PWN's Debut Review

For the final episode of Season Five, Courtney Harler speaks with two Courtneys, Courtney Zoffness and Courtney Maum. Maum is, of course, a returning guest, and Zoffness is new to the podcast.Courtney Zoffness is the author of the debut memoir in essays called Spilt Milk, out in 2021 from McSweeney's. As a fiction writer, Zoffness was the second-ever woman to win the Sunday Times Short Story Award in 2018, the world's richest prize for a single short story. She's taught for many institutions and currently directs the creative writing program at Drew University.Courtney Maum is the author of several novels, and most recently the memoir called The Year of the Horses, out in 2022 from Tin House. She's also helped countless writers navigate the publication process with her craft guide, Before and After the Book Deal. Courtney Maum is a writing coach and executive director of the nonprofit learning collaborative called The Cabins.Today we talk about the humble beginnings and early invisible work of writers, vulnerability, publication and promotion in the digital age, distractibility, reading recommendations, and more.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

Today Courtney speaks with two talented memoirists, Amy Long and Emma Bolden.Amy Long is the author of the debut memoir, Codependence, winner of the 2018 Essay Collection Competition with the Cleveland State University Poetry Center. Amy holds an MFA from Virginia Tech and an MA from the University of Florida. She's also the creative genius behind Taylor Swift as Books, the very popular Instagram account.Emma Bolden is the author of several chapbooks and collections of poetry. She is the recipient of fellowships from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Her debut memoir, Tiger in a Cage: A Memoir of a Body in Crisis, was published by Soft Skull Press in 2022.We discuss advocacy and agency in women's health, social media in service to the literary community, narrative structure and voice in memoir, and the joy found in artistic anticipation.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

In honor of National Poetry Month, we've invited back to the podcast one of our favorite poets, Mihaela Moscaliuc. Anna Qu, a prose writer, also joins the conversation.Anna Qu is the author of the critically acclaimed Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Sarah Lawrence College and teaches writing, both fiction and nonfiction, for several graduate programs. She's currently serving as a Black Mountain Institute Shearing Fellow in Las Vegas, Nevada.Mihaela Moscaliuc is the author of three collections of poetry: Cemetery Ink, Immigrant Model, and Father Dirt. Currently a program director and associate professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey, she's also a brilliant editor and translator. The two “Deep Cut” poems Mihaela shares with us in this episode can be found now in the current issue of the Gettysburg Review.Today we talk about navigating multiple languages and cultures, negotiating familial traditions and expectations, as well as overcoming shame and guilt as immigrant writers.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

Today, for Episode Five of Season Five, I'm talking with Janice Obuchowski and William Pei Shih. Janice and William first met as scholars at the 2017 Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and now continue to admire and support one another's work.Janice Obuchowski is the author of The Woods, a short story collection that won the prestigious John Simmons Short Fiction Award and was published by the University of Iowa Press in 2022. More stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Electric Literature, Alaska Quarterly Review, Gettysburg Review, Conjunctions, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine and lives in Middlebury, Vermont.William Pei Shih's short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Best American Short Stories 2020, McSweeney's Quarterly, The Asian American Literary Review, The Masters Review, Carve Magazine, and many others. William is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop with an MFA in Fiction. He lives in New York City and teaches at New York University.Today's topics include getting MAs and MFAs, melding critical analysis and creative writing, balancing interiority and exteriority, drafting and revising, swerving between literary genres, crafting sentences and structures, as well as exploring rural and urban landscapes in short fiction.We are taking a short spring break. We'll be back Tuesday, April 11, with Episode 6.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

Krystal A. Sital and Peter Mountford join me for Episode Four of Season Five.Krystal A. Sital is the author of the memoir Secrets We Kept: Three Women of Trinidad, a finalist for the PEN America Emerging Writers Award. Her essays have been anthologized in A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home as well as Fury: Women's Lived Experiences in the Trump Era. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times, ELLE, The Huffington Post, Today's Parent, Salon, Catapult, LitHub, and elsewhere. Krystal currently teaches nonfiction writing.Peter Mountford is the author of two novels: A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism, which won the 2012 Washington State Book Award in Fiction, and The Dismal Science, which was named a New York Times Editors' Choice. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, The Southern Review, The Atlantic, The Sun, Granta, The Missouri Review, and Writer's Digest. Peter is also a writing coach and developmental editor.In this episode, we discuss writing a collaborative, code-switching memoir; learning, through failure, ways to capture and hold the reader's attention; and using voice, language, point of view, and setting to craft vivid, engaging, authentic prose on the page.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

