Best Craftofwriting Podcasts (2024)

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Ep166: Conference Expecatations 53:33

4h ago53:33

53:33

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too! Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick) wrapping up writing projects, PB out on the 15th of Accidental Stranger (plus prequel), finishing another boo…

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Ep165: Story Retellings with Guest Jeanne Blasberg 59:14

14d ago59:14

59:14

Main Topic: Jeanne Blasberg, Story Retellings (starts at 21:39 on video) PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the pa…

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Ep. 129 Brigit Bins 24:05

19d ago24:05

24:05

Brigit Binns is a prolific author of cookbooks, with more than 100,000 copies in print, including eleven titles she has authored for Williams Sonoma. She has also co-authored cookbooks, edited cookbooks and written 90 shows for the Food Network series, The Hot Tamales. And now she has turned her attention to memoir. Her new book is titled Rottenkid…

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Ep. 128 Caro de Robertis 25:13

1M ago25:13

25:13

Caro De Robertis, whose pronouns are they/theirs, is a Uruguayan-American author and full tenured professor in the creative writing dept at San Francisco State University. They are the author of five novels and the editor of an award-winning anthology, Radical Hope. Their books have been translated into seventeen languages and have received numerou…

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Ep164: Welcome to Season 5! 28:45

1M ago28:45

28:45

Main Topic: Welcome to Season 5 PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. Segment 1 (Announ…

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Ep. 127 Juli Min 28:15

2M ago28:15

28:15

Writer and novelist Juli Min is the editor-in-chief and fiction editor of the Shanghai Literary Review. Currently a resident of Shanghai, she was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in New Jersey, and has just published her debut novel. Entitled Shanghailanders, the book is just out from Spiegel and Grau. Listen in as she and I discuss book structure,…

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Ep. 126 Deborah Paredez 28:47

2M ago28:47

28:47

Deborah Paredez is the author of the critical study, Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory (Duke 2009) and the poetry collections, This Side of Skin (Wings Press 2002) and Year of the Dog (BOA 2020). Her poetry, essays, and commentary have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, National Public Radio, Boston…

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Ep163: How Writing Heals with Guest Becky Ellis 1:13:43

2M ago1:13:43

1:13:43

Announcements: 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat (Day Passes $400) I've got four spaces left. I have decided that because of the Costa Rica move next year, I will NOT be having a retreat in 2025. So, if you've been on the fence, NOW is the time to make the decision to purchase a ticke…

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Ep162: Announcement Only Episode 11:06

3M ago11:06

11:06

Announcements: 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat (Day Passes $400) I've got four spaces left. Burnout Recovery Series on Patreon, and part of my recovery is the addition of The Artist's Way. I'll be hosting a creative cluster via Zoom, starting Aug 8, Thursday, 10am-noon Pacific. It's…

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Ep. 125 Rusty Gear 28:22

3M ago28:22

28:22

Rusty Gear is an Americana recording artist whose work explores the story of the USA and for whom the Qwerty Podcast host, Marion Roach Smith, writes lyrics. In this episode, they explore working together as creatives. What is the nature of good artistic collaboration? How do two writers work together? Listen in as we explore those themes and much …

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Ep161: Writing (in Multiple Genres) During the Stolen Moments 1:08:09

3M ago1:08:09

1:08:09

PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. Announcements: 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat …

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Ep. 124 Margaret Juhae Lee 27:11

4M ago27:11

27:11

Margaret Juhae Lee has been been published in The Nation, Newsday, Elle, ARTnews, The Advocate, The Progressive and most recently in The Rumpus and Ploughshares Blog. She received a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University and a Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korean Foundation in support of research for her recently published book, book, Star…

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Ep160: Using Imagery in Your Writing 59:23

4M ago59:23

59:23

Listener comment: suggestion to timestamp if the video is about a specific thing (Main Topic starts at 24:58) Announcements: PNW inspired horror caretakerpress@gmail.com; Submissions closed. Reading stories now. 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat (Day Passes $400) Three Story Method: W…

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Ep. 123 Lissa Soep 30:35

4M ago30:35

30:35

Lissa Soep knows how to reanimate the voices of the dead, and she is here to teach you how to get those voices into your memoir writing. She is a senior editor for audio at Vox Media and special projects producer and senior scholar-in-residence at YR Media. She has a PhD from Stanford, where she studied education, social theory, and linguistic anth…

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Ep159: Discovery Writing with KimBoo York 1:01:26

4M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

Main Topic: Discovery Writing with KimBoo York PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. An…

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Ep158: Using Tropes to Avoid Writer's Block 40:23

4M ago40:23

40:23

Main Topic: Using Tropes to Avoid Writer's Block PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. …

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Ep. 122 Alicia D. Williams 29:45

4M ago29:45

29:45

Storyteller, actor and award-winning author, Alicia D. Williams is on The Qwerty Podcast to talk about her new book, Mid Air, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff and just published by Atheneum. Her book, Genesis Begins Again received the Newberry and Kirkus Prize honors, and was a William C. Morris Award finalist and won the Coretta Scott King- John …

