“David Masciotra writes with the precision and integrity and humanity of a great journalist, one whose word you can trust. He knows his subject, and his prose and reporting are always informed by the lights of compassion and decency.” – James Lee Burke

“David Masciotra is insightful, even brilliant at times.” – In These Times

“Masciotra is a Vidalesque public intellectual.” – Ben Tanzer

“One of the most brilliant cultural critics and graceful writers I know.” – Michael Eric Dyson

“An epic blogger.” – Forbes

“Kurt Vonnegut is smiling from his grave (or, more appropriately, his urn) after reading David Masciotra.” – Bill Briscoe, Historian at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

David Masciotra is an author, lecturer, and journalist. He is the author of I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters (I.B. Tauris, 2020), Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky), Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishers, 2017), and Metallica by Metallica, a 33 1/3 book from Bloomsbury Publishers, which has been translated into Chinese. In 2010, Continuum Books published his first book, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen.

His next book, Exurbia Now: Notes from the Battleground of American Democracy, is scheduled for publication from Melville House Books in 2024.

Masciotra writes regularly for the New Republic, Washington Monthly, Progressive, the Los Angeles Review of Books, CrimeReads, No Depression, and the Daily Ripple. He has also written for Salon, the Daily Beast, CNN, Atlantic, Washington Post, AlterNet, Indianapolis Star, and CounterPunch. Several of his political essays have been translated into Spanish for publication at Korazon de Perro.

His poetry has appeared in Be About It Press, This Zine Will Change Your Life, and the Pangolin Review.

Masciotra has a Master’s Degree in English Studies and Communication from Valparaiso University. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of St. Francis.

He is public lecturer, speaking on a wide variety of topics, from the history of protest music in the United States to the importance of bars in American culture. David Masciotra has spoken at the University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, Lewis University, Indiana University, the Chicago Public Library, the Lambeth Library (UK), and an additional range of colleges, libraries, arts centers, and bookstores.

As a journalist, he has conducted interviews with political leaders, musicians, authors, and cultural figures, including Jesse Jackson, John Mellencamp, Noam Chomsky, all members of Metallica, David Mamet, James Lee Burke, Warren Haynes, Norah Jones, Joan Osborne, Martín Espada, Steve Earle, and Rita Dove.

Masciotra lives in Indiana, and teaches literature and political science courses at the University of St. Francis and Indiana University Northwest. He is available for speaking dates. Contact his speaking agent, Leslie Shipman, at Leslie@theshipmanagency.com.

His literary agent, Mark Falkin, is available at Mark.Falkin@gmail.com

Contact David directly at DavidMasciotraWriter@gmail.com.