For Episode Three of Season Five, Courtney talks to Lisa Lee Herrick and Lee Herrick. Yes, to be clear, they are married.Lisa Lee Herrick is an award-winning Hmong-American writer, illustrator, and producer. A 2021 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow in Creative Nonfiction as well as a 2021 Finalist for the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, Lisa is currently at work on her debut memoir.Lee Herrick is a Korean-American poet and professor. He is the author of three books of poetry: Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles from Desire. Lee Herrick was appointed as California Poet Laureate on November 18, 2022.Today we discuss language and power, immigration and adoption, and curiosity and empathy.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

For Episode Two of Season Five, Ray Brunt joins Courtney once more to talk with Pablo Cartaya.Pablo is the award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, as well as a screenwriter, speaker, and educator. His debut novel, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, published in 2017. His latest novel, The Last Beekeeper, a climate dystopia, published in July of 2022.Today's topics include authenticity, voice, creative process, community, family, culture, identity, pandemic parenting, environmental responsibility, unions, and the literary adoration of abuelas.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

We launch Season Five with two wonderful writers, Rebecca Makkai and Meghan Lamb.Rebecca is the author of four novels and a collection of short stories. Her novel The Great Believers was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Her latest novel, I Have Some Questions for You, publishes today  from Penguin Random House.Meghan has authored several books, as well. Her debut novel, Failure to Thrive, launched in 2021, and her latest novel, Coward, published in September 2022 from Spuyten Duyvil. Meghan is also the lead singer of an eighties cinema-inspired band called Kill Scenes.In this first episode of the new season, we talk about how to be a “real writer,” how to pick the perfect title for your book, how to find strange jobs in strange towns, and how to break the rules.Content Warning: This episode contains potentially disturbing material, including graphic descriptions of death.PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.

For Giving Tuesday, we chat with Nathalia Garcia, a first-generation Brazilian-American and brilliant emerging poet. In recent years, Nathalia has been both a dedicated student and an assistant instructor at Project Write Now. Jennifer Chauhan returns as guest cohost to recall her memories of first meeting Nathalia.For this final episode of Season Four, Nathalia also shares her love of words, water, nature, and people watching. We also explore the ideas of “haunted prose” and “alive poems." Finally, Nathalia introduces us to electro swing.

We have three guests today, an editor and two contributors of When There Are Nine, a poetry anthology in tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rebecca Evans, one of the anthology's editors, is a Jewish poet, memoirist, radio show cohost, writing instructor, war veteran, and mother. Carla Schick is a Queer activist for liberation and education as well as a lover of jazz and language. Harrison Solow is an award-winning author, university lecturer, Hollywood adviser, and former Franciscan nun. Both Schick and Solow contributed poems to the anthology. We're so thrilled to speak to this diverse and incredibly accomplished group of women today on Episode Seven of Season Four. All three share and discuss poetry from the anthology. We also talk about the ongoing struggle for equal rights, using words to paint our pictures, living and creating in the midst of terrible grief, and collecting poems both timely and timeless.

Today's guest, Mannikka Rosa, is an educator, entrepreneur, and spoken-word artist. She uses hip hop pedagogy to more fully engage her students in innovative ways through her consulting firm, The Educationalist Method.Today, we talk about learning to love language in church, encouraging the shyest of learners, and promoting diversity in the performing arts. Rosa performs a thrilling, dynamic slam poem, and then further discusses her interests in literary narrative and community-based change.

Our guest today is Mihaela Moscaliuc, a poet, translator, and educator. Her latest collection, out just last year from Pittsburgh Press, is called Cemetery Ink. Moscaliuc is also a graduate program director and associate professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey.In Episode Five, we talk to Mihaela about discovering language later in life, creating music in poetry, honoring our inner goats, and making chocolate. We also touch on some spooky stuff like ghosts and vampires.

Today we speak to Adam Vitcavage, founder of Debutiful, a literary webpage and podcast. Much like PWN's Debut Review, Debutiful focuses on connecting readers and listeners with debut authors. Adam is also the Director of Events at Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado.In Episode Four of Season Four, we talk to Adam about how to start a podcast, how to interview famous people, how to understand our mothers, and how to read really great books. Adam also offers a list of his current must reads.

Jennifer Chauhan, the executive director of Project Write Now, joins us as guest cohost today. Courtney and Jennifer interview Raakhee Mirchandani, a journalist, podcaster, mother, and children's book author. Mirchandani's latest release, My Diwali Light, is in bookstores now.In this third episode of Season Four, we talk to Raakhee about working for school newspapers, finding personal storytelling powers, celebrating diverse identities and cultural traditions, and watching late-night television. Raakhee also regales us with a sumptuous list of food, film, and book recommendations.

We continue Season Four with Courtney Maum, a writer and book coach. Maum's debut memoir, The Year of the Horses, was released in May from Tin House. Maum has also previously published three novels and a very handy craft guide called Before and After the Book Deal.In this second episode, Maum chats with us about parenting creative children, playing polo, recording audiobooks during the pandemic, favorite podcasts, home improvement shows, and horses horses horses. Maum also teases her current project, a new novel-in-progress.

Today, we launch Season Four with Chen Chen, a poet, essayist, instructor, and editor. His first collection, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities, won the prestigious Thom Gunn Award. His second collection, Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency, is now available from BOA Editions. Also, a book of essays is forthcoming in 2023.In this first episode of the brand new season, Chen shares his journey, thus far, as a writer. We discuss multilingualism, multiverses, multimedia, and finally, all manner of ice cream.

Alan Heathcock joins us to close this summer's Season Three. Al is the award-winning author of Volt, a collection of short stories, and a new novel, 40, out today from Macmillan Publishers. Ray and Courtney both studied with Al at Sierra Nevada University, and we are absolutely thrilled to reconnect with him here for the podcast.For this special episode, Al shares his lifelong fascination with story. From reading Charlotte's Web as a bashful young boy to now writing “secular bible stories,” Alan Heathcock is a self-professed “consumer of story.” We discuss the creation of literary art, and what it really takes to write empathetic, authentic narrative despite the pressures of the modern market.

Brett Riley joins us for Episode Three of Season Three. Brett is a writer and professor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. His debut young adult novel, Freaks, with Imbrifex Books, hit the shelves in March and the next book in the series, Travelers, will be available everywhere in August.In this episode, we talk to Brett about the importance of authentic narratives for young readers. Then we delve deeply into the fraught function of violence in superhero stories. Brett also shares his varied tastes in music and his experience with a local independent press.

In Episode Two of Season Three, we feature Cori Thomas, coauthor of the new memoir I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverance, with Sara Kruzan. Cori is a playwright, screenwriter, actor, and activist of Liberian and Brazilian descent.Today, we discuss Cori's role in co-writing Sara's groundbreaking memoir, her longtime advocacy for the rights of incarcerated individuals, and her other interests, such as pandemic baking projects. We think you'll enjoy hearing Cori's perspectives.

We're launching Season Three with contributors to the new book called New Jersey Fan Club: Artists & Writers Celebrate the Garden State. Kerri Sullivan edited the collection, and she's brought with her to the podcast two additional essayists: Brittany Coppla and Donnie Martino. Today, we chat with all three writers about their contributions to the collection. They read from their work and share their creative inspirations. We think you'll find this debut conversation both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Our last guest of Season Two, Julia Whelan, is a writer, narrator, and actor. Her debut novel, My Oxford Year, released in 2018 and is also available as an audiobook beautifully narrated by Julia herself. Her second novel, Thank You for Listening, offers a comedic and compelling behind-the-scenes look into the world of audiobooks. Thank You for Listening is expected to release on August 2, 2022.Today we chat with Julia about her childhood start as a storyteller, her development as a novelist, and how her training as an actor led to her career as an audiobook narrator. Julia also shares her insider knowledge of the entertainment industry.

