Podcast appearances and mentions of jane alison

In episode 5: Breaking Down the Structure of Your Writing, Brittany and Jeannetta discuss structure with the first chapter of Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode, “Point, Line and Texture”, as their guide. They discuss Alison's framework for looking at structure, which proposes to look at the sounds and textures of words and sentences and how form follows content. They also explore how they have used structure in their own writing and the possibilities for disruption that structure offers. Notes Shonda Rhimes universe!  Bridgerton (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8740790/) , Scandal (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837576/), etc! Franz Kafka on his request to burn his work: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/magazine/26kafka-t.html  The Artists Way by Julia Cameron, https://www.google.com/search?q=the+artists+way&oq=the+artists+way&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQLhgKGIAEMgkIAhAAGAoYgAQyCQgDEC4YChiABDIJCAQQLhgKGIAEMgkIBRAAGAoYgAQyCQgGEAAYChiABDIJCAcQABgKGIAEMgkICBAAGAoYgATSAQg0NjQxajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8  Charles Johnson, The Way of The Writer Matt Bell, “Syntatic Symbolism”, https://mattbell.substack.com/p/exercise-20-syntactic-symbolism  David Foster Wallace, “Forever Overhead”, can be read here: https://biblioklept.org/2014/09/01/forever-overhead-david-foster-wallace/ Kathy Winograd,  https://kathrynwinograd.com/  Mathangi Subramanian, https://www.mathangisubramanian.com/about  Dorte Nors, https://www.dorthenors.dk/  D'Angelou, “Untitled” Tao Lin, Shoplifting in American Apparel, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6096464-shoplifting-from-american-apparel  George Saunders, Story Club Substack available here: https://georgesaunders.substack.com/  Episode S2E3, Emotional Beats, with Kara Smith, accessible here: https://writeattention.podbean.com/e/emotional-beats-part-2/  Witches by Brenda Lozano, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59892323-witches 

We kick off a new season with the brilliant Jane Alison and a wide-ranging conversation about form and structure in fiction and memoir. Brooke and Grant were so inspired by Meander, Spiral, Explode, Jane's her book about craft and the theory of writing, that this episode is dedicated to the ideas around structure and form that are at the heart of that book. This is a nerdy, writerly deep dive to welcome listeners to a new season. Also of note is a new feature, Substackin', which will be rounding out each episode this season. This week's Substackin' is inspired by Brooke's post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonnie Jo Campbell, known as the “master of rural noir,” is the author of eight books. Her story collection, American Salvage, was a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction. Her 2011 novel, Once Upon a River, was made into a film in 2020. In this episode, Bonnie chats with Marrie Stone about her highly anticipated novel The Waters, which comes out next week. It's Bonnie's first novel in over a decade and it's already receiving rave reviews. The Waters follows three generations of women in the swamplands of Michigan. Herbalist Hermine “Herself” Zook is the matriarch and the area's healer, homeopath, or witch, depending on the way the town looks at her. Meet Hermine (played by Bonnie's mother) here. Bonnie talks about the architecture of this novel, and how she struggled to find something beyond the traditional three-act structure. She shares her discovery of Sharon Blackie, and the realization that structure can take different forms. The conversation also references Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode. They talk about character development and what makes characters unique, referencing both Jungian psychotherapists Robert A. Johnson and James Hillman (author of The Soul's Code). Bonnie also discusses fairy tales in literary fiction, how to talk about contemporary and divisive issues like abortion and gun control in accessible ways, how to make the most of your settings, breathing life into mysterious characters, her revision process and much more. She also shares additional advice to writers (particularly short story writers) here. For more information on Writers on Writing and extra writing perks, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website. We're also excited to announce the opening of our new bookstore on bookshop.org. We've stocked it with titles from our guests, as well as some of our own personal favorites. By purchasing through the store, you'll support both independent bookstores and our show. New titles will be added all the time (it's a work in progress). Finally, on Spotify you can listen to an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners. (Recorded on December 27, 2023) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music and sound editing: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Lisa Teasley is the author of two novels (Heat Signature and Dive) and two short story collections (Glow in the Dark and, most recently, Fluid). She joined Marrie Stone to talk about her latest collection, Fluid, which publishes on September 26th. Along the way, she shared why she gave up publishing for over 15 years (although she never gave up writing) and what brought her back around. She also shared her unique but likely relatable perspectives on agents, how to market your work without an agent, and the advantages of small presses. The conversation also covered structure (including references to Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode), various approaches to ordering stories in a collection, flash versus traditional short fiction, Lisa's approach to visual versus written art, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. We're excited to announce the opening of our new bookstore on bookshop.org. We've stocked it with titles from our guests, as well as some of our own personal favorites. By purchasing through the store, you'll support both independent bookstores and our show. New titles will be added all the time (it's a work in progress). Finally, to listen to past interviews, visit our website. (Recorded on September 6, 2023) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Co-Host: Marrie Stone Music and sound editing: Travis Barrett

