Why Is This Good?

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Fiction writers from the Naples Writers' Workshop read successful stories and ask "Why Is This Good?" We discuss how fiction works, the craft of writing, literary art, and what we can learn from examples of excellent writing. Join us twice each month for our workshop podcast.

Why Is This Good?


    • Jun 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 25m AVG DURATION
    • 155 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Why Is This Good?

    153: “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2025 28:50


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury. What can we learn from this story of dangerous technology? How can a mystery drive a story? How can a future-looking story remain […]

    152: “How to Be an Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 34:05


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “How to Be an Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore. (Read First Section and Second Section.) What can we learn from this mock self-help instructional story? How are emotional […]

    151: “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 26:45


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson. What can we learn from this psychological thriller? How can anxiety drive a story? How can the prose and details create and […]

    150: “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 37:37


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. What can we learn from this story? How can fiction subtly reveal character motives? How can we use a slippery point of […]

    149: “The Martyr” by Mary Gordon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 22:07


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Martyr” by Mary Gordon. What can we learn from this story of a character trying to remember and understand their brother? How does foreshadowing structure the unfolding […]

    148: “A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 26:14


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty. What can we learn from this story about lonely people? How can distinct characters help develop a theme from several directions? […]

    147: “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2025 29:57


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. What can we learn from this classic work of science fiction? How can a story keep redefining […]

    146: “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut” by J. D. Salinger

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 24:53


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut” by J. D. Salinger. What can we learn from this classic Salinger story? Can a third person point of view be purely external? How […]

    145: “Unaccompanied Sonata” by Orson Scott Card

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 22:37


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Unaccompanied Sonata” by Orson Scott Card. What can we learn from this borderline science fiction story? What can happen when a story establishes a system in which the […]

    144: “The Werewolf” by Angela Carter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 20:12


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Werewolf” by Angela Carter. What can we learn from this quick, little take on a folktale? How can setting help characterize a story? How can the prose […]

    143: “Zombie” by Joyce Carol Oates

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2025 26:03


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Zombie” by Joyce Carol Oates. What can we learn from this portrait of a real-life serial killer? How do we feel about a portrait of a monster? Why […]

    142: “The Wind” by Lauren Groff

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2024 25:36


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Wind” by Lauren Groff. What can we learn from this tense, action-packed story? How can we make a story so gripping? How can a removed point of […]

    141: “These Golden Cities” by K. David Wade

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 29:52


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “These Golden Cities” by K. David Wade. What can we learn from this story about taking an acid trip? How does the story guide us through the character's […]

    140: “Non-Zero Probabilities” by N. K. Jemisin

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 22:13


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Non-Zero Probabilities” by N. K. Jemisin. What can we learn from this bit of speculative fiction? How can world-building be personal to a character? Can we set up […]

    139: “A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2024 27:09


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker. What can we learn from this intense interior monologue story? How does this nearly 100-year-old story still reflect modern reality? How does […]

    138: Curtis Sittenfeld vs ChatGPT

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2024 30:19


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss Curtis Sittenfeld vs ChatGPT. What can we learn from this experiment in comparing a literary author with an AI-generated story? How would we critique the ChatGPT story? What […]

    137: “The Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 23:07


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado. What can we learn from this exploration of a familiar horror scenario? How can we expand on a common symbol in […]

    136: “The Celestial Omnibus” by E. M. Forster

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2024 21:30


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast On this episode, we discuss “The Celestial Omnibus” by E. M. Forster (starts page 54). What can we learn from this literary version of a fairy-story? How does the story pit pedantry against […]

    135: “The Complete” by Gabriel Smith

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2024 24:13


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Complete” by Gabriel Smith. What can we learn from this story made up of semi-connected snippets? How can disconnected pieces of narrative connect with one another to […]

    134: “Sour Milk Girls” by Erin Roberts

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 22:03


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Sour Milk Girls” by Erin Roberts. What can we learn from this story about damaged people? Can a story explore a broken character? How can we present background […]

    133: “An Outpost of Progress” by Joseph Conrad

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2024 21:10


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “An Outpost of Progress” by Joseph Conrad. What can we learn from this classic story? How can a story incorporate a “thesis statement”? Can we step back from […]

    132: “The Island of the Immortals” by Ursula K Le Guin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 27:24


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Island of the Immortals” by Ursula K. Le Guin. What can we learn from this quick story that examines a philosophical question? How does perspective on the […]

