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Saying “I can't” sounds controlled. Saying “I won't” sounds unstoppable. In this episode, I explore the life-changing difference between the two, teaching teens how to own their values with power and confidence, whether it's about religious standards, digital discipline, or resisting peer pressure. This episode gives teens the tools to stop sounding limited and start standing tall.
It's a brand new season and that means two brand new study topics! In Season 15, I'm studying something called the villain's monologue and Melanie is studying turning points. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is one of those films that's ok as long as you don't look too closely! There are definitely logic problems but insofar as our study topics are concerned, this movie offers up some valuable craft advice. Enjoy! -V. For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.Follow Valerie on Instagram and Threads @valerie_francisFollow Melanie on X, Instagram and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
Erica Stern joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about self-interrogation and taking risks to tell the story we need to, exploring the liminality of a lived experience through the speculative, hybrid memoir and leaning into history and research to illuminate and deepen understanding, the unexpected complications she experienced in childbirth, the historical misogyny in U.S. medical system, the male takeover of birth, how trauma can stunt empathy, trusting the work will go where it needs to go, giving our projects time and space to grow, when publishers and editors are not quite sure what to make of your book, exercising control over the uncontrollable, the long road to publishing, capturing the timelessness of an experience, and her new book Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story. Also in this episode: -discovering material through writing -meditations on the history of childbirth -when an editor encourages you to make your book even more like itself Books mentioned in this episode: -The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham -An Encyclopedia of Bending Time by Kristen Keane -My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shaplans -A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk Erica Stern's work has been published in The Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, the Martha's Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Erica received her undergraduate degree in English from Yale and her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native of New Orleans, she now lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois. Connect with Erica: Website: erica-stern.com Instagram: @ericasternwriter Substack: @ericastern Bluesky: @ericarstern.bsky.social Get the book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/frontier-a-memoir-and-a-ghost-story/876292ffe52fe93f?ean=9798985008937&next=t&next=t https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frontier-erica-stern/1146916883?ean=9798985008937 https://www.barrelhousemag.com/books/frontier-erica-stern – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers
A special episode of Burning Bright, featuring an outgoing interview with founding editor Kendra Kopelke.Support the show
Coming up on this episode of Flirtations, we're defining the relationship, ya'll, with Carleigh Ferrante! Carleigh is the creator and voice of @mostlydating on Instagram and host of the Mostly Dating podcast, having built a community of over 200,000 with her honest takes on dating and relationships. Whether you're feeling things out with someone new, stuck in dating limbo, or ready to move from casual to committed, this episode offers advice on how to approach conversation around exclusivity and defining the relationship with clarity and confidence. We'll talk about what signs to look for that someone is ready for the conversation, how to know if you're ready, what to consider before having it, and how to handle it if you're not on the same page. Carleigh shares her take on the timing of the DTR convo, whether exclusivity and defining the relationship are the same thing, and how to navigate situations where one person needs more time. We also cover what to expect after this conversation, like how to keep things moving forward or how to walk away if it's not working. And finally, we talk a little mindset. Why do we fear scaring someone? And how can we stay grounded when we're feeling unsure about where we stand with someone? So, whether you're about to DTR, go exclusive, all of the above, or none of above, stick around for a candid and honest conversation about dating and relationships. Alright, let's do this, Flirties, and meet Carleigh! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Flirtations on your favorite podcast platform, and share this episode to spread BFE - big flirt energy, all over the world! Enjoying the show and want to support my work? Buy the Flirt Coach a coffee! About our guest: Carleigh Ferrante is a New York–based writer and creator behind the hit dating podcast Mostly Dating, where she delivers approachable, insightful advice for every stage of modern relationships. Her work blends humor, heart, and accessible guidance, with episodes running weekly and featuring practical tips, listener questions, and conversations that help build healthier, happier, and lasting connections. A graduate of Hunter College with a degree in Creative Writing and Psychology, Carleigh has contributed to major outlets including MindBodyGreen, Well+Good, PureWow, Forbes, Bustle, The Everygirl, The Zoe Report, and Yahoo Life. She also works directly with brands, crafting copy for email, web, social media, and more. You can connect with Carleigh on Instagram (@mostlydating), the Mostly Dating Podcast, and on her website. About your host: Benjamin is a flirt and dating coach sharing his love of flirting and BFE - big flirt energy - with the world! A lifelong introvert and socially anxious member of society, Benjamin now helps singles and daters alike flirt with more confidence, clarity, and fun! As the flirt is all about connection, Benjamin helps the flirt community (the Flirties!) date from a place that allows the value of connection in all forms - platonic, romantic, and with the self - to take center stage. Ultimately, this practice of connection helps flirters and daters alike create stronger relationships, transcend limiting beliefs, and develop an unwavering love for the self. His work has been featured in Fortune, NBC News, The Huffington Post, and Yoga Journal. You can connect with Benjamin on Instagram, TikTok, stream the Flirtations Flirtcast everywhere you listen to podcasts (like right here!), and find out more about working together 1:1 here.
Lea Sakran|Multilingual voiceover artist, narrator & writerStorytelling has always inspired me to look at situations from different angles and create with my fantasy wishful developments and outcomes in life. Storytelling is an empowering way to perceive life stories from different perspectives, develop an understanding, and transmute thoughts and ideas into messages connected with the soul of planet Earth. I am the author and narrator of the humorous fantasy stories of the two rhinos “Gusta and Gusto,” published by Spoken Realms and Blackstone Publishing in March this year, available globally and on Audible. The two rhinos encounter humanized emotions living through timeless issues: how to live a meaningful life, stand up for yourself, learn about friendship, transmute your mindset, and train your belief system of choice and the courage of empowerment. The second audiobook of “Gusta and Gusto with Commentary” will be published at the beginning of December this year. My daughter and I will talk as interludes between the stories about the happenings in the 12 chapters and share our thoughts and views there. “Gusta and Gusto” is a core possibility to connect hearts and generations. My Voiceover journey started 25 years ago with my passion for writing, theatre, and film. I could apply and develop my skills in music, acting, dance, dramaturgy, and directing, and I have been active in state playhouses, the opera, and the independent scenes. Additionally, for seven years, I gave courses in “Creative Writing.” While developing my audiobook “Gusta and Gusto,” besides my desire for writing, I discovered my passion for narration and voice acting.Links:https://www.amazon.de/Audible-Gusta-Gusto/dp/B0C29YLST4https://www.leasakran.com/Adventure,Audiobooks,Behavioral Change,Creative Writing,Empowering,Humor,Narrator,Personal Development,Storytelling,Voice Acting,Lea Sakran|Multilingual voiceover artist, narrator & writer,Phantom Electric Ghost Podcat,Podcast,Podmatch,InterviewSupport PEG by checking out our Sponsors:Download and use Newsly for free now from www.newsly.me or from the link in the description, and use promo code “GHOST” and receive a 1-month free premium subscription.The best tool for getting podcast guests:https://podmatch.com/signup/phantomelectricghostSubscribe to our Instagram for exclusive content:https://www.instagram.com/expansive_sound_experiments/Subscribe to our YouTube https://youtube.com/@phantomelectricghost?si=rEyT56WQvDsAoRprRSShttps://anchor.fm/s/3b31908/podcast/rssSubstackhttps://substack.com/@phantomelectricghost?utm_source=edit-profile-page
Legendary Seth Godin, bestselling author of Linchpin, Purple Cow, The Dip, Tribes, and The Practice on wrestling with creative resistance, getting past self-doubt, and how to build a resilient creative practice that thrives—even in an age of AIWe talk about:Why writing isn't about talent—but about creating the conditions for skillWhy “Do you like it?” is the wrong question to askAnd how to build a resilient creative practice that thrives—even in an age of AIHow to keep going when there's no map and no promise of success*About Seth GodinSeth Godin is the author of 21 bestselling books that have reshaped the way people think about marketing, leadership, and creative work. His books have been translated into 39 languages and include Linchpin, Purple Cow, The Dip, Tribes, and The Practice. He's also the founder of altMBA, the Carbon Almanac, and multiple pioneering ventures in the online business world. Seth writes one of the most popular blogs in the world and continues to inspire millions of creators to make and ship work that matters.*Resources and Links:
This month we are featuring a feed drop from Ain't Slayed Nobody one of the amazing shows on the RQ Network. AINT SLAYED NOBODY is a Gold Ennie winning actual play podcast with this first episode being from their first season set in the American Old West. The production blends tabletop roleplaying and audio drama with fast pacing and immersive sound design. The posse begins their quest in grand Old Western tradition: with a hanging. Bullets begin to fly as a shady priest, a rough and tumble miner, a suave former outlaw, and an earnest hobo join vengeful Deputy Sheriff Ellie Bishop on the Canutillo Railroad Bridge. Little does this ragtag posse know of the cosmic horrors that are about to unfold. Introduction and outro by Anusia Battersby. Listen to Ain't Slayed Nobody wherever you find podcasts, on the Rusty Quill website and at www.aintslayednobody.com. Credits: cuppycup as Keeper of Arcane Lore Jay Arnold as Lance Kilkenny Wes Davis as Jeremiah Fensworth Chuck Lawrence as Johnny Rhodes Alex McDaniel as Ellie Bishop Brandon Wainerdi as Father Flint Westwater Production and Creative Writing and Production: cuppycup Game Rules and Setting: Call of Cthulhu 7e, Down Darker Trails by Chaosium, Inc. Theme Song: “Dead Man Walking” by Cody Fry Content warnings: Explicit violence, Execution by hanging, Firearm violence, Blood and Gore, Profanity Transcript: https://www.aintslayednobody.com/s/ASN-E01-An-Occurrence-at-Canutillo-Bridge.txt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Bestselling, award-winning author, and founder of the LA Review of Books, Tom Lutz, returned to talk with me about life in the French countryside, his writer's residency, and the greatest year in literary history, 1925. He's a Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing at UC Riverside, and the author of multiple bestselling and award-winning titles – translated into dozens of languages – including Doing Nothing (American Book Award winner), Crying, American Nervousness, 1903 (both New York Times Notables), and Born Slippy, his first novel. His latest, 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia, is described as an “… exploration of one of the richest moments in our literary and cultural history .… an explosion of literary innovation, from the rise of modernist masterpieces like Mrs. Dalloway and The Great Gatsby to a boom in pulp fiction.” Besides founding the Los Angeles Review of Books, "... a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and disseminating ... engaging writing on every aspect of literature, culture, and the arts," Tom also founded The LARB Radio Hour, The LARB Quarterly Journal, The LARB/USC Publishing Workshop, and LARB Books. He and his wife now run a residency for writers and artists in St. Chamassy, in France's Dordogne region. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In Part Two of this file Tom Lutz and I discussed: Adjusting to the life of a country gentleman and all the great wines Why he cares less than ever about what people think of his work The legion of classic texts that came out of one of the most prolific years in history How 1925 birthed so much progress for American culture Why literature is the R&D wing of human enterprise, especially in 2025 And a lot more! Show Notes: 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia by Tom Lutz TomLutzWriter.com All things LARB French Presse - St.-Chamassy Writers' Residency: A quiet place to live and work in the French countryside. Tom Lutz's Amazon Author Page Tom Lutz on Facebook Tom Lutz on Instagram Tom Lutz on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nell Stevens writes memoir and fiction. Her debut novel, Briefly, a Delicious Life was longlisted for the 2023 Dylan Thomas Award. She is also the author of Bleaker House and Mrs Gaskell & Me, which won the 2019 Somerset Maugham Award. She was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2018. Her writing is published in The New Yorker, the New York Times, Vogue, The Paris Review, New York Review of Books, Guardian, Granta and elsewhere. Nell is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Warwick. On this episode of Little Atoms she talks to Neil Denny about her latest novel The Original. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, I chat with Angelica Cresci — occultist, content creator, writer, and astrologer — about Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and its portrayal of the mental anguish of artists, and selling your soul to get noticed as a creative. Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy...............................................................Show Notes:About Angelica CresciAngelica Cresci is an occultist, content creator, writer, and astrologer based in Salem, MA. Angelica has been a Hades devotee for nearly a decade and specializes in glamour, Hellenistic mythic astrology, and chthonic magick. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Salem State University and is the host of Diaries of a Witch Podcast. When she's not staring at the stars, making content, or teaching, she spends her time writing. Website: https://www.angelicacresci.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelicascresci Diaries of a Witch Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AngelicaCresci/podcasts Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/angelicacresci/ Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (virtually across Ontario, and in-person in Toronto), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. Visit my website to learn more.Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint
Some experts are calling loneliness an epidemic in Canada and throughout much of the world. Social isolation is a public health risk with consequences for individuals, communities and for our social systems. A multi-disciplinary panel, hosted at the University of British Columbia, examine loneliness from perspectives of men's and women's health, interpersonal relations, climate change and public policy. Guests in this episode:Dr. Kiffer Card is an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences. He was the moderator of the panel presentation, All the Lonely People: the Search for Belonging in an Uncertain World.Mandy Lee Catron is from the School of Creative Writing, at UBC.Dr. John Oliffe is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Men's Health Promotion at the School of Nursing, at UBC.Dr. Carrie Jenkins is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at UBC.Dr. Marina Adshade is an assistant professor of teaching at the Vancouver School of Economics, at UBC.
Major Jackson is a poet, author, and professor who is the recipient of fellowships from Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Academy of American Poets, Fine Arts works Center in Provincetown, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, he has been honored by the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, and the Witter Bynner foundation in conjunction with the Library of Congress, awarded the Pushcart Prize, has been published in American Poetry Review, the New Yorker, Paris Review, Orion Magazine, is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves as the Poetry Editor of The Harvard Review, and is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities and Director of Creative Writing at Vanderbilt University. We touch on stewardship, curiosity being emblematic of being human, art in a time of upheaval, human expression, AI, art monsters, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Major JacksonEp 96 - Maggie SmithParnassusPeabody InstituteRobert FrostPhiladelphia Museum of ArtMarcel Duchamp“A Love Supreme”Ezra Klein & Rebecca Winthrop - ‘Rethinking Education'Humanities TennesseeMichaela Anne - “Is This What Mama Meant?”Hunter S ThompsonMichael RuhlmanClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.
Author Gloria Chao guides us through her unique journey from dentistry to writing! We also chat about her upcoming adult debut, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club. Listen to our conversation for fun insights on puzzles, coming-of-age YA stories, and learning there's no “right” way to write.Gloria ChaoWebsite: https://gloriachao.wordpress.com/Social: @gloriacchaoGood Story Company: If you have a story in your head, we're here to help you get it out into the world. We help writers of all skill sets, all genres, and all categories, at all stages of the writing process. Need a hand with brainstorming? Want to find a critique partner? Looking for an editor to help polish up your pitch, your idea, or your entire manuscript? We have all of it and more in our community. If you're ready to take the next step (or the first step) on your writing journey, we're here to help you.Website: https://www.goodstorycompany.comMembership: https://www.goodstorycompany.com/membershipWriting Workshop: https://www.storymastermind.comMary Kole: Former literary agent Mary Kole founded Good Story Company as an educational, editorial, and community resource for writers. She provides consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children's book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and memoir. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. She has been blogging at Kidlit.com since 2009. Her book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, a writing reference guide for middle grade and young adult writers, is available from Writer's Digest Books.Manuscript Submission Blueprint: https://bit.ly/kolesubWriting Irresistible Kidlit: http://bit.ly/kolekidlitIrresistible Query Letters: https://amzn.to/3yg511KWriting Irresistible Picture Books: https://amzn.to/3SrApRUHow to Write a Book Now: https://BookHip.com/ZHXAAKQWriting Interiority: Crafting Irresistible Characters: https://amzn.to/4evsX0BNEW! Writing Irresistible First Pages: https://amzn.to/4gxgslqFollow us on social:YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/goodstoryBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodstory.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/goodstorycompanyTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodstorycoFacebook: https://facebook.com/goodstorycoSubstack: https://goodstoryco.substack.com/
How do voice-driven writers find their characters? Austin Tucker tells Jared how he uses collage and research into his characters' life histories to craft voices that are often “on the edge of collapse.” Plus, Austin discusses the pros and cons of a small program with 6-8 students in each poetry workshop, healthcare access as a PhD student, and opportunities to design and teach composition, workshop, and survey classes.Austin Tucker is a poet and fiction writer who received his MFA from the University of Rutgers-Camden and is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at Ohio University. He is the current editor of Quarter After Eight and his poetry was selected for The Southeast Review's 2024 Gearhart Prize by Kareena McGlynn, and has appeared in Pleiades, Frontier, and Four Chambers, among other places. His fiction won the 2024 Masters Review Flash Fiction contest and was a semifinalist for the 2018 Halifax Ranch Prize. He's also a two-time finalist for The DISQUIET International Literary Prize in Poetry. Find him at r.austin.tucker [at] gmail [dot] com or via the Quarter After Eight IG (@qaejournal). He is represented by Julia Eagleton with Janklow and Nesbit.MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack and Hanamori Skoblow. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at MFAwriters.com.BE PART OF THE SHOWDonate to the show at Buy Me a Coffee.Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.Submit an episode request. If there's a program you'd like to learn more about, contact us and we'll do our very best to find a guest who can speak to their experience.Apply to be a guest on the show by filling out our application.STAY CONNECTEDTwitter: @MFAwriterspodInstagram: @MFAwriterspodcastFacebook: MFA WritersEmail: mfawriterspodcast@gmail.com
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: From Block to Bloom: A Writer's Journey at a Suburban Sale Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-06-17-22-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De zon scheen helder over de rustige straten van de buitenwijk.En: The sun shone brightly over the quiet streets of the suburb.Nl: Het was een typische zomerzaterdag, perfect voor de jaarlijkse garage sale.En: It was a typical summer Saturday, perfect for the annual garage sale.Nl: De opruiming bracht leven op de anders kalme straten.En: The cleanup brought life to the otherwise calm streets.Nl: De geur van vers gemaaid gras zweefde in de lucht en gelach weerklonk van alle kanten.En: The scent of freshly mowed grass floated in the air, and laughter echoed from all directions.Nl: Lange tafels bogen door onder de last van tweedehands spullen: boeken, servies, speelgoed en oude meubelstukken.En: Long tables bent under the weight of second-hand items: books, dishes, toys, and old furniture.Nl: Maarten keek even op van zijn notitieboekje.En: Maarten glanced up from his notebook.Nl: Hij zat op een kleine kruk aan de rand van zijn oprit en observeerde de gebeurtenissen om hem heen.En: He sat on a small stool at the edge of his driveway, observing the events around him.Nl: Hij wist dat hij iets zocht, maar wat precies wist hij niet.En: He knew he was looking for something, but he wasn't quite sure what.Nl: Iets om zijn schrijversblok te verwijderen.En: Something to remove his writer's block.Nl: De inspiratie voor zijn volgende boek had hem nog niet gevonden, ondanks de vele verhalen die zijn buren uitwisselden.En: Inspiration for his next book had yet to find him, despite the many stories his neighbors exchanged.Nl: Sanne, de drijvende kracht achter het wijkgebeuren, dartelde van de ene tafel naar de andere.En: Sanne, the driving force behind the neighborhood event, flitted from one table to another.Nl: Met haar brede glimlach bracht ze de gemeenschap samen.En: With her broad smile, she brought the community together.Nl: Iedereen kende Sanne, en Sanne kende iedereen.En: Everyone knew Sanne, and Sanne knew everyone.Nl: "Hé Maarten!"En: "Hey Maarten!"Nl: riep ze terwijl ze naar hem toe liep, "wil je een kopje koffie?En: she called as she walked over to him, "Would you like a cup of coffee?Nl: Of misschien wat gezelschap?"En: Or maybe some company?"Nl: Maarten schudde zijn hoofd en glimlachte verontschuldigend.En: Maarten shook his head and smiled apologetically.Nl: "Dank je, Sanne.En: "Thanks, Sanne.Nl: Ik wacht even af."En: I'll just wait for a bit."Nl: Naast Maarten stond Joris, betrokken bij een geanimeerd gesprek met een voorbijganger.En: Next to Maarten stood Joris, engaged in an animated conversation with a passerby.Nl: Joris, die onlangs zijn baan was kwijtgeraakt, leek verloren in gedachten als hij niet in gesprek was.En: Joris, who had recently lost his job, seemed lost in thought when he wasn't in conversation.Nl: Zijn tafel stond vol met herinneringen: platen, een oud fototoestel en zijn collectie stripboeken.En: His table was filled with memories: records, an old camera, and his collection of comic books.Nl: Voor de meeste mensen slechts rommel, maar voor Joris stukjes verleden.En: To most people, merely junk, but to Joris, pieces of the past.Nl: Met moed die Maarten zelf verraste, liep hij naar Joris toe.En: With a boldness that surprised Maarten himself, he walked over to Joris.Nl: "Hoi Joris, hoe gaat het?"En: "Hi Joris, how's it going?"Nl: begon hij ongemakkelijk.En: he began awkwardly.Nl: Joris keek op.En: Joris looked up.Nl: "Oh, Maarten.En: "Oh, Maarten.Nl: Het gaat wel.En: It's alright.Nl: Het is... lastig geweest, om eerlijk te zijn."En: It's been... difficult, to be honest."Nl: Maarten besloot zich vast te klampen aan dit gesprekstouwtje.En: Maarten decided to cling to this thread of conversation.Nl: "Wat deed je precies, voordat... je weet wel?"En: "What did you do, exactly, before... you know?"Nl: Joris' gezicht lichtte op met oude trots.En: Joris' face lit up with old pride.Nl: Hij had als kind altijd archeoloog willen worden en het was hem gelukt.En: He had always wanted to be an archaeologist as a kid, and he had succeeded.Nl: "Ik werkte in een museum.En: "I worked in a museum.Nl: Dingen organiseren, tentoonstellingen samenstellen," vertelde hij, "maar het museum ging dicht, en nu probeer ik te bedenken wat ik verder wil doen."En: Organizing things, setting up exhibitions," he told, "but the museum closed, and now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next."Nl: Dit gesprek bleek een goudmijn voor Maarten.En: This conversation turned out to be a goldmine for Maarten.Nl: Joris sprak over schattenjagers, verloren steden en de magie van geschiedenis.En: Joris spoke of treasure hunters, lost cities, and the magic of history.Nl: Zijn verhalen waren levendig en meeslepend, en Maarten voelde zijn inspiratie opbloeien.En: His stories were vivid and captivating, and Maarten felt his inspiration bloom.Nl: Hier was een verhaal, een dartelende draad van verlangen en verlies, verborgen in een niet zo ongewone buitenwijk.En: Here was a story, a fluttering thread of longing and loss, hidden in a not-so-unusual suburb.Nl: De zon begon te dalen en het geluid van gezelligheid maakte langzaam plaats voor het kalme gewiebel van de avondbries.En: The sun began to set, and the sound of merriment slowly gave way to the calm rustle of the evening breeze.Nl: Maarten voelde iets veranderen in zichzelf.En: Maarten felt something change within himself.Nl: Hij had niet alleen het verhaal gevonden dat hij zocht, maar ook een verbinding met de mensen om hem heen.En: He had not only found the story he was looking for but also a connection with the people around him.Nl: Hij realiseerde zich dat hij tot nu toe teveel van een buitenstaander was geweest, bang om betrokken te raken.En: He realized he had been too much of an outsider until now, afraid to get involved.Nl: Met pen en notitieboekje in hand, liep Maarten uiteindelijk naar Joris.En: With pen and notebook in hand, Maarten eventually walked over to Joris.Nl: "Joris, bedankt dat je me je verhaal hebt verteld," zei hij oprecht, "ik denk dat ik je een keer terug ga vragen om daar wat meer over te horen."En: "Joris, thank you for sharing your story," he said sincerely, "I think I'll ask you again sometime to hear more about it."Nl: Joris glimlachte weemoedig.En: Joris smiled wistfully.Nl: "Graag, Maarten.En: "Gladly, Maarten.Nl: Misschien kan ik je helpen met wat ideeën."En: Maybe I can help you with some ideas."Nl: En zo keerde Maarten huiswaarts met meer dan alleen aantekeningen.En: And so, Maarten returned home with more than just notes.Nl: Hij had een nieuw verhaal in zijn hoofd en een plek in de gemeenschap waarvan hij zich nooit bewust was geweest.En: He had a new story in his mind and a place in the community of which he was previously unaware.Nl: De volgende ochtend zou hij de eerste pagina's schrijven, zijn pen geleid door de gewone, maar bijzondere verhalen van alledag.En: The next morning, he would write the first pages, his pen guided by the ordinary yet extraordinary everyday stories. Vocabulary Words:shone: scheensuburb: buitenwijkannual: jaarlijksegarage sale: garage salecleanup: opruimingsecond-hand: tweedehandsstool: krukdriveway: opritobserving: observeerdeexchanged: uitgewisseldenflitted: darteldeapologetically: verontschuldigendanimated: geanimeerdpasserby: voorbijgangertreasure hunters: schattenjagersarchaeologist: archeoloogmuseum: museumexhibitions: tentoonstellingengoldmine: goudmijncapitivating: meeslependvivid: levendigafraid: bangoutsider: buitenstaanderinspiration: inspiratieconnection: verbindingwistfully: weemoedigcontentment: tevredenheidunusual: ongewonemerriment: gezelligheidrustle: gewiebel
Welcoming summer's arrival, featuring poems by Mary Jo Balestreri, Margaret Hoehn, Kirby Olson and Sarah Yerkes.Support the show
Ethan Rutherford's new novel is The North Sun or the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther. He is the author of two story collections—Farthest South and The Peripatetic Coffin and Other Stories—and for these works has been named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, a finalist for the John Leonard Prize and CLMP's Firecracker Award, received honorable mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and was the winner of a Minnesota Book Award. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota and now teaches Creative Writing at Trinity College. We talked about his novel North Sun, whaling, mythology, Peter and the Wolf, musicality in writing, Alaska, and going back to ideas he thought he was finished with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Tyler Beauchamp, a pediatric resident whose path into medicine was shaped by his own experiences as a chronic patient. He shares candidly about how those early encounters with the healthcare system influenced his understanding of what it means to be a physician — and how some of his assumptions were challenged along the way. Together, we explore the intersection of writing, mental health, and medicine — and the essential role of creativity and human connection in clinical care. This conversation is a powerful reminder that the best doctors aren't just medically skilled — they're also curious, compassionate, and willing to bring their whole selves to the work. If you've ever wondered how to make space for your creative passions in a demanding profession, Tyler's story might just be the encouragement you need.Sign up for one of the FREE weekly webinars I'm hosting in June and learn how to create space for your humanity in healthcare: http://joanchanmd.com/webinarConnect with Tyler:Buy his book Freeze Frame!Website https://www.tyler-beauchamp.com/IG @tylerbeauchampmdLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with one of Canada's most beloved novelists, Catherine Bush, about her debut collection of short fiction, Skin (Goose Lane Editions, 2025). In Skin, Catherine Bush plunges into the vortex of all that shapes us. Summoning relationships between the human and more-than-human, she explores a world where touch and intimacy are both desirable and fraught. Ranging from the realistic to the speculative, Bush's stories tackle the condition of our restless, unruly world amidst the tumult of viruses, climate change, and ecological crises. Here, she brings to life unusual and perplexing intimacies: a man falls in love with the wind; a substitute teacher's behaviour with a student brings unforeseen risks; a woman becomes fixated on offering foot washes to strangers. Bold, vital, and unmistakably of the moment, Skin gives a charged and animating voice to the question of how we face the world and how, in the process, we discover tenderness and allow ourselves to be transformed. Catherine Bush is the author of five novels. Her work has been critically acclaimed, published internationally, and shortlisted for numerous awards. Her most recent novel, Blaze Island, was a Globe and Mail and Writers' Trust of Canada Best Book of the Year, and the Hamilton Reads 2021 Selection. Her other novels include the Canada Reads longlisted Accusation; the Trillium Award shortlisted Claire's Head; the national bestselling The Rules of Engagement, which was also named a New York Times Notable Book and a L.A. Times Best Book of the Year; and Minus Time, shortlisted for the City of Toronto Book Award. The recipient of numerous fellowships, Bush has been Writer-in-Residence/Landhaus Fellow at the Rachel Carson Centre for Environment and Society in Munich and a Fiction Meets Science Fellow at the HWK in Delmenhorst, Germany. An Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Guelph, she lives in Toronto and in an old schoolhouse in Eastern Ontario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
The third in our series of conversations about the late Alice Notley. Lindsay Turner returns to the podcast to discuss a selection from Waltzing Matilda, "Dec. 12, 1980." A poet, critic, and translator, Lindsay Turner is the author of the poetry collections The Upstate (University of Chicago Press, 2023) and Songs & Ballads (Prelude Books, 2018). Her translations from the French include books by Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Anne Dufourmantelle, Stéphane Bouquet, Frédéric Neyrat, Richard Rechtman, Ryoko Sekiguchi, and others. Her translation of Bouquet's The Next Loves was longlisted for the National Translation Awards, shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award, and named a New York Times top 10 poetry collection of 2019, and she has twice received French Voices Grants for her translation work. Originally from northeast Tennessee, she lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Case Western Reserve University. Take a look at Lindsay's Substack, "stay you are so fair."You can listen to Notley reading from Waltzing Matilda on the PennSound archive of her recordings.Please follow the podcast if you like what you hear, and leave a rating and review. Share an episode with a friend! (Post it to your social media feeds?) You can also subscribe to my Substack, which I haven't used in a while, but may again. I'm also on Bluesky, now and then.
NBN host Hollay Ghadery interviews fellow rural Ontario author Daryl Sneath about his 2024 novel, In the Country in the Dark (Signature Editions). When Landon and Joy meet they feel an instant connection and quickly become inseparable. One day shortly after they've met, they take a trip to view The Hart Farm, an idyllic property located in a remote area. It's perfect, with room for Landon to set up his carpentry shop and Joy to have an art studio. The real estate agent feels complete disclosure of the property's tragic and potentially violent past is necessary but Landon and Joy decide ignorance is bliss and ask to not be told the details. They're in love and smitten with the farm and decide on the spot to buy it.As they spend their days creating art, reading, cooking for each other, listening to music, and making love, they can barely believe their good fortune. However, when the heat of summer--as well as their initial infatuation--begins to wane, Landon and Joy realize how little they know about each other or the house they now call home. They begin to feel a mounting sense of danger and uncertainty about what they used to delight in--the mysterious and tragic history of The Hart Farm, the wolves that prowl in the dark of night, and the near stranger they share a bed with.In the Country in the Dark is a thrilling psychological exploration of the secrets we keep and why, the obsessions we live with, the love we all need, the family we sometimes find--and the lengths we might go to keep it.About Daryl Sneath: Daryl Sneath is an author and high school English and Philosophy teacher from rural Ontario. He is the author of three novels, In the Country in the Dark, As the Current Pulls the Fallen Under, and All My Sins. Daryl holds an MA in Literature & Creative Writing from The University of Windsor. His poetry and fiction have been published in journals including The Antigonish Review, Prism international, Wascana Review, Nashwaak Review, paperplates, Zouch Magazine, Quilliad, FreeFall, Filling Station, The Dalhousie Review, and The Literary Review of Canada. One of his short stories was longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
NBN host Hollay Ghadery interviews fellow rural Ontario author Daryl Sneath about his 2024 novel, In the Country in the Dark (Signature Editions). When Landon and Joy meet they feel an instant connection and quickly become inseparable. One day shortly after they've met, they take a trip to view The Hart Farm, an idyllic property located in a remote area. It's perfect, with room for Landon to set up his carpentry shop and Joy to have an art studio. The real estate agent feels complete disclosure of the property's tragic and potentially violent past is necessary but Landon and Joy decide ignorance is bliss and ask to not be told the details. They're in love and smitten with the farm and decide on the spot to buy it.As they spend their days creating art, reading, cooking for each other, listening to music, and making love, they can barely believe their good fortune. However, when the heat of summer--as well as their initial infatuation--begins to wane, Landon and Joy realize how little they know about each other or the house they now call home. They begin to feel a mounting sense of danger and uncertainty about what they used to delight in--the mysterious and tragic history of The Hart Farm, the wolves that prowl in the dark of night, and the near stranger they share a bed with.In the Country in the Dark is a thrilling psychological exploration of the secrets we keep and why, the obsessions we live with, the love we all need, the family we sometimes find--and the lengths we might go to keep it.About Daryl Sneath: Daryl Sneath is an author and high school English and Philosophy teacher from rural Ontario. He is the author of three novels, In the Country in the Dark, As the Current Pulls the Fallen Under, and All My Sins. Daryl holds an MA in Literature & Creative Writing from The University of Windsor. His poetry and fiction have been published in journals including The Antigonish Review, Prism international, Wascana Review, Nashwaak Review, paperplates, Zouch Magazine, Quilliad, FreeFall, Filling Station, The Dalhousie Review, and The Literary Review of Canada. One of his short stories was longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
Rob Franklin, Great Black Hope (Summit Books, 2025) Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction, criticism, and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer prize, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU's Creative Writing program. He lives in Brooklyn and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Book Recommendations: Katie Kitamura, Audition Josh Duboff, Early Thirties Alexis Okeowo, Blessings and Disasters Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rob Franklin, Great Black Hope (Summit Books, 2025) Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction, criticism, and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer prize, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU's Creative Writing program. He lives in Brooklyn and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Book Recommendations: Katie Kitamura, Audition Josh Duboff, Early Thirties Alexis Okeowo, Blessings and Disasters Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies
Rob Franklin, Great Black Hope (Summit Books, 2025) Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction, criticism, and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer prize, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU's Creative Writing program. He lives in Brooklyn and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Book Recommendations: Katie Kitamura, Audition Josh Duboff, Early Thirties Alexis Okeowo, Blessings and Disasters Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Commemorating family history, featuring work by Dan Shiffman, Roberta Schine and Nicholas Samaras, plus excerpts from an interview with Roy Cheng Tsung.Support the show
Day 7: Keetje Kuipers reads her poem “Cremello Horse,” which first appeared in the magazine 32 Poems and was then published in Lonely Women Make Good Lovers (BOA Editions, 2025). Keetje Kuipers' fourth collection of poetry, Lonely Women Make Good Lovers, was the recipient of the Isabella Gardner Award. Her poetry and prose have appeared in American Poetry Review, New York Times Magazine, and Poetry, and have been honored by publication in the Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry anthologies. Keetje has been a Stegner Fellow, NEA Literature Fellow in Creative Writing, and the Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Resident. She lives with her wife and children in Montana, where she is Editor of Poetry Northwest. Text of today's poem and more details about our program can be found at: deerfieldlibrary.org/queerpoemaday/ Find books from participating poets in our library's catalog. Queer Poem-a-Day is a program from the Adult Services Department at the Library and may include adult language. Queer Poem-a-Day is founded and co-directed by poet and professor Lisa Hiton and Dylan Zavagno, Adult Services Coordinator at the Library and host of the Deerfield Public Library Podcast. Music for this fifth year of our series is “L'Ange Verrier” from Le Rossignol Éperdu by Reynaldo Hahn, performed by pianist Daniel Baer. Queer Poem-a-Day is supported by generous donations from the Friends of the Deerfield Public Library and the Deerfield Fine Arts Commission.
Rob Franklin, Great Black Hope (Summit Books, 2025) Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction, criticism, and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer prize, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU's Creative Writing program. He lives in Brooklyn and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Book Recommendations: Katie Kitamura, Audition Josh Duboff, Early Thirties Alexis Okeowo, Blessings and Disasters Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
Hilary Constable is a writer, event host, and HR professional with over 20 years of business experience—and a passion for helping people do the work that truly matters. She brings a rare mix to the table: an MFA in Creative Writing, three Lean Six Sigma certifications, and deep expertise in both process improvement and human-centered HR.As the founder of Constable HR, Hilary has led projects across nonprofits, municipalities, and medical practices—building everything from employee handbooks to onboarding systems to compensation analyses.She's also a speaker at DisruptHR conferences this year, where she's helping leaders rethink the way we show up at work.But what makes Hilary especially interesting is her belief in the unexpected things that help us grow professionally like hobbies, personal development, and even the language we use in team meetings. I think that will come through in today's podcast because she's quite unique in terms of the topics she chooses to cover.Today, why your day job needs your hobby.Resources:Connect with Hilary Constable on LinkedInCheck out The Writers Escape PortalFollow us:Follow Let's Eat, Grandma on LinkedInUse Chris' LinkedIn for the newsletterCheck us out on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NBN host Hollay Ghadery talks with the wonderful poet Elizabeth Green about her most recent collection from Ekstasis Editions, No Ordinary Days is a book of shifting perspectives. It begins with a sense of limited beautiful days and a series of elegies for friends alive in memory but vanished into the stream of time. It opens into a consideration of some of the heroism, tragedy and terror in our age and briefly looks forward to a time beyond capitalism. The poems then turn to the personal as the poet experiences disruption in her own damaged home, her temporary homelessness, and her renewed appreciation of home. Framing these poems about the uniqueness of days and the change of one age to the next are poems about the immensity beyond the earthly realm, the vastness of the stars. Elizabeth Greene has published three books of poetry, The Iron Shoes, Moving, and Understories. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies, most recently I Found It at The Movies and Shy: An Anthology, and various literary magazines. She has also published short fiction and creative non-fiction. She edited and contributed to We Who Can Fly: Poems, Essays and Memories in Honour of Adele Wiseman which won the Betty and Morris Aaron Award for Best Scholarship on a Canadian Subject. She taught English for many years at Queen's University, originating courses in Selected Women Writers from Julian of Norwich to Bronwen Wallace and Contemporary Canadian Women Writers. She was a founder of Women's Studies at Queen's and was instrumental in establishing the courses in Creative Writing there. She lives in Kingston, Ontario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
NBN host Hollay Ghadery talks with the wonderful poet Elizabeth Green about her most recent collection from Ekstasis Editions, No Ordinary Days is a book of shifting perspectives. It begins with a sense of limited beautiful days and a series of elegies for friends alive in memory but vanished into the stream of time. It opens into a consideration of some of the heroism, tragedy and terror in our age and briefly looks forward to a time beyond capitalism. The poems then turn to the personal as the poet experiences disruption in her own damaged home, her temporary homelessness, and her renewed appreciation of home. Framing these poems about the uniqueness of days and the change of one age to the next are poems about the immensity beyond the earthly realm, the vastness of the stars. Elizabeth Greene has published three books of poetry, The Iron Shoes, Moving, and Understories. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies, most recently I Found It at The Movies and Shy: An Anthology, and various literary magazines. She has also published short fiction and creative non-fiction. She edited and contributed to We Who Can Fly: Poems, Essays and Memories in Honour of Adele Wiseman which won the Betty and Morris Aaron Award for Best Scholarship on a Canadian Subject. She taught English for many years at Queen's University, originating courses in Selected Women Writers from Julian of Norwich to Bronwen Wallace and Contemporary Canadian Women Writers. She was a founder of Women's Studies at Queen's and was instrumental in establishing the courses in Creative Writing there. She lives in Kingston, Ontario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry
A beautiful and compelling family memoir retracing the love story between Sabrin Hasbun's Palestinian father and Italian mother, and the life of her half-Italian, half-Palestinian family from the 1960s to 2020. After the loss of her mother, Sabrin tries to renegotiate her mixed identity and understand her mother's choices which led her from an oppressive childhood in a village in Tuscany to finding love and community activism in Palestine. This is a story about overcoming grief and what it means to lose not only loved ones, but also a place in the world and a sense of belonging. Sabrin Hasbun was born in Palestine, spent her childhood in Palestine and Italy, and now lives in the UK. She holds a PHD in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and lectures in Creative Writing at Cardiff Met University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.About the hosts:Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup built to help authors succeed. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. As an author and writing coach, she knows that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So she thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook you. Holly lives in Marin County with her family and two Labrador retrievers, and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, swimming and pretending to surf. To learn more about her books and writing coaching services, please follow her on IG + X @hollylynnpayne or visit hollylynnpayne.com.Nina Schuyler's short story collection, In This Ravishing World, won the W.S. Porter Prize and the Prism Prize for Climate Literature and was published in July 2024. Her novel, Afterword, won the 2024 PenCraft Book of the Year in Fiction, the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for Science Fiction and Literary, and the PenCraft Spring Seasonal Book Award for Literary and Science Fiction. Her novel, The Translator, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for General Fiction. Her novel, The Painting, was shortlisted for the Northern California Book Award. Her short stories have been published by Zyzzyva, Chicago Quarterly Review, Fugue, Nashville Review, and elsewhere, and have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. The first edition of How to Write Stunning Sentences was a Small Press Distribution bestseller. She teaches creative writing for Stanford Continuing Studies, the independent bookstore, Book Passage, and she runs the popular Stunning Sentences Substack.Tune in and reach out:If you're an aspiring writer or a book lover, this episode of Page One offers a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice. I offer these conversations as a testament to the magic that happens when master storytellers share their secrets and experiences. We hope you are inspired to tune into the full episode for more insights. Keep writing, keep reading, and remember—the world needs your stories. If I can help you tell your own story, or help improve your first page, please reach out @hollylynnpayne or visit hollylynnpayne.com.You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players. Hear past episodes. If you're interested in getting writing tips and the latest podcast episode updates with the world's beloved master storytellers, please sign up for my new Substack newsletter, Power of Page One. You can also learn more about me at hollylynnpayne.com and follow me @hollylynnpayne on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook. Your email address is always private and you can always unsubscribe anytime! The Page One Podcast is created on a houseboat in Sausalito, California and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Be well and keep reading, and please join us at POP1, The Power of Page One. Thank you for being a part of my creative community on Substack! In service,Holly Thank you for listening to the Page One Podcast! I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I loved hosting, producing, and editing it. If you liked it too, here are three ways to share the love:Please share it on social and tag @hollylynnpayne.Leave a review on your favorite podcast players. Tell your friends. Please keep in touch by signing up to receive my Substack newsletter with the latest episodes each month. Delivered to your inbox with a smile. You can contact me at @hollylynnpayne on IG or send me a message on my website, hollylynnpayne.com.For the love of books and writers,Holly Lynn Payne@hollylynnpaynehost, author, writing coachwww.hollylynnpayne.com
A beautiful and compelling family memoir retracing the love story between Sabrin Hasbun's Palestinian father and Italian mother, and the life of her half-Italian, half-Palestinian family from the 1960s to 2020. After the loss of her mother, Sabrin tries to renegotiate her mixed identity and understand her mother's choices which led her from an oppressive childhood in a village in Tuscany to finding love and community activism in Palestine. This is a story about overcoming grief and what it means to lose not only loved ones, but also a place in the world and a sense of belonging. Sabrin Hasbun was born in Palestine, spent her childhood in Palestine and Italy, and now lives in the UK. She holds a PHD in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and lectures in Creative Writing at Cardiff Met University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies
A beautiful and compelling family memoir retracing the love story between Sabrin Hasbun's Palestinian father and Italian mother, and the life of her half-Italian, half-Palestinian family from the 1960s to 2020. After the loss of her mother, Sabrin tries to renegotiate her mixed identity and understand her mother's choices which led her from an oppressive childhood in a village in Tuscany to finding love and community activism in Palestine. This is a story about overcoming grief and what it means to lose not only loved ones, but also a place in the world and a sense of belonging. Sabrin Hasbun was born in Palestine, spent her childhood in Palestine and Italy, and now lives in the UK. She holds a PHD in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and lectures in Creative Writing at Cardiff Met University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography
I just came back from my first time ever in Miami with my fiancé, and I thought why not re-air my thrilling conversation with Miami based writer Rochelle Weinstein. This aired about two years ago, and I definitely am going to have Rochelle back on to discuss her new novel We Are Made of Stars! We have an exciting conversation about what type of literature Rochelle writes which I coin "Romantic Realism." Rochelle provides so much literary insight in this episode, and she first explains why after giving birth to twin boys she knew she needed to become a writer! Then, I ask her why Miami holds such a special place in her literature and upbringing. For Rochelle, Miami is not just a literary setting, it's an atmosphere for her reader. Follow Rochelle on Instagram, @rochellebweinsteinYou can find all of her novels here: https://www.rochelleweinstein.com/Follow ITBR on IG @ivorytowerboilerroom and TikTok @ivorytowerboilerroomOur Sponsors:To subscribe to The Gay and Lesbian Review visit glreview.org. Click Subscribe and enter promo code ITBRChoice to get a free issue with a subscription purchase. Follow them on IG,@theglreview.Head to Broadview Press, an independent academic publisher, for all your humanities related books. Use code ivorytower for 20% off yourbroadviewpress.com order. Follow them on IG,@broadviewpress.Follow That Ol' Gay Classic Cinema on IG,@thatolgayclassiccinema Listen here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-ol-gay-classic-cinema/id1652125150Thanks to the ITBR team! Dr. Andrew Rimby (Host and Director), Mary DiPipi (Chief Contributor), and Christian Garcia (Editor)
Creativity, Collaboration, and Perseverance: A Life in Music with Kim Sherman Episode #158 Welcome to another insightful episode of The Creative Soulpreneur, where artistry meets entrepreneurship. Today, we're thrilled to introduce Kim Sherman, whose paths have intertwined through friendship, collaboration, and a shared passion for music. Nick and Kim reminisce about their initial meeting, a serendipitous artistic 'blind date' that blossomed into a fruitful partnership. They take us on a journey from Kim's theatrical childhood, inspired by her musician mother, to her perseverance in a male-dominated industry and her expansive musical career that spans genres and mediums. Kim shares her unique approach to creativity, detailing her daily routine that balances intense solo composition with meaningful collaboration. Listen in as they discuss the pivotal moments in Kim's life that steered her towards a thriving career in music, despite societal expectations. Through Kim's story, we learn the importance of being a perpetual student, embracing new challenges, and the enduring power of mentorship. Join us for a conversation filled with inspiration, insight, and a celebration of artistic growth and resilience. Key Takeaways: The Power of Collaboration: Kim emphasizes the importance of trust in collaborative relationships. Whether composing music in the same room with a collaborator or working independently and sharing progress, trust and mutual respect are essential for success. Adaptability Across Creative Fields: Kim has mastered the art of versatility by working across multiple genres, including opera, musical theater, film scores, and orchestral music. Her expansive definition of music allows her to adapt and thrive in various creative spaces, ensuring longevity in her career. Embracing Lifelong Learning: A true student of both music and life, Kim's dedication to learning keeps her creative spirit vibrant and alive. From experimenting with new genres to acting as her own mentor in writing librettos, she demonstrates the value of continual growth and exploration. Find Kim at her website: https://www.kdsherman.com Story Telling Guide!!! KIM D.SHERMAN is a composer who embraces lyricism and dissonance to embody musical landscapes. After graduating from Lawrence University, she worked in Minneapolis with many theater companies, including Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune. In 2024, BRIDGE TO PEACE: INVOCATION was recorded by the Lviv Philharmonic, with soloists Will Liverman and Allison Charney. UNFATHOMABLE THINGS (solo piano,) was published in 2021. Other works have been performed and recorded by The Ark Trio, Musica Sacra, and San José Chamber Orchestra. She has written scores for theatrical productions throughout the US, including music for the Broadway hit “I Hate Hamlet.” Nick Demos is a Tony and Olivier Award winning Broadway producer, documentary filmmaker, conscious business coach and manifestation expert. With over 15 years of teaching pranayama (breath work), yoga and creativity as well as thirty years in the entertainment industry, he has travelled from the Tony Awards to ashrams and run a multi-million dollar business in between. Nick helps you clear blocks and tap into your creative intuition so you can tell your stories and manifest the business and life of your dreams creating wealth and impact.
Spring Book Club is over, and we're kicking off our next adventure: a 10-part literary analysis of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. But before we dive in, we're answering your writing questions! From worldbuilding to character arcs, best friends Jac and Amy bring their academic training and literary passion to this special Q&A episode for aspiring romantasy writers and curious readers alike. Whether you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas or looking to refine your own storytelling craft, this episode is packed with thoughtful, educational insight grounded in deep genre knowledge. Who we are: Both Jac and Amy hold bachelor's degrees in Creative Writing. Jac also has a Master's in Comparative Literature, while Amy has a Master's in Higher Education. With 13 years of combined academic training, we apply literary theory and creative writing frameworks to analyze and understand modern romantasy and help writers elevate their own craft. If you love smart, bookish conversations about fantasy, romance, and the power of female-centered storytelling, you're in the right place. What's next? We're starting our Crown of Midnight analysis next week, so now is the perfect time to catch up on our literary breakdowns of A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Share your thoughts for a chance to be featured! Submit them at booktalkforbooktok.com for a future mini-episode or exclusive Patreon discussion. Support the Show: Patreon: patreon.com/booktalkforbooktok Merch: Etsy Store Follow Us on Social: Instagram: @BookTalkForBookTok TikTok: @BookTalkForBookTok YouTube: @BookTalkForBookTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Creative burnout isn't a personal failure—it's a signal that your current content creation approach isn't sustainable. Whether you're in a creative rut right now or want to prepare for inevitable dry spells, this episode is about creating sustainably rather than constantly.I'm getting honest about why I took time off from podcasting and what I learned during that break. You'll discover low-energy content strategies that still provide value, how to prevent future burnout, and when to seek support rather than just pushing through. Because your audience would rather have authentic content than forced content that feels generic.__________________________________________EPISODE 157.Read the show notes and view the full transcript here: https://erinollila.com/creative-burnout-and-what-to-create/______________________________________________Here's info on your host, Erin OllilaErin Ollila believes in the power of words and how a message can inform – and even transform – its intended audience. She graduated from Fairfield University with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and went on to co-found Spry, an award-winning online literary journal.When Erin's not helping her clients understand their website data or improve their website copy, you can catch her hosting the Talk Copy to Me podcast and guesting on shows such as Profit is a Choice, Mindful Marketing, The Power in Purpose, and Business-First Creatives.Stay in touch with Erin Ollila, SEO website copywriter:• Learn more about my VIP intensive options or just book a strategy session to get started right away• Visit Erin's website to learn more about her business, services, and productsWant to keep talking copy? Send me a text message!
If you are wondering what kids mean when they say, “It's cringe” then watch this movie. Otherwise save yourself some time. On paper everything about this movie should work, but, and it's an enormous but, it doesn't. It's easy to identify why. This movie doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up - is it a romance, a spy or an action movie. On the upside, if you listen to this episode you will learn the difference between action stories and spy stories - I have very strong opinions about this. We also have lots of fun with our cranky pants on. -M For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.Follow Valerie on Instagram and Threads @valerie_francisFollow Melanie on X, Instagram and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
Sharon Arpana Edwards, who was born in India, is the author of three books, the most recent being an adaptation of the biblical book of Job in limericks titled There Once Was a Man Who Suffered (paperback 2022; hardback 2023). It was preceded by an award-winning 100-day devotional titled The Blessing of Melchizedek (2016); and a collection of stories titled Pioneer Boulevard (2013). Sharon holds MAs in English and Creative Writing and has worked as an editor, proofreader, and copywriter. She enjoys prayer, worship, Bible study, and encouraging others.
Jill Damatac joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up undocumented in the US and how she ultimately self-deported, weaving Filipino food, mythology, history, and culture in her narrative, opting for a hybridized memoir to mitigate the fear of talking about her experience, American exceptionalism, internalized doubt and unworthiness, contextualizing the self within a broader set of stories, when fear is a defining container for our lives, being willing to announce our lived experience via memoir, wanting to shrug off the yoke of shame, offering the reader a kaleidoscopic view, and her new memoir Dirty Kitchen A Memoir of Food and Family. Also in this episode: -sifting through hybridized aspects of a memoir -knowing where to cut and where to expand -shame around trauma writing Books mentioned in this episode: Another Country by James Baldwin Bodywork by Melissa Febos How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr Jill Damatac is a writer and filmmaker born in the Philippines, raised in the US, and now a UK citizen, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her film and photography work has been featured on the BBC and in Time, and at film festivals worldwide; her short documentary film Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta), about the Indigenous Filipino tattooist Apo Whang Od, was an official selection at the Academy Award–qualifying DOC NYC and won Best Documentary at Ireland's Kerry Film Festival. Jill holds an MSt in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Documentary Film from the University of the Arts London. Connect with Jill: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jilldamatac/ Website: https://www.jilldamatac.com/ Get the book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dirty-Kitchen/Jill-Damatac/9781668084632 – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers
Poetic forms are sometimes considered limiting, but can we find freedom within the constraints? On this episode, Brandon Blue tells Jared about how recontextualizing traditional forms through the lens of identity creates an additional, sometimes subversive, layer of meaning. Plus, he discusses writing about intimacy and eroticism within and outside of sexual relationships; how he decided to pursue an MFA after teaching middle and high school for seven years; and the importance of advocating for your needs and goals in an MFA program, writing community, and career.Brandon Blue is a black, queer poet, educator and MFA candidate at Arizona State University from the D(M)V. He is an assistant editor for Storm Cellar Magazine and his work has or will appear in Barzakh, the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival Poetry Anthology, [PANK], and more. His work is also featured in the Capital Pride Poem-a-Day event. His work has received the support of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. His chapbook, Snap.Shot, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. Keep up with his work at brandonbluepoet.com.MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack and Hanamori Skoblow. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at MFAwriters.com.BE PART OF THE SHOWDonate to the show at Buy Me a Coffee.Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.Submit an episode request. If there's a program you'd like to learn more about, contact us and we'll do our very best to find a guest who can speak to their experience.Apply to be a guest on the show by filling out our application.STAY CONNECTEDTwitter: @MFAwriterspodInstagram: @MFAwriterspodcastFacebook: MFA WritersEmail: mfawriterspodcast@gmail.com
Are you ready for the next YA book series to completely obsess over!? That's what's in store for you when you pick up Lauren Magaziner's latest book, The Incorruptibles! Lauren stopped by the show this week to share her background as an author, working on this (among many other) projects, and some of her favorite memories writing this book. Check it out! About Lauren Magaziner Lauren is the internationally bestselling author of the Case Closed series, The Mythics series, the upcoming series The Incorruptibles (June 10, 2025), and three other stand-alone books for middle grade readers. Her books are available in 12 languages, have been Junior Library Guild selections, have been on the Indie Next List, been an Amazon bestseller, earned starred reviews, been on state lists, and have been optioned for a TV movie with Nickelodeon. She has also contributed short stories to Storyworks magazine and a middle grade mystery anthology called Super Puzzletastic Mysteries. Lauren grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. After receiving a B.A. in Creative Writing and Philosophy at Hamilton College, Lauren Magaziner worked on two delightful Scholastic magazines, where many of her coworkers didn't believe her last name was real. She currently lives in Philadelphia, where she writes full time. About 'The Incorruptibles' Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she's whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn't earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs? Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website! Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast! Nostalgia is something everyone loves and Empire Toys in Keller Texas is on nostalgia overload. With toys and action figures from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and today, Empire Toys is a one-stop-shop for a trip down memory lane and a chance to reclaim what was once yours (but likely sold at a garage sale) Check out Empire Toys on Facebook, Instagram, or at TheEmpireToys.com AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast: Your quality of life: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, is a direct reflection of the level of abundant energy, ease, and connection your nervous system has to experience your life! At Self Unbound, your nervous system takes center stage as we help unbind your limited healing potential through NetworkSpinal Care. Access the first steps to your Unbound journey by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.selfunbound.com
Anxiety and writing, featuring diary entries by Judith Beth Cohen, Kurt Schmidt and Cindy Cramer.Support the show
Sara Pirkle is a Southern poet, an identical twin, a breast cancer survivor, and a board game enthusiast. Her first full-length collection of poetry, The Disappearing Act, won the Adrienne Bond Award for Poetry and was published by Mercer University Press in 2018. In 2019, she was nominated for Georgia Author of the Year in Poetry, and in 2022 she was shortlisted for the Oxford Poetry Prize. She also dabbles in songwriting and co-wrote a song on Remy Le Boeuf's album, Architecture of Storms, which was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category. Pirkle's poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times, the Best of the Net Anthology twice, and the Independent Best American Poetry Award. She earned a PhD in English from Georgia State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is an Associate Director of Creative Writing at The University of Alabama.Anya Krugovoy Silver was born in Media, Pennsylvania in December of 1968, and she grew up in Swarthmore. The child of immigrants, her first two languages were German and Russian. She graduated from Haverford College, and she earned a PhD in literature from Emory University in Atlanta. In 1998, Silver and her husband began teaching at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. While pregnant with their son in 2004, she was diagnosed with and treated for inflammatory breast cancer. After five years of remission, her cancer returned as bone metastasis in 2010. She published four books of poetry and one book of criticism in her lifetime. She won the Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2015, and she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellow for Poetry in 2018, the same year in which she died. At the time of her death, she was in the process of editing her fifth book, Saint Agnostica, which was published in 2021 by Louisiana State University Press. The following poems were recorded with permission from Louisiana State University Press: Silver, Anya Krugovoy. “Blush” and “The Poem in My Childhood.” The Ninety-Third Name of God: Poems, Louisiana State University Press, 2010Silver, Anya Krugovoy. “There's a River.” I Watched You Disappear: Poems, Louisiana State University Press, 2014Silver, Anya Krugovoy. “From Nothing.” From Nothing: Poems, Louisiana State University Press, 2016Silver, Anya Krugovoy. “Being Ill.” Saint Agnostica: Poems, Louisiana State University Press, 2021Links: Sara PirkleSara Pirkle's website"Weighing the Options" in Delta Poetry Review"Not Prometheus" in Eclectica"Pretend You Don't Owe Me a Thing" in Rattle"Evolution of the Writing Process: A Conversation with Dr. Sara Pirkle Hughes"--University of AlabamaAnya Krugovoy SilverBio and poems at The Poetry Foundation"Anya Krugovoy Silver, 1968-1018" in New Georgia Encyclopedia
Christopher Honey reads his poem "The Pause," and Sue Proffitt reads her poems "The moor" and "Eating with the dead." Christopher Honey's work has appeared in numerous publications including U.S. Catholic, America, Poetry South, and The Rumpus. He earned his MFA from the University of Saint Thomas, Houston, and lives and works in Washington D.C. with his wife and daughter.Sue Proffitt lives by the coast in South Devon, on the edge of a cliff in a coastguard cottage. She has an MA in Creative Writing, is a Hawthornden Fellow, and has been published in a number of magazines, anthologies, and competitions. Apart from writing poetry, swimming in the sea and walking the coast path are her two great loves. She has two poetry collections published: Open After Dark (Oversteps, 2017) and The Lock-Picker (Palewell Press, 2021). She is looking for a home for her third collection.
