Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
248 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsA writing podcast for writers and curious readers, featuring interviews with authors, poets, agents and editors. Twice chosen as one of Writer’s Digest Magazine’s 101 Best Website for Writers. Vermont-grown.
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Episodes
Vikram Chandra - Archive Interview (4/4/22)
April 09, 2022 13:21 - 59 minutes - 55.3 MBA conversation from the archives with the author Vikram Chandra about his nonfiction book, Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty (Graywolf Press). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to include a few (let's say three) of the following items together in a story, scene, poem, or essay: a dock fender for a boat the bow of a violin a leaky pen a basketball hoop an Apple II Computer Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or ...
Thea Lewis - Archive Interview (3/28/22)
April 09, 2022 13:11 - 43 minutes - 32.5 MBAn interview from the archives with local author and Queen City Ghostwalk Guide Thea Lewis about her book Haunted Inns and Ghostly Getaways of Vermont, published by The History Press. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to imagine a creepy scenario that has always frightened you. Maybe it has to do with going down into a basement, or up into an attic. Maybe it centers on a certain person who leaves you feeling unsettled. Are you afraid of water, of heights, of open spaces? Focus on one of ...
Rachel Foster and Mary Speta - 3/21/22
March 23, 2022 13:06 - 1 hour - 62.4 MBAn interview with Rachel Foster, co-founder and executive council co-chair of World Without Exploitation, who recently wrote an opinion piece in Vermont Digger: "Burlington controversy part of effort to decriminalize sex trade," and Mary Speta, Chief Impact Officer for Amirah, an organization offering help to survivors of sexual exploitation. This week's interview is not about a specific book, but the subject of Rachel's recent piece and what is happening around the commercial sex trade in B...
Karen Joy Fowler (3/14/22)
March 23, 2022 12:46 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MBAn interview with the author Karen Joy Fowler, whose new historical novel is Booth, which concerns the family behind one of the most infamous figures in American history: John Wilkes Booth. The book came out last week from Putnam. This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Karen Joy Fowler, who suggests picking one of the great emotions: fury, joy, envy, terror. Write a scene from your childhood in which you experienced that emotion, maybe, but not necessarily, ...
Karen Joy Fowler- 3/14/22
March 23, 2022 12:46 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MBAn interview with the author Karen Joy Fowler, whose new historical novel is Booth, which concerns the family behind one of the most infamous figures in American history: John Wilkes Booth. The book came out last week from Putnam. This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Karen Joy Fowler, who suggests picking one of the great emotions: fury, joy, envy, terror. Write a scene from your childhood in which you experienced that emotion, maybe, but not necessarily, ...
Karen Joy Fowler - 3/14/22
March 23, 2022 12:46 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MBAn interview with the author Karen Joy Fowler, whose new historical novel is Booth, which concerns the family behind one of the most infamous figures in American history: John Wilkes Booth. The book came out last week from Putnam. This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Karen Joy Fowler, who suggests picking one of the great emotions: fury, joy, envy, terror. Write a scene from your childhood in which you experienced that emotion, maybe, but not necessarily, ...
Toby Ball - Archive Interview (3/7/22)
March 23, 2022 12:34 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBAn archive interview (from my Radiator broadcast days!) from the archives with New Hampshire author Toby Ball, author of three crime novels published by Overlook Press: The Vaults, about which we spoke in 2010, Scorch City, which he wrote in 2011, and Invisible Streets the third in the series and the subject of this conversation. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to consider the following list of sentences and phrases, pick two, and put them in a story, scene, poem, or simple paragraph....
Kathryn Davis - 2/28/22
February 28, 2022 21:00 - 58 minutes - 55.6 MBA new interview with Vermont Author Kathryn Davis, who has a memoir out: Aurelia, Aurélia (Graywolf Press). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Kathryn Davis, who teaches a novel writing class, among others. They have undertaken the exercise in that class of writing a “faux” novel. Without overthinking it, come up with a title and ten chapter headings for an as yet unplanned non-existent novel. Then write one of the chapters - no more than three pages. You...