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Ep157: How to Reuse Content in Your Business 36:52

5M ago36:52

36:52

PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. Announcements: PNW inspired horror caretakerpress…

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Ep. 121 Michael Jamin 29:18

5M ago29:18

29:18

Michael Jamin is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter who has been writing for television since 1996, and whose credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, and Rules of Engagement. He’s also served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Glenn Martin DDS, Maron, and Rhett & Link’s Buddy System. If you are int…

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Ep156: Writing Cross-Genre with Dyslexia, featuring guest A.B. Herron 53:11

5M ago53:11

53:11

Main Topic: Author A.B. Herron on writing cross-genre with dyslexia Amanda is passionate about discussing the realities of being an indie author while being dyslexic, straddling the fantasy and romance genres, the importance of highlighting sex positivity in our society, and the impact her background in anatomy and zoology has on her magic systems …

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Ep. 120 Janet Skeslian Charles 27:22

5M ago27:22

27:22

Janet Skeslien Charles is a New York Times and international bestselling author whose work has been translated into 37 languages. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Montana Noir. Her 2021 novel, The Paris Library, became an instant New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today bestseller upon releas…

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Ep155: Step One of Setting Goals 21:20

5M ago21:20

21:20

Announcements: PNW inspired horror caretakerpress@gmail.com; Submissions open until stories filled. Starting to read May 1st. 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books out now. Focus and Finish: Goal-Setting and Strategic Planning for Writers (First in…

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Ep154: First Lines, Openings, and Hooks 46:35

6M ago46:35

46:35

Announcements: PNW inspired horror caretakerpress@gmail.com; Submissions open until stories filled. Starting to read May 1st. 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books out now. Focus and Finish: Goal-Setting and Strategic Planning for Writers (First in…

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Ep. 119 Hal Schrieve 27:48

6M ago27:48

27:48

Hal Schrieve is the author of the 2019 book, Out of Salem, selected for the National Book Award Long List for Young People’s Literature. Hal works as a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library. As a librarian, Hal has written educator guides to other queer books for children and teens. Hal has had poetry in Vetch magazine, and is feature…

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Ep153: Writing Through Chronic Illness, with Kathie Giorgio 54:42

6M ago54:42

54:42

Main Topic: Writing Through Chronic Illness, with guest Kathie Giorgio KATHIE GIORGIO is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Lib…

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Ep152: Exploring the World and Your Values in the Stories You Write 37:37

6M ago37:37

37:37

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only three private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. New book out for writers: Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books by Valerie Ihsan, J. …

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Ep. 118 Suzette Mullen 30:18

6M ago30:18

30:18

Suzette Mullen is the author of the new memoir, The Only Way Through is Out, just out from the University of Wisconsin Press. She is the founder of Your Story Finder, where she provides nonfiction book coaching. In 2021, she published a Tiny Love Story in The New York Times that was the seed that became her new book. Listen as she and host Marion R…

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Ep151: Go for the Little Wins 44:16

6M ago44:16

44:16

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only three private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. New book out for writers: Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books by Valerie Ihsan, J. …

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Ep150: Transforming Your Manuscript from Boring to Badass 1:36:17

7M ago1:36:17

1:36:17

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only four private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. Erick is publishing an anthology; call for submissions (horror inspired by PNW); https://…

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Ep. 117 Kevin Baker 29:35

7M ago29:35

29:35

Author, historian, essayist, bestselling novelist and commentator Kevin Baker has just published part one of his long-awaited two-part look into baseball and the city that formed it and was formed by it. Called The New York Game: Baseball and The Rise of a New City (Knopf, 2024), this was a labor of love from a super fan of both the city and the ga…

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Ep149: Does Permafree Still Work on Amazon? 45:07

7M ago45:07

45:07

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only four private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. Erick is publishing an anthology; call for submissions (horror inspired by PNW); https://…

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Ep148: Starting an Anthology 1:03:05

7M ago1:03:05

1:03:05

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only four private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. UPDATE: Valerie: affirmations 15 mins/day of writing to my audience (new affirmation: Thi…

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Ep. 116 Ani Gjika 26:49

7M ago26:49

26:49

Author, essayist, poet and activist Ani Gjika is an Albanian-born poet, literary translator, writer, and author of Bread on Running Waters (Fenway Press, 2013). A finalist for the 2011 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize and 2011 May Sarton New Hampshire Book Prize, she moved to the US at age 18 and earned an MA in English at Simmons College and an MFA in p…

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Ep147: Reset Buttons and Pivots for Authors 38:30

7M ago38:30

38:30

Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 147 of the podcast and it's March 6, 2024 as we record this. Main Topic: Reset Buttons and Pivoting for Authors PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valer…