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Andrew Forbes about his phenomenal novella, McCurdle's Arm: A Fiction (Invisible Publishing, July 16, 2024). Southern Ontario, 1892. The Ashburnham Pine Groves are a semi-professional baseball club in the South Western Ontario Base-Ball Players' Association, sponsored by the Grafton Brewery, makers of Ashburnham's Famous Pine Grove Ale. When sober the Ashburnham players are an impressive group, though coarse and occasionally cretinous, and as with any collection of men, not without their peculiarities. Robert James McCurdle is one of their most formidable pitchers, though he understands that his body won't let him perform at a high level forever. McCurdle's Arm is an account of a particular man in his particular time, playing a version of baseball devoid of the comforts of the modern game, rife with violence, his employment always precarious. Against this backdrop McCurdle must choose between his love for the game and his desire to be reunited with the woman who loves him. About Andrew Forbes: Andrew Forbes is the author of the novel The Diapause (Invisible, October 1, 2024), the novella McCurdle's Arm: A Fiction (Invisible Publishing, July 16, 2024), and the essay collection Field Work: On Baseball and Making a Living (Assembly Press, April 15, 2025). He is also the author of two books of short fiction and two earlier collections of baseball writing. His work has appeared in publications such as the Toronto Star, Canadian Notes and Queries, and Maisonneuve Magazine. He was the 2019 Margaret Laurence Fellow at Trent University, and served on the jury of the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Forbes lives in Peterborough, Ontario. About Hollay Ghadery:Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health,moir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Now that comic creators are returning to websites, SEO (search engine optimization) is once again a hot topic. We'll talk about methods to help search engines index comics. Also, if Brad and Dave were to design a four-year degree for cartoonists, what classes would be on the curriculum?Today's showSEO for webcomicsShould you use alt text on social media posts?Susan MacTaggart's personal affirmationUPDATE: Comiclab Live stage show at the NCS conference, Aug. 14-16UPDATE: Apple loses its 30% cash grabUPDATE: Superfan Ray Michels does it againWhat would Dave and Brad's comics BFA degree include?SummaryIn this episode, Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the importance of SEO for comic creators, particularly in 2025, highlighting best practices for optimizing webcomics. The episode concludes with practical tips for improving website performance and audience engagement through effective content strategies. In the mid-show updates, Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar promote their upcoming ComicLab LIVE stage show at the NCS convention in August, examine the implications of Apple's recent court loss, and thank superfan Ray Michaels for updating Dave Kellett's Wikipedia page.In the second half, they explore what an ideal art degree for cartoonists might look like, emphasizing the balance between craft and business education. They discuss the ideal curriculum for aspiring comic artists, focusing on creative writing, business skills, art techniques, and the importance of real-world experience. They explore various classes that would benefit students, including humor writing, long-form storytelling, digital tools, and color theory. The discussion emphasizes the need for a well-rounded education that combines artistic skills with practical knowledge to prepare students for a successful career in comics.TakeawaysSEO is crucial for comic creators to reach their audience.Transcripts can enhance SEO and accessibility for comics.Alt text is essential for improving search engine visibility.Optimizing image metadata can boost website performance.Creating a 'Start Here' page can guide new readers effectively.Regularly updating meta descriptions can improve SEO rankings.Engaging with your audience through alt text can enhance their experience.Content creation should be efficient and serve multiple purposes.SEO tactics can often be misleading and should be approached with caution.Linking to other webcomics can create a supportive community.Quality content is more important than SEO for attracting readers.Personal affirmations can provide motivation and encouragement.Events like the Reuben weekend are valuable for networking in the comic community.Recent legal victories can benefit creators financially on platforms like Patreon.Understanding analytics is crucial for independent artists.Business courses should be a core part of an art degree for cartoonists.Branding and legal knowledge are essential for success in the comic industry.Grant writing can be a valuable skill for artists seeking funding.A creative writing class specifically for comics is essential.Rhetoric and composition should be included in the curriculum.Understanding humor is crucial for all writers, not just humorists.Long-form storytelling should be taught with a focus on serialization.Art classes should cover visual storytelling and mark-making techniques.A history of mixed media communication is important for understanding comics.Digital tools and their applications should be part of the curriculum.Color theory and management are vital for storytelling in comics.Internships provide valuable real-world experience for students.A well-rounded curriculum should balance art, writing, and business skills.Brad's Comics BFAThis is Brad Guigar's wishlist for a full 4-year BFA-style degree for comics creators, assuming a 120-credit hour program, broken down into approximately 40 classes (3 credits each). I've grouped them by category and semester.YEAR 1 – FoundationFall SemesterIntro to Visual Storytelling (Art)Creative Writing for Comics I (Writing)Foundations of Marketing (Business)Composition & Rhetoric (Gen Ed)Digital Tools for Creatives (Art/Tech)Spring SemesterDrawing for Sequential Art (Art)Creative Writing for Comics II (Writing) Entrepreneurship 101 (Business) Intro to Media Studies (Gen Ed)Social Media Strategy (Business)YEAR 2 – Skill BuildingFall SemesterNarrative Structure & Pacing (Writing)Lettering & Typography (Art)Branding for Creators (Business) Art History for Comic Artists (Gen Ed/Art History)Accounting & Taxes for Freelancers (Business) Spring SemesterPanel Layout & Visual Flow (Art)Character Development & Dialogue (Writing) Marketing Campaigns & Analytics (Business) Legal Issues in Creative Careers (Business) Psychology of Storytelling (Writing/Gen Ed) YEAR 3 – Integration & Professional PrepFall SemesterWriting humor (Writing) Coloring (Art)Crowdfunding & Direct Sales (Business) The Comic Industry: History & Trends (Gen Ed/Art History)Pitching & Proposal Writing (Business/Writing) Spring SemesterAdvanced Sequential Storytelling (Art)Long-Form Storytelling & Serialization (Writing) Client & Commission Work (Business)Internship or Industry Mentorship (Business)Elective: Animation, Game Art, or PodcastingYEAR 4 – Capstone & LaunchFall SemesterCapstone Project Planning (Writing/Art)Publishing & Distribution Models (Business)Teaching & Workshops for Creators (Business)Grant Writing & Residencies (Business/Writing) Elective: Zines, Erotic Comics, or Experimental FormsSpring SemesterCapstone Execution & Exhibition (Writing/Art)Webcomic Design & User Experience (Art/Tech)Pre-Press (Art/Tech)Collaborative Studio Project (All)Exit Interview & Career Planning (Business) You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.
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