LitCit: Antioch's Literary Citizen Podcast

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with author, screenwriter, editor, director, journalist, and professor, Morgan Jerkins. They discuss her multifaceted career as a professor, editor and journalist, the balance between fiction and nonfiction, her past works such as This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America and Caul Baby, her path to directing her first short film, Black Madonna, and how her new novel, Zeal, came to be, which is in stores now. This episode was produced by Mansi Aneja and mastered by Mitko Grigorov.

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Jonathan Chou chats with poet, children's book author, filmmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and the Antioch MFA program's new Core faculty head of Poetry, Cathy Linh Che. Together they go in-depth of Cathy Linh Che's previous poetry collection, Split, and her new collection, Becoming Ghost, in addition to discussing Jonathan Chou's collection, Resemblance. They discuss the role of memory in community building, activism, and poetry, false memories found in culture such as in the film, Apocalypse Now, and what it means to write poetry as an Asian-American. This episode was produced by Bo Thomas Newman and mastered by David Blixit.

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Jacqueline Rose chats with guest, Kai Adia. As a local Angeleno who has also contributed her expertise to students of AULA, Adia carries the additional title of poet with her book, Depths of Anima, and co-founder of Bee Infinite Publishing. She has an acclaimed nomination of a Pushcart Award for her publication Future Splendor: A Celebration of a New Renaissance  which includes her graphic artwork. In this episode, Adia discusses her overlapping responsibilities to the literary community, inspirations, and social activism among writers. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Bo Thomas Newman.

On this second episode of a two-part episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Caren McDonald chats with guest, Sorcha De Brún, a writer, lecturer, researcher, and Irish translator. They discuss the new wave of Irish language novelists as well as Sorcha De Brun's recent monograph about the intersection of masculinities and the Irish language, focusing on three contemporary writers: Mícheál Ó Conghaile, Pádraig Ó Cíobháin, Joe Steve Ó Neachtain. This episode was produced by Bo Thomas Newman, and mastered by David Ngyuen.

On this first episode of a two-part episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Caren McDonald chats with Sorcha De Brún, a writer, professor, lecturerer, researcher, and Irish translator. They discuss how friendship can serve as an important tool for learning language, the need for imagination to keep the Irish language alive, and the different theories on translation pedagogy. Additionally, they critique Caren's attempt at translating one of Sorcha's poems, followed by a discussion of nuances of translation and the (un)reliability of online translation softwares. This episode was produced by Bo Thomas Newman and mastered by Mitko Grigorov. 

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Jacqueline Rose chats with author, journalist, essayist, and esteemed Antioch faculty member, Erin Aubry Kaplan. They discuss a great deal of Kaplan's books: Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, And Walking The Color Line and I Heart Obama, the respect of social justice in writing and observing the world around us, and answering the question: What does it mean to the local and global community, and how does one write about it? This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and Mastered by Jacqueline Rose and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's Lit Cit, host Lisa Locascio Nighthawk chats with author, memoirist, and critic, Claire Dederer. They discuss her CNF novel, Monsters A Fan's Dillema, the importance of a literary community, separating the art from the artist, preserving your mental health in the current political landscape, and the value of structure vs. plot in storytelling. This episode was produced and mastered by Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman engages in a thought-provoking conversation with author, attorney, and esteemed Antioch faculty member Natashia Deón. Delving into an exploration of Deon's acclaimed novels, Grace and  The Perishing, Deon provides unique insights into her professional life as a writer, her activism, her adept juggling of diverse careers and even homeschooling. They also discuss the intricacies of historical fiction, contemplating the elusive nature of time itself. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Beth Dewey.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's Lit Cit, host Caren McDonald chats with author, Jessica Johns. They discuss Johns' debut novel, Bad Cree, the power of community, and the importance of learning your inner wisdom. This episode was produced by Bo Thomas Newman and mastered by Beth Dewey.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Keshia Nash-Johnson chats with guest, Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie. They discuss his creation and use of the genre Silkpunk, his writing process, the influences of his writing, and the way his writing engages with his readers. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo, and mastered by Elyse Jackson Williams, Ian Rodriguez, and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Amalia Mora chats with Lynn Ferguson, a self described "mongrel of the arts," whose career spans TV, radio, film, and stage. During this episode, they discuss Lynn's work as a writer and storyteller, self-forgiveness as a cure for writer's block, and why creating connection-often through the use of humor-motivates her writing. They talk about her debut collection of essays, Notes From The Valley, and they also share a lot of laughs-about cavemen, cults, and two things Lynn has fallen in love with: her dog, Arthur, and her new trailer named Bertha. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo, and mastered by Ian Rodriguez and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Paula Williamson chats with guest and screenwriter, Angela Harvey. Angela reveals her unconventional path into television writing. She discusses her success in the stories of the supernatural, her exploration of race, religion and politics, and her excitement about the depiction of Black rural life onscreen. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Beth Dewey. 

