Author Up

This week on Author UP, Quibble Lit sits down with Dré Pontbriand, poet and Quippy winner for “Porcelain Playground Barbie.”

Dré and I have a ton of fun as we talk about the making of her award-winning poem and what it means to write toward transformation.

Dré’s work is vivid, intimate, and brave, with lines that lift through beauty, rupture, and reclamation and a distinct voice that feels both lyrical and grounded.

We’re so grateful to all of you for listening, and helping us add some more time for literary art into all of our days!

* Spend more time with Dré’s work & get connected with her on Instagram: @ the.dre.verse

* Got a guest suggestion? Send it in!

* Want an easy & free way to support our show?

This week is a very special episode and honor, as I get to sit down with Sabrina Maurer to talk about her debut book, Cherished Memories.

Published through ReadyAimWrite Kids — an independent publisher built around books written by kids, for kids — Sabrina’s story follows 11-year-old Bella, a student navigating school, friendship, and grief over the loss of a loved one.

Bella finds herself facing a tempting offer from a mysterious voice: if she could choose to erase her memories of pain, would she? Or should she hold onto her hard experiences, to protect all the good parts that came with?

Sabrina also, by coincidence, happens to be my my 10-year-old cousin. I was ecstatic to learn about her book, blown-away while reading it, and astonished by the sharpness of her answers in our conversation.

In our discussion, we learn where the idea for Cherished Memories began, what it felt like to see her story become a real book, how starting small matters, and the importance behind believing in your story.

Sabrina also shares a sneak peek to her 2nd book (in-progress!) as well of some of her future career ambitions in filmmaking and brand design.

I’m grateful to celebrate Sabrina not only as family, but as a rising artist and author. She’s an outstanding example of what’s possible, and what can happen when you’re brave enough to commit to your ideas, follow through the hard work, and share your story with the world.

Thank you very much for listening! For ways to help the cause, you can…

* Support Sabrina and awesome initiatives like ReadyAimWrite Kids

* Support Quibble Lit, indie literature, and its presence:

Next week, we’ll be back with a chat with the one-and-only Dré Pointbriand!

Happy Memorial weekend for our U.S. audience! This week, I shared a meaningful conversation with Angelina Aldrich, whose poem “Thighs for Days” took home the Copper Quippy Award (3rd place) in this year’s Ps & Qs Audio Poem Contest.

Watch the full discussion for bits of wisdom and laughter about starting new crafts, putting yourself out there, and being honest about what isn’t working in a poem.

Angelina was a generous joy to work with (I loved her embrace of the “Copper Quippy” aesthetic, haha) — go follow and keep up with the work of this rising poet at @themessylittleswamppoet on Instagram .

As always, thank you for listening, and don’t be afraid to tell a friend about us, or give a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for your free good deed of the day!

This week on Author Up, we’re joined by Rachel Kramer Bussel, founder and editor-in-chief of Open Secrets Magazine , a publication devoted to the personal stories we’re often taught to keep tucked away.

Watch or listen to us discuss:

* the power of the personal essay

* how quiet truth can form windows of recognition

* how clutter holds memory and meaning

* how writing can help bring out our authenticity

We also dabble along the edges of what it’s like publishing & editing today. We chat about how she built Open Secrets Magazine, the fun & pressure of managing new challenges, and continuing to stay close to the heart of the work: championing good writing.

Rachel’s just launched a fantastic new podcast, Finders and Keepers, which explores the objects we collect, save, inherit, organize, and can’t quite throw away; from books and toys to memorabilia, miniatures, Lego sets, storage spaces, and the quiet emotional architecture of our stuff.

Thank you for reading / listening / watching!

Support Open Secrets, send in your writing, tell a friend, and until next week - Keep Curious !

This week on Author UP, we have a bonus episode! — to pair alongside our Featured Voice spotlight on Jae Nichelle — Quibble Lit sits down with poet and voice coach James Spencer for a thoughtful conversation on performance, presence, vulnerability, and the living relationship between poetry and the human voice.

Together, we talk about confidence in professional communication as an artist, creative modules like pitch and delivery, the value of intentional practice, and the ways language changes when it’s spoken aloud with purpose and care.

It’s a warm, insightful conversation about voice and the ongoing process of learning how to inhabit your work more fully.

Watch the full conversation below — and thank you again, James!

This week’s featured guest of Author Up is Derrick Brown, poet, performer, comedian, and founder/president of Write Bloody Publishing.

