The Inner Loop Radio: A Creative Writing Podcast

We’re ramping up a new year and a new decade of writing resolutions -- and one of them is to sell out (in a good way)! We discuss what makes manuscripts appealing to publishers, and, perhaps more importantly, local bookstores. Joined by Gwen Hunter of Solid State Books, we also consider what roles smaller booksellers can play in popularizing your pages. Finally, we remember that rejection is growth -- most great literary works ran the gamut of criticism before being bought.

As 2019 draws to a close and we get ready for the new year, let's talk about writing endings. A story is only as good as its ending. Essayist and creative nonfiction giant, Jo Ann Beard joins us to discuss how to pack an ending with a punch! Plus, Courtney and Rachel rewrite the Christmas classic: T'was The Night Before Christmas.

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As 2019 draws to a close and we get ready for the new year, let's talk about writing endings. A story is only as good as its ending. Essayist and creative nonfiction giant, Jo Ann Beard joins us to discuss how to pack an ending with a punch! Plus, Courtney and Rachel rewrite the Christmas classic: T'was The Night Before Christmas.

Food is what we all have in common. And often it’s what brings us all together around the holidays. Writing about food can be a vehicle for staging a scene, accessing difficult topics, or exploring the world around us, and food writing as a genre has taken on new meaning. Washington City Paper food editor Laura Hayes, and food journalist Susan Lutz, tell us how it goes beyond what's on the plate. Plus, we hear food writing from local authors Sherrie Flick and Eric Kozlik.

Art has been inspiring writers for centuries. But what’s the value in it? Local community organizer - or social sculptor - Philippa Hughes of The Pink Line Project gives us her take on the conversation that can happen between disciplines. Then she joins Courtney and Rachel for an art-inspired writing session! Plus, we hear art-inspired pieces from Jennifer Clements and Jennifer Atkinson.

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Art has been inspiring writers for centuries. But what’s the value in it? Local community organizer - or social sculptor - Philippa Hughes of The Pink Line Project gives us her take on the conversation that can happen between disciplines. Then she joins Courtney and Rachel for an art-inspired writing session! Plus, we hear art-inspired pieces from Jennifer Clements and Jennifer Atkinson.

Happy Halloween, litwits! Feeling inspired to write your first thriller? You’ll need to know all about how to use suspense in your writing! But suspense isn’t just for Stephen King, it’s useful in any genre. Whether it appears in a plot twist or the space between two lines of a poem, suspense is key to hooking and surprising your reader. Thriller-writer Tara Laskowski talks about building tension and creating space, Dan Knowlton guest-hosts with Rachel Coonce, and they show us their most suspenseful selves! Plus, we hear Halloween poems from Sarah Ann Winn, Lucian Mattison, and Donal Illich!

It’s back to school season and it’s time to get back to work, writers! Emily Mitchell joins Rachel and Courtney to discuss how teaching can inspire writers, Indigo Eriksen talks about the learning process of teaching, and Rachel and Courtney demonstrate the power of writing prompts for Inktober!

As we officially transition to fall, we're relfecting on the summer writing residency season. We will discuss the value of writing residencies, and what it means to establish spaces and places dedicated to artistic creation and collaboration. We will hear from special guest Amanda Phillips, the site director at Woodlawn Pope-Leighey Estate, where we host summer writing residents annually. We'll also get insights from former residents about how such programs impact their creative lives.

The heaviness of summer can bring up those heavy feelings of nostalgia, but when is it time to stop musing and put those feelings on the page? J.M. Tyree, author, film critic, and nonfiction editor of the New England Review, joins Rachel and Courtney to discuss just that, as well as how we weave the past and the present into a narrative. Rachel and Courtney delve into their own pasts, Samantha de Trinidad, Stephanie Bento, and LaCole Foots get nostalgic, and Amy Woolard, Paul Fauteux, Whitney Pipkin, Matthew Moniz, and Max Meltzer help us feel that summer rain.