Today on our show, we bring you a story by Rachel Perse, who had severe anxiety after giving birth to her first child, but pretended she was having the time of her life. She tells her important story and then talks to us about how she used writing to get to the truth. And to work out her shit around becoming a new mother. Rachel is here in the studio with us, so we are recording for the podcast as usual but now, you can also watch us on YouTube . Rachel Perse will be reading her story called The...
Mar 05, 2025•32 min•Ep 203•Transcript available on Metacast Today we bring you another story told live on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. This story is by Emma Lathrop and is about her anxiety. This quality she thought was hindering her turned out to be something she now values. Two years ago, we were hired by Dr. Jane Marks and Dr. Bruce Hungate , two famous ecologists from ECOSS at Northern Arizona University. They heard our podcast and then started taking our classes which led to the idea that their students would b...
Feb 05, 2025•18 min•Ep 202•Transcript available on Metacast Today we bring you a story told live at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024 . We’re talking about making a connection from your personal life to what we study. We’re also talking about being vulnerable. Because everyone will love you more. We promise. This is our second year collaborating with the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University. Two years ago, we were hired by Dr. Jane Marks and Dr. Bruce Hungate , two famous ecologists from ...
Jan 08, 2025•20 min•Ep 201•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we are re-running a story by Emily Henderson titled After Our Son Died, My Husband Gave Me The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Of My Life . Emily workshopped this essay in our Final Draft class and then the Huffington Post published it on December 25, 2021 . This story is an excellent example of using an object to convey emotion, details, and telling in addition to showing. Emily tells us how she’s feeling the entire story which intensifies vulnerability. To hear another of Emi...
Dec 25, 2024•21 min•Ep 200•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Dana Shavin , who submitted her essay to the podcast. When it came in, we were blown away. The writing is so smart and well-crafted. In this episode, we talk about the difference between situation and story and we also discuss why callbacks are effective. Dana Shavin is an award-winning humor columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press , and the author of a memoir, The Body Tourist and the collection of essays, Finding the World: Thoughts on Life, Lo...
Dec 11, 2024•20 min•Ep 199•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Rachel Kramer Bussel . Her story was so relatable, that we realized sometimes we choose stories so we can just talk about ourselves. And that’s just what we do in this episode. We also talk about the narrator’s brilliance in drawing us in with just the right details. Rachel’s story is titled, The Craving That Killed My Veganism Rachel Kramer Bussel ( rachelkramerbussel.com ) is an essayist and freelance writer specializing in books, culture, relationshi...
Nov 27, 2024•19 min•Ep 198•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sarena Neyman. Sarena is in Allison’s 2nd Draft class, which contains writers who come together to share a draft of their essay and receive feedback from the group. Sarena was previously published on Writing Class Radio. Episode 187: The Bigger Table: How I Lost My Husband But Gained a Bigger Family. In that episode, we discussed Sarena’s brilliant landings. In this episode we will discuss landings again, because like last time, they are perfect. ...
Nov 13, 2024•16 min•Ep 197•Transcript available on Metacast This is the final story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week ...
Oct 30, 2024•22 min•Ep 196•Transcript available on Metacast This is the sixth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week ...
Oct 23, 2024•20 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast This is the fifth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week ...
Oct 16, 2024•17 min•Ep 194•Transcript available on Metacast This is the fourth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week...
Oct 09, 2024•20 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast This is the third story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week ...
Oct 02, 2024•15 min•Ep 192•Transcript available on Metacast This is the second story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4 to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week...
Sep 25, 2024•18 min•Ep 191•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we are starting a new series in support of reproductive rights–specifically Yes on 4 here in Florida to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week at a time. These stories highlight what the cur...
Sep 18, 2024•26 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast On September 18, 2024, we are launching a new series in support of a family’s reproductive rights--specifically Yes on 4 here in Florida to get rid of a near abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v Wade. The stories in the series were told live on stage at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. Each storyteller stood in front of an audience of 400 people and read their story. As the country gears up for the election on November 5th 2024, we will be shari...
Sep 13, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jennifer Sizeland , who lives in Manchester, England. Her story, I found connection through a tattoo of a bee is a great example of situation and story. It’s important to know the difference and we will discuss why. Jennifer Sizeland is a freelance writer and assistant producer with 14 years of experience in the media industry. She has written for many publications including the BBC, the Independent, Metro, Manchester Mill, Fodor’s Travel, Gastro ...
Sep 04, 2024•15 min•Ep 189•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Farida Taha. Farida writes about losing her daughter to cancer and how she’s moving forward. We talk a lot about loss on our podcast, because writing is how so many people process grief. We believe writing opens the heart, clears the mind, and helps us understand and process. In this essay, Farida throws out some incredibly poignant lines that reveal intense pain and so much hope for the future. Farida Taha is a writer and mother of three. She is origin...
Aug 21, 2024•18 min•Ep 188•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sarena Neyman. Sarena is in Allison’s 2nd Draft class , which is made up of writers who come together to share a draft of their essay and receive feedback from the group. Sarena’s stories are funny and brimming with voice and perfect landings. Sarena Neyman has been writing for numerous human rights groups for more than 20 years, working on causes from digital privacy to affordable housing to marriage equality. She writes for cabinlife.com and PeaceVoic...
Aug 07, 2024•19 min•Ep 187•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Janet Funk. Janet writes about her experience sharing an essay she wrote with her family prior to submitting for publication to. The essay was about the horrible fourth of July when her brother Robbie drowned and was published in Business Insider on July 3, 2024. We’ll discuss the age-old-memoir questions: How do we write about and publish stories about the people in our lives? Janet’s essay was written from a prompt given in First Draft . The pro...
Jul 24, 2024•17 min•Ep 186•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Bonnie Shor , who we call Blee. Blee has been a student of Writing Class Radio for two years. We love the shit out of her. Listen to what she told us: I took up knitting, Zumba and writing when I turned 60. Eight years later, there's a ball of yarn in my closet, and four unused Zumba classes on my lost dance card. My writing, though, can be found in several anthologies, most recently, Hellokoo Volume 1 Letter A, Loud Coffee Press Magazine, and now Writi...
Jul 10, 2024•22 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Alison Colwell. At age 8, Alison was responsible for making sure her mother’s epileptic seizure didn’t kill her. In this essay, Alison takes us to a moment in the hospital where if she’d looked away, her mom might have died. Alison’s essay is an excellent example of hot topic cold prose and is contained in a very short moment. We will go into detail about what we mean by hot topic cold prose and why the tool is so effective. Alison’s essay is called Loo...
Jun 26, 2024•15 min•Ep 184•Transcript available on Metacast This episode focuses on how to tell a story out loud. In May 2024, our own Andrea Askowitz made her way to a Moth storytelling competition and for the 15th time (over nine years), dropped her name in the bag. The prompt was snooping. Before she left home, her wife told her to look at this evening, if chosen, as practice instead of assuming this would be her Moth. So, when her name was chosen, Andrea had not memorized a story but instead decided to have fun telling the audience about the time she...
Jun 12, 2024•23 min•Ep 183•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Emma Lathrop , a PhD student at The Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) . Emma’s story is about proving your value and fighting for your position as a woman in STEM. The best part is when we get a glimpse into how the field would look if Emma were the boss. This story was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. Like episode 174, 175, 177, 179, and 180 this was ...
May 29, 2024•19 min•Ep 182•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by our own Allison Langer . Her essay is called My Mom And I Fought For 55 Years. Now Battling My Son Is Making Me Rethink Everything , which was originally published in Huffington Post, May 16, 2023. In this episode, Allison shows us that you can write about the same thing over and over and you should. It’s the only way to really work out your shit. Listen to the hosts discuss why writing and rewriting is important for your heart and your story. A Transcr...
May 15, 2024•21 min•Ep 181•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Darby Bergl , a PhD student at The Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) . Her story is about resilience and survival in the face of a volatile father. Darby has a passion for ecology and the study of carbon dynamics in temperate forests, which she interjects into her story. Darby’s story was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. This was a Collaboration with E...
May 01, 2024•18 min•Ep 180•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Keven Griffen , a PhD student at The Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) . Her story uses science to understand an emotional connection to place. She did it by having us fall in love with the place. She set the scene and raised the stakes. Keven’s story was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. This was a Collaboration with ECOSS, Northern Arizona Unive...
Apr 17, 2024•19 min•Ep 179•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show we bring you a story by Morgan Sutton that embodies everything a story should embody. The story uses no extra words; the narrator looks inside herself; and the story matters to the broader world. The story is so important because it explains a very dangerous and ugly assumption that is often made about women who’ve been raped. Morgan does it by examining her own situation and her own assumptions. There’s no preaching. And there’s nothing dogmatic. This is what writing and story...
Apr 03, 2024•18 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jasmine Anenberg, a PhD student at The Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) . Her story is about losing a friend but gaining something he taught her, which is seeing the beauty in small things. She takes this lesson into her fieldwork as she studies mosses in dirt. Her story was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. This was a Collaboration with ECOSS, Norther...
Mar 20, 2024•23 min•Ep 177•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jennifer Byrne, who conjures the courage to leave her husband after she's faced with removing a bird that flew into her house. Her story is an excellent example of using a book-end structure. Jennifer has been published in the New York Times (Tiny Love Stories), The Cut, Psychology Today, Good Housekeeping, Atlas Obscura, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, The New Yorker Daily Shouts and The Guardian. She lives in New Jersey. Writing Class Radio is ho...
Mar 13, 2024•20 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast Today on our show, we bring you a story by Nick Link, a PhD student in the Mack Lab and part of the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University . His story was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. This was a Collaboration with ECOSS , Northern Arizona University, and Story Collider , a podcast that airs true science stories. We worked with Dr. Bruce Hungate and Dr. Jane Marks , ecologists and professors at NAU . T...
Feb 28, 2024•20 min•Ep 175•Transcript available on Metacast 
