Today we talk (and laugh a lot) with poet Ayokunle Falomo, known to his Slam poetry friends and fans as Ayo. We chat about the inspiration for his urgent and iconic poem “Blk Boy Joy.” Ayo schools us on the question of how we as writers should appeal to young readers. *Answer: start by listening to them. And all your questions about cultural appropriation and shitty poetry will be answered, well, asked. "“My smile, like my mother’s laughter, is an act of defiance.” -- Ayonkunle Falomo, from his ...
Oct 26, 2018•50 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Actor and playwright, Jason E. Carmichael, comes on the podcast to chat about August Wilson and his Pittsburgh cycle of plays. We get into the burning forest that is scene-writing and he answers the age-old question that has plagued racist Hollywood producers for centuries: exactly which tattoos are gang-enough? More pressingly, we discuss balancing our art against the pressures of commerce, and he reveals the best acting advice he ever got: Pro-tip: it works for writing effective scenes in any ...
Oct 12, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 4
On today’s show, Cameron Dezen Hammon tells us how to trick yourself into writing a good book. (Spoiler alert: it helps if you’re already really talented. Tin House workshops don’t hurt.) We get down to the reals about spiritual writing in the age of Trump, why we can still afford to be hopeful, and why Cameron advocates for writing book proposals for books you haven’t yet written. Also, Jessica and Cameron bond over Russian Jewishness and ugly crying at The Seagull . Dezen Hammon’s work can be ...
Sep 26, 2018•54 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode, we talk to novelist Daniel Peña about how to be a cheery human despite being in the business of immersing one’s self in the violent reality of the drug war at the border. Peña talks about advice he got from Rodrigo Hasbún, how once you let go of selling thousands of copies, you’re free to junk what you learned in the MFA program, & why you should trust your indie bookseller with your spleen health diagnosis. Plus, Jessica learns about the wonder that is Texas’ best grocery s...
Sep 20, 2018•55 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode, Nick Flynn dishes about donuts, the Thesaurussaurus Rex, and how making your students perform your poetry for you as you write it is the only way to pen award-winning/money-making poetry. No one says anything about Hamlet, Nick does not say the podcast is a shit show, & there is absolutely no cussing in this episode. Also, Jess goes on a bee bender. photo credit: Jessica Crute Check out Flynn's work: His latest poem in The New Yorker, "The King of Fire" I Will Destroy You: P...
Sep 12, 2018•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 1
We talk with Melissa Goldman and Daphne Strassmann, two members of a four-person team responsible for the amazing co-working community that is The Village Works. (It is an actual physical space, but so much more.) We chat about locating the mythical work-life balance, Marie-kondo-ing your life, the Process of Reprioritization, and avoiding the rabbit/wormholes of writing while there is an Internet. We also explore what is it like to reclaim the professional part of your identity as a writer, as ...
Jul 31, 2018
Woman-of-all-trades, Karen Walrond, lit up the F***ing Shakespeare studio. She's a master storyteller, envy-inducing photographer and writer, and self-avowed twinkle-light-hangin', candle-lighting, biscuit-eating junkie. And we all fell in love with her. You will too. Plus, she knows a thing or two about handling a microphone. Did we mention she hosts her own podcast ? Photo credit: Karen Walrond Suggested readings: "The New Midlife Crisis for Women: Why (and How) It's Hitting Get X Women" Bravi...
Mar 22, 2018•56 min•Ep. 7
You know how Adam Rippon named himself America's Figure Skating Sweetheart at the Olympics? Well, I'm dubbing Katherine Center America's Author Sweetheart. Because I can. On the show, she talks spotting the Neighborhood Novelist and Why You Should Approach with Reckless Abandon, and why you should, yes, Write What you Know, but also write in the service of others. Seriously. She's awesome. Also on the podcast: Rejection letters on one-eighth a sheet of paper. photo credit: Karen Walrond Suggeste...
Mar 15, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 6
YA novelist Jennifer Mathieu and co-host Jessica Cole work out once and for all what happened with the election. Turns out “We’re fine!” Plus, she reveals the three rules of writing. Your writing life will never be the same. Suggested readings: Photo credit: Pablo Gamez Houston: It's Worth It (the coffee table book & the attendant website) The First Rule of Punk by Celia Perez Joan Didion's Essay Collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton In addition to The Truth Abo...
Mar 01, 2018•Ep. 4
Young Adult novelist Kristin Rae explains the similarities between zombies and toddlers and their completely backed-up-by-neuroscientists impact on the mind of a writer. The agent of an author friend of hers once told her, “Life is hard enough, reading should be a joy.” And that’s why our guest, young adult novelist Kristin Rae writes. For the heart flutters and the tingles. Photo credit: Kristin Rae (yup. we told you she was talented) Suggested readings: Zadie Smith’s “Dance Lessons for Writers...
Feb 22, 2018
Poet D.F. Brown tells us how nursery rhymes in the 1950s Ozarks are just like Disney movies and not scary at all. And Jessica goes for a walk in the wide, wide world and shares a very special PSA about poetry. Recommended reading & suggested links from David Brown: Williams Blake's "Auguries of Innocence" The Most of It by Robert Frost The Waking by Theodore Roethke Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich Lyn Hejinian’s beautiful letterpress chapbooks Jayne Anne Phillips Fast Lanes C.D. Wrigh...
Feb 15, 2018•59 min
We talk to Mark Dostert about his memoir recounting his time as a juvenile attendant in Up in Here: Jailing Kids on Chicago’s Other Side, choosing the right color white for your juvenile detention center, and the merits of jailing kids with outmoded and punitive drug laws. Photo credit: Chris Wineinger Suggested readings from Mark: Dostert’s opinion piece in the Dallas Morning News Mark's short story "Rocks, July 1994" in Green Hills Literary Lantern, also a finalist for the 2017 Lamar York Priz...
Feb 08, 2018•43 min
Novelist and Brazos bookstore manager Mark Haber gets real worked up about LCD Soundsystem and why nothing else will do for writing inspiration. And then gets real meta about the truth and Mario Belletin. Dear listeners, we’ll let you decide. Photo credit: Houston Creative Space Photo credit: Argonáutica Be on the lookout for Mark's forthcoming novel REINHARDT’S GARDEN with Coffee House Press @Coffee_House_ ! And follow Mark @infinitetexts and Brazos Bookstore @BrazosBookstore Suggested readings...
Feb 01, 2018•53 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Jan 02, 2018•49 sec•Season 1Ep. 1
