Writers on Writing

Sara Gran, author of The Book of the Most Precious Substance (Dreamland Books) talks with B. DeMarco-Barrett about her new erotic thriller, revising, the book within the book and why she chose to start a publishing company to publish the novel rather than going through an agent and traditional publisher.  Download audio  (Broadcast date: Feb. 21, 2022)

Weike Wang planned to pursue a career in medicine. She obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a doctorate in public health, both from Harvard University. But she also earned an MFA from Boston University and it changed the trajectory of her career. Joan is Okay is her second novel. Her debut novel, Chemistry, won the Pen/Hemingway Award in Fiction and a Whiting Award in 2018.  Joan is Okay tackles issues of race, culture, gender, family and economics, all set against the backdrop of the pandemic. Wang joined Marrie Stone to talk about unlearning how to write like an academic, finding the voice for an elusive character, how writing in the collage structure paid unexpected dividends, and more. Download audio.   (Record date: January 27, 2022 Broadcast date: February 14, 2022)

Benjamin Percy, author of The Unfamiliar Garden, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his new book and the writing life.  Download audio.  (Recorded on January 28, 2022) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

In the spirit of The Lost Daughter, Tessa Hadley's latest novel explores one of the biggest taboos of western culture—women who leave. The British author has penned eight novels and three collections of short stories. She's known in the industry as "a writer's writer," admired by contemporaries like Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hilary Mantel and Anne Enright. Hadley joins Marrie Stone to talk about Free Love. She discusses some of the enduring themes in her fiction, the freedom of setting a novel in the 1960s, how she tackles her sex scenes, and why this novel came easily to her when others mostly don't.  Hadley came late to publishing, her first novel making its debut when the author was 46. She discusses the advantages of publishing later in life, and how she approaches her different roles as novelist versus short story writer.  Download audio.   (Record date: January 13, 2022) (Broadcast date: January 31, 2022)

Debut novelist, April Dávila, author of 142 Ostriches, published by Kensington, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about taking your time writing your book, how a seed of experience turns into a story, and writing setting and place. Download audio.  (Recorded on January 4, 2022) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

Kathryn Schulz lost her father in 2016, only a year after falling in love with fellow New Yorker staff writer Casey Cep, whom she would marry in 2018. The confluence of tragedy and discovery moved her to write the memoir, Lost and Found, a book full of personal accounts of loss, discovery and the mystery of what conjoins them. It leads the reader not only through Schulz's experiences, but the more universal experience of loss and revelation by using philosophy, science, poetry and other disciplines. The result is a beautiful meditation on the ordinary experiences of everyday life, as well as the profound mysteries of love and loss. Schulz joins Marrie Stone to talk about the memoir, how she settled on its structure, how she's built the deep well of scientific, philosophical, spiritual and literary knowledge she drew from, and more. Schultz is a staff writer for the New Yorker Magazine. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her 2015 article, "The Really Big One." She's also the author of the 2010 book, Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error.Download audio. (Broadcast date: January 17, 2022)

T. Jefferson Parker, author of A Thousand Steps (Forge), released on Jan. 11, 2022, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his new novel, why he wanted to write a novel based in 1968, point of view and tense, merging fact with fiction, and so much more.   Download audio.   (Recorded via Zoom on Jan. 6, 2022) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Good Son, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new novel. Included in their talk is coming up with the midpoint, the 10 or 11 big events in a novel, and balancing narrative with scene. Download audio.    (Recorded on Dec. 22, 2021) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett Contact: www.palmspringsnoir.com

Donna Hilbert is the author of nine collections of poetry and two works of fiction. She's taught extensively in private workshops and classroom settings. She joins Marrie Stone to discuss her latest collection, Threnody, and how grief has informed her work for over two decades. She talks about knowing when a poem is finished, the importance is composing with pen and paper, various types of poems, and other insightful advice for poets and writers. Download audio.   (Broadcast date: December 17, 2021)

The Mirassou family has been growing grapes and crafting wines in California since 1854, making them one of America's oldest winemaking families. Steven Kent Mirassou joins Marrie Stone to talk about his debut book, Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generations in California Wine.   Part insight into the wine industry and part memoir, the book is a philosophical exploration into what makes a meaningful life and a sensual homage to food, wine, family, and community. Mirassou shares his twin passions (literature and wine) and how he managed to successfully combine them. He talks about structuring the many varied strands of narrative, finding a coherent structure for the book, accessing difficult memories, and much more. Download audio.   (Broadcast date: December 3, 2021)