From Nerve’s recent interview with author James McManus.

As a writing teacher, I’m always getting questions from students like, “Can I write about this if it’s going to embarrass my stepbrother or my mother or whoever?” And I say, yeah, you have to go there. You’re sort of signing up for that embarrassment when you write.

This is what exactly what blogging is like. (Well, except for almost all the old school bloggers I know, who after years of scoffing at Livejournal now have accounts there set to friends-only.)
As for myself, I most recently embarassed my mom with this post. It’s my birthday today, so you guys are going to have to indulge me a little. Mom: a) sorry it embarrassed you, b) I know you mean well, but sometimes (frequently?) the pushiness is counter-productive, c) thank you for everything!
Anyway. James McManus is now best known for being the guy Harper’s assigned to cover the 2000 World Series of Poker, who instead took his advance, used it to enter the tournament and placed fifth, taking home $248,000. Unfortunately Harper’s doesn’t have the piece he ended up writing on their website, but lucky you, you can read the story he wrote for This American Life. Or hey, pick up the best-selling book he eventually published about his poker-playing experiences, Positively Fifth Street.
McManus writes a poker column for the New York Times (the column itself doesn’t have a steady url, but you can find the latest one in Sports), but his latest book is Physical: An American Check-Up, an exploration of the state of health care in the U.S.. It got started after Esquire hired him to write a piece about stem cell research, Please Stand By While The Age of Miracles Is Suspended; one of his main motivations for writing both the article and book is that his daughter is diabetic and ill, and stem cell research could help save her life. Newcity Chicago did a great interview with him about Physical a few weeks ago, if you’d like to read more.