The Downtown Writers Jam

By Solid ListenSociety & Culture Arts Books

The Downtown Writers Jam episodes

August 10, 2022 Jenny Colgan
Author Jenny Colgan stopped by the Bunker to talk about her latest book, An Island Wedding, and the conversation was just delightful.
She and Brad talked about the weirdness of their respective small towns (Elvis and castles, but not how you think), the circular nature of family dynamics, the impact of class, and the importance of finding your art community!
But what they didn't discuss: all of her work with Doctor Who. At least not as much as Brad wanted.

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1 hr 11 min
July 27, 2022 Jeevani Charika (aka Rhoda Baxter)
Author Jeevani Charika—who also writes under the pseudonym Rhoda Baxter that was inspired by the bacteria she studied while getting her Ph.D. in Microbiology—stopped by to talk with Brad about romcoms, Legos, science, travel, and basically all things nerdy! In other words, it's a great day in the Bunker.
She has a book out now, Playing for Love, and another coming out in September—because she somehow manages to write two books a year! You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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1 hr 16 min
July 20, 2022 Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre
Author Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre stopped by the Bunker to talk about his latest book, The Displaced. He and Brad talked a lot about finding your home and finding your voice, and the long road it takes to do that. And Rodrigo's journey took him into some hard places. But when he realized he was at a fork in the road, he decided to find his way back to writing, filmmaking, and storytelling (including writing his first book while he was in college!)
He's a fantastic storyteller. And if you stick around long enough, you'll get a little Wu-Tang. You can—and should—find him on Instagram.

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1 hr 9 min
July 18, 2022 After Party: Bobi Conn
Author Bobi Conn (A Woman in Time) stopped by the After Party to share a little Appalachian storytelling with Brad. Bobi's own story has been filled with a lot of hard times (In The Shadow of the Valley), but that's only one part of her tale. She and Brad talked about the joy of writing, the happiness her children bring her, and importance of finding peace with yourself. Oh, and a bit about the humor that comes out in places we don't expect.

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50 min
July 13, 2022 Kelly Sokol
Author Kelly Sokol (Breach) stopped by the Bunker this week to talk with Brad about her journey, which included a stop at the Capitol and a job on the railroad. She's had an interesting ride that has taken her from Nebraska to Virginia Beach, with lots of stops in between. Oh, and she's an ultramarathoner as well. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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1 hr 3 min
July 11, 2022 After Party: Catherine Drake
Vermont author Catherine Drake (The Treehouse on Dog River Road) stopped by the Bunker for a wild After Party with Brad to talk about how Christmas card writing led to her writing career, her brush with Bernie (it's Vermont, duh!), a hometown parade that featured a float of her book, and her fiftieth birthday party at Burning Man. And trust me, you don't want to miss her grand-daughter's idea for a BookTok channel because it's brilliant!

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50 min
July 08, 2022 After Party: Rebecca van Laer
Author Rebecca van Laer (How to Adjust to the Dark) stopped by the Bunker After Party to talk a bit one of our favorite topics: the anxiety of writing and writers! She and Brad also shared stories about patience with your writing, most definitely avoiding people who believe they are gatekeepers, and ghosts in New Orleans. Should have led with the ghosts! You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.

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40 min
July 06, 2022 Nicole Exposito
Writer Nicole Exposito stopped by the Bunker this week to talk about her fiction podcast, The Burned Photo, which frankly scared the crap out of Brad. They talked about her awkward childhood, finding her community while working on student films, graduating in a recession, her work at an EMT (yikes!), and how that all led her back to writing. Plus, they took a long digression about the work of Tom Robbins and the writer brain!

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1 hr 10 min
July 01, 2022 After Party: Louise Mumford
Author Louise Mumford (The Safe House) stopped the Bunker for the After Party! She and Brad discussed why it's important to be less polite (especially if you're a young woman), happiness as nothing, and road tripping across the United States in an RV without really understanding how big this country is. (Louise is from Wales!) Plus, the state of watching movies when you're a writer.
Find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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44 min
June 29, 2022 Sophie Flynn
Author Sophie Flynn stopped by the Bunker this week to talk about her latest book, Keep Them Close. She and Brad explored her transformation from a "mean girl" (not our words, folks!) into the theater and music world where she began to find her own footing. It's a joyous, funny, and thoughtful conversation about how life—and expectations—crash together!

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1 hr 12 min

About The Downtown Writers Jam

From the publisher's feed

The Downtown Writers Jam is a one-hour conversation between host Brad King and some of your favorite authors. We have the kind of discussions writers have when our readers aren't around. We're talking life, current events, what shaped who we are, and why we write what we write. So, pull up a chair and pour yourself a drink.