Jim Carrier - 2/21/22
February 23, 2022 15:23 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBVermont Author and Documentarian Jim Carrier, whose book Charity: The Heroic and Heartbreaking Story of Charity Hospital in Hurricane Katrina came out as an audiobook in 2021. This week's Write the Book Prompt was inspired by my interview with Jim Carrier, whose book Charity tells the story of one hospital in one storm, through the closer detailed narratives of individuals who were caught up in the tragedy. Consider these famous catastrophic moments in history, and either research or imagin...
Paula Martinac - Archive Episode (2/14/22)
February 18, 2022 18:30 - 53 minutes - 24.4 MBPaula Martinac, author of seven novels. Since we spoke in 2017 about The Ada Decades (Bywater Books), she has published three others. Her latest is Dear Miss Cushman (Bywater Books). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to consider the next food item you see - fruit, meat, vegetable, fast food, food on the street, in a gourmet store, at a cafeteria, on your kitchen shelf - and write about someone who is thinking about, relishing, or not relishing that food. Good luck with your work in th...
Nancy Means Wright (1927-2022) - 2/7/22
February 09, 2022 19:55 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MBVermont author and exceptional literary citizen Nancy Means Wright passed away on January 19 at the age of 95. This week I aired an interview with Nancy from the early days of the show. Many thanks to Seven Days for granting me permission to read their obituary for Nancy on air (with the stipulation that I read it in its entirety). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write a short or maybe even longer fictional piece featuring an historical figure, much as Nancy Means Wright featured M...
Nancy Means Wright, 1927-2022 (2/7/22)
February 09, 2022 19:55 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MBVermont author and exceptional literary citizen Nancy Means Wright passed away on January 19 at the age of 95. This week I aired an interview with Nancy from the early days of the show. Many thanks to Seven Days for granting me permission to read their obituary for Nancy on air (with the stipulation that I read it in its entirety). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write a short or maybe even longer fictional piece featuring an historical figure, much as Nancy Means Wright featured M...
Rachel Urquhart - Archive Interview (1/31/22)
February 09, 2022 17:26 - 58 minutes - 45.4 MBAn interview from the archives with the author Rachel Urquhart about her novel The Visionist (Little Brown). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to invent a group that has diminished from a large, powerful organization or community to something smaller, with minimal influence. What does this group look like? What happened to change their situation? What characters come to mind when you consider this scenario, and how might each of them react to their change in size and scope? Good luck ...
Caitlin Hamilton Summie - 1/24/22
January 26, 2022 18:18 - 50 minutes - 50.1 MBAuthor Caitlin Hamilton Summie, whose new novel is Geographies of the Heart (Fomite). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Caitlin Hamilton Summie. Consider the following prompt: “I didn’t want to steal it, but I did.” Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 714
Jojo Moyes / Heath Hardage Lee Archive Interviews - 1/17/22
January 26, 2022 18:11 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBTwo shorter interviews from the archives: Jojo Moyes, about her book One Plus One (Penguin); and Heath Hardage Lee, about Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause (Potomac Books). Today’s Write the Book Prompt is to consider this sentence, and either start with it, or let it inform your work: “She’d only been a crossing guard for two days.” Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 714
Sue William Silverman - Archive Interview (1/10/22)
January 11, 2022 21:06 - 37 minutes - 33.7 MBAn interview from the archives with Sue William Silverman about her memoir, The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo Saxon Jew (University of Nebraska). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write about a fantasized, imagined or real relationship with a star. From Pat Boone to David Cassidy, Britney Spears to Timothee Chalamet, heart throbs have always energized teens. You could write from a fan’s perspective, a star’s, that of an agent, a producer, a chauffeur. Good luck with y...
Elizabeth Bluemle Archive Interview (12/27/21)
December 30, 2021 13:48 - 55 minutes - 51.7 MBA conversation from the archives with Vermont children’s author Elizabeth Bluemle, about her picture book, TAP TAP, BOOM BOOM (Candlewick Press). My son and I once experienced a hurricane in Florida. Those of you who know storms might remember Charlie, in 2004. We stayed in a motel in Winter Park–a second-story room with an outside entry that looked out at the parking lot. The storm was fierce and loud. We lost electricity and the room went dark, but outside the winds were furious and sound...