Derrick has spent decades helping poetry escape the box some people try to keep it in. As the founder of Write Bloody, he has also helped shape a major lane for contemporary poets, giving touring writers and spoken-word artists a serious publishing home. He’s also a very funny, very generous person.

Derrick was also one of our guest judges for Quibble’s inaugural Ps & Qs Audio Poem Contest, which culminates tonight with our live reading party on Zoom from 7:30–8:45 PM EST

Watch or listen to the full episode to hear Derrick and I discuss the usefulness of stupidity, how to keep trying new, scary things, and why Bob’s Burgers is a great creative model (and why they oughta have Derrick on!)

For more laughs and lovely poetic barbs and bits from Derrick, go follow his Substack, check out his new poetry collection , or explore his comedy albums, children’s books, and other projects on his website.

Thank you to Derrick, for being such a kind and hilarious guest - and for his help with the Ps & Qs!

And another thank you to Judy Seaman, our talented video editor, for further help with this episode! And a big sorry to all that my video quality is so, so poor on this one (it’s all my fault and solutions are in progress!)

And a final, massive Thank You to everyone for listening, reading, and for supporting indie lit — tell a friend about us (if you dare) and we’ll be back next week with a new Featured Voice from the Ps & Qs.

We hope to see you at the party tonight!

And we’re back! This Sunday with an inspiring conversation with Bri Gearhart Staton, poet and the first-ever winner of our 1st Place Golden Quippy Award from The 2026 Ps & Qs Audio Poetry Contest.

Bri was truly a treat to connect with. I was amazed to hear how she discovered poetry, in a battle of resilience and season of transformation. The warmth, bravery, and sincerity of her spirit and outlook is capturing, inspiring, and infectious - watch out!

Her poetry is something special, as well. Her award-winning poem, “Portrait of a Hungover Woman Eating a Tomato Sandwich”, was adored and unanimously applauded by the Ps & Qs contest panelists.

Bri brought her poem to life during our April 19th Ps & Qs Showcase Reading Party - thank you to all participants!

We’re very excited to grow this podcast and raise the stage for writers, editors, and publishers doing important work deserving attention.

I want to give particular thanks to Judith Seaman, who gave a huge hand in editing this episode. You can explore her videography and memoir-documentary services here: https://videomemoircreations.com/

Check out :

* The full interview above

* Bri’s performance below,

* And don’t forget to…

Join us on May 3rd as we gather for another (free) night of poetry & community with the Ps & Qs Choice Awards Showcase Reading Party.

Hear Bri’s wonderful performance of “Portrait of a Hungover Woman…” from the Ps & Qs 4.19.26 Reading Party:

Next Sunday, we’ll be back with a conversation with Derrick C. Brown, President of Write Bloody Publishing - we can’t wait! Thank you for being here, and tell all your friends about us!

This week, we’re thrilled to feature La Piccioletta Barca co-editors-in-chief Eponine Howarth and Micaela Brinsley. 

We talk literary community, editorial evolution, collaboration, independent publishing, and what it means to build a magazine that feels less like a platform and more like a living room full of artists, questions, and unfinished conversations. 

Watch the interview, then go explore and support La Piccioletta Barca — a beautiful independent magazine and collective publishing poetry, fiction, essays, translations, interviews, and visual art.

We're glad to share this conversation with Thomas Sims — poet and poetry editor at Quibble Lit.(once we grow a little, this series will be for subscribers only!)

Thomas brings a rare mix of precision, curiosity, and calm to both writing and reading. In this interview, we talk about poetry, editing, philosophy, mandolin, internet hate, and more — moving between craft and the stranger, more personal edges of a creative life.Thomas is a thoughtful, searching presence on and off the page, and I’m glad to share this conversation together.

For this episode, I’m really glad to share a conversation with Trudy Hale — founder of Porches Writing Retreat and Editor-in-Chief of Streetlight Magazine.

Trudy brings a thoughtful perspective to literary life, and this conversation moves through some of the lasting questions around writing: what retreat can offer, how a creative life evolves, and what it means to keep making room for the work over time.

I’m excited to share this as part of our brand new premium model, and I’m deeply grateful to those of you helping make this kind of space possible. We’re working hard to compact Quibble into a better experience for its artists, audience, and everyone involved.

My hope with this podcast is to keep building a home for conversations like this: reflective, engaging, and rooted in the real textures of writing and art.

I hope you enjoy it - and a huge thanks to Trudy, for sharing her time and experience!