Meet Calvin Trillin, a man who needs no introduction. In this Nation Conversation, recorded aboard the 2010 Nation Cruise, our very own "Deadline Poet" reflects on the writing life, and looks back on his long relationship with The Nation magazine—the ups and downs, the laughs, the tears, the lofty ideals and the low pay. With crackling wit, he relates what it’s like to make a living from making fun of public figures (first off, it’s not much of a living—especially at The Nation).

Listen for insights into the inner workings at The New Yorker, how to fake your way through an economic policy meeting, the worst president names to rhyme and other things you’ll never read in an exposé written by one of his children (they’ve all signed non-disclosure agreements).