Elizabeth Bluemle Archive Interview - 12/27/21
December 30, 2021 13:48 - 55 minutes - 51.7 MBA conversation from the archives with Vermont children’s author Elizabeth Bluemle, about her picture book, TAP TAP, BOOM BOOM (Candlewick Press). My son and I once experienced a hurricane in Florida. Those of you who know storms might remember Charlie, in 2004. We stayed in a motel in Winter Park–a second-story room with an outside entry that looked out at the parking lot. The storm was fierce and loud. We lost electricity and the room went dark, but outside the winds were furious and sound...
Joshua Ferris Archive Interview - 12/20/21
December 30, 2021 13:39 - 47 minutes - 48.3 MBInterview from the archives with award-winning author Joshua Ferris on his novel, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour (Little Brown and Company). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write about a visit to the dentist. Your scene, story or poem might involve the patient’s perspective, that of the dentist, the hygienist. Maybe you write about the waiting room, a moment in the parking lot, or the dreaded chair itself. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for anot...
Joy Cohen - 12/13/21
December 15, 2021 14:54 - 50 minutes - 48.2 MBVermont Author Joy Cohen, whose debut novel is 37 (Guernica Editions). This week's Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest Joy Cohen during our conversation. She suggests making two lists: the first, a list of 10 characters. They can be actual people in your life, such as your mom or dad, your best friend, the pharmacist, the mail carrier, people that you know really well or don't know at all. They could include fictional characters from movies or books. Just make a list o...
A.E. Hines - 12/6/21
December 07, 2021 18:16 - 32 minutes - 33.9 MBPoet A.E. Hines, whose debut collection is Any Dumb Animal (Main Street Rag). A new prompt for the week comes from A.E. Hines, and touches on something we discussed during the interview you just heard: Write a poem that explores duality, by comparing and contrasting two topics that are generally considered opposites. For example: Where is the light in the darkness? Or, pick one or multiple things that are considered hard, and describe them as soft. Describe a moment of gratitude in the mi...
Peter Stamm - 12/6/21
December 07, 2021 17:58 - 31 minutes - 31.2 MBA new interview with Swiss Author Peter Stamm, whose latest story collection is It's Getting Dark (Other Press). Peter Stamm generously suggested a Write the Book Prompt for today’s show. Go to the cemetery and see what the stones tell you about the people who are buried there. You’ll learn from the stones themselves, but also from their names and dates, from details occasionally listed on the stones, from any flowers left at the graveside. You’ll be surprised by how much you might learn a...
Wendy Sanford - 11/29/21
December 02, 2021 22:00 - 55 minutes - 55.7 MBWendy Sanford, author, editor, and a founding member of the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Her debut memoir is These Walls Between Us: A Memoir of Friendship Across Race and Class (SheWrites Press). On Wendy Sanford’s website you can go to a page titled Meet Mary Norman: Leading the way for women in New Jersey corrections work 1968-1993. On that page are a series of events that shaped Mary Norman’s life and the people she worked with. These are interesting stories that highlight he...
Jonah Lehrer - 11/15/21
November 15, 2021 21:01 - 48 minutes - 47.9 MBAuthor and Journalist Jonah Lehrer, whose new book is Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution (Avid Reader Press). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was suggested by my guest, Jonah Lehrer: Read a detective story and look for the false clues planted in the first five pages, or in Act I, depending on the work. In a Poe story or a Conan Doyle, there are so many missed leads, and you forget about them once you know the ending. But to create the surprise, a lot of work needs to be done. Th...
Anne Lamott - Archive Interview (11/8/21)
November 12, 2021 17:52 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBA conversation from the archives with the author Anne Lamott about her book Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son (Riverhead), which concerns being a grandparent. I myself became a Nana (again) last week, and so I've uploaded this interview without re-recording the intro and outro. Please excuse this lapse. I'm busy helping out. This week's Write the Book Prompt is to write some memory of your own grandmother, grandfather, or perhaps another person who filled that role fo...
