Jake Halpern
Encyclopedia
Jake Halpern is an American
writer, commentator, and radio producer
.
He was born in Buffalo
, New York
, where he attended City Honors School
. Halpern later attended Yale University
, where he received an undergraduate degree in 1997. He has written for The New York Times Magazine
, The Wall Street Journal
, The New Yorker
, the New Republic
, Entertainment Weekly
, Slate
, Smithsonian
, GQ, Sports Illustrated
, New York Magazine and other publications.
Halpern is also a commentator and a freelance producer for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
and a contributor to This American Life
. Jake's hour-long radio story, "Switched at Birth," is on This American Life's "short list" as one of its top eight shows of all time.
His first book, Braving Home (ISBN 0-618-44662-1), considered the lives of Americans who actively chose to live in or near dangerous places like volcano
es. The book was a main selection for the Book of the Month Club by Bill Bryson and was a Library Journal “Book of the Year.” His second book, Fame Junkies (ISBN 0-618-45369-5), considers the psychological underpinnings of celebrity obsession, and was the basis for an original series on National Public Radio's All Things Considered
.
Currently two of Jake's stories are be developed into fictional dramatic series on HBO—one is being produced by Scott Rudin and the other by Brad Pitt's production company.
His first novel, Dormia, was published in the spring of 2009. The American Library Association hailed Dormia as a "wonderful intergenerational read" and a "strong choice for readers still mourning the end of the Harry Potter books." The second book of Dormia is called Worlds End. Barnes and Noble review explained it as,"This adventure is fantastic. The authors have written a story of great breadth and depth that can satisfy an adult and will cement a child's interest in this hidden world and the characters.(Barnes and Noble)
Halpern is a fellow of Morse College at Yale where he teaches a seminar on journalism.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, commentator, and radio producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
.
He was born in Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he attended City Honors School
City Honors School
City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park, known colloquially as City Honors, or CHS, is a college preparatory school in Buffalo, New York. City Honors is part of the Buffalo Public Schools system. The school was founded in 1975 by three faculty members from Bennett High School and Clinton Junior...
. Halpern later attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he received an undergraduate degree in 1997. He has written for The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, the New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, Smithsonian
Smithsonian (magazine)
Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.-History:...
, GQ, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, New York Magazine and other publications.
Halpern is also a commentator and a freelance producer for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
and a contributor to This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
. Jake's hour-long radio story, "Switched at Birth," is on This American Life's "short list" as one of its top eight shows of all time.
His first book, Braving Home (ISBN 0-618-44662-1), considered the lives of Americans who actively chose to live in or near dangerous places like volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es. The book was a main selection for the Book of the Month Club by Bill Bryson and was a Library Journal “Book of the Year.” His second book, Fame Junkies (ISBN 0-618-45369-5), considers the psychological underpinnings of celebrity obsession, and was the basis for an original series on National Public Radio's All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
.
Currently two of Jake's stories are be developed into fictional dramatic series on HBO—one is being produced by Scott Rudin and the other by Brad Pitt's production company.
His first novel, Dormia, was published in the spring of 2009. The American Library Association hailed Dormia as a "wonderful intergenerational read" and a "strong choice for readers still mourning the end of the Harry Potter books." The second book of Dormia is called Worlds End. Barnes and Noble review explained it as,"This adventure is fantastic. The authors have written a story of great breadth and depth that can satisfy an adult and will cement a child's interest in this hidden world and the characters.(Barnes and Noble)
Halpern is a fellow of Morse College at Yale where he teaches a seminar on journalism.
Works
- Braving Home: Dispatches from the Underwater Town, the Lava-Side Inn, and Other Extreme Locales, nonfiction (Boston: Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, 2003) - Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths behind America's Favorite Addiction, nonfiction (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007)
- Dormia, fiction (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009)