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David Plotz

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David A. Plotz
Plotz in 2019
Born (1970-01-31) 31 January 1970 (age 54)
London, United Kingdom[1]
CitizenshipUnited States[1]
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)Writer, journalist
Political partyDemocratic[2]
Children3

David A. Plotz[3] (born 31 January 1970)[4] is an American journalist and former CEO of Atlas Obscura, an online magazine devoted to discovery and exploration.[5] A writer with Slate since its inception in 1996, Plotz was the online magazine's editor from June 2008 until July 2014,[6] succeeding Jacob Weisberg.[7] Plotz is the founder and CEO of the local-news podcast network, City Cast.[8]

Early life and career

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David Plotz grew up in Washington, D.C., the child of Dr. Judith Plotz, an English professor at The George Washington University, and Dr. Paul H. Plotz (1937-2024),[9] a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. He attended Lafayette Elementary School and the St. Albans School in Washington DC.

In 1992, Plotz graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. degree. While at Harvard, he wrote for The Harvard Crimson (1988—1992).[10]

Career

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Plotz worked as a paralegal for the Department of Justice. He switched to journalism and served as a writer and senior editor for the Washington City Paper.[4] He joined Slate when it launched in 1996.

Work

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Plotz has written for Slate, The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Reader's Digest, Rolling Stone, New Republic, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and GQ.[4] He won the National Press Club's Hume Award for Political Reporting in 2000, was a National Magazine Award finalist (for a Harper's article about South Carolina's gambling industry), and won an Online Journalism Award for a Slate piece on Enron. He appears on the weekly Slate Political Gabfest podcast with John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon.[11]

He is the author of The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank (2005) about the Repository for Germinal Choice, and Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned when I Read Every Single Word of the Bible (2009), based on his "Blogging the Bible"[12] series from Slate.com.

Personal life

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Plotz leads tours of Fort DeRussy.

Plotz was married to Hanna Rosin, a former reporter for The Washington Post and a national correspondent for The Atlantic. They lived in Washington, D.C., with their three children. They have since divorced. As of 2020, Plotz lives in Washington, DC, with his three children and two cats. Plotz is Jewish.[13]

Published works

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  • Plotz, David (2006). The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812970524.
  • Plotz, David (2010). Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible. Harper Perennial. ISBN 978-0061374258.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Russian Soldiers Are Fleeing". Slate Magazine. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-18. I was born in London; even though I'm an American, I was born circumstantially in London.
  2. ^ "List of Registered Voters" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections. 30 May 2016. p. 3871. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. ^ David Plotz (2 August 2011). "My Fake Facebook Birthdays". Slate. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Rothstein, Betsy (29 September 2010). "SO WHAT DO YOU DO, DAVID PLOTZ, EDITOR OF SLATE?". Mediabistro. Archived from the original on 6 Sep 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  5. ^ Erik Wemple (9 October 2014). "Former Slate editor David Plotz takes job atop Atlas Obscura". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Slate Editor David Plotz: Julia Turner succeeds him as editor". Slate Magazine. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  7. ^ Jacob Weisberg (4 June 2008). "David Plotz Succeeds Jacob Weisberg as Slate's Editor". Slate. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  8. ^ Quah, Nicholas (20 October 2020). "City Cast and the Promise of Local Podcasts". Vulture. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. ^ Paul Plotz (8 June 2012). "Science Education: How a childhood chemistry set turned me into a physician". Slate Science & Technology. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  10. ^ "David A. Plotz". thecrimson.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  11. ^ "About the show". Slate Podcasts. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  12. ^ David Plotz (21 September 2006). "The Complete Blogging the Bible (so far)". Slate Podcasts. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Slate blogs the Bible". Slate Magazine. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
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