Anne Lamott - 11/8/21
November 12, 2021 17:52 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBA conversation from the archives with the author Anne Lamott about her book Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son (Riverhead), which concerns being a grandparent. I myself became a Nana (again) last week, and so I've uploaded this interview without re-recording the intro and outro. Please excuse this lapse. I'm busy helping out. This week's Write the Book Prompt is to write some memory of your own grandmother, grandfather, or perhaps another person who filled that role fo...
Uwem Akpan - 11/1/21
November 02, 2021 19:15 - 45 minutes - 44.6 MBAward-Winning Nigerian Author Uwem Akpan, whose debut novel is New York, My Village (Norton). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write about a time that your own success or advancement was stymied by bureaucracy, as visitors to America can be stymied by the process of trying to get a visa. Was your experience further complicated by some kind of prejudice or racism? If not, how might that have changed things for you? Was your goal a matter of life and death, professional success, or me...
Michael Freed-Thall - 10/25/21
October 26, 2021 07:43 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MBVermont Author Michael Freed-Thall, whose debut novel is Horodno Burning (Rootstock). Consider this Write the Book Prompt, inspired by my conversation with Michael: try using history as a frame from which to hang your characters in writing a story, poem, essay or longer piece. As you work, be sure you are accurately rendering the historical period, researching the industry, technology, customs, and events of the period. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week fo...
Melissa Perley - 10/25/21
October 26, 2021 07:29 - 25 minutes - 26.8 MBVermont Author Melissa Perley, whose 2019 book The Violin Family (Rootstock) was recently named a winner in the Children’s Category of the 2021 Indie Reader Discovery Awards. Here's a musical Write the Book Prompt: listen to a piece of music and try to describe it in your work. It's harder than it sounds! Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 702
Thomas Christopher Greene - Archive Interview (10/18/21)
October 24, 2021 20:31 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBA conversation from the archives with Vermont author and former president of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Thomas Christopher Greene, about his novel The Headmaster's Wife (Thomas Dunne). On Friday, at a football game in Burlington High School's stadium, community members were treated to a very special halftime show featuring many students and teachers appearing in drag. According to The Washington Post, and yes, this was covered by The Washington Post, the idea came from Andrew LeValley, ...
Thomas Christopher Greene - 10/18/21
October 24, 2021 20:31 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBA conversation from the archives with Vermont author and former president of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Thomas Christopher Greene, about his novel The Headmaster's Wife (Thomas Dunne). On Friday, at a football game in Burlington High School's stadium, community members were treated to a very special halftime show featuring many students and teachers appearing in drag. According to The Washington Post, and yes, this was covered by The Washington Post, the idea came from Andrew LeValley, ...
Donald Antrim - 10/11/21
October 16, 2021 20:32 - 40 minutes - 41.4 MBAward-winning author Donald Antrim, whose new memoir is One Friday in April: A Story of Suicide and Survival (Norton). In presenting his viewpoint that suicide is a disease, Donald Antrim experiments early in the book with a presentation of labels and names for mental illness. As you heard in the interview, this list begins, “Depression, hysteria, melancholia, nervousness, neurosis…” and goes on for nearly two pages. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to use a list of words in an interest...
Lisa Peterson - 10/4/21
October 05, 2021 19:42 - 42 minutes - 42 MBAward-winning director and playwright Lisa Peterson, who has penned a translation of Hamlet for the Play on Shakespeare project, a series published by ACMRS Press. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to choose a piece of your work and try to translate it for a different audience than it was originally intended. Change the language so that it might have made sense three hundred years ago. Or put it into words you could read to a child. Change it to appeal to someone from a different culture...
Ruth Ozeki - 9/27/21
September 30, 2021 12:38 - 34 minutes - 33.9 MBAward-winning author Ruth Ozeki, whose latest novel is The Book of Form and Emptiness (Viking). In our conversation, Ruth mentioned that she has to dig really deep to find her characters and fully understand them. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to consider a character you are working on; perhaps someone you don’t fully understand yet. Ask yourself these questions about this character: What does he or she want? (And from here on, I’m going with she, to make life easier…) Has she had...
Gary Miller - 9/20/21
September 23, 2021 15:18 - 21 minutes - 29.9 MBVermont Author and former WTB Co-Host Gary Miller, whose new nonfiction book for students and their teachers is There's No Way to Do It Wrong!: How to Get Young Learners to Take Risks, Tell Stories, Share Opinions, and Fall in Love with Writing. Gary generously offered us one of his many writing prompts to use for a Write the Book Prompt today. And that prompt is to begin with the sentence, “They told me, but of course I didn’t listen.” See where it takes you. Write for seven minutes. And ...
Ralph Culver - 9/20/21
September 23, 2021 15:09 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBVermont Poet Ralph Culver, whose new collection is A Passable Man (Mad Hat Press). In his poem, "Tableau," Ralph Culver writes about one person sharing a space with two other versions of himself, presumably over time (though this is never stated overtly). For a Write the Book Prompt, try experimenting with a similar moment that captures multiple expressions of one person - perhaps three ages, three states of mind, or three memories. Whatever strikes you as interesting. Good luck with this...
Maggie Smith - 9/13/21
September 18, 2021 15:48 - 53 minutes - 73.4 MBInterview with the poet Maggie Smith, whose new collection of poems, is Goldenrod (One Signal). This week’s Write the Book Prompt, suggested by my guest, Maggie Smith, is based on the work of Joe Brainard, who wrote the book I Remember. The book is essentially prose poetry, and each line begins with the words “I remember.” Maggie says that the idea is that if you do that over a couple of pages in a big rush without editing yourself or self-censoring, or even trying, you may find yourself co...
Jessica Hendry Nelson - Archive Interview (9/6/21)
September 13, 2021 16:33 - 55 minutes - 76.8 MBAn interview from the archives with the author Jessica Hendry Nelson, who has a new book out - co-authored with fellow former Write the Book Guest Sean Prentiss: Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writer's Guide and Anthology, just out from Bloomsbury. During this interview, we talked about her memoir, If Only You People Could Follow Directions (Counterpoint). This week’s Write the Book Prompt is inspired by the title of my guest’s memoir, If Only You People Could Follow Directions. Write a li...
Nancy Hayes Kilgore - 8/30/21
September 03, 2021 14:07 - 46 minutes - 46.4 MBVermont Author Nancy Hayes Kilgore, in a conversation about her new novel, Bitter Magic (Sunbury Press). As we mentioned during our interview, one character who Nancy Hayes Kilgore describes in Bitter Magic is the devil himself. He appears to Isobel Gowdie in a spot where a tree had stood only moments before. She depicts him as a blonde man wearing green, but during their encounter he changes. This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to write a character based on a famous non-human entity: a le...
Carolyn Conger, PhD - Archive Interview (8/23/21)
August 27, 2021 20:48 - 27 minutes - 25.8 MBAn interview from the archives with consultant and teacher Carolyn Conger, PhD, about her book Through the Dark Forest: Transforming Your Life in the Face of Death (Plume). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was inspired by the book, Through the Dark Forest: Transforming Your Life in the Face of Death. No matter where you are in life - age-wise, health-wise, or otherwise - this week consider what you’ve left unfinished so far in your life, and what you would like to do about it. Maybe also ...
Tony Trigilio (8/16/21)
August 17, 2021 15:11 - 46 minutes - 43.8 MBPoet, editor, scholar, and musician Tony Trigilio, whose new collection is Proof Something Happened, winner of the 2020 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize. This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously suggested by my guest, Tony Trigilio. This prompt is adapted from John Daido Loori's The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life. Sit with an object/memory/experience until it begins to reveal itself to you -- its details, contours, emotions, and so on. Be open to the possibility that you m...