    131: “Jeffty is Five” by Harlan Ellison

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 21:16


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Jeffty is Five” by Harlan Ellison. What can we learn from this nostalgic story? How does the ending wrap up the arc of the story? How can we […]

    130: “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2024 27:32


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner. What can we learn from this richly voiced story? How can we develop a stream-of-consciousness voice for a story? How can sentence length […]

    william faulkner barn burning
    129: “Separating” by John Updike

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2024


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Separating” by John Updike. What can we learn from this vivid and careful short story? Can we say anything about the voice of this story? How does a […]

    128: “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” by Isaac Asimov

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 27:39


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “It's Such a Beautiful Day” by Isaac Asimov. What can we learn from this classic science fiction story? How can a single imagined technology inform a fictional world? […]

    127: “The Frog King” by Garth Greenwell

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 28:16


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Frog King” by Garth Greenwell. What can we learn from this quiet portrait of a human relationship? Is there conflict in this story? Does a story need […]

    126: “The Destructors” by Graham Greene

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2024 27:09


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Destructors” by Graham Greene. What can we learn from this quick but complex story? How can group dynamics be quickly introduced in a story? How can the […]

    graham greene destructors
    125: “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2024 18:51


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson. What can we learn from this deceptively simple story? What does it mean that a story's ending should be surprising yet inevitable? How […]

    124: “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2024 15:14


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe. What can we learn from this own-voice story? How can a story use a refrain or leitmotif? How can a theme or exploration […]

    123: “Woman at Exhibition” by E. Lily Yu

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024 20:53


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Woman at Exhibition” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this brief story? How can real-life, historical people be incorporated into speculative fiction? How can a […]

    122: “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 27:33


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson. What can we learn from this great little story? What is a writer's “eye”? How does sentence structure help develop a […]

    121: “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 25:05


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh. What can we learn from this work of Flash Fiction? How do specific actions and details help define a character? How can […]

    120: “The Dead” by James Joyce

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2024 31:17


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Dead” by James Joyce. What can we learn from the story T. S. Eliot called “one of the greatest short stories ever written”? What can we learn […]

    119: “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2024 22:08


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro. What can we learn from this story with an unexpected but inevitable ending? How does the structure function? How […]

    118: “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023 27:33


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. What can we learn from this work of Philosophical Fiction? How can a speculative story be built upon a philosophical […]

    117: “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2023 23:16


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami. What can we learn from this quietly contemplative story? What kind of structure can we find in a relatively structureless piece? How […]

    116: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 23:39


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this classic of speculative fiction? How does its cartoonishness impact its humanity? How important is it for fiction […]

    115: “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 29:45


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this fanciful story? How does language help create the mood of the […]

    114: “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2023 31:14


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon. What can we learn from this dreamlike science fiction story? How versatile and variable is point of view? How […]

    113: “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2023 22:27


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende. What can we learn from this story based on real events? How does point of view help define the […]

    112: “Spring in Fialta” by Vladimir Nabokov

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2023 31:11


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Spring in Fialta” by Vladimir Nabokov. What can we learn from Nabokov and his ability to capture moments? How can detailed moments build up a story? How can […]

    111: “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 23:42


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu. What can we learn from this affecting story with a touch of magic to it? How can we use a bit of […]

    110: “This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2023 30:08


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski. What can we learn from this devastating account of prisoners at Auschwitz? How can a stark, simple […]

    109: “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2023 23:42


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood. What can we learn from this playful bit of metafiction? How can we be playful and experimental when writing a story? How can […]

    108: “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2023 22:40


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. What can we learn from this classic horror story? How much is needed to create the main effect of the […]

    107: “How to Eat Chicken Wings” by Kristen Arnett

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2023 17:36


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “How to Eat Chicken Wings” by Kristen Arnett. What can we learn from this fun little piece? Are chicken wings a metaphor? Can a metaphor change through a […]

    106: “The Frog Prince” by Robert Coover

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2023 26:03


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Frog Prince” by Robert Coover. What can we learn from this retelling of a classic fairy-tale trope? Should we take a story like this literally? What does […]

    105: “Milkwishes” by Kristen Roupenian

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 21:25


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Milkwishes” by Kristen Roupenian. What can we learn from this story that happens so much in the character's thoughts? How can memories be the main focus of a […]

    104: “Redemption” by John Gardner

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 22:26


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Redemption” by John Gardner. What can we learn from this story based on true events from the author's childhood? How important is it that depictions feel real? How […]

    103: “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 25:31


    If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri. What can we learn from this story with such a simple premise? How can memory inform a story? How does memory differ […]

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