Write, Publish, and Shine

In this episode, I delve into the importance and crafting of cover letters for literary magazine submissions. A cover letter is not as crucial as the quality of the writing itself—yet, it does play a significant role in making a solid first impression and demonstrating your professionalism as a writer. In a detailed breakdown of the elements of a cover letter, I outline the importance of brevity, relevance, and personalization. Plus, I dig into the dual audiences and what they need to know about you, dear writer.

You can check out the article accompanying this episode here.

When you’re there, download my FREE Guide on How to Write a Cover Letter for a Lit Mag

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All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/101

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Dear writers, I'm thrilled to present the 100th episode of the podcast! I have delighted in each of the conversations and episodes I've been able to share with you, and talking to writers and covering topics on how to write, publish, and shine.

Thank you to the writers who listen to each episode and especially those who share what they gleaned or the little ways they were encouraged to keep going.

This episode is a moment to reflect on where the podcast has been and where it's going and includes listeners sharing their favourite moments on the podcast and how they influenced their writing lives.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/100

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Memoirist Yolande House sits down with me for a book club conversation about Kae Tempest’s On Connection. It was a real pleasure to read this book alongside her and compare notes. And I hope those of you reading alongside us in our book club enjoy it.

About On Connection: This is a book about connection. About how immersing ourselves in creativity can help us cultivate greater self-awareness and bring us closer to each other.

After we discuss the book, stick around as Yolande House also shares highlights from her disability reading list.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/88

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The Write, Publish, and Shine podcast, hosted by me, author and literary magazine editor Rachel Thompson, celebrates its 99th episode! I reflect on the podcast journey and past episodes, highlighting eleven essential writing tips from literary magazine editors who have been guests on the show.

Listen if you need encouragement to write, publish, and shine. Editors share how and why to read deeply, tell your truths, and continue your creative journey with resilience and passion while connecting with the broader social and political contexts that influence your writing.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/99

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In the conversation with Amy Friend, the artist discusses her creative process, the influence of her personal experiences on her work, and the themes of loss, longing, and home that pervade her art. Her childhood experiences, growing up in a neighbourhood populated by immigrants, and the stories she heard from them deeply influenced her work. She emphasizes the importance of play, openness, and letting go of control in creating art. She also discusses her fascination with old photographs and how she uses them in her work. Friend shares her perspective on artistic community, rejection, and the role of literary magazines in fostering dialogue and inspiration.

This episode is part of a deep dive into the creation of Room magazine issue 46.3, where I was the lead editor. (You can check out the full run of episodes, starting with Episode #80.)

Amy Friend’s art truly resonates with me on a deep level of nostalgia and grief, and this is also because of the incredible artistry she uses with photographs, turning those difficult experiences into beauty.

Even after over a decade of editing for Room, we're vibing in those themes of loss and longing. I spoke with Amy Friend about how she makes her photographs, what draws her to these themes, and how photography as a medium inherently communicates memory, loss, and absence.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/86

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We are playing summer reading bingo these next few months, with 24 squares representing categories of books you can read. And you are invited. Grab your card to play along with us, then choose a row, column, or diagonal line, or complete the card.

Why are we, a writing community and I, an instructor of writing courses, doing this book bingo? I answer this question in the episode.

Listen as I dig into some of our summer book categories, why we chose them, and how reading books in these categories will improve your writing.

More episodes to check out if you are looking for a craft book in a genre new to you:

• Episode 68: Writerly Love Community members Jennifer Robinson and Candace Webb joined me to talk about quite the throw-back book, The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry, by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. At the time, Jen and Candace were fairly new to poetry and found that this book helped them journey into a new genre. So, listen here if you’ve been writing short stories and want to try verse.
• Episode 72: Another community book club chat on Voice First: A Writer’s Manifesto by Sonya Huber. Listen to our book club conversation with Writerly Love Members Louise Julig, Lina Lau, and Wendy Atwell if you need help to shake up conventional wisdom on writing craft.
• Episode 88: I know I’m not alone in reading and writing for connection. Kae Tempest’s On Connection helped me understand how immersing ourselves in creativity can help us cultivate greater self-awareness and bring us closer to each other. Hear me talk about the book with Yolande House.
• Episode 78: Author Kavita Das joined us to talk about her amazing book Craft and Conscience, an intentional journey to unpack our motivations for writing about an issue and to understand that “writing, irrespective of genre or outlet, is an act of political writing.” Dig into this vital topic for writers and a great book to read, whether you’re crossing off a bingo square or not. Listen to our conversation with Kavita Das.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/98

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Writer and Room contributor ViNa Nguyễn discusses their choice to deliberately write about joy as a writer who writes about grief and nostalgia.

We also talked about their experimental writing and, in particular, the brilliant piece, A Nesting of Bracketed Bodies, which I published in Room's “Ghosts” issue; they also read from the work for us, so prepare your earbuds for some delightful fiction writing.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/85

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Listen if you’ve been looking for books to support your writing practice, or maybe a list of books to give another writer in your life, or if you’ve been wanting to read with a community of writers, too, and need some guidance to get started.

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Get your free bingo card and play along with us for Writerly Prizes.

rachelthompson.co/bookclub

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Lina Lau, writer, mother, and owner of too many notebooks, has published short memoir in X-R-A-Y, Prairie Fire, Hippocampus (where she is now a reader as well), Carte Blanch, and Little Fiction/Big Truths.

We discuss how flash memoir writing captures a moment and the characteristics required of memoirists. Lina also reads a 100-word story, bringing us into the experience of writing and publishing this work on Five Minute Lit.

Show notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/89

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Welcome to our last instalment of this string of episodes on writing with limitations and disabilities.

I’m so happy to end this with the wonderful Cicely Belle Blain, the final member of my writing community who kindly agreed to join us to discuss limitations and disabilities when it comes to writing.

Reading from Cicely’s bio: Cicely Belle Blain is a Black/mixed, queer femme activist, equity and inclusion consultant, and writer. Their bestselling poetry collection Burning Sugar was called “an intimately powerful debut” by Quill and Quire. With laughter and fearlessness, they harness a passion for justice, liberation and meaningful change via transformative education.

They talk about their consulting work as well as writing and how the fairly recent journey of learning about their ADHD intersects with both of these practices.

Cicely also reads work on the theme of grief, aptly bringing to the fore the subtext of what is often the experience of having limitations and disability.

Their bio mentions their passion for justice, and so, of course, they shared their sage perspective, which underscored the enormity of this series of themed episodes—not asking for simply understanding of their or others' individual limitations and disabilities but solidarity with those attempting to resist the expectations of writing, the publishing world, social media, social capital, deadlines, and capitalism.

All of the notes for this episode are up at rachelthompson.co/97

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