Welcome to our Summer of Book Love series!Every Tuesday this summer we will feature new episodes of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven which has your next summer read! New episodes of This Queer Book Saved My Life! drop this September.Today we meet Marisa Crane and their new novel: I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself.What's it about? Dept. of Speculation meets Black Mirror in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state. Kris is a new mother, grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone. Kris teeters on the edge of collapse, fumbling in a daze of alcohol, shame, and self-loathing. Yet as the kid grows, Kris finds her footing, raising a child whose irrepressible spark cannot be dampened by the harsh realities of the world. She can't forget her wife, but with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope.Buy I Keep My Exoskeletons to MyselfVisit our Bookshop or buy directly right now: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781646221295We also talk about the writing craft book Meander, Spiral, and Explode by Jane Alison. Buy it here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781948226134Connect with Marisa CraneWebsite: marisacrane.orgInstagram: @marisa_craneTwitter: @mcrane_12Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1CreditsHost/Founder: J.P. Der BoghossianExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.Register and Support Unstoppable Stories: A Banned Books FestivalRegister: https://uucf.org/unstoppableDonate: https://onrealm.org/UUCF/give/BBFest Text: UUFAIRFAX BBFest to 73256.All donation options: thisqueerbook.com/unstoppableSupport the show

This week: following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we talk to Svitlana Biedarieva, a Ukrainian art historian, artist and curator, about the community of artists in her home country, their work since the Maidan, or Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and how they are responding to the events of recent days. Also on Ukraine, Tom Seymour talks to the photographer Mark Neville, who has been based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the past 18 months and left the city last week, about a photojournalistic series he made in Ukraine, about ethical approaches to reportage and about the effects of documenting war-torn countries. As a book is published featuring Chris Burden's unrealised projects, we talk to Jori Finkel about the American performance and installation artist's extraordinary imagination. And in this episode's Work of the Week, Jane Alison, curator of Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-65 at the Barbican Art Gallery, London, discusses one of the key works in the show: the Goa-born artist F.N. Souza's Mr Sebastian (1955).The Art Newspaper's reporting on the Russian invasion of UkraineSvitlana Biedarieva, art historian, artist and curatorThe artists mentioned by Svitlana:Piotr ArmianovskiYevgenia BelorusetsAlevtina Kakhidze, instagram: @truealevtinaRazom for UkraineMark Neville's Stop Tanks With Books, published by Nazraeli Press, £50 /$60Eight photographers you need to follow in Ukraine by Tom SeymourPoetic Practical: The Unrealized Work of Chris Burden, published by Gagosian, $120Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-65, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 26 June See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The historian Peter Hennessy asks whether post-Covid Britain needs to set out a new social contract, comparable to the Beveridge report after WWII. In A Duty of Care, he looks back to the foundations of the modern welfare state and the ‘five giants' against which society had to battle – want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness. He tells Helen Lewis that after the effects of the pandemic, it's time to be ambitious and try and work together to tackle today's comparable giants. In a damning report commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory earlier this month, it was revealed that minority ethnic patients suffered overwhelming inequalities. If a new Beveridge is to be conceived diversity will need to be at its heart, but the anthropologist Farhan Samanani is concerned that increasingly ‘difference' is being seen as a threat to societal cohesion. He has undertaken field research in the north London area of Kilburn – one of the most diverse in the UK. In How To Live With Each Other he explores the capacity of people to connect across divides and cultivate common ground. While post-war governments looked to rebuild the country's infrastructure and create a new welfare state in the aftermath of the trauma of war, the arts and education in Britain were also viewed as vital to the economy and to reuniting the nation. Jane Alison is the curator of the Barbican's new exhibition, Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain, 1945–1965 (opening on 3rd March). She says that artists at the time – both home grown and refugees – sought to find meaning and purpose in a changed world. And she argues that artists today are asking similar probing questions about what kind of society we want and need. Producer: Katy Hickman Image credit: Eva Frankfurther, West Indian Waitresses, c.1955 Ben Uri Collection, presented by the artist's sister, Beate Planskoy, 2015,© The Estate of Eva Frankfurther, photograph by Justin P (from the exhibition, 'Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-1965' Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK)

