Two Singal Years
I’ve been a contributing writer for Jesse Singal’s newsletter for two years now, but I haven’t been consistent about reposting everything I write over there. I’m friends with and was interviewed by Jesse’s boss on June 2021 for episode 67 of Blocked & Reported. After one of my posts on the criminal justice system went semi-viral a few months after that, he emailed me out of the blue asking if I would be interested in writing for his newsletter. Fuck yeah I would! I’ve been a fan of his gloriously pedantic truth-seeking approach to journalism for many years, so a Kalashnikov-wielding Zoom call later, we were rolling.
It’s silly I know, but I genuinely wasn’t aware anyone really cared about my writing until I got the proverbial stamp of approval from an established veteran. For that alone, I’m immensely grateful as it prompted me to pursue what I do much more seriously. As an editor, he’s been great at tamping down my esoteric verbosity and also in encouraging me to go after purely personal stories I didn’t know were interesting to anyone else.
This isn’t meant as an obituary by the way! Yes, obviously our publishing rate has slowed way down and that’s a reflection of our mutual perfectionism (you guys have no idea how much of a timesuck outlines and revisions can be) and the fact that he’s spinning many plates, including working on yet another book. On my end, I still have a real day job defending murderers and rapists, and I’m also finally also working on a book — a memoir about mental illness and how the personal and professional parts of my life bled into each other. There, I said it. I used the word memoir unironically.
Anyway, enjoy these time capsules, eleven of them — almost all of which have been unlocked from behind the paywall. Also, go subscribe to Singal-Minded if you haven’t already; the dude does phenomenal work.
Eleven Magic Words (unlocked link) [Feb 21, 2022]: Damn, did I totally fucking knock it out of the park with my first essay or what? It’s about how useless I am at my job, except when I’m not.
One Will Be Provided [Apr 11, 2022]: Did you know that sometimes people forgo the free attorney option and choose to represent themselves instead?
I Am Here Because Of Blind Dumb Luck [May 19, 2022]: The only reason I ever immigrated to the United States is because my family won a lottery. Literally.
The Legal Equivalent Of A Potted Plant [Jul 6, 2022]: The court system hates dealing with defendants representing themselves so much that judges will foist a defense attorney into the fray as ‘standby’, just in case.
Check Here For Racial Oppression [Aug 1, 2022]: I review David Bernstein’s excellent book Classified, about the arbitrary and hilariously inane racial categorization system we use in America.
Party Battle Maiden [Aug 10, 2022]: This is the true story of the only time I’ve been in a fight.
Motte And Grateful [Oct 13, 2022]: I write about my favorite online community, and the rarity of civil political discourse.
I Fought The PayPal And I Won [Nov 3, 2022]: I did something crazy and actually read the terms of service fine print.
Sexual Panopticon in the Kingdom of Morocco [Dec 15, 2022]: This was so fun to write. An examination of how one Muslim country wrangles with its bizarre intersection of sex, religion, and tourism.
DJ at Law [Apr 20, 2023]: Before I was a world-famous public defender, I was a semi-professional DJ.
My Clients, The Liars [Dec 5, 2023]: My clients lie to me all the time and it’s so fucking funny.
Amazing Zoom troll. I approve heartily.
Jesse needs to have a regular feature where he has women write pieces for him, called “All the Singal Ladies.” (Sorry, that has nothing to do with you, but this post made me think of it.)