Join Michael in his conversation with Paul Kix as they discuss his new book You Have to be Prepared to Die Before you can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham that Changed America which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the momentous 1963 Birmingham Campaign to end segregation in the most dangerous city in America; frighteningly known as “Bombingham”. These ten weeks shaped the course of the Civil Rights Movement and the future of America.

About The Guest

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 my magazine pieces or in the pages of my book, The Saboteur, which DreamWorks optioned for a movie, and my piece for GQ, The Accidental Getaway Driver, which was turned into a major motion picture.

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.   

When I'm not writing I'm teaching a digital course I created, The Storytelling You, or helping clients with their writing and storytelling projects.