Early life Levin was born and raised in
New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended
Brown University, where he earned degrees in
computer science and
history.
Career After graduating from Brown University, Levin began his
journalism career as an
intern at the
Washington City Paper in
Washington, D.C. He joined
Slate in 2003, where he is currently national editor. In addition to writing and editing, he hosted
Slates sports podcast
Hang Up and Listen with the journalist
Stefan Fatsis and Joel Anderson. During
R. Kelly's 2008 trial for child pornography, Levin coined the term "
Shaggy Defence" to describe the Kelly's lawyers. The term was based on
Shaggy's song "
It Wasn't Me" and its lyrics and, is used to describe denying an allegation, despite strong evidence to the contrary. In 2013, for
Slate, Levin wrote an article on
Linda Taylor, a woman that was dubbed by the
Chicago Tribune and
Ronald Reagan as a "
welfare queen." The article, which explored Taylor's history of criminal acts, some allegedly neglected by the authorities and more serious than those for which she was convicted, The
Washington Monthly described Levin's article as "the most fascinating true crime read of the year." The book won the 2019
National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography). Levin also hosted the Slate podcast,
The Queen, a four-episode mini series about Linda Taylor and
Reagan Era politics, along with two bonus episodes.
The Queen was at one time in the process of being adapted into a feature film, to be directed by
Bertie Ellwood. ==Awards==