Writing and Editing

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My guest today is Dr. Valerie Fridland, who is a professor of linguistics in the English department at the University of Nevada, Reno. She’s also more publically engaged than many linguists, with a regular column in Psychology Today, and an upcoming book called—you heard it here first!—Like, Literally, Dude, which is about modern English, its beauties and controversies, and how it changes and adapts. This is the first part of my conversation with her: you can hear the rest on Friday in episode 94. 

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My guest for this episode is Adam Rosen, who has been a writer and editor in both print and digital publishing since 2008. He has spent his time editing nonfiction books and articles, as well as writing articles and essays for print and online publications. He’s been freelancing since 2016. My chat with him is about an anthology he edited and contributed to called You Are Tearing Me Apart, Lisa!: The Year's Work on The Room, the Worst Movie Ever Made. Depending on your tastes, the movie The Room is just a bad movie to be dismissed, or a bad movie to be talked about, read about, and rewatched. I feel the latter. And Adam has produced a very readable, accessible, funny, and informative book about it. Please have a listen to our conversation.

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The topic of this episode is a bit of an indulgence for me. It’s about writing, yes, but specifically about handwriting, and even more specifically about handwriting analysis. I’ve always been kind of fascinated by the whole idea of it. And any writers out there who are writing crime novels or psychological thrillers might be interested as well. My guest is an internationally renowned handwriting expert named LaurieAnn Campbell. She is one of only five people in the world with a Masters Certification. She was knowledgeable to talk to, to say the least, but also a lot of fun—and, talking of even more indulgence, she even agreed to analyze a page of my own handwriting. Take a listen …

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Becca Babcock teaches creative and academic writing at Dalhousie University, as well as English and Canadian Studies. She has also published two works of fiction, a collection of linked stories and a novel, and has another novel forthcoming next spring.

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Wayne provides examples of minute, exquisite details that a professional proofreader is likely to notice, and makes a plea that you have a professional look at your proofs and not just yourself.

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My guest on this episode is Nancy K. Napier, who is Distinguished Professor Emerita at Boise State University. She has published widely on organizational creativity, innovation, and emerging economies over the years, with a special focus on Vietnam. In the last few years, she has received two of Vietnam’s top honors for foreigners, the Medal of Honor, for contributing to the advancement of education in the country, and the Medal of Friendship, for helping to build relationships between the U.S. and Vietnam. She’s now writing novels, and experiencing the joys and challenges of being a beginner again. 

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My guest on this episode is John Gibbs, who’s a retired lecturer in cultural studies and US politics, as well as a podcaster on philosophy and popular culture. He and his fellow members of the Spinoza Triad like to use philosophy to understand contemporary culture. John also created and maintains the Politics Shed site, and hosts a Friday morning slot on Teachers Talk Radio. And to top it all off, he’s performed standup comedy, focusing on surreal storytelling.

Note: view this episode also on the Writing & Editing YouTube channel.

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This episode is a continuation of the conversation I had in the previous episode with Lindsay McMahon. Lindsay is co-host of the wildly popular All Ears English. It’s an English as a Second Language podcast aimed at intermediate to advanced English speakers who are also professionals, university students, or ESL teachers. They teach listeners how to use everyday English vocabulary, and carry on regular conversations on the widest variety of topics. Lindsay and her co-host have been podcasting since 2013, and have made All Ears English into a huge success: 100,000 downloads per episode, four times a week. The podcast has won numerous awards. We had a great conversation, which ended just as she was getting into the details of monetization. And these are details you don’t want to miss. Please listen.

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My guest for this episode is Lindsay McMahon, who is co-host of the wildly popular All Ears English. It’s an English as a Second Language podcast aimed at intermediate to advanced English speakers who are also professionals, university students, or ESL teachers. They teach listeners how to use everyday English vocabulary, and carry on regular conversations on the widest variety of topics. Lindsay and her co-host have been podcasting since 2013, and have made All Ears English into a huge success: 100,000 downloads per episode, four times a week. If you are a podcaster, as I am obviously, you’ll know that this is really exceptional. The podcast has won numerous awards. I had a great conversation with her: she knows what she’s talking about, and I learned a lot even during our chat. You will too: please listen.

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Wayne talks about his participation in the contest, especially as part of a group of friends including Mel and Martin, who also provide thoughts on their history, strategy, and general experience with it as well.