Two years ago, Jane Alison set out to redefine how writers might think about structure in their work. Most novelists are trained on the narrative arc (better known as Freytag's Pyramid)—arguing that a story should begin with an enticing incident, build to a climax, and fall into some form of resolution. By examining patterns in nature, Alison argues there are many other ways novelists can structure a story.  Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Patterns in Narrative  provides eight examples, with plenty of supporting literary evidence. She joins Marrie Stone to talk about how she's used these methods in her own work, what inspired her to seek out these structures, and how novelists can use these techniques to their creative advantage. For further reading, check out Alison's book recommendation, Exercises in Style, by Raymond Queneau. Download audio.  (Broadcast date: June 25, 2021)

Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative (Catapult, 2019) is a fascinating tour through a wide range of narrative structures that are inspired by forms in the natural world. As Jane Alison writes, "For centuries there's been one path through fiction we're most likely to travel--one we're actually told to follow--and that's the dramatic arc: a situation arises, grows tense, reaches a peak, subsides. . . . But: something that swells and tautens until climax, then collapses? Bit masculo-sexual, no? So many other patterns run through nature, tracing other deep motions in life. Why not draw on them, too?" Whether the meandering path of a snail, the spiral shape of a shell, or the expanding energy of an explosion, these forms can liberate writers from the strictures of linear, Aristotelian narrative. Part memoir, part craft book, and part manifesto, Meander, Spiral, Explode is sure to interest fiction writers, but also playwrights, poets, and anyone interested in formal experimentation in storytelling. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative (Catapult, 2019) is a fascinating tour through a wide range of narrative structures that are inspired by forms in the natural world. As Jane Alison writes, "For centuries there's been one path through fiction we're most likely to travel--one we're actually told to follow--and that's the dramatic arc: a situation arises, grows tense, reaches a peak, subsides. . . . But: something that swells and tautens until climax, then collapses? Bit masculo-sexual, no? So many other patterns run through nature, tracing other deep motions in life. Why not draw on them, too?" Whether the meandering path of a snail, the spiral shape of a shell, or the expanding energy of an explosion, these forms can liberate writers from the strictures of linear, Aristotelian narrative. Part memoir, part craft book, and part manifesto, Meander, Spiral, Explode is sure to interest fiction writers, but also playwrights, poets, and anyone interested in formal experimentation in storytelling. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Jane Alison's Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative (Catapult, 2019) is a fascinating tour through a wide range of narrative structures that are inspired by forms in the natural world. As Jane Alison writes, "For centuries there's been one path through fiction we're most likely to travel--one we're actually told to follow--and that's the dramatic arc: a situation arises, grows tense, reaches a peak, subsides. . . . But: something that swells and tautens until climax, then collapses? Bit masculo-sexual, no? So many other patterns run through nature, tracing other deep motions in life. Why not draw on them, too?" Whether the meandering path of a snail, the spiral shape of a shell, or the expanding energy of an explosion, these forms can liberate writers from the strictures of linear, Aristotelian narrative. Part memoir, part craft book, and part manifesto, Meander, Spiral, Explode is sure to interest fiction writers, but also playwrights, poets, and anyone interested in formal experimentation in storytelling. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. 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

When the Sugars answered a letter from a woman who felt trapped in the role of "wicked stepmother," dozens of listeners wrote in asking the same question: what about the stepchildren, who have no control over the restructuring of their family? The Sugars respond with an episode devoted to the other side of the story. They're joined by Jane Alison, author of the memoir "The Sisters Antipodes," which tells the story of how her parents swapped spouses with another couple when she was 4 years old. This episode was originally published on November 18th, 2016.

