orleans Magazine and Louisiana Life Magazine, along with Producer Kelly Massicot to talk about Winging It and the sizzle my family and I are known for bringing.

“Be Bold America!” KSQD Radio with Jill Cody: July 28, 2024.

I was honored to be a guest on KSQD’s “Be Bold America!” Podcast with host Jill Cody. We had a great conversation that touched on trauma, improv and deep listening as tools of recovery, and the literature of war. Listen here.

WGTD Radio with Greg Berg: July 24, 2024.

On WGTD’s Morning Show with Greg Berg, we explored the nature of improvisation and the ways it can be used for creativity or chaos. Listen here.

The Rob Burgess Show: May 2, 2024. Ep. 245: Guest Randy Fertel.

I joined the Rob Burgess Show to discuss Winging It and the political impacts of improv. Listen here.

Facepalm America Podcast:  “Improv’s Power & Peril in the Age of Trump: With Guest Randy Fertel.”

On the Facepalm America podcast, host Beowulf Rochlen and I discussed the history of improv, how politicians use improv in every aspect of their career, and how appeals to emotions often prove more results than logic. Listen here.

Forthright Radio: “Randy Fertel’s Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril in the Time of Trump.”

Host Joy LaClaire and I discussed how improv is used in many aspects of life, even in conducting radio interviews! Listen here.

The Virtual Memories Show Podcast with Gil Roth: May 6, 2024.

On Gil Roth’s Virtual Memories Show podcast we talked about what improvisation really is, how it underlies creativity and innovation, how Trump embodies its dark side, and how his upbringing in New Orleans may have contributed to his improv-epiphany. Listen to the episode here.

Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen Podcast: April 18, 2024.

Burt Cohen hosted me on his podcast to discuss living in the age of improv and pushing back against the mainstream. Listen to the episode, “The Power of What Appears to be Improv.”

The Reading Life with Susan Larson, WWNO: March 29, 2024.

I returned to WWNO’s The Reading Life with Susan Larson to discuss Winging It and the impacts of improv. Listen here.

Kathryn Zox Show – VoiceAmerica: March 6, 2024.

I joined the Kathryn Zox show to talk about the pivotal role improv has played in so much of our cultural, political, and scientific development. Listen to the episode, “The Power of Improv.”

Press Coverage

Winging It COVERAGE

Winging It reviewed at Forbes

“To Fertel’s point, Trump is an improv that 74 million people want to keep watching; and that the other 70 million voters can’t avoid watching. For the next four years, at least, we all be Winging it.”

Winging It in Kirkus Reviews.

“A thoughtful and accessible look at how and why improvisation goes far beyond the stage, and why its power should not be underestimated.”

Winging It mentioned in the New York Times: “Is New York Improv Back? I Went on a One-Week Binge to Find Out.”

Winging It was used as an example to highlight improv’s mixed reputation in this piece exploring the current state of the comedy form.

Winging It reviewed in Shepherd Express Review.

“For Fertel, a Jungian, Donald Trump represents improvisation’s “shadow,” summoning a dark national archetype much as Carl Jung described Hitler in 1930s Germany.”

Common Edge Interview: Randy Fertel on the Power and Peril of Creative Improvisation. Read it here.

“Though timely and pitched to the current political moment, Randy Fertel’s new book, Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril in the Time of Trump, is in many ways the continuation of a decades-long pursuit: studying the art of improvisation as an act of spontaneous creativity and immense cultural force.”

Previous BOOK COVERAGE

Critical Studies in Improvisation: review
Literature and Theology: review
The Perennial Quest for Now: review & profile
Kirkus Reviews: review
Kenyon Reviews: interview
WYES-TV/Steppin’ Out: interview
WWNO-FM/The Reading Life: interview
KTEP-FM/Words on a Wire: interview
Jung Journal: review
New York Times: “What We’re Reading” mention
Esquire: review
People: review
JustLuxe: review
Bloomberg: interview
Times-Picayune: feature
Publishers Weekly: review
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: review
Kirkus: review
New Orleans Magazine: excerpt
Offbeat Magazine: feature
NOLA Defender: feature
Zocalo Public Square: interview
WNNO-FM: interview
KATV-TV (Little Rock): interview
KTEP-FM/Words on a Wire: interview
WYES-TV/Steppin’ Out: interview
NOLA.com: feature

NON-BOOK COVERAGE

New York Times: Southern Farmers Vanquish the Clichés
NPR: Commentary: New Orleans Politics
C-SPAN: speech