Podcasts about low residency mfa

Hall of Mirrors (Pegasus Crime 2025) was selected as a New York Times Crime Novel of the Year. It opens with a fire – it's May 1954 and Lionel Kane is watching his apartment go up in flames with his lover and writing partner Roger Raymond trapped inside. The police are sure that it's a suicide. A couple of months earlier, Judy and Philippa attend a lecture by Ray Kane, one of their favorite mystery authors, and help him when he starts to look unwell. He's a little off, newly fired from his State Department job because of Senator Joseph McCarthy's purge of communists and homosexuals. A few months earlier, with hopes that he'd write about it, Judy and Philippa sent Ray Kane an anonymous packet of details about Adrian Bogdan, the spy and serial killer they'd been hunting for years, but they don't know that Adrian was responsible for Ray Kane's firing. After the lecture, they learn that “Ray Kane” is the pen name for Roger and Lionel, and Roger is the author's public face because Lionel is Black. Lionel has two strikes against him; gay and Black, and Judy also has a few challenges; she's mixed race, also gay, she has a personal connection to the serial killer, and the FBI is trying to stop her from learning the truth. John Copenhaver's debut novel, Dodging and Burning, won the 2019 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery, and The Savage Kind earned the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. A passionate advocate for queer voices in crime fiction, Copenhaver is a founding member of Queer Crime Writers and currently serves on the board of International Thriller Writers. He mentors aspiring writers in the Low-Residency MFA program at the University of Nebraska and teaches creative writing and literature at Virginia Commonwealth University. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his husband, artist Jeffery Paul Herrity. When he's not writing or teaching, he's watching movies—and listening to them. Copenhaver has a passion for film scores and a collection of rare scores he's been curating since high school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

“I turn to the poem, I turn to the page for a sense of hope, how to move through life, how to get through a day,” says Danusha Laméris. “I have come to a place where I trust the poem more than I trust myself.” In our second conversation with the award-winning poet, (We also interviewed her in Episode 29 on “the understory”), she shares from her newest collection, Blade by Blade, and we talk about how a writing practice grows us, how it allows us to “salvage time,” and how it helps us see how connected we other with the past and with others.Danusha Laméris' first book, The Moons of August (2014), was chosen by Naomi Shihab Nye as the winner of the Autumn House Press Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Milt Kessler Book Award. A Pushcart Prize recipient, some of her work has been published in: The Best American Poetry, The New York Times, Orion, The American Poetry Review, The Gettysburg Review, Ploughshares, and Prairie Schooner. Her second book, Bonfire Opera, (University of Pittsburgh Press, Pitt Poetry Series), was a finalist for the 2021 Paterson Poetry Award and the winner of the Northern California Book Award in Poetry. She was selected for the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award, and was the 2018-2020 Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County, California. She is on the faculty of Pacific University's Low Residency MFA program. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven, the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with. Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can browse all of their books, from new releases to classic mysteries.In this new episode, Once Upon a Crime Books introduces us to John Copenhaver and his new novel: Hall of Mirrors which is available to buy in paperback in-store, or on their website, and it is also available as a digital audio book.John Copenhaver won the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery for Dodging and Burning and the Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery for The Savage Kind. He is a co-founder of Queer Crime Writers, a board member of Mystery Writers of America, and co-hosts the House of Mystery Radio Show. He teaches in the University of Nebraska Omaha's Low-Residency MFA program and at VCU. His new novel, Hall of Mirrors, is the sequel to The Savage Kind.Buy Through Hall of MirrorsVisit Once Upon a Crime Books in-person or buy online: https://onceuponacrimebooks.com/book/9781639366507Connect with John Copenhaverwebsite: johncopenhaver.comwebsite: queercrimewriters.comfacebook: johncopenhavenauthorinstagram & threads: @JohnCope74tiktok: @JohnCope74CreditsPresented by: Once Upon a Crime BooksHost/Founder: J.P. Der BoghossianExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsTheme music: Summer Mood by lesfmAs we shield ourselves for the next four years, please consider attending the Creating Change conference. It will be in Las Vegas from January 22-26, 2025. It is the largest LGBTQ conference in the United States. Registration fees are sliding scale to keep it affordable, with free registration if you sign-up to volunteer. Learn more: thetaskforce.orgSupport the show

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 guest author:Ramona Ausubel is an award winning author of three novels and two short story collections. Her latest book, THE LAST ANIMAL, published by Riverhead, was named Best Book of The Year by Oprah Daily, NPR and Kirkus Reviews. Her debut novel, NO ONE IS HERE EXCEPT ALL OF US was a New York Times Editor's Choice and winner of both the PEN USA Fiction Award and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. It was also named  one of the Best Books of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Huffington Post as well as being a finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, the California and Colorado Book Awards, longlisted for the Story  Prize Frank O'Connor International Story Award and and nominated for the International Impac Dublin Literary Award.A native of New Mexico, Ausubel holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine where she won the Glenn Schaeffer Award in Fiction. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, The New York Times, NPR's Selected Shorts, One Story, Electric Literature, Ploughshares, The Oxford American, and collected in The Best American Fantasy and online in The Paris Review. She has also been a finalist for the prestigious Puschart Prize and a Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. She has taught at Tin House, The Community of Writers, Writing by Writers, the Low-Residency MFA programs at the Institute of American Indian Arts and Bennington. She is currently an assistant professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. About the host: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. She recently finished her first YA crossover novel inspired by her nephew with Down syndrome. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. To learn more about her books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.If you have a first page you'd like to submit to the Page One Podcast, please do so here.As an author and writing coach, I know that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So I thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook YOU. After the first few episodes, it occurred to me that maybe someone listening might be curious how their first page sits with an audience, so I'm opening up Page One to any writer who wants to submit the first page of a book they're currently writing. If your page is chosen, you'll be invited onto the show to read it and get live feedback from one of Page One's master storytellers. Page One exists to inspire, celebrate and promote the work of both well-known and unknown creative talent.  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 very short monthly newsletter 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 at the foot of a mountain in Marin County, California, and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of my creative community! Thank you for listening! Be well and keep reading.~Holly~ Thank you for listening to the Page One Podcast, where master storytellers discuss the stories and struggles behind the critical first page of their books. If you liked this episode, please share it on social, leave a review on your favorite podcast players and tell your friends! I hope you enjoy this labor of love as much as I love hosting, producing, and editing it. Please keep in touch by signing up to receive my newsletter at www.hollylynnpayne.com with the latest episodes each month. Delivered to your inbox with a smile. For the love of books and writers,Holly Lynn Payne@hollylynnpaynewww.hollylynnpayne.com

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author John Copenhaver about his latest novel HALL OF MIRRORS. John won the 2019 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery for Dodging and Burning and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery for The Savage Kind. He is a co-founder of Queer Crime Writers and an at-large board member of Mystery Writers of America. He cohosts on the House of Mystery Radio Show. He's a faculty mentor in the University of Nebraska's Low-Residency MFA program and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author John Copenhaver about his latest novel HALL OF MIRRORS. won the 2019 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery for Dodging and Burning and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery for The Savage Kind. He is a co-founder of Queer Crime Writers and an at-large board member of Mystery Writers of America. He cohosts on the House of Mystery Radio Show. He's a faculty mentor in the University of Nebraska's Low-Residency MFA program and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eliot-parker/support

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author John Copenhaver about his latest novel HALL OF MIRRORS. John won the 2019 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery for Dodging and Burning and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery for The Savage Kind. He is a co-founder of Queer Crime Writers and an at-large board member of Mystery Writers of America. He cohosts on the House of Mystery Radio Show. He's a faculty mentor in the University of Nebraska's Low-Residency MFA program and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.

