I’m a father, a husband, a dog-owner, and a challah baker (in order of importance), but writing and talking are what I do for work. I teach at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, at Washington University in St. Louis, and am the editor of the magazine Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera. Until 2016 I wrote the Beliefs column for The New York Times. I live in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, with my wife, five children, and two dogs. I love Westville, but I do leave it: sometimes to report, sometimes to talk about a book I have written, and sometimes to speak, lecture, or teach. I taught at Yale for fifteen years, and I’ve also taught at Stanford, NYU, and many other schools worthy of admission scandals. If you want to be bored but informed, my CV is here.

I believe in paid family leave, local ice cream, the 30-hour work week, original Coca-Cola, the one-handed backhand, the Oxford comma, and animal rights. Lately I have been reading Darby Saxbe’s forthcoming book on the science of fatherhood and re-reading Richard Russo; I have read Adam Becker’s book debunking AI hype, and I am looking forward to the Sam Tanenhaus biography of William F. Buckley. I’ve been listening to albums bought at my great neighborhood vinyl shop and watching the TV show Single Drunk Female. Last summer, I saw concerts by The Heavy Heavy, HAIM, and Willie Nelson; on tape for the coming summer are the Mountain Goats, The Heavy Heavy (again—they are great), and the Avett Brothers. Coffee ice cream—there’s always that.

… and my books …

I just wrote a biography of Judy Blume; you can read what publications like the Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The New Yorker, and The Economist had to say; I have also been giving talks around North America about this book, and you can see a calendar of events here. I have written five other books, about topics like the murder of Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the history of the bar and bat mitzvah, and my own past as a high school debater. Sometimes, I still give talks on these topics.

I have created and hosted several podcasts, including Gatecrashers, about the history of antisemitism in the Ivy League, which you can read more about here. I currently host Arc: The Podcast, for which I interview major (or at least entertaining) people about religion and culture.

… and my other writing …

… and my audio work …

(although my primary work is writing and teaching, I give about 10-20 talks a year, as a guest speaker or scholar-in-residence; I have spoken at venues as big as Stanford University and the University of Texas, and as small as a senior living center near me)

… and my speaking.

So can we talk?

Yes, let’s talk! I am not on social media. To reach me, please email mark.e.oppenheimer at the Google-based email service everyone uses, and do use my middle initial. The “e” distinguishes me from both the South African barrister and the South Dakota Scrabble champion who share my name.

I write often for magazines and newspapers. Here are links to some of my favorite pieces.