Caroline Leavitt - 8/9/21
August 10, 2021 15:21 - 45 minutes - 44.9 MBBest-selling author Caroline Leavitt, whose novel With or Without You just came out in paperback (Algonquin Books). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Caroline Leavitt. Write a page about two people who are in love without mentioning passion, desire, kids or any other words associated with love. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 690
Barbara Henning - Archive Interview (8/2/21)
August 10, 2021 15:02 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBInterview from the archives with poet and prose writer Barbara Henning, regarding her book A Swift Passage (Quale Press). I have family visiting this week - lots of loved ones filling our two guest rooms, and sleeping on the floor in the finished basement, and in one case staying in the dining room. It’s a lot of fun, and a bit of a clown car. Today’s Write the Book Prompt is to imagine a house full of visitors. What might look like in your case? Where will everyone sleep? How do they all g...
Christina Baker Kline - 7/29/21
July 29, 2021 20:56 - 56 minutes - 57.1 MBBestselling author Christina Baker Kline, whose novel The Exiles, came out in paperback this month from Custom House. This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Christina Baker Kline, who suggests writing the details of your morning, making sure to include all five senses in the first paragraph. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 688
Kyle Ferguson - 7/19/21
July 20, 2021 15:16 - 1 hour - 87.5 MBLocal author, yoga practitioner, and teacher Kyle Ferguson, whose new book (with co-author Anthony Grudin) is Beyond Hot Yoga: On Patterns, Practice and Movement (North Atlantic Books). Kyle's reading during our interview is excepted from Beyond Hot Yoga: On Patterns, Practice, and Movement by Kyle Ferguson and Anthony Grudin, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2021 by Kyle Ferguson and Anthony Grudin. Used by permission of publisher. One concept discussed in the book is that ...
Patrick Hicks (7/12/21)
July 13, 2021 17:15 - 52 minutes - 61.2 MBAuthor Patrick Hicks, whose new novel is In the Shadow of Dora: A Novel of the Holocaust and the Apollo Program (Stephen F. Austin University Press ). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously suggested by my guest, Patrick Hicks. In order to develop new characters and make them believable, it's crucial to know their likes and dislikes. Patrick spends quite a bit of time doing character sketches before he starts writing in order to know their backgrounds and personalities. For fun, ...
Rachel Donohue (7/5/21)
July 11, 2021 13:12 - 55 minutes - 55.2 MBAward-winning Irish Author Rachel Donohue, whose new novel is The Temple House Vanishing (Algonquin). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Rachel Donohue, who suggests writing a paragraph in which your character is in one mood at the beginning, and a different mood by the end. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 685
Daniel Lusk - Archive Interview (6/28/21)
July 03, 2021 16:43 - 49 minutes - 68.5 MBInterview from the archives with Vermont Poet Daniel Lusk. This conversation took place at the time that his collection Kin was published (Maple Tree Editions). This week’s Write the Book Prompt comes from a local writer and artist who lives in Bristol, Vermont: Lily Hinrichsen. Choose one of the works of art on her website, and write an ekphrastic poem. Ekphrastic comes from the Greek word for description. Here’s a definition from the Poetry Foundation: an ekphrastic poem is a vivid descr...
Natasha Sajé (6/21/21)
June 21, 2021 20:01 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBAuthor and award-winning poet Natasha Sajé, whose new book is Terroir: Love, Out of Place (Trinity University Press). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Natasha Sajé, who discussed the concept during our conversation, referring to “The Flash Forward” and “The Flash Back.” As long as your readers know the present moment of a scene, and that scene is clear to them, you can move around in time to inform the moment, making it richer and deeper. In Natasha’s b...
Marcia Butler (6/14/21)
June 15, 2021 12:34 - 52 minutes - 49.5 MBMarcia Butler, author of Oslo, Maine (Central Avenue Publishing). This week’s Write the Book Prompt was generously offered by my guest, Marcia Butler, who suggests writing a 1200 word short/short story in the first person point of view. But do not use the pronouns “I” “Me” or “My” until at least halfway through, and preferably at the very end. Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion. Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro 682