John Copenhaver's historical crime novel, Dodging and Burning (Pegasus), won the 2019 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel and garnered Anthony, Strand Critics, Barry, and Lambda Literary Award nominations. His second novel, The Savage Kind (Pegasus), won the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery and was a finalist for Left Coast Crime's Best Historical Mystery. He cohosts on the House of Mystery Radio Show, and for many years, wrote a crime fiction review column for Lambda Literary called “Blacklight.” He's a faculty mentor in University of Nebraska's Low-Residency MFA program, and he teaches at VCU in Richmond, VA. His forthcoming third novel, Hall of Mirrors, is the sequel to The Savage Kind.Facebook Page www.facebook.com/johncopenhaverauthorTwitter www.twitter.com/johncopenhaverInstagram www.instagram.com/johncope74Website www.johncopenhaver.comThis episode was first aired in September 2021.*****************Sisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SINCnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/ABOUT THE PRIDE AWARDThe Pride Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. Here's what is required for submission:An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children's chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words.A resume or biographical statement.A cover letter that gives a sense of the applicant as an emerging writer in the genre and briefly states how the award money would be used. (How the money might be used is not a deciding factor in the judges' decision.)An unpublished writer is preferred, however publication of not more than ten pieces of short fiction and/or up to two self-published or traditionally published books will not disqualify an applicant. While no prior writing or publishing experience is required, the applicant should include any relevant studies or experience in their materials.For more info: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Pride

Alabama Poet Laureate and Celebrated Author Ashley M. Jones Joins the Chats to Talk Literacy and Writing Journey.About AshleyAshley M. Jones is Poet Laureate of the state of Alabama (2022-2026). She holds an MFA in Poetry from Florida International University, and she is the author of Magic City Gospel (Hub City Press 2017),  dark / / thing (Pleiades Press 2019), and REPARATIONS NOW! (Hub City Press 2021). Her poetry has earned several awards, including the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award, the Silver Medal in the Independent Publishers Book Awards, the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize for Poetry, a Literature Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize, and the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award. She was a finalist for the Ruth Lily Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship in 2020, and her collection, REPARATIONS NOW! was on the longlist for the 2022 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. Her poems and essays appear in or are forthcoming at CNN, POETRY, The Oxford American, Origins Journal, The Quarry by Split This Rock, Obsidian, and many others. She teaches Creative Writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and in the Low Residency MFA at Converse University. Jones co-directs PEN Birmingham, and she is the founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival. She recently served as a guest editor for Poetry Magazine, and she is a 2022 Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow. Humanity Chats - a conversation about everyday issues that impact humans. Join us. Together, we can go far. Thank you for listening. Share with a friend. We are humans. From all around the world. One kind only. And that is humankind. Your friend, Marjy Marj

BIO:Sip & Share Wines is a boutique winery producing a diversity of handcrafted vegan wines. We're passionate about creating community with wine, especially for wine lovers often overlooked and underrepresented by the wine industry. Our wines are approachable to all palates, fun and made to sip and share. Purchase a bottle or join the wine club at sipandsharewines.com.In January 2019, Sip & Share Wines released the 7 Words Wine Collection, all of the wines are vegan. In January 2020, we released the Gem Collection of limited production wines.Sip & Share Wines Conjure Zinfandel was featured in Forbes Magazine as one of the 10 drinks for the summer. Nicole Kearney, Sip & Share Wines' Winemaker/Founder was named one of 40 African American Tastemakers (Under/Over 40) by Sabrina Jackson.We've participated in The Hue Society's  The Black Wine Experience wine tasting and Roses & Rose' Brunch at Essence Fest in 2019 and 2018 in New Orleans. Being there lead to being named by Kiarra Sylvester as one of “5 Black- Owned Wines You Should Be Sipping Right Now” published on Xonecole.com.The Indianapolis Recorder has followed our growth with two stories that show where we are now and where we began.Nicole's serious relationship with wine began in 2008, when she attended graduate school for her Master in Fine Arts (MFA) in Dramatic Writing at Spalding University, Low Residency MFA program, in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by writers of all genres – playwrights, screenwriters, fiction, non-fiction, and poets they shared about their lives and craft while sipping wine. Over two years, they would continue to sip and share wines with each other. It was there her passion for wine knowledge and the spark for her future endeavor was ignited.In 2011, Nicole's good friend Mark gifted her a 32 bottle wine refrigerator as a housewarming gift. Of course, she had to fill it! She had a party asking people to bring wine. She gave them some parameters (She drank red almost exclusively at that time) and sent her friends on a wine hunt around town. It was an incredible success. Her guests got to try different wines and her wine chest was magically filled. Little did she know, she had just hosted her first home wine tasting.In December 2013, her friend Niesha invited her to a wine tasting. She accepted without hesitation. The hostess, Marla graciously welcomed Nicole into her home. The wine tasting was fantastic, conducted by an independent representative of a national home wine tasting company. Nicole tasted new wines, beginning a love affair with South African wines. The group of women she was introduced to that night bonded over their enjoyment of wine. They decided to host a party monthly at each other's homes.In January 2014, Nicole's friend had a wine tasting in her home. The time for the tasting to begin was approaching, Nicole asked “Where was the ‘wine lady?' Her friend answered she didn't know. She had not talked to her in a month. Having a house full of guests, Nicole gathered a few of her wines then called a friend, Taffanee and asked to “borrow” a few more bottles. She brought a case. That night Nicole became ‘The Wine Lady.'Nicole guided the guests through a tasting of twelve wines from around the world, sharing what she learned with others. That night she helped many people find their way from, “I only drink…” to, “Wow, this wine is delicious.” This  gave me great pleasure. Her friends suggested she consider getting into the wine business. She started doing some initial research, then moved on with my life. She had plays and streaming series to finish writing.Her interest in being in the wine industry was refueled in Spring 2015 after several incidents occurred at corporate wine tastings – her name not being on the attendee list, her guests almost being turned away, being seated in the back and continuously told to be quiet despite her wine tribe purchasing a lot of wine. The spark was reignited.In June 2016, Nicole attended Open Bite Night, a community block party to support a friend. I mentioned to a friend, Niesha, “There should be a vendor who only sells adult beverages.” She said, “Why not you?” A few weeks later, Niesha contacted me to let me know she had registered me for the event.  There was no charge for first-time participants and they provided the table and chairs. I decided to no longer put off my dream and step out on faith. “Sip & Share Wines” was born.On October 1, 2016, Sip & Share officially opened for business at Open Bite Night: Ridiculous. We SOLD OUT of our handcrafted Red and White Sangrias (now Abundance and Awaken). The Sangrias quickly gained a following, from being served by-the-glass out of a punch bowl to people wanting more than a glass to enjoy as they checked out the various vendors at the different events where we set up.Enter Mason jars with straws in the lids. It was a hit! Then folks begin to ask to take Sip & Share Sangrias home with them. In March 2018, Sip & Share Wines became a licensed federal winery and began the process of producing a diversity of vegan wines.Gratitude to everyone who has supported, continues to support and those who will support Sip & Share Wines on our journey. Stay tuned, sign up for our newsletter. You don't want to miss our next move.Creating Community With Wine

