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In this episode, Jessica E. Johnson tells the story of Mettlework. Along the way she covers: 
Agent troubles 

Her poetry collection Metabolics

A need for more poetry about motherhood

Connections between form, content, and 'material conditions of creation'  in her work 

Gathering your mentor texts 

The inheritance of motherhood and the self-sacrificing mother myth

Mary Ardery's review of her book 

Emma Copley Eisenberg and Housemates

Learn more about Jessica here 

Buy Mettlework here

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In this episode Polly tells the story of Look How Happy I'm Making You.
Along the way she covers:
- When your conversation partner for your book launch cancel at the last minute
- Bathttub stories
- Going to auction
- Keeping your expectations low
- Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern
- Finding an agent in Poets and Writers

Find out more about Polly here
Buy Look How Happy I'm Making You here 

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In this episode, Danny Goodman tells the story of Amerikaland.
Along the way he covers:
- Anxiety as writing fuel
- how sports can be literary, romantic, uniting, and a useful literary tool
- writing a different gender
- writing pro athletes
- Leftover Books
- Being married to a brilliant editor
- Antisemitism

Learn more about Danny here
Buy Amerikaland here 

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In this episode, Jazmina Barrera tells the story of Linea Nigra. Along the way she covers: 
World-altering experience of becoming a parent
Gendered double-standards in terms of what topics are worthy of books
Radical empathy 
Publishing a book in translation, working with a translator

Two Lines Press

Foreign Body 

Linea Negra

Ediciones Antílope

Learn more about  Jazmina Barrera 
Buy Linea Nigra here

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Kate Brody tells the story of Rabbit Hole.

Along the way she covers:
Choosing a genre container to move her plot along
Selling fast in one country and slow in another
Selling a book while in labor with her second child
Writing a book while teaching and parenting
Writing a second book when the first didn't sell
Commercial ambitions and related feelings
Dorland Arts Colony
SOHO Press, Bloomsbury

Find out more about Kate here
Buy Rabbit Hole here (PAPERBACK COMES OUT TUESDAY) 

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In this episode Brittany tells the story of Hell If We Don't Change Our Ways.
Along the way she covers:

- Taking care of yourself when writing hard things
-  The best way to protect yourself from post-publication despair and Zibby Books
- The power of a good writing teacher
- Complicating the popular 'homeless-to-Harvard' narrative
- Why the submission process made her feel like a 'ferret with fleas'
- Studying nonfiction at Iowa
- Writing as coping mechanism
- Kiese Laymon

Find out more about Brittany here
Buy Hell If We Don't Change Our Ways here

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In this episode, Kate Weinberg tells the story of There's Nothing Wrong With Her.
Along the way she covers:
why it is hard to live with a writer
Stamina and persistence
Having your book go to auction
The emotional and financial uncertainty and fluctuation in an artist's life
Chronic illness
The importance of celebrating writing wins
The Truants

Buy There's Nothing Wrong With Her here
Learn more about Kate here
Find out more about Writing Stories here

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In this episode Cheryl Klein tells the story of Crybaby. Along the way she covers: 

• Big Feelings and sexism in our beliefs about what is worthy of big feelings 
• Memoir as coping mechanism
• Presenting the self in memoir 
• Publishing a memoir when you are living through the sequel 
• Miscarriage
• Baby envy 
• MUTHA Magazine
• Brown Paper Press
• Zoe Norvell 
• Dani Shapiro 
• The Commuters 
• Lilac Mines 

Buy Crybaby here

Learn more about Cheryl Klein here

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In this episode Marie Mutsuki Mockett tells the story of The Tree Doctor. Along the way she covers: 

• The ways women are and are not allowed to write about sex
• The depression that can follow publishing a book and how to overcome it (hint: lemons and sugar are involved)
• Differences in Japanese and American perspectives on the body 
• Embracing one's creative range and curiosity 
• Graywolf Press and editor Ethan Nosowsky 
• The Tale of Genji 
• The End of the Affair 
• Marie's previous books: Picking Bones from Ash, American Harvest, Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye 

Learn more about Marie here

Buy The Tree Doctor here 

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Rebecca J. Sanford tells the story of The Disappeared. Along the way she covers:

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina
A new querying technique
Being on submission for a year
Finding an agent who understands your vision

Buy The Disappeared here
Find out more about Rebecca here
Find out more about Writing Stories here

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