Jack Hitt | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1957 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Occupation | Author, editor, journalist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | The University of The South |
| Notable awards | Livingston Award, two Peabody Awards |
| Spouse | Lisa Sanders |
| Children | 2 |
Jack Hitt is an American author. He has been a contributing editor toHarper's,The New York Times Magazine,This American Life, and the now-defunct magazineLingua Franca. His work has appeared in such publications asOutside Magazine,Rolling Stone,Wired,Mother Jones,Slate, andGarden & Gun.
In 1990, he received theLivingston Award, along withPaul Tough, for an article they wrote about computer hackers that was published inEsquire. Hitt has written and edited multiple books, and has had articles selected for inclusion inBest American Science Writing 2006,Best American Travel Writing 2005, and inIra Glass'sThe New Kings of Nonfiction (2007). In 2006, an episode ofThis American Life that Hitt contributed to called "Habeus Schmabeus" won aPeabody Award. Hitt also co-hosted the Gimlet Media PodcastUncivil along with Chenjerai Kumanyiki between 2017 and 2018.Uncivil won a Peabody award in 2017 for the episode titled "The Raid".
John T. L. "Jack" Hitt was born in 1957 inCharleston, South Carolina to Ann Leonard Hitt and Robert Hitt Jr.[1][2] He was the youngest of five children.[1] He was raised in Charleston and attended thePorter-Gaud School.[3][4][2] At Porter-Gaude, Hitt got his start in writing by contributing to and editing the school's literary magazine.[5] While growing up in Charleston, Hitt lived in the same neighborhood asDawn Langley Simmons who would receive one of the firstsex reassignment surgeries in theUnited States.[6][7]
Hitt attended theUniversity of the South inSewanee, Tennessee where he majored in comparative literature.[8] As an undergrad, he worked at the Learning Disabilities Center and taught math and English to teens and children.[8] He also tutored Latin.[8] He was president of the Spanish House and a member of the Spanish Honor Society.[8]
It was at Sewanee that Hitt first heard about the road toSantiago de Compostela.[9] He would write about the experience of walking the road in his first book,Off The Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's route into Spain.[10][9]
Hitt graduated from the University of the South in 1979.[9]
"I was nearly a Latin professor", said Hitt in an interview withThe Atlantic. "Upon graduation, my Classics teacher warned me that while I'd read the hundred or so greatest works of Latin literature, post-graduate work meant reading the 1,000 'eh' works of Latin literature...I seized my diploma and I've never translated a line of Latin since."[11]
Hitt lived in an apartment inNew York City for about 8 years[12] before he met and married his current wifeLisa Sanders in the late 1980s.[13][12] They live together inNew Haven, Connecticut[2] and have two daughters.[14]
Jack Hitt's older brotherRobert M. Hitt III[1] served asSecretary of Commerce for the state ofSouth Carolina from January 2011 to June 2021.[15][16]
Hitt has been a contributing editor toHarper's,[17]The New York Times Magazine,[17]This American Life,[17] andLingua Franca.[18][19] He has also had articles published inMother Jones,[20]Slate,[21] theSmithsonian,[22]Discover Magazine,[23]Rolling Stone,[24]GQ,[7]Wired,[25]Garden & Gun,[17] andOutside Magazine.[26]
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Hitt'sNew York Times Magazine piece about a dying language called "Say No More"[27] was selected for inclusion inThe Best American Travel Writing 2005.[28] A piece originally published inHarper's titled "Mighty White of You: Racial Preferences Color America's Oldest Skulls and Bones"[29] was selected for inclusion inBest American Science Writing 2006.[30] Another piece fromHarper's titled "Toxic Dreams: A California Town Finds Meaning in an Acid Pit",[31] was included inIra Glass'sThe New Kings of Nonfiction (2007).[32]
Jack Hitt and Paul Tough won a Livingston award for an article published inEsquire they wrote about Hackers titled "Terminal Delinquents."[33][34][35]
Since 1996, Hitt has also been a contributing editor to the radio seriesThis American Life.[36] Showrunner Ira Glass wrote an announcement for Hitt's show that included a listing of what he considered to be stand out episodes ofThis American Life that Hitt had contributed to.[37] That list included: "Fiasco," a story about a production ofPeter Pan gone wrong;[38] "The Super," a story about a superintendent Hitt had in New York City who was a former member of a Brazilian death squad;[12] "Dawn," a story about his Charleston neighbor Dawn Langley Simmons (an early recipient of sex reassignment surgery);[6] "The Middle of Nowhere," a story about the small pacific island ofNauru;[39] and "Habeas Schmabeas," a story that contained multiple interviews with prisoners who had served time atGuantanamo Bay.[40][41]
This American Life won aPeabody Award in 2006 for "Habeas Schmabeas."[41]
Between 2017 and 2018, Hitt co-hosted the Gimlet Media podcastUncivil along with Chenjerai Kumanyika.[42] The episode ofUncivil titled "The Raid" won a Peabody award in 2017.[43]
Hitt was a regular US correspondent onNine to Noon, hosted byKathryn Ryan onRadio New Zealand National.[44]
In 2012, Hitt was interviewed onThe Colbert Report about his novelBunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character.[45]
Between 2012 and 2013, Hitt performed a one-man show he wrote about his childhood and the outlandish characters he's met in his life calledMaking Up The Truth.[46][47]
Jack Hitt and Paul Tough are both listed as consultants for the movieHackers (1995).[48]
Parts of Hitt's novelOff the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain were reworked byEmilio Estevez andMartin Sheen into the movieThe Way.[14][49][11]
Hit was interviewed for two documentaries;Split: A Divided America (2008)[50] and forTower to the People (2015).[51]
Written by Jack Hitt
Jack Hitt wrote and performedMaking Up the Truth, a one-man show that blends autobiographical storytelling with cognitive science to explore the nature of truth and memory. The piece, which premiered in 2012 at the Spoleto Festival USA, was directed by Jessica Bauman and produced by Aaron Louis.[52]Making Up the Truth weaves together personal anecdotes with insights from neuroscience, examining how the brain constructs reality. Hitt performed the show at various venues, including the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Joe’s Pub, and the Long Wharf Theatre, receiving praise for his engaging, humorous, and thought-provoking storytelling.[53][54]
Edited by Jack Hitt
Article by Jack Hitt selected for inclusion
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