DongWon Song, literary agent with HMLA, joins us for a Q&A on the elemental genre of “Issue.” Here are the questions, which were submitted by the attendees at WXR ’16:

* Can only certain people tackle certain issues in certain stories?

* Science Fiction often explores issues by changing the context. Why does this work?

* How would you handle an issue story in short fiction?

* How do you make sure to research the issue enough without paralyzing yourself with the fear that you cannot do it justice?

* How do you convincingly write a position with which you disagree without convincing your readers that you agree with it?

* How do you write about a deeply personal issue without making it sound like a personal sob story?

Credits: This episode was recorded aboard Oasis of the Seas by Bert Grimm, and mastered by Alex Jackson.