The Inner Loop Radio: A Creative Writing Podcast

Writers see connections between all sorts of disparate things, but how can we turn that into a unified collection? Poet Jenn Koiter tells us how she found the throughline between grief, breakups, beauty tips, and what it means to be a woman in her latest poetry collection So Much of Everything from Day Eight Books and The Inner Loop Author's Corner April spotlight. Plus, we utilize a topic generator to flex our creative muscles.

The short story. It’s not a condensed novel, nor an expanded poem; it’s its own animal. So, how do you end a short story? With a twist? On a lingering image? In the middle of conflict? Fiction writer Cameron MacKenzie explains the intent behind some of the abrupt endings in his story collection, River Weather, from Alternating Current Press and The Inner Loop Author's Corner September spotlight. Then, Cameron, Courtney, and Rachel finish each other’s… sandwiches?

When we erase words that have been written, is it destruction or creation? For erasure poems, it can be both. Poet and Poetry Editor of Barrelhouse Magazine, Dan Brady, recreates erasure poetry by adding layers of erasure over his own words, creating texture and depth in the poems of his latest collection, SubTEXTS from Publishing Genius Press and The Inner Loop Author's Corner August spotlight. Plus, Dan, Courtney, and Rachel create an erasure poem from the classic, Moby Dick.

Can a poem’s meaning be distinguished from its form? When is a form serving the poet and when does it work against them? And how can we tell the difference when writing a poem? Poet and The Inner Loop Author's Corner June spotlight Danielle Badra talks about how she works with form in her poetry collection entitled “Like We Still Speak,” and how different forms helped her to convey the inexpressible aspects of grief.

In this episode we kick off a new season of The Inner Loop Radio with a discussion of short fiction. Are short stories special, or are they relics of a bygone literary era? Has “flash fiction” replaced the short story? Our Author’s Corner featured writer Andrew Bertaina joins us to talk nuts and bolts, and about his recently published short story collection, One Person Away from You. Andrew sticks around after his interview for some fun and games where we get flashy, flexing our writing skills with one-sentence novels! ***Forgive the audio quality as our hosts find a new recording studio***

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words does it take to capture a mood and what is it worth? The Inner Loop Author’s Corner November spotlight, Sean Felix, manages to capture the urgency and surreality of both insomnia and the magical city of Paris in his self-published poetry collection Did You Even Know I Was Here? And he explains why that urgency translated to the publishing process. Plus, we produce a few pandemic pantoums to capture the mood of the past two years.

Publishing a book is a long and unpredictable process that can seem opaque to new writers. Tope Folarin, author of A Particular Kind of Black Man, takes us on his journey from winning the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing to landing a book deal to being awarded the 2021 Whiting Award for Fiction. We laugh at the Oscar-style ceremony in which he won his first prize, and then cry when we hear his editor slashed 50 pages of his manuscript. Plus, Tope, Courtney, and Rachel take a stab at magical realism during our signature writing exercise.

By writing something, do you make it real? Inevitable? In what ways do authors conjure stories from both the past and the future? Meg Eden, author of Drowning in the Floating World and The Inner Loop Author's Corner October spotlight, joins us in an exploration of how writers grapple with omniscience and blindness on the page, especially in the wake of disaster. And of course, no episode would be complete without some literary antics… look into the future with us as we try our hands at writing fortune cookie fortunes!

Small presses are closely connected to local talent in a way the big five could never be. Poet Courtney LeBlanc dishes on the hows and whys of starting a new press. She tells us how Riot In Your Throat Press was born and published her latest poetry collection, "Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart” - The Inner Loop Author's Corner September spotlight. Plus, Rachel and the Courtney’s explore local lit the best way they know how… trivia!

Whether it’s for setting, cultural information, or character development, research is essential to works of fiction. Best-selling author, Lauren Francis-Sharma, offers us her favorite resources, methods, and tricks to avoid procrastination when tackling a well-researched novel. Plus, Lauren, Rachel, and Courtney team up to uncover some unexpected novels that were actually based on true events… hint: there’s a lot of murder!