Thoughtfulness and vulnerability are at the forefront in this conversation. Painter Julia Schwadron Marianelli beautifully describes lessons learned during her journey from postpartum anxiety to a more fulfilling sense of community, self-compassion, and groundedness both as an artist and as a mother. Julia was the founder of and director for the Low-Residency MFA program in […]

Ashley M. Jones is Alabama's first African American Poet Laureate, and she's also the youngest. Her books are Magic City Gospel, dark // thing, and REPARATIONS NOW! She teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and also at the Low Residency MFA program at Converse University. Phillis Wheatley Peters was abducted in West Africa and brought to Boston where she was sold as a slave when she was around seven year old. Her first and only book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in 1773. She was in poor health for most of her life, and she died in her early thirties. According to the Smithsonian Institute, she was the “first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to have her work published.” Links: Read the poems https://inspicio.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Ashley-M-Jones-V2.pdf (Think of a Marvelous Thing / It's the Same as Having Wings at Inspicio Arts) https://main.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1698-four-poems ("Harriet Tubman Crosses the Mason-Dixon for the First Time" at Oxford American) https://poets.org/poem/being-brought-africa-america ("On Being Brought from Africa to America" at poets.org) Ashley M. Jones https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/ (Ashley M. Jones' website) Jones' Bio and Poems at the Poetry Foundation https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1031840999/ashley-m-jones-alabama-poet-laureate-reparations-now (“Alabama's First Black Poet Laureate Takes A Personal Approach To 'Reparations” on NPR) https://www.reckonsouth.com/ashley-m-jones-alabamas-youngest-first-black-and-possibly-dopest-poet-laureate-on-the-need-for-reparations-now-tomorrow-and-forever/ (Interview with Ashley M. Jones at The Reckon) https://therumpus.net/2018/08/01/the-rumpus-interview-with-ashley-m-jones/ (“How to Become a Poet: A Conversation with Ashley M. Jones” at The Rumpus) Phillis Wheatley Peters https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley (Bio and Poems at the Poetry Foundation ) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/finding-multiple-truths-in-works-enslaved-poet-phillis-wheatley-180975163/ (“The Multiple Truths in the Works of Enslaved Poet Phillis Wheatley” by Drea Brown) http://www.phillis-wheatley.org/ (Phillis Wheatley Historical Society) https://www.masshist.org/features/endofslavery/wheatley (Wheatley's Bio and Poems at Massachusetts Historical Society Collections Online) Music is by https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/ (Chad Crouch). https://the-beat.captivate.fm/rate (Rate & review on Podchaser) Mentioned in this episode: KnoxCountyLibrary.org Thank you for listening and sharing this podcast. Explore life-changing resources and events, sign up for newsletters, follow us on social media, and more through our website, www.knoxcountylibrary.org. https://the-beat.captivate.fm/rate (Rate & review on Podchaser)

Ashley M. Jones is Alabama's first African American Poet Laureate, and she's also the youngest. Her books are Magic City Gospel, dark // thing, and REPARATIONS NOW! She teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and also at the Low Residency MFA program at Converse University. Phillis Wheatley Peters was abducted in West Africa and brought to Boston where she was sold as a slave when she was around seven year old. Her first and only book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in 1773. She was in poor health for most of her life, and she died in her early thirties. According to the Smithsonian Institute, she was the “first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to have her work published.” https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/ (Music )by Chad Crouch Links: Read the poems https://inspicio.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Ashley-M-Jones-V2.pdf (Think of a Marvelous Thing / It's the Same as Having Wings at Inspicio Arts) https://main.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1698-four-poems ("Harriet Tubman Crosses the Mason-Dixon for the First Time" at Oxford American) https://poets.org/poem/being-brought-africa-america ("On Being Brought from Africa to America" at poets.org) Ashley M. Jones https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/ (Ashley M. Jones' website) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ashley-jones (Jones' Bio and Poems at the Poetry Foundation ) https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1031840999/ashley-m-jones-alabama-poet-laureate-reparations-now (“Alabama's First Black Poet Laureate Takes A Personal Approach To 'Reparations” on NPR) https://www.reckonsouth.com/ashley-m-jones-alabamas-youngest-first-black-and-possibly-dopest-poet-laureate-on-the-need-for-reparations-now-tomorrow-and-forever/ (Interview with Ashley M. Jones at The Reckon) https://therumpus.net/2018/08/01/the-rumpus-interview-with-ashley-m-jones/ (“How to Become a Poet: A Conversation with Ashley M. Jones” at The Rumpus) Phillis Wheatley Peters https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley (Bio and Poems at the Poetry Foundation ) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/finding-multiple-truths-in-works-enslaved-poet-phillis-wheatley-180975163/ (“The Multiple Truths in the Works of Enslaved Poet Phillis Wheatley” by Drea Brown) http://www.phillis-wheatley.org/ (Phillis Wheatley Historical Society) https://www.masshist.org/features/endofslavery/wheatley (Wheatley's Bio and Poems at Massachusetts Historical Society Collections Online) Mentioned in this episode: KnoxCountyLibrary.org Thank you for listening and sharing this podcast. Explore life-changing resources and events, sign up for newsletters, follow us on social media, and more through our website, www.knoxcountylibrary.org. https://pods.knoxlib.org/rate (Rate & review on Podchaser)

Kate Gale is co-founder and managing editor of Red Hen Press, editor of the Los Angeles Review, and she teaches in the Low Residency MFA program at the University of Nebraska in Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction and in the Ashland, Ohio MFA Program. She is author of seven books of poetry including The Goldilocks Zone from the University of New Mexico Press in 2014, and Echo Light from Red Mountain in 2014 and six librettos including Rio de Sangre, a libretto for an opera with composer Don Davis, which had its world premiere October 2010 at the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee. Her newest book, The Loneliest Girl, was just published by University of New Mexico Press. For more, check out her website at: https://kategale.com/ In the first hour, we're joined by special guest George Bilgere, returning to share a pair of poems from his new book, Central Air. http://www.georgebilgere.com/ As always, we'll also include live open lines for responses to our weekly prompt or any other poems you'd like to share. A Zoom link will be provided in the chat window during the show before that segment begins. For links to all the past episodes, visit: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: An aphorism is a concise statement that contains a bit of wisdom or wit about life, such as “If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” or “Honesty is the best policy.” Write a poem that is either based on an aphorism or contains one or more aphorisms. Next Week's Prompt: Let's write a poem about one (or each!) of the 12 Jungian archetypes. The first archetype is “the artist.” The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, then becomes an audio podcast. Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

In this episode of UIndy's Potluck Podcast, where we host conversations about the arts, ENGLISH 478 students Olivia Williams, Maiya Johnson, Chelsea Keen, and McKenna Tetrick interview poet Alison C Rollins, a guest of the Kellogg Writers Series, which is a series that brings writers of distinction to the University of Indianapolis campus for classroom discussions and free public readings. Special thanks to Music Technology major Oliver Valle for editing this episode's audio. Alison C. Rollins currently works as the Lead Teaching and Learning Librarian for Colorado College. She also serves as faculty for Pacific Northwest College of Art's Low-Residency MFA program. She is a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Literature fellow, as well as a Cave Canem and Callaloo fellow. Alison C. Rollins' debut poetry collection is Library of Small Catastrophes, and her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Black Warrior Review, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. We thank you for listening to UIndy's Potluck Podcast, which is hosted by students and faculty of the University of Indianapolis. We would like to thank our guests and the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences. To learn more about UIndy's Potluck Podcast and hear other episodes, please visit etchings.uindy.edu/the-potluck-podcast. Thank you for your support.

Ashley M. Jones is Poet Laureate of the state of Alabama (2022-2026). She holds an MFA in Poetry from Florida International University, and she is the author of Magic City Gospel (Hub City Press 2017), dark / / thing (Pleiades Press 2019), and REPARATIONS NOW! (Hub City Press 2021). Her poetry has earned several awards, including the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award, the Silver Medal in the Independent Publishers Book Awards, the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize for Poetry, a Literature Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize, and the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award. She was a finalist for the Ruth Lily Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship in 2020, and her collection, REPARATIONS NOW! was on the longlist for the 2022 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. Her poems and essays appear in or are forthcoming at CNN, POETRY, The Oxford American, Origins Journal, The Quarry by Split This Rock, Obsidian, and many others. She teaches Creative Writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and in the Low Residency MFA at Converse University. Jones co-directs PEN Birmingham, and she is the founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival. She recently served as a guest editor for Poetry Magazine. Scott Evan Davis is a multi-award winning composer/lyricist and social media personality. Scott has performed concerts and song cycles of his music throughout the USA as well as internationally. His two albums, Next and Cautiously Optimistic are available worldwide and feature a host of Broadway talent. Currently Scott is developing his first full -length musical called INDIGO, with Sing Out Louise Productions. The show is about a non- verbal girl with autism who teaches everyone around her how to truly communicate. Scott's awards include the 2017 MAC award for Best Song, the 2012 Broadway World award for Best Original Song for “If We Say Goodbye,” and the 2016 ASCAP GORNEY award for his song “If the World Only Knew” for its social message. His newest single “Falling Everyday” is available on all streaming platforms. More at www.scottevandavis.com Ashley Griggs is a screenwriter who hails from Herndon, VA. She earned her BA in Film Studies and French at the College of William & Mary, and later received her MFA in Dramatic Writing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where she was awarded a Future Screenwriters Fellowship. In addition to screenwriting, Ashley has done work for the Cannes Film Festival and Austin Film Festival, written for the narrative podcast The Host, directed plays in NYC and LA, and mentors teens with nonprofit WriteGirl LA. Ashley currently works with the Writers' Program and Entertainment Studies division at UCLA Extension and lives in Los Angeles. Music: “You Don't Always Get What You Want” Rolling Stones “Falling Everyday” Lyrics by Scott Evan Davis and performed by Joey Auch Special Thanks Goes to: Woodbridge Inn: www.woodbridgeinnjasper.com Autism Speaks: www.autismspeaks.org Mostly Mutts: www.mostlymutts.org Meadowbrook Inn: www.meadowbrook-inn.com The Red Phone Booth: www.redphonebooth.com The host, Clifford Brooks, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics and Athena Departs are available everywhere books are sold. His chapbook, Exiles of Eden, is only available through my website. To find them all, please reach out to him at: cliffordbrooks@southerncollectiveexperience.com Check out his Teachable courses on thriving with autism and creative writing as a profession here: www.brooks-sessions.teachable.com

“My serious relationship with wine began in 2008, when I attended graduate school for my Master in Fine Arts (MFA) at Spalding University, Low Residency MFA program, in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by writers of all genres – playwrights, screenwriters, fiction, non-fiction, and poets – we discussed our lives, our work, and our craft over drinks. Wine, to be specific. Each subsequent residency we would bring wines to introduce to each other. It was there my passion for wine was ignited. I shared what I learned with others; helping many a wine drinker find their way from, “I only drink…” to, “Wow, this wine is delicious.” This always gave me great pleasure. In 2011, my good friend Mark gifted me a 32 bottle wine refrigerator as a housewarming gift. Of course, I had to fill it! I had a party asking people to bring wine. I gave them some parameters (I drank red almost exclusively at that time) and sent my friends on a wine hunt around town. It was an incredible success. My guests got to try different wines and my wine chest was magically filled. Little did I know, I had just hosted my first home wine tasting. In 2015, my interest in doing home wine tastings was refueled after several incidents occurred at corporate wine tastings – my name not being on the attendee list, my guests almost being turned away, being seated in the back, and sushed continuously despite my wine tribe purchasing wine. The spark was ignited, a dream set in motion. Sip & Share Wine started and still continues to do home wine tastings pouring African American and women winemakers into the intimacy of your home. We bring a fun experience, wine education, and build awareness about African American wines/winemakers. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/afrosandknivespod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/afrosandknivespod/support

Barry Brodsky currently teaches Screenwriting and Playwriting at Boston University Film School and Lesley University's Low-Residency MFA program in Creative Writing. He also taught Screenwriting at Emerson College for 19 years and taught in the Theatre Dept. at U.Mass-Boston for 9 years. He taught Greek Drama, Playwriting, and essay writing to Boston high school students for five years in the Urban Scholars program at U.Mass-Boston.Barry is a former recipient of a grant from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation (now the Mass. Cultural Council). He was born and raised in Boston, served three years in the Army, and also directed an educational program for military veterans at U.Mass-Boston. Barry earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at U.Mass-Boston and his Master's in Fine Arts in Theatre at Brandeis University. He's lived in Swampscott since 1998 with his wife Nancy Meacham, a public-school educator in Salem, and his daughter Kate, who graduated Swampscott High in 2015, U-Mass Amherst in 2019, and now lives and works in Western Mass. growing and selling native plants.https://lesley.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/barry-brodskyLearn more and register for the Red Rock Literary Festival on Nov 6 & 7, 2021 at https://www.reacharts.org/event-4516540Original music: Phil's Tune by Larry PowerEditing by Lajla Dale

