Each episode of Writing Stories features an interview with a contemporary author about how her book went from an idea in her head to an object on a shelf. Join us on Writing Stories for honesty, struggle, and triumph, for writing community, publishing insight, and inspiration to persist in whatever difficult but meaningful journey you've chosen for yourself.
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People Think That When You're Not Published, You're Not Working
25:43
25:43
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25:43
Aida Zilelian tells the story of All the Ways We Lied. Along the way she discusses: - writer's block - the value of touchstone texts and poetry - agents (the good, the bad, and the why) - how to know when to let go of a project - the Armenian genocide - The Stranger by Camus - Anjali Singh (agent) - book coach Karen Clark - The Goldfinch and The Co…
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I Had to Do Whatever Was Necessary to Communicate — Elizabeth Hilborn tells the story of Restoring Eden
30:48
30:48
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Elizabeth Hilborn tells the story of her memoir Restoring Eden. Along the way she covers: Moving from scientific writing to memoir Notes and research for nonfiction Honey bees, pesticides, and environmental degradation Mindfulness and writing Jill Rothenberg - editor Dinty W Moore and the river of the story Find out more about Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn…
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I was having so much fun, I wasn't concerned about what would happen — Ananda Lima tells the story of CRAFT
32:16
32:16
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32:16
Ananda Lima tells the story of CRAFT: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. Along the way she covers: The importance of giving yourself permission to play Craft talk (and the implicit values therein!) Remembering your opinion is valid Great editing moves Latinx in publishing Black Lawrence Press Sewanee Writers' Conference Restless Books New Immigrant Wri…
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"When I was writing it, I was writing it TO her" — Barrie Miskin tells the story of Hellgate Bridge
28:19
28:19
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28:19
In this episode Barrie Miskin tells the story of her memoir Hellgate Bridge. Along the way she covers: Sarah Perry Inferno by Catherine Cho Writing about mental illness Writing about motherhood Helpful writing coach moves (including the 'mmmm, I kinda don't get it' move) Writing about traumatic experiences Find out more about Barrie here Buy Hellga…
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"A Place I Had Never Thought Possible" — Shze-Hui Tjoa talks about The Story Game
30:54
30:54
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In this episode, Shze-Hui talks about The Story Game. Along the way, she covers: Evaluating agent responses to your manuscript Women and anger How to know when a book is done Recognizing the limits of our knowledge The generative power of getting stuck and the creation of new forms Book tour Writing about family Tin House **The Story Game was actua…
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Welcoming to Evolution or Change or Rupture — Lucas Mann tells the story of Attachments
33:20
33:20
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Lucas Mann tells the story of Attachments: Essays on fatherhood and other performances. Along the way he covers: Writing when you have a newborn Trying for a balance between personal essay and cultural criticism False dichotomy of smart writing and embodied writing The perception that books about fatherhood don't sell When your publisher doesn't re…
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The Fight to Retain the Weird and the Feral — Michelle Tea tells the story of SLUTS
33:40
33:40
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33:40
In this episode, Michelle Tea tells the story of SLUTS, from Dopamine Press. Along the way, she covers: Starting Dopamine Press Anthologies as fundraisers Starting and ending anthologies Perceptions of 'sluttery' and our culture's relationship to pleasure An iconic '90s San Francisco sexual experience Assimilationist and anti-assimilationist queern…
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What Will and Will Not Be Translated — Crystal Hana Kim tells the story of The Stone Home
30:08
30:08
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Crystal Hana Kim tells the story of The Stone Home. Along the way she covers: - Focus when drafting - When she shares her work with her agent - What questions she is interested in exploring in her work - The best book publication/baby making timeline ever - Strategies for creating a propulsive narrative - Reasons for not translating or transliterat…
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"It's Never Gonna Happen For Me" — Hannah Sward tells the story of Strip
35:08
35:08
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Hannah Sward tells the story of Strip. Along the way, she covers: - A publishing journey full of false summits - Publishing without an agent - Querying agents - Why not to be a writer - That you should not be afraid to write the shittiest shit - Natalie Goldberg and Writing Down the Bones - Jill Schary Robinson - Family responses to memoir - Publis…
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Nothing is Whole Until It's In Words — Stephanie Clare Smith tells the story of Everywhere the Undrowned
31:52
31:52
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31:52
In this episode, Stephanie Clare Smith tells the story of Everywhere the Undrowned. Along the way, she covers: Bellevue's Nonfiction Contest Great Circle Books (whose series editor Marie Mutsuki Mockett is the author of The Tree Doctor and an upcoming guest on this podcast!) University Presses Dismantling the fantasy parent in our heads and going b…
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There's Nothing I Regret — Estelle Erasmus tells the story of Writing That Gets Noticed
31:20
31:20
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31:20
In this episode, Estelle talks about her book, Writing That Gets Noticed. Along the way she covers: Beauty editor road trips Selling a book with an 'exclusive' A ballsy move to try if one editor accepts your pitch for a short piece and another rejects ASJA 'backlist' vs. 'frontlist' what if you aren't satisfied with your book cover a 'book-mitzvah'…
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"Write or Die" — Annell López tells the story of I'll Give You A Reason
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24:06
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In this episode, Annell López tells the story of I'll Give You A Reason. Along the way, she covers: Full-time high school teaching while full-time MFA Affordances of short story collections Generating ideas by asking what if the opposite happens Feminist Press and the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize Drown by Junot Diaz More of This World or Mayb…
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"What is the book that can only be yours?"— Clare Beams tells the story of The Garden
30:22
30:22
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30:22
In this episode, Clare Beams tells the story of The Garden. Along the way we cover: Managing the 'type A' part of your brain Selling a partial Doing what you don't know you can do Letting go of a manuscript that didn't sell (that you worked on for 8 years) NEA grant How to know when something is done Getting writing time when you have small childre…
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What If Nobody Likes it? Nicole Haroutunian Tells the Story of Choose This Now
30:24
30:24
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Nicole Haroutunian tells the story of Choose This Now. Along the way, we cover... - Her first book Speed Dreaming - Agent troubles - Rewriting a novella as a chapter - Creating a novel from stories - Having a book die on submission - When you lose your job and your agent at the same time your city goes into COVID lockdown - Pre-publication anxiety …
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"If You Don't Like An Edit, Just Don't Do It" — Sarah Rose Etter tells the story of RIPE
30:41
30:41
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30:41
In this episode, Sarah Rose Etter tells the story of RIPE, Along the way we cover: Writing around a full-time job 75,000 words in a month The importance of having a good team behind you Difficulties and benefits of being edited The horrors of being on submission Kent Wolf, Carmen Maria Machado, Two Dollar Radio, and Scribner Careerism and the unrel…
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What Writing Stories is and is not. (A good listen if you are considering being a guest on the show.)By Brianna Avenia-Tapper
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Listen for all the goodies coming up in Season 2 of Writing Stories!! (And subscribe so you don't miss them!)By Brianna Avenia-Tapper
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A Bold Fearlessness — Deborah Jackson Taffa Tells the Story of Whiskey Tender
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25:07
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25:07
In this episode, Deborah Jackson Taffa talks about her debut memoir Whiskey Tender. Also discussed: Weaving historical research into memoir Turning an essay collection into a memoir Turning down an offer to publish after working on manuscript for years 'Overdue' edits Preempt Becoming an orphan manuscript Getting a review in the Washington Post Nat…
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"Stay in the Game...Sooner or Later Something Will Crack" — Chin-Sun Lee Tells the Story of Upcountry
34:46
34:46
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In this episode, Chin-Sun Lee tells the story of Upcountry. We cover: Writing from an image you can't shake Being 'on submission' (your agent is submitting your manuscript to editors) for years Unnamed Press Having your book go to auction between independent and university presses Why you should always check your spam folder Book tour Getting blurb…
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Could My Story Be of Use? —Mary Beth O'Connor Tells the Story of Junkie to Judge
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26:49
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In this episode, Mary Beth O'Connor tells the story of From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction We cover: How to protect yourself when writing traumatic memories Choosing and hiring a developmental editor Publishing odds Airport books Pitching agents at a conference panel Self publishing versus traditional publishing Seei…
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"I Thought It Was Very Mainstream, But..." — Cassie Premo Steele Tells the Story of Beaver Girl
34:17
34:17
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34:17
In this episode, Cassie Premo Steele tells the story of Beaver Girl. We cover: - Asking for help - Characterization - Snowflake method - Querying hundreds of agents - Long COVID - Dirty realism - Writing animal characters with the first person in adult fiction - The importance of small presses - Anxiety Press and Outcast Press Also in this episode:…
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Four Agents, Three Books, Two Publishers — Jacinda Townsend talks about Saint Monkey and Mother Country
25:54
25:54
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In this episode, Jacinda Townsend talks about her award-winning books Saint Monkey and Mother Country. Along the way we cover: Fiction writing as coping mechanism Being the only Black kid at a fundamentalist Christian school in rural Kentucky Agent-seeking, scarcity model, and dating When you and your publisher disagree on the book's major theme Gr…
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Fun, Ridiculous, and Thrumming with Truth - Rachel Yoder Tells the Story of Nightbitch
34:33
34:33
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34:33
In this episode, I talk with Rachel Yoder about her debut novel Nightbitch. Along the way we cover: Fun, art, pushing the boundaries of story, and permission to find your own work What it's like when your publisher folds before you publish your book How writing a book within a book can be useful for a busy parent writing in short periods of time. H…
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Plumbers Don't Get Plumbers Block — Talking with Sue Shapiro about American Shield and Barbie
31:59
31:59
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31:59
In this episode, I talk with Sue Shapiro about American Shield, Barbie, and her broader publishing journey. We cover: Co-authoring and Jungian astrologists How "every book breaks your heart in a different way" Erika Jong and Howard Fast (and the self-published book that became a famous movie) Letting your emotions tell their own story Barbies, fail…
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There's Life in the Messiness - Yael Golstein-Love Tells the Story of The Possibilities
31:00
31:00
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31:00
In this episode, Yael Goldstein-Love talks about The Possibilities. We cover: Heretic barbies Putting away ten years of work on a manuscript (possibly the best thing you've ever written) 'A genteel form of homeless' Genre and its discontents Feedback and recognizing a need for a POV shift in a draft How women are socialized to prioritize others' pe…
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It's a linear narrative... but a trail is a line — Andrea Lani tells the story of Uphill Both Ways: Hiking Toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail
31:57
31:57
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31:57
In this episode, Andrea talks about her hybrid memoir Uphill Both Ways: Hiking Toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail. We cover: Scooby Doo writing Making sure research doesn't become a speed bump in the narrative Orphan lines and tightening prose The value of time for 'digesting' Publishing with a university press and getting feedback from reviewe…
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The whole idea of ‘SERIOUS’ writing is a lot of toxic trash — Alyssa Songsiridej tells the story of Little Rabbit
28:31
28:31
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28:31
In this episode, Alyssa Songsiridej talks about: Combatting imposter syndrome Female friendships Letting yourself be surprised, braving uncertainty, and bodily surrender in art making Dance and writing and the willingness to fall Creating a character to embody a tension you feel but don't yet have on the page The surprising sadness of publishing a …
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You Have to Do This - Shannon Sanders tells the story of Company
30:14
30:14
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30:14
In this episode, I talk to Shannon Sanders about her linked short story collection, Company. We talk about: - writing your own murder mystery parties - writing through your feelings about others' offhand comments - signing with an agent a week before COVID lockdown - persisting in your writing through the birth of twins - finishing your book while …
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Margo Steines Talks About Brutalities - "I Feel Aligned With The Tastes of Men In a Way That I Hope To Grow Out Of"
30:48
30:48
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In this episode, I talk to Margo Steines about her memoir Brutalities We talk about: - Not wanting to use suspense as a way to move readers through your work - Having your first manuscript 'die on submission' (meaning an agent represents it, but no editors want to buy it) - Gender dysphoria and the claustrophobia of the body - Steines's friendship …
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Letting Go of What's Not Under Your Control - Christina Consolino Tells the Story of The Weight We Carry
28:34
28:34
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28:34
In this episode, I talk to Christina Consolino about her most recent novel, The Weight We Carry. We discuss: - NaNoWriMo - Prioritizing writing - The oozing guts of dead things - Controlling what you can and letting go of what you can't - The idea that not all characters are capable of substantial change - Publishing with a small, independent press…
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It's Like a Circuit Break. You're Almost a New Person — Talking with Kelly McMasters about The Leaving Season — Episode 2
22:42
22:42
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22:42
In this episode, Kelly McMasters talks about her memoir The Leaving Season. We touch on: - finding yourself in another writer's work - identifying (or not) as a 'writer' - revision (of manuscripts and life plans) - the terror and possibility that can go along with publishing an honest and intimate memoir - staying hopeful about books and publishing…
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You Have to Work Really Hard - Kai Harris Tells the Story of What the Fireflies Knew - Episode 1
30:00
30:00
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30:00
In this episode, Dr. Kai Harris tells the story of her debut novel What the Fireflies Knew. We talk about: - embracing your own voice and material when writing - drafting a novel in a month while caring for a newborn (!!) - querying - working with an agent - getting a book deal - celebrating publication - the recurrent themes in Kai's work - the un…
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Season 1 Trailer for Writing Stories! Writing stories is a podcast about the struggles and triumphs of writing and publishing. We follow books from an idea in someone's head to a collection of pages on a shelf. Each episode features an interview with a contemporary author of fiction and/or creative nonfiction. Join us on Writing Stories for intimat…
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