Podcasts

Ann Hood and Margot Livesey

Novelists Ann Hood and Margot Livesey join Marrie Stone to talk about their latest novels, The Book That Matters Most and Mercury.

Ann Hood talks about book clubs, the books that have mattered most to her at various points in her life, and her mother and daughter coming-of-age story.  She shares what she’s learned over the years, the progress women have made over the past decades, and lots of wonderful writing advice.

Margot Livesey joins in the second half to talk about tackling a different and more complex kind of infidelity in marriage, how an article on gun control sparked this novel, what concerns have haunted and intrigued her over the years, and much more.  (Please note the last few moments of our interview were lost, so it ends a bit abruptly, but you can find out more about Margot and her book tour at her website, www.margotlivesey.com).

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Broadcast Date: September 28, 2016
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Novelists Swan Huntley and Affinity Konar on Writers on Writing

Debut novelist Swan Huntley, author of We Could Be Beautiful talks with co-host Nicole Nelson about how writing in the first person allows her to explore the space between what a character is telling us and what we know to be true, how she came to the realization that her original ending wasn’t right for the story, and how she discovered her process as an outliner.

In the second half, novelist Affinity Konar, author of Mischling, talks about how her story grew from hearing dialogue in her head between twins, about going “sound-first” into words, and thus being drawn to the word “Mischling” in spite of its ugly meaning and history, and her writing advice to honor your obsessions.

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[Note: Swan Huntley’s reading selection was cut down due to audio issues; therefore, her reading starts in the middle of her first chapter, not the beginning.]

(Broadcast date: September 14, 2016)

Nora Baskin and Alexander Weinstein on Writers on Writing

Young adult author Nora Raleigh Baskin joins Marrie Stone to discuss her new middle-grade novel, Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story.  She discusses survivor’s guilt, unprocessed emotion, how books for young readers can be the best way to explore difficult subject-matter, rules for middle grade writers, and more.

In the second half, Alexander Weinstein joins Marrie to talk about his debut short story collection, Children of the New World.  He talks about experimental fiction, inventive structures for a story, point of view choices, knowing when things aren’t working, as well as a host of practical advice for writers.

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(Broadcast date: September 7, 2016)

Dana Johnson and Anna Solomon on Writers on Writing

Dana Johnson, author of the short story collection In the Not Quite Dark talks with co-host Nicole Nelson about how her journalism background informs her documentarian approach to writing about place, the value of reversal in constructing tension, and her affection for the short story form.

In the second half, novelist Anna Solomon, author of Leaving Lucy Pear, talks about her process of having a good idea of the story but not overthinking it in the first draft, the various kinds of research that went into writing a story that takes place in the Prohibition Era, the art of motivating coincidence in a story when a lot is at stake, and how a Post-it note that says, “You will fail,” is her key to writing freely.

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(Broadcast date: August 31, 2016)