Edmund Gordon discusses whether Hilary Mantel's final Cromwell novel lives up to its billing - and whether, at 900-odd pages, it is the right length; Muriel Zagha looks at the female gaze in French cinema, with respect to the new film Portrait of a Lady on Fire; Irina Dumitrescu talks about how to write well, and when to break the rulesThe Mirror & the Light, by Hilary MantelPortrait of a Lady on Fire, by Céline SciammaWhy They Can't Write, by John WarnerWriting to Persuade, by Trish HallEvery Day I Write the Book, by Amitava Kumar First You Write a Sentence, by Joe MoranMeander, Spiral, Explode, by Jane Alison See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Daniel Fairley, II and Jane Alison   document.write(''); Jane Alison is Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Virginia. She is a renowned author of many diverse and acclaimed works including a memoir, four novels, and a book on the craft of writing, Her fascinating, and haunting life story informed her memoir, "Sisters Antipodes."… Read More

Jane Alison's new book about narrative structure, Meander, Spiral, Explode, is out now from Catapult. She and Courtney discuss breaking narrative convention and how the traditional dramatic arc is and isn't like sex.

Best Translated Book Award fiction judge Kasia Bartoszynska joins Chad and Tom to talk about the recently released longlists. After providing some insight into the committee's thinking and discussions (and confirming that Chad had no knowledge of the lists beforehand, while not 100% confirming that Chad isn't Adam Hetherington), Kasia returns to her drive through Peoria and Chad and Tom read through all thirty-five longlisted books, commenting on the titles they're familiar with, and projecting the shortlists.  They also recommend two other titles: Ways of Hearing by Damon Krukowski and Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison.  This week's music is "Tugboat" by Galaxie 500.  As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you’d like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well. And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes! You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad and on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk. If you don’t already subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast you can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and other places. Or you can always subscribe by adding our feed directly into your favorite podcast app: http://threepercent.libsyn.com/rss

Writer Jane Alison discusses her "nonfiction novel" Nine Island and how it came to be thanks to her growing tired of the conventions of fiction. She also dishes on how her friends reacted to finding themselves in her book.

In 2009, the percentage of single women in the United States rose above 50% for the first time in history. The median age of first marriages dramatically rose from twenty and twenty-two years old--which it had been steadily for centuries to the 1980s--to twenty-eight. Beyonce's singing about it, countless books celebrate it, and women are living proudly independent more and for longer than ever. Being a single woman in today's world can be empowering! Or, it's just life! Or... it can be really hard. On today's show, Jacqueline is joined in the studio by fellow media ladies Jen Doll, Erin Fairbanks, and Lindsey Rupp, to discuss the intricacies of moving through the world solo. Then, returning guests Jamie Feldmar and Jane Alison and Lonely Hour Podcast host Julia Bainbridge join via some audio tracks, which the in-studio ladies listen to and share: How does being single affect our social interactions during weddings and holidays? Our fiercely ambitious creative work lives? And what would out lives look like if we choose to forgo love... indefinitely? Have a listen as one seriously dynamic group of ladies hashes it all out.

When the Sugars answered a letter from a woman who felt trapped in the role of "wicked stepmother," dozens of listeners wrote in asking the same question: what about the stepchildren, who have no control over the restructuring of their family? This week, the Sugars respond with an episode devoted to the other side of the story. They're joined by Jane Alison, author of the memoir "The Sisters Antipodes," which tells the story of how her parents swapped spouses with another couple when she was 4 years old.

On today's show, we take a look at the idea of feeling safe. First, in light of last week's election results and the flood of emotions many of us are feeling because of it, we spend a little time checking in on how we're doing, where we are, and what we need right now. Then, on how we can show a little extra love to those who need it, and what signs of love we've seen in the past week, despite all the anger and pain in circulation. After the break, we're joined by Jane Alison, the novelist and author of the memoir The Sisters Antipodes, for the second of our shows studying relationships with family members. Her stunning memoir tracks an unorthodox childhood following her parents' befriending another couple with two similarly-aged daughters, and then switching partners. How did growing up on opposite corners of the globe from her father and stepsisters affect her understanding of romantic relationships, family, and self-identity? How did writing the memoir -- which often paints Jane and the family that surrounds her in alternatingly sympathetic and brutally honest shadows -- affect their adult relationships? Does she regret bringing her story to light on the page?

University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina