Doug Magee – Episode 153

Doug talks about how your politics is defined by what you see out your front window, why he’s against the death penalty, political satire in the US and his new book President Blog.

Biography

Doug Magee is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker living in New York’s East Harlem. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Union Theological Seminary. He has had a decidedly checkered career.

Doug worked as a freelance photojournalist for a number of years and was published in many major magazines and newspapers, including a New York Times front-page photo of violence in Portugal.

He is the author of SLOW COMING DARK, a book of interviews with death row inmates, and WHAT MURDER LEAVES BEHIND, profiles of families of murder victims. In addition, he has written three children’s books.

His films include the HBO movie SOMEBODY HAS TO SHOOT THE PICTURE and the Showtime movie BEYOND THE CALL.

He is married to Mary Hedahl, the director of development at Human Rights First. The eldest of his three sons, Tim Magee, an associate professor at Westchester Community College, is married to Julie Tant Magee and they are the parents of William and Natalie. Joey Magee is in his third year at Oberlin College. Jackson Magee is in his first year at Allegheny College. All three sons are left-handed.

Doug is passionately opposed to state-sanctioned killing and hopes to see this archaic punishment abolished in his lifetime.

He has been a Yankees fan his entire life and doesn’t plan to change any time soon.

He plays softball with the Writers Guild of America East team and trombone with the East River Jazz Band, both badly.

Doug loves his neighborhood, New York’s Spanish Harlem. Visit when you’re in New York. It’s one of the beating hearts of the city.

NEVER WAVE GOODBYE, his first novel, was published in June 2010. His second novel, DARKNESS ALL AROUND, was published in October 2011, and will be out in paperback on June 19, 2012.