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Ep. 115 Meg Kissinger 27:16

8M ago27:16

27:16

Writer and author Meg Kissinger spent more than two decades traveling across the country to report on America’s mental health system for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, she has won two George Polk Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors, and two National Journalism Awards. Kiss…

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Ep146: How to Maintain Your Writing Business During Crisis 45:20

8M ago45:20

45:20

Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 146 of the podcast and it's February 14, 2024 as we record this. Happy Valentine's Day! Main Topic: How to Maintain Your Business During Crisis PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. This podcast is …

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Ep. 114 Taylor Brorby 27:52

8M ago27:52

27:52

Writer, essayist, speaker and activist Taylor Brorby is the author of Boys and Oil, Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land, a NYT Editors’ Choice published in 2022 by Liveright, a division of W.W. Norton. He is also the author of Crude: Poems, Coming Alive: Action and Civil Disobedience, and he is the co-editor of Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories o…

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Ep145: Using Your Local Library as an Author Resource 57:23

8M ago57:23

57:23

Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 145 of the podcast and it's January 31, 2024 as we record this. Main Topic: Using Your Local Library as an Author Resource PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreo…

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Ep. 113 Felice Cohen 28:54

9M ago28:54

28:54

Known nationally and internationally as the woman who lived in one of the world’s smallest apartments, Felice Cohen is the award-winning author of the bestselling books Half In: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Forbidden Love, 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet (...or More) (inspired by the YouTube video of her tiny NYC studio with over 25 mill…

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Ep144: Writing from Your Body, with Anna Willman 1:02:36

9M ago1:02:36

1:02:36

Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop in Marcola, Oregon. At this point, there is only four private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. UPDATE: Valerie: meditation: Balance app updating website slowly pitch conferences (Accou…

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Ep. 112 Kate Cohen 32:40

9M ago32:40

32:40

Washington Post contributing columnist and author Kate Cohen writes about American culture. Her new book, We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too), is just out. Listen in as we discuss her book, writing about faith and the loss of it, and so much more. The QWERTY podcast is brought to you by the book The Me…

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Ep143: Favorite Characters 44:33

9M ago44:33

44:33

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. Announcements: Registration is open for the 2024 Writer Cr…

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Ep142: How to Know if Your Story Idea Has Legs, plus Reflecting on 2023 and Looking at 2024 52:17

9M ago52:17

52:17

Announcements: Early Bird registration is open for the 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat. At this point, there is only four private tickets left and three shared tickets. We'll likely sell out again. ValerieIhsan.com/retreat for more info. I'm in a new anthology by Tsunami Press with my essay "Eye Contact." It's in stores now; order wherever books …

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Ep. 111 Joanna Penn 31:48

10M ago31:48

31:48

Mega-bestselling author Joanna Penn, whose 40 books span several genres, has now written a memoir after making three separate solo pilgrimage walks. The walks and this new book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, allowed her to define for herself her personal definition of being a seeker. The QWERTY podcast is brought…

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Ep141: Mining Your Life for Story 42:22

10M ago42:22

42:22

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre Announcements: Early Bird registration is open for the 2024…

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Ep. 110 Kristin Jarvis Adams 27:48

10M ago27:48

27:48

When writer, author and advocate Kristin Jarvis Adams pitched a potential publisher on her book, she began with a sentence so startling that it made the publisher ask her to breakfast. The book that followed was full of such sentences. This is a conversation about an unlikely book on an nearly impossible topic to sell that worked. Be inspired by he…

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Ep140: Top 3 Tips for New Writers 39:20

10M ago39:20

39:20

Thank you to new patrons Lily Fouts and Leslie Hall and Meyari McFarland. Welcome! Also, the winner of the Goody Bag drawing is Kathleen Kendricks. Congratulations! You've already been contacted. And to the patrons who signed up in November, I'll be sending out the stickers and calendars, your postcards, and the Goody Bag contents this month. I nee…

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Ep139: Identifying Limiting Beliefs, Understanding How They Affect Writers, and How to Reverse Them 47:06

10M ago47:06

47:06

Thank you to new patron Kathleen Kendrick. Welcome! She will get the limited edition sticker and entry to the drawing for the Goody bag that includes a 2024 Passion Planner and coaching with me, along with a couple of other fun things. PLUS, a wall calendar I designed. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in …

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Ep. 109 Virginia Sole-Smith 31:10

11M ago31:10

31:10

Writer, author and advocate Virginia Sole-Smith knows how to write into other's biases, and she writes right into them, giving us new language while she explores diet culture, anti-fat bias, feminism and health. Listen in and learn how to live this writing life. The QWERTY podcast is brought to you by the book The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-S…

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Ep138: Budget with Confidence When Building Your Writing Business 46:02

11M ago46:02

46:02

Thank you to new patron Chad Boyer. Welcome! He will get the limited edition sticker and entry to the drawing for the Goody bag that includes a 2024 Passion Planner and coaching with me, along with a couple of other fun things. PLUS, a wall calendar I designed. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podc…

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