Tod Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including The Low Desert, Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize, Gangster Nation, The House of Secrets, which he co-authored with Brad Meltzer, and Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is also the co-host of the wildly popular podcast Literary Disco, named a top literary podcast by the Washington Post. He is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside where he founded and directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. With gimlet-eyed cool and razor-sharp wit, the spare, stylish stories in The Low Desert assemble a world of gangsters and con men, of do-gooders breaking bad and those caught in the crossfire. The uncle of an FBI agent spends his life as sheriff in different cities, living too close to the violent acts of men; a cocktail waitress moves through several desert towns trying to escape the unexplainable loss of an adopted daughter; a drug dealer with a penchant for karaoke meets a talkative lawyer and a silent clown in a Palm Springs bar. Raymond Carver meets Elmore Leonard in this extraordinary collection of contemporary crime writing set in the critically acclaimed Gangsterland universe, a series called "gloriously original" by The New York Times Book Review.

In this episode I talk with writer Katherine Standefer. Katherine's debut book, Lightning Flowers, published November 2020 from Little Brown, was shortlisted for the 2018 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Her work was featured in The Best American Essays 2016, won the 2015 Iowa Review Award in Nonfiction, and most recently appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, Kenyon Review Online, New England Review, Crazyhorse, Quarterly West, and The Normal School. She was a Fall 2018 Logan Nonfiction Fellow at The Carey Institute for Global Good, and earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Arizona. As a creative entrepreneur, she teaches intimate, electric writing classes that help people tell their stories about sexuality, illness, and trauma. She is also a professor in Ashland University's Low-Residency MFA.In the episode we talk about: Heartbreak and conflict mineralsIllness as a driver force for writing nonfictionOwning a story vs. disguising it in thinly veiled fictionThe need for narrative distance to craft nonfictionProcessing illness through writingResearch as a means of survival The personal is enough, a personal story well told can change livesKati’s book, Lighting Flowers, story of a complicated relationship with her ICD, the American healthcare system, and the global supply chain.Book forthcoming March 2020 - Nov 2020, Little BrownIG / Twitter: @girlmakesfire / FB: writewithkatistandefer / katherinestandefer.comVisit us online at moretothestorypodcast.com and visit Under the Gum Tree at underthegumtree.com. Follow Under the Gum Tree Twitter and Instagram @undergumtree. Follow me on Twitter @justjanna and @jannamarlies on Instagram. If you're looking for a place to find more support with writing your true personal story, join the More To The Story community!

Martin Padgett reads an essay titled “Underneath the Sweet Gum Tree,” originally published by the Oxford American, and adapted from his book, “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head: Drag, Drugs, Disco, and Atlanta’s Gay Revolution” (W.W. Norton, 2021). The story follows Frank Powell, an architect of Atlanta’s queer nightlife from the 1960s until his death in 1996. One of Powell’s many nightclubs, the Sweet Gum Head, offered gay Atlantans a safe space to be themselves long before queer culture became popular culture. Padgett’s story details the progress made in the South and the United States in terms of gay rights and lingers over all that has been lost to the AIDS pandemic and gentrification. A 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Padgett is a writer and PhD candidate in History at Georgia State University. His writing has appeared in the Bitter Southerner, Men’s Health, Outside, and many others.  

Show Notes and Links to Tod Goldberg's Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 59         On Episode 59, Pete talks with Tod Goldberg about his influences, his literary family, and his incredible run of commercially-successful and critically-acclaimed crime fiction. The two discuss all kinds of fun topics, from the singular settings that are part of his writing-The Salton Sea, Palm Springs, among others-Tod's research for such compelling and sometimes-despicable characters, crime fiction as a genre, and themes fleshed out in Tod's work. Much of the conversation revolves around Tod's most-recent publication, the stellar short story collection, The Low Desert. Also, Pete toes the line between just-the-right-number and too many Godfather/Mario Puzo references. TOD GOLDBERG is the author of more than a dozen books, including Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize; The House of Secrets, which he coauthored with Brad Meltzer; and the crime-tinged novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Fake Liar Cheat, plus five novels in the popular Burn Notice series. He is also the author of the story collection Simplify, a 2006 finalist for the SCIBA Award for Fiction and winner of the Other Voices Short Story Collection Prize, and Other Resort Cities. His essays, journalism, and criticism have appeared in many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, Las Vegas Weekly, and Best American Essays, among many others, and have won five Nevada Press Association Awards. He lives in Indio, California, where he directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside.   Buy The Low Desert by Tod Goldberg   Buy any of Tod Goldberg's Work Here!   Los Angeles Times Book Review of The Low Desert   Starred Review of The Low Desert from Publishers Weekly   Tod Goldberg's Burn Notice Book Series At about 4:35, Tod talks about the differences in publishing a book during the pandemic, as well as the future of the traditional book tour    At about 6:25, Tod talks about his childhood relationship with the written word and his family business of writing   At about 9:25, Tod talks about writing that has given him “chills at will”-The Maltese Falcon, “Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich, and “The Concord Hymn” by Ralph Emerson are mentioned (Tod recites the Emerson at 9:15-impressive!)   At about 12:35, Tod talks about how his childhood dyslexia affected his learning style and the effects of the time period on his later life, including the ways in which he still sees the connection between sound and rhythm    At about 15:20, Tod talks about how he saw writing as a path forward in his formative years, including Ms. Kaine, his teacher, giving him great encouragement and alternative assignments that helped him to improve his skills   At about 19:30, Tod talks about his early novels and the success that came particularly with his second novel, Living Dead Girl   At about 21:15, Pete talks about Mario Puzo's balancing act between commerce and art and the assumption by many that he had to have had a background in Mafia life to have written about it so expertly; Tod then discusses his research into/relationship with the often scary and immoral/amoral characters of his books, including the formative experience of watching a horrific boxing match that ended in a death and the sordid history of Palm Springs   At about 25:40, Tod meditates on whether or not being labeled a “crime writer” is appropriate/desired for him, and uses Dennis Lehane's history as a crime novelist as a an example of the genre's freedom   At about 26:40, Tod shouts out the incredible book by Steph Cha, Your House Will Pay, and its connection to genre   At about 29:40, Tod and Pete discuss the way in which Tod “populates a universe” with repeat characters in his various books   At about 31:00, Tod discusses the importance of the place in his work, including The Salton Sea and its interesting history    At about 36:25, Tod and Pete talk about themes of identity and new beginnings/redemption, particularly through the character of Morris, Blake Webster (“Goon Number #4”-written in response to an entreaty by the great Lawrence Block), and Jacob Soboroff   At about 42:20, Tod explains how the story “The Spare” serves as a pivot point for the Cupertine saga   At about 44:40, Pete and Tod talk about the ironically beautiful last scene of “The Spare,” and its similarities to podcast godfather Tobias Wolff's “Bullet in the Brain” and how the author creates feelings of empathy for characters you wouldn't normally feel for   At about 46:15, Tod discusses the pivotal and memorable character of Tanya in Low Desert and the ordinariness of evil, as seen in his short story collection and in the contemporary world   At about 50:25, Tod discusses themes of faith and fate in his writing and what/who    At about 55:20, Tod and Pete discuss themes of death and morality and “the world passing us by”   At about 59:55, Tod introduces and reads the story “Palm Springs”-page 73 of The Low Desert   At about 1:04:40, Tod talks about future projects, including Gangsterland, the tv version,   At about 1:05:35, Tod talks about his April 2021 appearance at The LA Times Book Festival-video can be found here   You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can find this episode and other episodes on “The Chills at Will Podcast” YouTube Channel. This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form. The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.

