Writers on Writing

Kim Dower, West Hollywood poet laureate, instructor at UCLA Extension and Antioch LA, and book publicist, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her latest volume, I Wore This Dress for You, Mom (Red Hen Press). They talk about inspiration, on not getting an MFA, what to do when you hit a wall, and more. Download audio.   (Recorded in April 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/writersonwriting Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com  Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com  Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

Annie Hartnett, author of the 2017 novel Rabbit Cake, returns with what The Millions calls "One of the most anticipated books of 2022." Part mystical, part mystery, Unlikely Animals is filled with quirky characters, problematic animals, and chatty ghosts.  Hartnett joins Marrie Stone to talk about the importance of following your obsessions and establishing a strong writing routine, as well as good tips on how to do it. (Hint: check out this article by Aimee Bender.) Hartnett also talks about mistakes she made in finding an agent and how to avoid them. Perhaps best of all, she shares some insightful tips for how to approach the revision process.  Download audio.   (Recorded on April 7, 2022) (Broadcast on April 24, 2022) Writers on Writing is now available on Patreon. Check out our fun perks and special offers for members. For the first ten patrons who join, we're offering the benefits of the next highest tier for one month. Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com  Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com  Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

T. Jefferson Parker, author of the new novel, A Thousand Steps (Forge) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the book he's wanted to write for years, finding his voice, rituals, and more.  This interview was originally recorded as a Sisters in Crime Zoom event (which was Zoom-bombed, but that's another story). If you'd like to view the interview (minus the Zoom-bomb), visit YouTube and search out the Sisters in Crime Orange County channel. Download audio.  We are now on Patreon. If you're a loyal listener and would like to show your appreciation, any amount helps. Visit Patreon. (Recorded in March and April, 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com  Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

In 2007, Tom Sleigh was invited to the Middle East by Munir Akash — who translated works of the famous Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish — to tell a more nuanced and emotional story of the Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Shortly after his arrival, war broke out again in Lebanon and Sleigh's time quickly turned from an archivist poet to an eye-witness journalist.  Sleigh has written eleven collections of poetry, as well as essays and prose on his experiences in war-torn countries, his own lifelong battle with a deadly disease, and other topics. Sleigh is a Distinguished Professor in the MFA program at Hunter College. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest collection, The King's Touch, published by Graywolf Press. He talks about the current crisis in Ukraine, finding the authority to tell stories about refugees, how most poems take 80 or 90 drafts, how the personal can be married to the political and more. Download audio.  (Recorded on March 13, 2022) Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

Novelist Francine Prose talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her novel, The Vixen. They also talk about writing about writers, writing during Covid, using McCarthyism as an allegory for Trumpism, and more.   Download audio. (Recorded in February 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com  Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com  Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

Charlotte McConaghy, author of the novels, Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about wolves' role in bringing the forests back to life, writing in the close first person, and defying categories.  Download audio  (Recorded on Feb. 17, 2022) Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.comMarrie Stone: www.marriestone.comTravis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com

Lee Cole grew up in Kentucky and set his debut novel, Groundskeeping, in his childhood home. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about establishing a strong sense of place within the novel, tackling dialect, and the physical and psychological distance required to write about home.  As a graduate of the University of Iowa's MFA program, Cole talks about the lessons he learned there, including the importance of staying in scene, establishing a strong sense of interiority in his characters, and more.  Download audio.  Record date: February 22, 2022 Broadcast date: March 28, 2022

Lee Kravetz—author of Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success and Strange Contagion: Inside the Surprising Science of Infectious Behaviors and Viral Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves—takes on the life and legacy of Sylvia Plath in his debut novel, The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. Kravetz joins Marrie Stone for a deep dive into the enduring influence of Sylvia Plath and her work, and how she—along with Anne Sexton—pioneered the genre of confessional poetry, leading in part to punk rock and the memoir as we know it today. The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is at once a compelling mystery, a psychological study, a slice of historical literary fiction, and an homage to some of the greatest poets of the mid-20th century. Kravetz spent years in the publishing industry. He decided on an advanced degree in psychology instead of an MFA. And he opted to leave nonfiction behind in favor of fiction. He shares all the insights and wisdom he's gained along the way, as well as mounds of writing advice. Listeners will learn the importance of putting on their shoes, and how a dog determined Kravetz next project, among many other great stories. Download audio.   Record date: February 28, 2022 Broadcast date: March 14, 2022

This show was especially fun for me because I got to talk with Mark Wish, editor of Coolest American Stories 2022, an anthology that includes my story, "Blue Martini," along with stories I loved by two other writers in the book, Mary Taugher and David Ebenbach. More than 125 of Mark Wish's short stories have appeared in print venues such as Virginia Quarterly Review, The Georgia Review, Triquarterly, Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize 2000. His three novels, published by two small presses and Putnam, have been praised by the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. Mary Taugher’s short stories have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Narrative Magazine, Santa Monica Review, Epiphany, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Redivider. She has worked as a journalist in Ohio and Southern California, and as a writer and editor for public relations, political consulting, and fundraising agencies. She lives in San Francisco, where she is working on a collection of short stories. David Ebenbach is the author of nine books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including his recent novel How to Mars. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches at the Center for Jewish Civilization and promotes student centered teaching through the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. More at davidebenbach.com.  More about show host B. DeMarco-Barrett at www.penonfire.com. Learn more about COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 at www.coolestamericanstories.com The anthology is considering stories for the 2023 edition. Download audio.  (Recorded: Feb 11, 2022) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma was twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize for his novels The Fishermen (2015) and An Orchestra of Minorities (2019). With fluidity in several languages, and immersion in disparate cultures and literature, Obioma brings his unique voice to the page. He also tackles challenging points of view, from a madman in The Fishermen to the chi—the Igbo personal life force or guardian angel—in An Orchestra of Minorities.  Obioma teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and brings the strength of his experience in teaching and writing, as well as the wisdom he's gained in straddling different cultures and languages to the conversation. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about his childhood in Nigeria, how his native language impacts his work, choosing challenging points of view, and the remarkable way he sold his first novel.  Download audio.   (Broadcast date: February 28, 2022)