The BinderCast

How does a single mom go from cleaning houses to cashing an advance for a memoir? For Stephanie Land, it was all thanks to the Binders community. In this episode of The BinderCast, recorded at BinderCon this past October, Land tells the story of how an online community helped her take her career to places she'd never dreamt of – and the smart moves she made along the way. For more on Stephanie, visit Bindercast.com. 

Danielle Dutton reads an excerpt from Margaret the First, in which the narrator (Margaret Cavendish) describes the plays she is writing to be performed by an all-women troupe, at a time when women were forbidden to act on the English stage. The dialogue is between two male characters in one of these plays, Monsieur Take-pleasure and Dick.

But she does support the writing of women. This week, we're chatting about what it means to be a woman in the heavily male world of writing -- whether you're Margaret Cavendish, the 17th century protagonist of Danielle Dutton's Margaret the First, or a modern day writer like Nell Zink, one of the breakout stars published by Dutton's Dorothy Project press.   For more on Danielle, visit Bindercast.com.

Between Netflix, Amazon, Seeso, and every other streaming platform out there, there's never been quite so much opportunity for TV writers — but how, exactly, does an aspiring screenwriter break into the biz and get herself a deal? On this week's episode of The BinderCast, Danger & Eggs creator Shadi Petosky shares how she went from designing website to pitching kids' shows — and what it takes to get a show from pitch to development to full fledged series. Shadi also talks about what it's like to be a transwoman working in Hollywood, discussing how far the industry's come in its treatment of transpeople, and how very, very far it still has to go. For more on Shadi, visit Bindercast.com. 

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners. Here's author Wendy C. Ortiz reading from her memoir, Excavation. 

Getting your story out there, in the way you want it to be told, is always a struggle — especially when you're relying on someone else to package and market that story appropriately. For Wendy C. Ortiz, whose first book told the story of her taboo relationship with her middle school English teacher, finding a publisher who understood her story, and didn't make her feel exploited, was a serious challenge. This week, we chat with her about tackling the topic of teen sexuality, finding a publisher who truly understands your book, and the benefits of going with a small press. For more information on Wendy, visit bindercast.com

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners. Here's author Mira Ptacin reading from her book Poor Your Soul. 

Motherhood is often treated as the defining experience of a woman's life – whether or not she wants kids, the decision is usually treated as a major, and potentially life changing, conversation. Mira Ptacin's been on both sides of the equation: her memoir, Poor Your Soul, chronicles her decision to terminate her first pregnancy; shortly before its publication, she gave birth to her second child. Ptacin stopped by the BinderCast studio with her infant daughter to talk abortion, balancing work with motherhood, and persevering in the face of an unending stream of nos. For more on Mira, check out our show page on Bindercast.com

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners. Here's author Charlotte Shane reading from her book Prostitute Laundry. 

These days, it's not enough to just be a good writer. You've also got to have a brand, and you need to be something of a savvy marketer to boot.  Sex worker turned writer Charlotte Shane knows a thing or two about selling it. In this week's episode, she talks about why she picked escorting over academia, how sex work gave her the freedom to hone her craft, and why marketing shouldn't be a dirty word. For more on Charlotte, check out our show page on Bindercast.com  

Soap operas. Romance novels. Fan fiction. They're some of the most derided genres of writing – and they also happen to be the forms of writing most readily associated associated with women. On this episode of The BinderCast, Lux and Leigh check in with best selling author Danielle Paige about getting her start in soaps, updating The Wizard of Oz for the modern era, and why you should always end a scene with a bitch slap. For more on Danielle, check out our show page on Bindercast.com  

Join podcast rockstars Stephanie Foo (This American Life), Manoush Zomorodi (Note to Self), Ann Heppermann (The Sarah Awards), and Jenn Baker (The Minorities in Publishing Podcast) as they share tips, tricks, and strategies for succeeding in the world of podcasting. This conversation took place last November at BinderCon NYC. For more great BinderCon panels, head over to http://vimeo.com/ondemand/bindercon.

For many of us, writing is a lonely, solitary activity - so how do you make the transition to writing as a member of a team? Late Night with Seth Meyers writer and Totally Biased alum Aparna Nancherla talks about going from being a stand up comedian to a team member in a TV writers' room, and what she learned along the way. For more on Aparna, check out our show page at bindercast.com.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here's author Emily Gould reading from her book Friendship.

How do our families shape our careers? What role do mentors play in helping us get ahead? Award winning screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) shares how being the daughter of Hollywood royalty helped her get places that women of color don't normally go – and how she persuaded Jonathan Demme to direct her first film. For more on Jenny, check out our show page at bindercast.com.  

Making it as a writer means dealing with a lot of rejection — and learning how to persevere through pretty tough times. Novelist and memoirist Sara Benincasa (Agorafabulous, DC Trip) opens up about how her struggles with mental illness gave her the resiliency she needed for a career in writing, and shares the best advice she ever got from Diablo Cody.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here's poet Morgan Parker reading "In Search of Morgan, Season Three, Episode Twenty-Four."  

How do you balance the writing you're passionate about with the work that pays your bills? Award winning poet and Little A editor Morgan Parker (Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night) shares how she finds time to write poems about Beyonce and the Real Housewives while making a living as a publishing professional. For more on Morgan, check out our show page at bindercast.com.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here's Jillian Lauren reading a passage from her latest memoir – one that's very relatable for just about any writer out there.

Who will give you permission to tell your story – and do you even need to ask for it? Bestselling memoirist Jillian Lauren (Some Girls, Everything You Ever Wanted) explains how writing two memoirs had an impact on her personal life, and what writers should (and shouldn't) worry about before penning a true life tale. For more on Jillian, check out our show page at bindercast.com.  

How has the internet changed the experience of being a writer? In our inaugural episode, Leigh and Lux check in with two of the internet's favorite writers - bestselling author and New York Times columnist Roxane Gay and author and Emily Books founder Emily Gould - to learn all about how being online has helped, harmed, and shaped their careers.

Who really checks bestselling author Roxane Gay's email? And what's the best piece of advice comedian Sara Benincasa ever got from Diablo Cody? Welcome to The BinderCast, the only podcast exclusively devoted to women and gender non-conforming writers and their careers. Co-hosted by Lux Alptraum and Leigh Stein, each episode tackles the essential questions of making it as a writer. Our first episode debuts November 7, 2015.