For parents, building nests, rather than cages, for baby birds can prove difficult.  In Max Blau's story "How Jim White Helped His Bluebird Spread Her Wings," originally published by the Sunday Long Read, a songwriter and his daughter learn to overcome turmoil to love each other on equal terms.  Blau, a 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA program at the University of Georgia, spent years interviewing the subjects of the story, Jim White and daughter Willow Martin. He squared their accounts of a messy custody battle and inter-personal growing pains with family members, and he fact-checked the details against court documents. The result is a story about how parents, as their children forge their own identities, must understand their role with clear eyes. Max Blau is an independent journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. His work has appeared in publications like the Atavist, ProPublica, Atlanta, and Georgia Health News, among many others.

Tod Goldberg is the guest. His critically acclaimed new story collection, The Low Desert, is available from Counterpoint. This is Tod's third time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 320 on October 12, 2014, and again in Episode 488, on October 18, 2017. Goldberg is the author of more than a dozen books, including Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize; Gangster Nation; The House of Secrets, which he coauthored with Brad Meltzer; and the crime-tinged novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Fake Liar Cheat, plus five novels in the popular Burn Notice series. He is also the author of the story collection Simplify, a 2006 finalist for the SCIBA Award for Fiction and winner of the Other Voices Short Story Collection Prize, and Other Resort Cities. His essays, journalism, and criticism have appeared in many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, Las Vegas Weekly, and Best American Essays, among many others, and have won five Nevada Press Association Awards. He lives in Indio, California, where he directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Launched in 2011. Books. Literature. Writing. Publishing. Authors. Screenwriters. Life. Death. Etc. Support the show on Patreon Merch www.otherppl.com @otherppl Instagram  YouTube Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moni Basu reads her story, "In Search of Spirits in Cassadaga," originally published in Flamingo Magazine.  Basu, a member of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction faculty, travels to the quiet Floridian community of Cassadaga, known as the psychic capital of the world and home, since 1894, to followers of Spiritualism, a faith that believes that we never truly die. Instead, we leave our bodies and become another form of matter and our spirit selves can still interact with the living.  Over the years, a mysterious shroud surrounded Cassadaga. It's known as a mecca for mystics, a haunted corner of a swampy state. Basu headed to Cassadaga to investigate these mysteries and found herself asking personal questions about the afterlife.  In addition to her work as an MFA Mentor, Basu, a veteran journalist with CNN, teaches as the Michael and Linda Connelly Lecturer for Narrative Nonfiction at the University of Florida.

Jasmin Pittman Morrell reads an essay originally published by the Bitter Southerner called "Is That Your Mother?" The story follows the author's experience as a Black mother to a child who appears white; it explores the commodification of Black motherhood throughout U.S. history and challenges the recurring assumptions of the white gaze. In response to hurtful encounters, Jasmin celebrates the fullness of her identity and family.A 2020 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Jasmin is a writer and editor based in Asheville, North Carolina. 

On today's info-packed episode, your host Becca Spence Dobias is joined by Gayle Brandeis and Quintin Collins to discuss low residency MFA programs. Both guests were students in a low residency MFA program and are now faculty at their alma maters. They discuss the benifits of a low residency program, walk listeners through the experience, and get into the specifics like funding and applications.     Resources Mentioned: Poets & Writers Guide to Low Residency MFA Programs Solstice MFA Program Antioch University MFA Program Sierra Nevada College MFA Program   Connect with Our Guests: www.GayleBrandeis.com https://www.qcollinswriter.com/   _________________ Check out the following books by our Indie Writer Podcast Patrons!  Proliferation by Erik Otto Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron!    __________________________ We want to thank all of the wonderful members of our writing bloc community. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or at WritingBloc.com.

Kristin Lowe reads an essay called "The Orchard on a Cloud," about the agricultural community of Quincy, Washington. The Grand Coulee Dam irrigates the apple orchard and potato fields around Quincy. That same water source has attracted data storage centers, run by the likes of Microsoft, creating fundamental shifts in how the people of Quincy define themselves. Returning to an important geography from her childhood, Kristin reflects on how life has changed for farmers like her uncle, Carl Yeates, and what these changes mean for generations to come.A 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Kristin is a freelance writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. 

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews writer Karen Salyer McElmurray about her latest novel WANTING RADIANCE. Karen Salyer McElmurray won an AWP Award for creative nonfiction for her book Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey and the Orison Award for creative nonfiction for her essay "Blue Glass." She has had other essays recognized as "Notable Essays" in Best American Essays, while her essays "Speaking Freely" and "Attics" were nominated for Pushcart Awards. She currently teaches at Gettysburg College and in West Virginia Wesleyan's Low-Residency MFA program. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eliot-parker/support

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Karen Salyer McElmurray about her latest novel WANTING RADIANCE. Karen Salyer McElmurray won an AWP Award for creative nonfiction for her book Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey and the Orison Award for creative nonfiction for her essay "Blue Glass." She has had other essays recognized as "Notable Essays" in Best American Essays, while her essays "Speaking Freely" and "Attics" were nominated for Pushcart Awards. She currently teaches at Gettysburg College and in West Virginia Wesleyan's Low-Residency MFA program.

John T. Edge reads his essay “My Mother’s Catfish Stew,” originally published in the Oxford American, about a son’s duty toward family memories and his mother’s legacy.Edge is the author of “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.” He’s the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance and host of ESPN’s True South. Edge is also an original member of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction at UGA faculty. In the episode, Edge discusses the changing role of the first person in his writing and what he learned about narrative craft by exploring his personal life on the page.

Valerie Boyd, director of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, joins host André Gallant to help define narrative nonfiction and discuss why stories, especially true ones, are so important to us. Voices heard during the intro belong to MFA alums Katoya Fleming, Marty Padgett, and Tracy Coley.Learn more about Hear-Tell and the innovative Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, visit bit.ly/heartellpodcast.Follow Hear-Tell at @heartellpodcast on Instagram and Twitter.  

