Writing & Other Ways of Dying

Ana Hurtado & Brontë Wieland•podcasters.spotify.com

Two MFA graduates are not seeking answers to their difficulties creating as much as they're reflecting on their experiences (internal and external) and participating in commiseration in the most literal sense of the word. --- Email questions, topic ideas, and writing confessions to WritingDying@protonmail.com

Last refreshed: August 18th, 2025 at 11:51 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Ana and Brontë Went on Hiatus and All I Got was This Episode

We're back! Kind of. After eight months of things falling apart (depression, work, writing) & then the world getting better (moving, summering, writing), we'd love to share what we're up to now with you.

Feb 07, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 1

5: A Billionaire for Everyone, or Nah? Featuring M. Molly Backes

M. Molly Backes--author of The Princesses of Iowa and fellow MFAer from Iowa State University--joins our podcast. We discuss writing in academia, fellowships, and question how productivity is perceived as a way to determine our self-worth. Email writingdying@protonmail.com questions we could address in future episodes!

May 22, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 5

4: The 10,000 Hours of Mastery

In this episode, we contemplate the process of writing and discuss how purpose could impede our writing. Shout out to Ursula K. Le Guin for her constant giving.

Mar 29, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4

3: What Are We Really Striving For?

In this episode, we contemplate how others observe the novel and the short story forms and announce some exciting news.

Feb 27, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 3

2: I'ts Not All Bad

In this episode, we reflect on our MFA legacy and how it inspires us. As fiction writers, we consider how other genres have shaped us, too. And, at last, we share good writing-related news!

Feb 07, 2019•55 min•Season 1Ep. 2

1: Post-Graduate School Check-In: Do you feel it, too?

In our first ever episode of "Writing & Other Ways of Dying," we confess the reason we started this podcast in the first place: writing is hard. Listen to us explore our experience at Iowa State University's MFA program, some future creative writing project ideas, and how writing (or the thought of writing) is killing us slowly.

Jan 28, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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