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with guest Shannon C.F. Rogers, winner of the 2024 APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature and author of the debut YA novel, I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom. In this interview, Shannon discusses her upbringing in Albuquerque, her experience as a playwright, her Filipino-American identity, themes of grief and self-discovery in her cinematic writing, and her publishing journey with her first novel. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Jasmine Gipson and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with guest Kimberly King Parsons, author of two works including her recent debut novel, We Were The Universe. In this interview, Kimberly shares her journey as a writer, the differences between crafting short-stories and novels, and how motherhood and psychedelia play a central part in We Were the Universe. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Jasmine Gipson and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, Caren McDonald chats with guest Ana Maria Spagna, a writer, teacher, and former backcountry trails worker. They discuss Spagna's newest book, Pushed: Miners, a Merchant and (Maybe) a Massacre, and the power of reframing narrative and honoring other people's stories. They also talk about the importance of imagination for nonfiction writers, the benefits of working on multiple projects at once, and the joys of writing the MFA critical paper. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Caren McDonald.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Keshia Nash-Johnson engages author Isabel Yap in a discussion about her breakout short story collection Never Have I Ever. Isabel talks about fanfiction as a sandbox for a writer's growth, the value of cultural mythology in her stories, monsters and the monstrous parts of humanity, death and its weight in her writing, the musicality of prose, and her forthcoming books. This episode was produced by Kenzy El-Mohandes and mastered by Keshia Nash-Johnson.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Thomas Huisking chats with screenwriter Hanz Wasserburger. Hanz discusses his journey from lawyer (assistant attorney general in the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division) to screenwriter (A Tale of Two Coreys, Second Impression). This interview was conducted shortly after the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike, and was produced and mastered by Jacqueline Rose.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Jessica Chisum chats with guest Gayle Brandeis about her latest book Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, the Body, and Loss (2023). Gayle discusses her favorite childhood authors, why writers are afraid to write about illness, what it means to write a "bonus book," and her new "novel in multiverse" in which Lilith embodies Marilyn Monroe! This episode was produced by Kenzy El-Mohandes and mastered by Elyse Jackson-Williams.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit host Thomas Huisking talks to screenwriter Ross Brown about his journey from second assistant director to television writer to executive producer and creator of three different network shows. If you remember Webster, The Facts of Life, and Step By Step, among others, you're in for a treat! This interview was conducted shortly before the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Thomas Huisking.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, Ian Rodriguez chats with guest Iwalani Kim an associate agent at Sanford J. Greenberger Associates. They discuss what makes a story moving and Iwalani's pathway from slam poetry to becoming an agent, giving her fresh insights. They also talk about how works have literary value with evocative characters and bring words from two of Iwalani's favorite books, Luster by Raven Leilani and T Kira Madden's Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Ian Rodriguez. 

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Diana Hardy chats with guest Kavita Das. Kavita Das discusses writing for social change in her book Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues. Das explores the importance of representation and the barriers she faced while writing Poignant Song: The Life and Music of Lakshmi Shankar, the life story of Grammy-nominated Hindustani singer Lakshmi Shankar. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Diana Hardy and Beth Dewey.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Kevin Cummins chats with guest Toni Ann Johnson: playwright, screenwriter, and author of five books including her most recent, Light Skin Gone to Waste. In this interview, Toni Ann shares stories of her New York upbringing, discusses how race and lightness intersect, and tells us why she values James Baldwin. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Ian Rodriguez.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Michelle Yee chats with guest Vanessa Hua, author of three books including her most recent, Forbidden City. In this interview, Vanessa shares stories about her beginnings as a writer, why she went back to school for an MFA, and how Forbidden City took fourteen years to become published. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Michelle Yee.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Irvina Kanarek chats with guest Toni Jensen about her Memoir, Carry (2020) which includes her personal experiences with gun violence, domestic violence, and living as a white-presenting indigenous person. Jensen also shares her thoughts about combating racism in the classroom, what it truly means to be labeled a ‘difficult woman', her writing process, gentrification, and Gen Z. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Irvina Kanarek.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Maggie Lam chats with guest Diana Khoi Nguyen about their beginnings as a poet, philosophies in teaching, and techniques used in creating their debut poetry collection Ghost Of. Diana reads “Triptych” and shares stories and tips around self-care when writing about trauma and grief. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Maggie Lam.  

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Mikaela Ryan chats with guest Ellen O'Connell Whittet, who is the author of the memoir What You Become in Flight (2020), and a co-host of the podcast, Good Moms on Paper. Mikaela and Ellen discuss unlearning childhood lessons about the body and femininity, studying with Jo Ann Beard, honing the tiny expert, balancing motherhood with teaching and writing, and creating a literary community. This episode was produced and mastered by Kenzy El-Mohandes.

Host Michael Sedillo talks to young adult author Aminah Mae Safi about her newest novel, Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix (2022), a combination of historical fiction about the Third Crusades and a retelling of Robin Hood. Aminah discusses identity, representation, diversity in literature, and her life as a writer. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Michael Sedillo, students of the Antioch University MFA Program in Creative Writing.  

Host Diana Hardy talks to author Shruti Swamy about her short story collection, A House Is A Body (2020), and novel, The Archer (2021). Shruti Swamy discusses her experience launching two books back-to-back during the pandemic, motherhood and creativity, punctuation, her influences, and what she's working on now. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Diana Hardy.

Host Samantha Rahmani speaks with Parrish Turner, an editorial assistant at HarperCollins and proud member of the HarperCollins Union, about the recent HarperCollins Union strike. As of the date of this episode's release, the union and HarperCollins have reached an agreement, and union members returned to work on February 21st. Check out HarperCollins Union (@hcpunion) on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for more. Episode edited by Samantha Rahmani and produced by Kenzy El-Mohandes.  

Host Michael Sedillo talks to author Gudalupe García McCall about her speculative 2022 YA novel, Echos of Grace. Gudalupe García McCall discusses representation of Latinx youth in YA literature, culture, family, teaching young people, writing speculative fiction, and her forthcoming collaboration with David Bowles, Secret of the Moon Conch. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Michael Sedillo.

Host Diane Gottlieb discusses Janet Rodriguez's memoir Making an American Family: A Recipe in Five Generations. Rodriguez discusses the mixed-race experience, matriarchs, memoir as legacy, and the importance of telling our most necessary stories.   This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Michaela Emerson.   

​​Host Kenzy El-Mohandes speaks with author Nikki Darling about her 2018 novel, Fade into You, and her forthcoming books–a collection of essays and poetry called The Call is Coming from Inside the House, and a horror novel set in mid-century Los Angeles called Dark Blue Manner. Darling discusses new narrative, growing up in Los Angeles, fandom, obsession, Madeline Miller, Stephen King, Hanya Yanagihara, and Greek mythology. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Kenzy El-Mohandes.

Host Maggie Lam engages poet Paul Tran in a discussion about the intentionalities behind writing about trauma, their process of self-inquiry as poetic investigation, and what freedom / survival means to them. Paul shares stories from their roots in spoken word poetry, anecdotes of being in community with queer poets of color, and lessons passed down from mentors such as Rigoberto Gonzalez, Carl Philips, and Mary Jo Bang. Paul reads “Lipstick Elegy”, recently featured in The New York Times, from their debut collection All the Flowers Kneeling.

Host Samantha Rahmani speaks with author Mitali Perkins about her book Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls, a study of classic children's literature. Perkins discusses her journey as a children's author, the need for multistoried experiences for children, the navigation of problematic and harmful works with young readers, and ways to critically examine bias in our own reading and writing practices. Episode mastered by Samantha Rahmani.

Host Lee Takemoto speaks with author Victoria Patterson about her story collection, Drift, the sinister side of growing up in Newport Beach, teaching, journaling, activism, and the green flash that sometimes occurs at sunset.    Episode mastered by Kenzy El-Mohandes. 

Host Julie Sugar speaks with translator and poet Dan Bellm about his translation of Balam Rodrigo's Central American Book of the Dead, forthcoming from FlowerSong Press this summer 2022. Bellm discusses teaching the Art of Translation course at Antioch, his work as an interpreter, and experiences as a poet and translator. Bellm reads his translation of “The Patron Saints” from Balam Rodrigo's Central American Book of the Dead, as well as his poems “She Waits” from Deep Well and the title sonnet from Practice.   Episode produced and mastered by Michaela Emerson and Samantha Rahmani.

Host Kenzy El-Mohandes speaks with author Anna Dorn about her forthcoming novel, Exalted. Dorn discusses her character development process, vulnerability, projection, and her works of poetry. This episode was produced by Samantha Rahmani and mastered by Kenzy El-Mohandes.