In 2016, a group of armed, divinely inspired right-wing protestors led by Ammon Bundy occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the high desert of eastern Oregon. Encamped in the shadowlands of the republic, insisting that the Federal government had no right to own public land, the occupiers were seen by a divided country as either dangerous extremists dressed up as cowboys, or as heroes insisting on restoring the rule of the Constitution. To explore the occupation’s beginnings and aftermath and give us a portrait of the occupiers’ federal trials poet Anthony McCann joined us with insight from his book Shadowlands: Fear and Freedom at the Oregon Standoff—the resonant, multifaceted story of one of the most dramatic flashpoints in the year that gave us Donald Trump. McCann expanded the scope of our understanding of this fraught time in Oregon’s history, and offered a high-stakes analysis of how it has affected our current cultural and political moment. He demonstrated how the occupiers shared the stage with a host of others—Native American tribal leaders, public-lands ranchers, militia members, environmentalists, federal defense attorneys, and Black Lives Matter activists—each contending in their different ways with the meaning of the American promise of Liberty. Join Anthony McCann for a clarifying and exhilarating story of a nation facing an uncertain future and a murky past in a time of great collective reckoning. Anthony McCann is the author of the poetry collections Thing Music, I Heart Your Fate, and Moongarden. He currently teaches creative writing at the California Institute of the Arts and in the Low-Residency MFA program of the University of California, Riverside. Recorded live in The Reading Room at Town Hall Seattle on July 11, 2019. 

Chris talks about working in a studio setting after graduating college, and how he became motivated to take control of his own thinking and picture making that inevitably launched his career. Also, a discussion about education and students, and his position as the Director of the The Low Residency MFA in Illustration Program at the University of Hartford's Hartford Art School. PIcs and link at brentwatkinson.com .

Chris talks about working in a studio setting after graduating college, and how he became motivated to take control of his own thinking and picture making that inevitably launched his career. Also, a discussion about education and students, and his position as the Director of the The Low Residency MFA in Illustration Program at the University of Hartford's Hartford Art School. PIcs and link at brentwatkinson.com .

The best way to avoid Gene Hackman screaming at you is to listen to Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard celebrate the all-time great actor's 89th birthday on a new Be Reel. This week, they analyze three of his most memorable antagonists in "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "Unforgiven" (1992) and "The Firm" (1993), and then spotlight some favorites from deeper in Hackman's 50-year career. Be Reel is part of The Playlist Podcast Network and is brought to you by California College of the Arts and Converse College's Low-Residency MFA. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theplaylist/message

Mark Haskell Smith is the author of Blown, Heart Of Dankness, Naked at Lunch, Salty and more. He's a professor at UC Riverside's Low Residency MFA program and just a […]

Today we're connected with Kate Gale, Managing Editor of Red Hen Press; Editor of the Los Angeles Review; President of the American Composers Forum, LA; faculty member in the Low Residency MFA program at the University of Nebraska in Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction; and author of poetry collections such as Mating Seaon (Tupolo Press), novels such as Lake of Fire (Winter Street Press), and librettos such as Paradises Lost (with Ursula K. Le Guin and composer Stephen Andrew Taylor). Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Kate Gale

Ann Bodle-Nash lives on a tiny island in northwest Washington State, where for the past couple of years she has been working on earning an MFA in Creative Writing through Pacific Lutheran University's Low-Residency MFA program.  Life has thrown Ann and her family a couple of curve balls over the past year or so, but through it all she fallen back on fishing and writing as a way to get through it all.  Her work has been published at SharkReef.org, indieitpress.com, and The Dun Magazine. Don't forget to join us on January 25th, at Patagonia Ballard, for a special edition of Writers on the Fly, featuring Dylan Tomine, Steve Duda, and Jeff Galbraith.  Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play Music. Music: Molly Molly by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive under CC BY-NC 4.0. 

Brief Encounters (W.W. Norton)What anthology could unite the work of such distinct writers as Paul Auster, Julian Barnes, Marvin Bell, Sven Birkerts, Meghan Daum, Stuart Dybek, Patricia Hampl, Pico Iyer, Leslie Jamison, Phillip Lopate, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Lawrence Weschler?  What anthology could successfully blend literary forms as varied as memoir, aesthetic critique, political and social commentary, slice-of-life observation, conjecture, fragment, and contemplation?  What anthology could so deeply and steadily plumb the mysteries of human experience in two or three or five page bursts? For the late Judith Kitchen, editor of such seminal anthologies as Short Takes, In Short, and In Brief, "flash" nonfiction—the "short"—was an ideal tool with which to describe and interrogate our fragmented world.  Sharpened to a point, these essays sounded a resonance that owed as much to poetry as to the familiar pleasures of large-scale creative nonfiction.  Now, in Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction, Kitchen and her co-editor, Dinah Lenney, present nearly eighty new selections, many of which have never been published before, having been written expressly for this anthology. Taken together, as a curated gallery of impressions and experiences, the essays in Brief Encounters exist in dialogue with each other: arguing, agreeing, contradicting, commiserating, reflecting.  Like Walt Whitman, the anthology is large and contains multitudes.  Certain themes, however, weave their way throughout the whole: the nature of family, the influence of childhood, the centrality of place, and the role of memory.  In Lynne Sharon Schwartz's "The Renaissance," for example, the author remembers her relationship with her mother, tracing her own adolescent route from intimacy to contempt.  In "The Fan," Eduardo Galeano dramatizes the communal devotions of the soccer fan.  And in "There Are Distances Between Us," Roxanne Gay considers the seemingly impossible and illogical demands of love.  What binds these and many other disparate essays together is the ways in which they enrich, color, and shade each other, the manner in which they take on new properties and dimensions when read in conjunction. Dinah Lenney is the author of The Object Parade and Bigger than Life, and, with Judith Kitchen, edited, Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction. She serves as core faculty in the Bennington Writing Seminars and the Rainier Writing Workshop, and as the nonfiction editor at Los Angeles Review of Books.Emily Rapp Black is the author of Poster Child: A Memoir, and The Still Point of the Turning World, which was a New York Times bestseller. Her work has appeared in Salon, Slate, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, Redbook, O the Oprah Magazine, and other publications. She lives in Palm Springs and teaches in the UCR Palm Desert MFA Program in Writing and the Performing Arts.Chris Daley’s work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, DUM DUM ZINE, and The Collagist, where “Thoughts on Time After Viewing Christian Marclay's ‘The Clock’” first appeared. She teaches academic writing at the California Institute of Technology and, as Co-Director of Writing Workshops Los Angeles, offers creative nonfiction workshops for students at all levels. Chris has a Ph.D. in English from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Amy Gerstler is a writer of poetry, nonfiction and journalism. Her book of poems include Scattered at Sea (Penguin, 2015), and Dearest Creature (Penguin, 2009) which was named a New York Times Notable Book, and was short listed for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry. Her previous twelve books include Ghost Girl, Medicine, Crown of Weeds, Nerve Storm, and Bitter Angel, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry. She was the 2010 guest editor of the yearly anthology Best American Poetry. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies, including The New Yorker, Paris Review, American Poetry Review, Poetry several volumes of Best American Poetry and The Norton Anthology of Postmodern American Poetry. She currently teaches in the MFA Writing Program at the University of California at Irvine.Tod Goldberg is the author of a dozen books, including, most recently, Gangsterland. His nonfiction, criticism, and essays have appeared widely, including in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and Best American Essays. He lives in Indio, CA where he directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside. Jim Krusoe has published five novels and two books of stories, Blood Lake and Abductions. His first novel, Iceland, was published by Dalkey Archive Press in 2002. Since then, Tin House Books has published Girl Factory, Erased, Toward You,and Parsifal. Jim teaches writing at Santa Monica College as well as in Antioch's MFA Creative Writing Program. He has also published five books of poems. His latest novel, The Sleep Garden, is due out this winter from Tin House.