We're back this week with Laura Zlatos for Episode 7 of Season 2. Laura is a playwright and librettist. She's written many plays and has won many awards for her work. She's a graduate of both NYU Tisch and Columbia University.Today, Laura talks to us about her start as a writer, inspired by her journalist father and several influential instructors. We get to experience a table read with professional actors of an opening scene from her play, The Blue Whale, and Laura tells us about how she interweaves research into her creative work. She also likes to incorporate contemporary culture and vernacular into her plays and musicals.Thank you to actors Lacy Allen (Sydney), Madeline Mahoney (Emily), Dana Brooke (Lori), and Teddy Canez (Keith) for their performances.

This week we talk to Brandon Dudley, a fiction writer, high school teacher, and former journalist. Brandon's chapbook, Hazards of Nature, won the 2020 Maine Chapbook Series chosen by National Book Award Winner Sigrid Nunez. Brandon also just published an essay, “Finding Magic in the Mundane,” in maine. magazine.Today, we talk to Brandon about his writer's path and craft. We discuss how he uses empathy and shifting perspectives for deeper character development. We also talk about how to create authentic dialogue with humor and precision.

For Episode 5, we're doing a two-part series with PEN America. For Part 2, we speak to Sterling Cunio and Caits Meissner. Caits is the director of the Prison and Justice Writing Program and editor of their new craft handbook called “The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer's Life in Prison.” Sterling Cunio is another of the handbook's many outstanding contributors.Sterling Cunio is an essayist, poet, and playwright. Today, Sterling reads to us from his essay entitled, “On Writing and Staging a Play in Prison.” He also discusses his future as a writer and activist now that he's been released.

For Episode 5, we're doing a two-part series with PEN America. For Part 1, we speak to Sarah Shourd and Robert Pollock. Robert is the manager of the Prison and Justice Writing Program. The program just published a new craft handbook called The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer's Life in Prison. Sarah Shourd is one of the handbook's talented contributors.Sarah Shourd is not only an essayist, but also a journalist and playwright. Sarah reads to us from her essay about writing a play based on her experience in solitary confinement in Iran. She talks to us about the trajectory of her work, and how she balances art and activism in her life.

Today's guest, Lizzie Finn, is a screenwriter, instructor, and the director of Project Write Now's Screen Academy. Her screenplay, Relative Distance, co-written with Sandra Longo, has won numerous accolades, including Best Feature Script in both the Paris Film Awards and the London Movie Awards.Lizzie speaks to us about how to write a screenplay, how to find a creative partner, and how to get involved in PWN's Screen Academy. We also do an in-house table read of a scene from Lizzie's award-winning screenplay.

For episode three, we interview Jeremy Holt, author of the comic book series Made in Korea. Jeremy is a Brooklyn-based, nonbinary author whose other recent work includes Virtually Yours, Before Houdini, and Skip to the End. Jeremy draws inspiration from history, music, film, and great literature.Today, we talk to Jeremy about the conception, creation, and production of the comic book. Much like films, comic books require a collaborative artistic process. Jeremy shares the foundations of their writing craft as well as their exciting plans for future projects.

This week's guest, Flower Conroy, is an LGBTQ+ writer, NEA and MacDowell Fellow, and former Key West Poet Laureate. Her most recent full-length collection, A Sentimental Hairpin, is available from Tulson Books. Her next collection, Greenest Grass (or You Can't Keep Killing Yourself & Not Expect to Die) just won the 2021 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, New England Review, Prairie Schooner, Michigan Quarterly Review, and elsewhere.In this episode, we discuss Flower's first poems; her love of play in language; her sense of home, family, and place; and her creative collaborations. Flower shares with us how she finds energy, joy, and surprise in her work.

For the first episode of Season Two, we chat with Elizabeth Engelman, author of The Way of the Saints, which was awarded the 2019 Nilsen Prize and published in 2021. The Way of the Saints is Elizabeth's debut book–it's a collection of linked short stories that reads very much like a multigenerational novel. Elizabeth has also published essays in The New York Times and Endeavor Magazine.Today, we talk to Elizabeth about turning poems into short stories, raising a profoundly deaf child, dealing with literary rejection, and following an intuitive, holistic writing process. Elizabeth generously shares both her insights and her debut work with us.

