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Josh Levin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josh Levin
Levin in 2017
Born
Joshua Benjamin Levin

(1980-03-15) March 15, 1980 (age 44)[1]
EducationBrown University
OccupationNational editor of Slate magazine
Notable credit(s)Slate magazine, Hang Up and Listen
Websitehttp://www.josh-levin.com/

Joshua Benjamin Levin (born March 15, 1980) is an American writer and the national editor at Slate magazine. Levin also hosts the magazine's sports podcast, Hang Up and Listen.

Biography

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Early life

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Levin was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Brown University, where he earned degrees in computer science and history.[2]

Career

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After graduating from Brown University, Levin began his journalism career as an intern at the Washington City Paper in Washington, D.C. He joined Slate in 2003, where he is currently national editor.[3]

In addition to writing and editing, he also hosts Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen with the journalist Stefan Fatsis and Joel Anderson.[4]

During R. Kelly's 2008 trial for child pornography, Levin coined the term "Shaggy Defence" to describe the Kelly's lawyers.[5] The term was based on Shaggy's song "It Wasn't Me" and its lyrics and, is used to describe denying an allegation, despite strong evidence to the contrary.[6]

In 2013, for Slate, Levin wrote an article on Linda Taylor, a woman that was dubbed by the Chicago Tribune and Ronald Reagan as a "welfare queen."[7][8] The article, which explored Taylor's history of criminal acts, some allegedly neglected by the authorities and more serious than those for which she was convicted,[7] was praised by media sources.[9][10] The Washington Monthly described Levin's article as "the most fascinating true crime read of the year."[8]

In 2019, Levin wrote The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth. The book expanded upon the life of Linda Taylor and her repeated acts of fraud and theft.[11] The book won the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography).[12] Levin also hosted the Slate podcast, The Queen, a four-episode mini series about Linda Taylor and Reagan Era politics, along with two bonus episodes.[13][14]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ @pergam (15 March 2011). "@Vasugi @josh_levin thanks so much Sugi! And happy bday to you, Josh" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Josh Levin (Tumblr page)". Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  3. ^ "Who We Are". Slate. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Hang Up and Listen podcast". Slate. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  5. ^ Levin, Josh (2008-05-21). "Day 1: Unveiling the "Shaggy Defense"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  6. ^ Levin, Josh (2010-06-07). "The Shaggy Defense: America's Favorite New Legal Term". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Levin, Josh. "The Real Story of Linda Taylor, America's Original Welfare Queen". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Slate.com's Josh Levin has published the most fascinating true crime read of the year — and it has an important public policy twist". Washington Monthly. 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  9. ^ Jones, Allie. "Everyone Missed the Real Story of Chicago's 'Welfare Queen'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  10. ^ "The Truth Behind The Lies Of The Original 'Welfare Queen'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  11. ^ Levin, Josh (2019). The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind An American Myth. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-51330-2.
  12. ^ Beth Parker (March 12, 2020). "Announcing the 2019 Award Winners". bookcritics.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "The Queen". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  14. ^ "The Queen Explores the Life of Linda Taylor, America's Original "Welfare Queen"". Podcast Review. 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  15. ^ "Awards: Media Reporting/Criticism 2004". Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. Retrieved 31 March 2010.[permanent dead link]
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