The Downtown Writers Jam

Colin Kersey (Swimming with the Angels) joined Brad in the Bunker for an After Party Q&A to discuss how he became a writer (it took some time), the importance of mentors, and the things that make him happiest. He also doled out a bit a wisdom to his younger self, which you might recognize from television: Just do it!

You can find him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Lisa Knopp joined Brad in the Bunker this week for the first Jam Session, a deep dive conversation into her book From Your Friend, Carey Dean. The book is an examination of prison culture, religion, and friendship, and the conversation explores the complexity of writing about a confessed murder who goes through a profound personal evolution while incarcerated before being executed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Louise Mangos joins us in the Bunker this week from her writing retreat in the Swiss Alps (!!!) to talk about her latest book, The Beaten Track. She and Brad spent an hour talking about growing up in a small town in England, an aborted backpacking trip that ended with a 16-year stay in Switzerland, the around the world trip that eventually happened, plus painting and genre fiction. You can find Louise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Sam Holland (The Echo Man) stopped by Bunker for an After Party Q&A. She talked about her greatest writing epiphany (Post-it Notes!), and she proceeded to tell the grossest story ever told on the program! It's delightfully hilarious, but we don't recommend eating while you listen to this one! 

Sam can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Mintie Das stopped by the Bunker to talk about her YA novel, Brown Girl Ghosted. It's rare to meet somebody more extroverted than Brad, but we've found with Mintie, whose journey is amazing. She's truly a child of the world. She was born in India, raised in Illinois, and now lives in Helsinki. She's traveled extensively and has stories that'll knock your socks off. After fifteen years working in public relations, she embarked on her writing career and has found her voice writing about "kickass heroines of color."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Hannah Mary McKinnon (Never Coming Home) stopped by the Bunker to be our first guest on a Q&A show. A master storyteller, Hannah is going to have you riveted as she talks about why she writes, what makes her happiest, and the insane way she met and married her husband, the history of her hometown. Plus, there's a whole lot of talk about the things that drive writers mad.

Find Hannah on Facebook and Instagram @hannahmarymckinnon, and on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Wanda M. Morris stopped by the Bunker to talk about her debut novel, All Her Little Secrets. She and Brad discussed their love of structure and rules (but not in writing), which led her to a career in law, advocating, storytelling, and writing. (They are connected: promise!) Plus, they discussed how Wanda wrote a whole book without anyone knowing.

Learn more at wandamorriswrites.com or follow Morris on social media on Instagram: @wandamowrites or Twitter: @WandaMo14.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crime author Gillian McAllister dropped by the Bunker just a few weeks before we went on hiatus. We've been gone so long that her last book, That Night, is now out everywhere and her current book, Wrong Place, Wrong Time just dropped in the U.K. (and comes to the U.S. in August). She and Brad talked about the pressure of success, growing up as a creative kid, and the long, winding road to finding your way in the world. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or over at her website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two-time National Magazine Award winner and author Chris Jones stopped by the Bunker to talk about his latest book, The Eye Test, a treatise on expertise and the art of making decisions. This isn't your typical Jam. Chris and Brad took a deep dive into the ideas in the book. But, they also go back a few years (at least online). So, they also talked about the work men need to do on themselves, Chris' story "The Things That Carried Him," editing and writing, and sports. Plus, a whole bunch of stories about the magazine world that will never make it on air!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A little tired from the holiday season? We've got the cure here in the Ohio Bunker! The fantastic and lovely Elisabeth Sharp McKetta stopped by to talk about her first novel, She Never Told Me About the Ocean. She and Brad talked about life in Texas, fairy tales, Harvard and M.I.T., English living, and the intricacies that make a writer a writer. Pour a little holiday cheer and join them for a high-energy hour of fun.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices