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Mark Olshaker Talks Writing, Netflix and COVID-19 in Writers@Drew Virtual Event

Mindhunter co-author discusses 2017 book predicting a global pandemic

April 2020 – The Writers@Drew series finished the spring 2020 semester with a virtual talk from Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and author Mark Olshaker.

Olshaker, whose book Mindhunter, co-written with former FBI Special Agent John Douglas, was made into a Netflix series, offered advice from his career in the writing business to Drew students, faculty, staff and alums.

The author discussed what it’s like to co-write books; how he handles covering topics like serial killers and pandemics; the process of writing both fiction and nonfiction; and what it’s like to see a book become a bestseller several years after being published.

The 2017 book in question, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, predicted the looming threat of a global pandemic becoming a reality, an eerie feeling according to the Writers@Drew guest.

Olshaker answered questions pertaining to the book, co-written with infectious disease epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, including how the federal government has handled the crisis, the future of testing and what things will look like as the situation continues to unfold.

Check out the video below for the full discussion.

The Writers@Drew series hosts a variety of published authors each academic year to discuss their work with the Drew community.

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