Presenting Women Characters w. LENI ZUMAS
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Apr 04, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 23
WMFA
A podcast about why and how we write.
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Episodes
Writing Desire and Faith w. JAMIE QUATRO
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Mar 21, 2018•52 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Making Art and Podcasts w. MIKE SAKASEGAWA & COURTNEY BALESTIER
In this special joint episode, Courtney and Mike Sakasegawa—photographer, writer, and host of the arts podcast Keep the Channel Open—talk about podcasting and what they're working on off the air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 06, 2017•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 21
Figuring Out the Book You Want to Write w. JOANNA SCUTTS
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Nov 22, 2017•57 min•Ep. 20
Fighting Perfectionism w. CELESTE NG
Courtney and Celeste Ng—author of Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You—do a deep dive into process: what makes a good beginning, finding the voice, reverse outlining and more. They also discuss writing about identity and the other, and the importance of multiple narratives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 08, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Cutting Away the Obvious w. ZINZI CLEMMONS
What We Lose author Zinzi Clemmons on writing grief, experimental literature and the author who changed her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 25, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Coaxing Out Your Subconscious w. CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
Carmen Maria Machado's debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, is short-listed for the National Book Award. She joins Courtney to talk about how short stories are like algebra (in a good way), processing life through narrative, and why she also loves writing erotica. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 11, 2017•56 min
Rewriting And Rewriting More w. MATTHEW NEWTON
Matthew Newton—author of Shopping Mall, part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series—talks with Courtney about the mall's place in our culture and his life, balancing memoir and reportage, and the question to ask before starting your next project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 27, 2017•59 min
Writing Your Way to a Theory w. NICK RIGGLE
Season two is here! Nick Riggle—skater, philosopher and author of the new book On Being Awesome—talks about his theory of awesomeness, how hard it is to write clearly, and how some of his favorite projects have been reactions to creative dissatisfaction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 13, 2017•48 min
Special Episode: Readings by Glenn Taylor, Jeremy B. Jones & Rebecca Gayle Howell
I had an incredible experience at my first Appalachian Writers' Workshop this summer, and I'm excited to bring you three readings recorded live at AWW: novelist Glenn Taylor, nonfiction writer Jeremy B. Jones and poet Rebecca Gayle Howell. WMFA is back with season two in September! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 30, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Season Two Announcement
Here's what's coming up for WMFA—and how you can help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 16, 2017•3 min
Writing as Empathizing w. JENNIFER HAIGH
Jennifer Haigh's novel Heat and Light won a 2017 Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She and Courtney discuss writing about Appalachia, how writing a novel is an exercise in empathy, and why no one knows where her writing studio is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 02, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Discovering and Deep Editing w. RACHEL KHONG
Rachel Khong is a writer and former Lucky Peach editor whose debut novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, was just released by Henry Holt. She and Courtney discuss Rachel's fascination with memory, when to go to grad school and the weird world of ambient sound recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 19, 2017•54 min
Learning to Trust Your Work w. HANIF ABDURRAQIB
Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic whose work bridges personal experience and popular culture, covering everything from Ric Flair to the erasure of memory. He and Courtney discuss the deeper meanings of pop culture, writing as a physical act, and why Hanif believes the best poets are in black barber shops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 05, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Starting with Voice and Fragmenting Structure w. JULIE BUNTIN & GABE HABASH
Married writers Julie Buntin and Gabe Habash have both just released their debut novels, Julie's Marlena and Gabe's Stephen Florida. We talk about how they created these works, what drew them to their protagonists, and what it's like to live with another writer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 21, 2017•1 hr 8 min
Being Patient and Indulgent w. GARTH GREENWELL
Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You, discusses being a poet novelist, the language of desire, and why he writes first drafts by hand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 07, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Writing Down All Your Sh*t w. YESENIA MONTILLA
New York-born Afro-Caribbean poet Yesenia Montilla talks about writing the immigrant and the American experience, walking around with your two-weeks’ notice in your pocket, and why poetry is like a puzzle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 24, 2017•51 min
Editing Our Own Narratives w. JACK CHENG
The author of See You in the Cosmos, a middle-grade novel, talks about editing our own narratives, presenting complex issues to kids, and how he raised $24,000 on Kickstarter to publish his first book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 10, 2017•58 min
Career Up-Leveling w. ESMÉ WEIJUN WANG
Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Border of Paradise: A Novel, discusses writing with limitations, career "up-leveling," and that time she tossed an entire novel draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 26, 2017•54 min
Finding the Helpfulness in Failure w. JASON DIAMOND
Jason Diamond, author of the memoir Searching for John Hughes, discusses the helpfulness of failure, visiting famous authors' graves and analyzing your past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 12, 2017•47 min
BONUS Mini Episode: Talking Class + Art with Rebecca Gayle Howell
In this bonus mini episode, we discuss class and art—and the attitudes about both that we bring to creative work—with last week's guest, Rebecca Gayle Howell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 05, 2017•12 min
Accessing Your Nighttime Mind w. REBECCA GAYLE HOWELL
Rebecca Gayle Howell is on this week's episode to discuss the art of listening, writing and faith, and creation as resistance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 29, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Exfoliating Fear From Your Mind w. TANAÏS
This week, we talk to Tanwi Nandini Islam, author of Bright Lines, about exfoliating fear from your mind, giving yourself permission, and claiming your authority as a voice of your culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 15, 2017•45 min
Writing Cultural Criticism w. JUAN VIDAL
This week, we talk to Juan Vidal, author of the forthcoming book Rap Dads, about being a creative loner who loves collaboration, using music to tap into the subconscious, and never giving up on the ideas that move you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 01, 2017•46 min
Writing From the Gut w. TAYLOR LARSEN
This week, we talk to author Taylor Larsen about writing without ego, engaging with your characters, and the surreal experience of debut authorship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 15, 2017•35 min
Taking the Preciousness Out of Writing w. EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL
Before the huge success of Station Eleven—which was a finalist for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Toronto Book Award—Emily St. John Mandel wrote three novels published with small presses. In this episode, we discuss book discoverability, taking the preciousness out of writing, and the difficulty of knowing when to quit your day job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 01, 2017•57 min
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