Host Samantha Rahmani speaks with author Crystal Hana Kim about her novel If You Leave Me. Kim discusses polyphonic stories, writing character, research in historical fiction, audience and representation,and intergenerational narratives of trauma and hope.  This episode was mastered by Samantha Rahmani.   

Host Barbara Platts chats with Chris Feliciano Arnold about his book The Third Bank of the River. Arnold talks about his travel and research for the book, as well as teaching and the writing life. This episode was produced and mastered by Kenzy El-Mohandes.

Lee Takemoto sits down with Jenny Qi as they talk about her new book of poetry, Focal Point.  Qi discusses poetry, science and how writing contained the grief of losing her mother.  The episode was produced by Kevin Cummins and mastered by Lee Takemoto.

Host Lisa Locascio Nighthawk chats with novelist Mary Gaitskill about her latest book The Devil's Treasure. Gaitskill discusses the devil, defamiliarization and the feeling of dislocation, the writing process, writing programs, and the qualities that make a true writer.  This episode was produced by Amy Klipstine and mastered by Samantha Rahmani.

Host Ahsan Butt in conversation with guest Farah Ali about Karachi, Pakistan as home, estrangement as a fundamental human condition, avoiding sentimentality on the page, and getting to the “why behind the why” of her complicated characters. Ali reads passages from “Loved Ones,” a short story from her debut collection People Want to Live.

Host Kevin Cummins engages author Anne Liu Kellor about her path to publishing Heart Radical: A Search for Language, Love, and Belonging, her memoir about a bilingual, mixed-race American woman's three-year sojourn in China, the country of her mother's birth. The writers discuss racial identity, free-writing, and silence. This episode was produced and mastered by Samantha Rahmani, Amy Mills Klipstine, Kevin Cummins, Tracey Simmons, and Lee Takemoto Salo.

Host Louise Rozett engages children's author Lauren Tarshis in a discussion about her path to publishing the popular I Survived series, the need to develop children as readers, research rapture, and constrained timelines when writing creative nonfiction. This episode was produced and mastered by Amy Mills Klipstine, Kevin Cummins, and Lee Takemoto Salo.

Host Julie Sugar leads guest Sharman Apt Russell in a discussion about her latest book, Within Our Grasp, and the push to end childhood malnutrition, the use of metafiction, and finding satisfaction in your writing life.   This episode was produced and mastered by Julie Sugar and Amy Mills Klipstine

Host Yamini Pathak engages poet Jaswinder Bolina in a discussion about writing as a person of color, adopting a persona, and the freedom of poetry. Bolina reads from his essay “Writing Like a White Guy” and his poems “Supremacy” and “Station.”   This episode was produced and mastered by Amy Mills Klipstine.

Host Mair Allen chats with poet Sally Wen Mao about her essay High-Rise Syndrome published in The Believer magazine, temporality and the self portrait, and poetry as a refusal of silencing. Mao reads her poem Batshit featured in the anthology Together in a Sudden Strangeness (ed. Alice Quinn). Part 2 of 2.   This episode was produced by Amy Mills Klipstine and mastered by Samantha Rahmani. Graphic design by Lisa Croce.

Host Mair Allen chats with poet Sally Wen Mao about her collection Oculus, the politics of recognition and consumption of the self, the hustle of the poetry life, and art as collaboration and protest. Mao reads Anna May Wong Goes Viral from Oculus. Part 1 of 2.    This episode was produced by Amy Mills Klipstine and mastered by Samantha Rahmani. Graphic design by Lisa Croce.

Host Lisa Locascio chats with writer and psychotherapist Wendy C. Ortiz about her books Excavation: A Memoir and Hollywood Notebook, as well as some of her personal essays, her experiences as an alumni of the Antioch MFA program, the practice of writing, writing about the self, her relationship with the City of Los Angeles, and how astrology weaves into her writing.  This episode was produced and mastered by Barbara Platts with graphic design by Lisa Croce.

Host Samantha Rahmani and author Megan Giddings discuss her debut novel Lakewood and its grappling with the American healthcare system, medical experimentation, race, trust, and friendship. Giddings also talks about editorial experiences, the transition from writing short stories to a novel, the concept of certainty in fiction, genre in the modern day, and the role of happiness and play in writing. This episode was produced by Amy Mills Klipstine and mastered by Samantha Rahmani. Graphic design by Lisa Croce.

Host Lisa Locascio chats with writer Francesca Lia Block about her latest novel House of Hearts, her long, successful career in writing, going back to school to get her MFA, what she loves about teaching creative writing, the long afterlife of books, and themes in her writing like climate change, self-harm, eating disorders, and delicious food.  This episode was produced and mastered by Barbara Platts with graphic design by Lisa Croce.