Dragonfish (W. W. Norton & Company)Robert, a rugged Oakland cop, still can’t let go of Suzy, the mysterious Vietnamese wife who left him. Now she’s disappeared from her new husband, Sonny, a dangerous Vietnamese smuggler and gambler who blackmails Robert into finding her for him. Pursuing Suzy through the glitzy gambling dens of Las Vegas, Robert finds himself chasing the past that haunts Suzy—one that extends back to a refugee camp in Malaysia after the fall of Saigon and to her daughter, Mai, abandoned long ago, now a steely professional poker player. The dangerous legacy of Suzy’s guilt threatens to immolate them all.Taut, cinematic storytelling, vivid dialogue, and mesmerizing atmosphere combine here with beautiful, original prose. Some aspects of Tran’s own life are present in Dragonfish. He was born on September 17, 1975, six months after the fall of Saigon. In 1980—like the novel’s characters Suzy and her daughter Mai—Vu Tran, with his mother and sister, escaped Vietnam by boat and ended up in the refugee camps on Pulau Bidong. They spent four months there until Tran’s father sponsored them and they moved to the United States.  Their reunion in Tulsa, Oklahoma—where Tran would grow up—was where he met his father for the first time. “On the pure joyous level of great storytelling, Dragonfish is a top notch mystery; but it also deals with so goddamn much: the ramifications of war and the perils of assimilation, the impossibility of straddling two cultures and belonging to none, the limitations of the past, grief, lost lovers, gambling, ghosts, and Vegas, baby, Vegas. Note-perfect. Heartbreaking.  Profound. Dragonfish is a polished dagger of a novel that will cut out your heart."  -- Charles Bock, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Children“A haunting, beautifully written novel, almost more ghost story than thriller, as Tran explores the world of refugees, immigrants, and the long hold the past and its dead hold on the present.” – Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V. I. Warshawski novels"Dragonfish is a novel about identity, exile and the chains of memory wrapped in the muscle of a thriller. The suspense kept me turning the pages, but the beautiful writing and aching sense of loss remained with me long after I reached the end.” --  Lisa Brackmann, New York Times bestselling author of Rock Paper Tiger and Dragon Day“Is this an immigrant saga disguised as a crime novel? Or a smart thriller that just happens to be set in the Vietnamese immigrant community in Las Vegas? It’s both -- but what matters is that Vu Tran has written a debut novel of uncommon artistry, about a group of Vietnamese Americans and the history of love, violence, and sacrifice that binds them together and tears them apart.”  – Tom Perrotta, New York Times-bestselling author of Nine Inches and Little Children“Vu Tran's spellbinding debut novel had me turning pages late into the night.  I was drawn in partly by the book's utterly engrossing plot, partly by its vivid portrayal of a pitiless and dangerous Las Vegas, but mostly by its lovingly interwoven themes of loss, longing, renewal, and cultural memory.” – Tim O’Brien, winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement“Vu Tran’s Dragonfish is that rare hybrid marvel—a literary thriller, a narrative of migration and loss that upends the conventions of any form. Tran draws the reader into an exquisitely rendered world of violence and heartbreak, loss and love that is impossible to forget.”  – Dinaw Mengestu, author of The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air“Sometimes it's creepy, like a really fine noir novel. Other times it's heartbreaking, as when it dives deep into the anguish of Vietnamese refugees. But either way, Dragonfish is absolutely gripping. Vu Tran has written a terrific novel.” – Tom Bissell, author of The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of VietnamVu Tran is the winner of a Whiting Award recognizing “exceptional talent and promise,” and he teaches creative writing at the University of Chicago. In 2008, Tran was asked to contribute a short story about Chinatown to the Las Vegas Noir anthology (Akashic Books).  After “This Or Any Desert” was included in the 2009 Best American Mystery Stories, he found himself still intensely drawn to the four main characters—Robert, Suzy, Sonny, and Sonny Jr.. In particular, he thought it would be interesting to apply elements of his own life to their backstories. Tran expanded the story and devised Suzy’s letters, the novel’s secondary narrative, which provides a riveting literary and emotional contrast to the crime narrative.Tod Goldberg is the author of several books of fiction, including the novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Fake Liar Cheat and the popular Burn Notice series, as well as two collections of short stories, Simplifyand Other Resort Cities. His essays, nonfiction, and journalism have appeared widely, including, most recently, in Best American Essays 2013. His latest novel, Gangsterland, was release in fall 2014. Tod Goldberg holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Bennington College and lives in Indio, CA where he directs the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside.

Montclair State University is proud to announce an innovative new low-residency MFA in Dance. Designed for mid-career dance artists, teachers and other dance professionals in transition, this program targets those who are interested in thinking about the future of the dance field and the shape of the discipline of dance. It provides experienced professionals the knowledge and credentials needed to expand their careers, including teaching dance in higher education, thus giving them the resources to become innovative contributors to their fields and future students. The curriculum is specifically designed for working artists who are interested in examining, expanding, and enhancing their artistic worldview. The program will commence June 2016, and for more information please visit: www.montclair.edu/mfa-dance.

The Jamaican poet Kwame Dawes is a consistent favorite at Pacific University's Low-Residency MFA program. While he may be best known for his critical writing on the works of Bob Marley, he's written evocatively on a range of subjects, from HIV/AIDS in Haiti to the American South to the playwright August Wilson. He kindly read for us this poem, reflecting on one of Wilson's characters.

Goldilocks Zone (University of New Mexico Press) Goldilocks Zone explores the inventions of bridges, condoms, fireworks, and glass weaved into the stories of creative people teetering on the brink of disaster. But those lives are also immersed in light, love, joy, and madness, all the elements of a rich and wild inventive life. Dr. Kate Gale is managing editor of Red Hen Press, editor of the Los Angeles Review, and president of the American Composers Forum, LA. She teaches in the Low Residency MFA program at the University of Nebraska in Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction. She is author of five books of poetry, a novel, and Rio de Sangre, a libretto for an opera with composer Don Davis. Her most recent projects include a co-written libretto, Paradises Lost with Ursula K. LeGuin and composer Stephen Taylor, and a libretto adapted from Kindred by Octavia Butler with composer Billy Childs. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.