Hi, I'm Paul Kix, a writer who loves to tell big beating-heart stories about larger-than-life people in precarious situations. The men and women who live through these experiences often have the best sense for the universal truths of life, and I've become obsessed over the years with not only the drama of these characters' existence but the wisdom they've gained. I've tried my best to relay that wisdom in pieces for The New Yorker, GQ, ESPN, or New York, or in the pages of my book, The Saboteur, which DreamWorks optioned for a movie.
I've also had the good fortune of shaping other writers' work at ESPN.com, where I'm a deputy editor. These are often writers whose compassion drives them to do their best work: Pulitzer-Prize winners like Eli Saslow and Don Van Natta, Jr.; the poet and MacArthur "Genius" Award winner Claudia Rankine; and Wright Thompson, acclaimed (not only by me!) as the best sportswriter working today.
These amazing people have helped me learn that a great story really reveals the author's biography, if you know where to look. This is why I launched my podcast, Now That's a Great Story, and my weekly newsletter, both of which aim to give you the audacity to live the creative life.
Born and raised the son of a fourth-generation farmer in Hubbard, Iowa, I now make my home in Connecticut, with my wife, daughter, identical twin boys, and mother in law.