In Part 2 of our BONUS episode, “Joy in Conversation,” we continue our interview with co-hosts Ray & Courtney, delving into what inspires them as artists. We also get a sneak peek into what to expect in Season Two, coming in March.

In Part 1 of our BONUS episode, “Joy in Conversation,” we flip the script and interview co-hosts Ray Brunt and Courtney Harler to get to know them better. We discuss their writing journeys as well as what surprised them the most about debuting a podcast. 

For the final episode of our debut season, we talk to Shanda McManus, a family physician and writer. Shanda is a 2021 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow. Shanda writes about the human side of medicine in her creative nonfiction and is currently at work on a memoir in the form of letters.Shanda discusses balancing work, family, and her writing life. She also reads an excerpt from her new memoir-in-progress. Please note that this excerpt deals with some intense topics, including suicidal ideation.

Episode 7 features Jennifer Chauhan, co-founder and executive director of Project Write Now. As you know, PWN sponsors this podcast, and Jennifer is also our producer. Jennifer writes YA fiction and especially enjoys working with young writers.Today we discuss Jennifer's evolution as a writer and educator. We also talk about honoring authentic voices, lived experiences, and cultural identities in our creative work.Please note: This episode contains explicit language. 

For Episode 6, we invite Cole Meyer, editor-in-chief of The Masters Review, to share his experiences as a writer and editor. Cole writes flash and short fiction, and is currently pursuing an MFA at Florida State University.In today's interview, we discuss overcoming imposter syndrome, serving the literary community, publishing debut authors, and running an established literary magazine.

Today's guest is Hannah Anderson Harris. Hannah writes essay, memoir, and commentary. Her latest piece appears online in Hypertext. Hannah is a graduate of Sierra Nevada University, where she served as faculty advisor and managing editor of the Sierra Nevada Review.Ray and Courtney first met Hannah in graduate school in 2017 and are thrilled to reconnect with her in today's episode. We discuss reinventing the workshop model, finding joy after grief, and celebrating lesbian culture.

Today we interview Ken Womack, a prolific writer and professor at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. A leading worldwide authority on the Beatles, Ken hosts a podcast for Salon called Everything Fab Four. Ken's latest novel, The Time Diaries, is available now through Mt. Nittany Press.In our chat, Ken discusses his particular path toward scholarship and publication. He treats us to a reading from his new novel, and then shares his thoughts on his work-in-progress.

Today's guest is Philip Dean Walker. Philip is the author of three collections of short stories: At Danceteria and Other Stories from 2016, Read by Strangers from 2018, and most recently, Better Davis and Other Stories, which just launched in September of 2021.In this episode, Philip tells us about his lifelong love of both reading and writing. He also shares his many research techniques for capturing the true zeitgeist of past eras in his short fiction. Philip hints at what's next for him in his creative life, and offers listeners some of his favorite reading recommendations.Please note: This episode contains sexual content.

This week we are thrilled to talk to Pamela K. Johnson: a writer, editor, and filmmaker. During the pandemic, Pamela published debut op-eds in both the LA and NY Times. She's deeply engaged in all manner of art, education, culture, and community—and those interests resonate beautifully in her recently published work.During our chat, Pamela pays due credit to her earliest writing mentors, and then discusses how to publish, and teach, the op-ed itself. Pamela is also currently hard at work on a historical novel, and we talk about how she sustains her many ongoing creative projects.

In our first episode, we talk to Brittany Ackerman, author of the debut novel The Brittanys, which launched in June 2021 from Vintage. Brittany's debut memoir, The Perpetual Motion Machine, won the 2016 Nonfiction Award from Red Hen Press.In today's chat, we discuss Brittany's development as a writer—from literally scribbling on the walls as a young child to winning publication awards soon after graduate school. And, of course, we discuss, in depth, both of her debut books.

Introducing PWN's Debut Review, a new podcast from Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Join hosts Ray Brunt and Courtney Harler as they “debut” the podcast. They discuss the inspiration for the podcast and what listeners can expect. So follow us today on Apple and Spotify! Episode 1 drops Tuesday, November 2, 2021.