From debut authors to Pulitzer Prize winners, Writers on Writing tackles a little of everything — novels, short stories, memoir, poetry, and more, as well as interviews with agents and publishers.

Unlike other shows dedicated to discussing books, we focus on the art, craft, and business of writing. Writers appreciate the opportunity to talk about the artistic elements of their job — the thousands of decisions that must be made to produce a manuscript. There’s no aspect of craft, creativity, and publishing we don’t explore.

We’ve hosted well over 1,500 authors on the show including Elizabeth Strout, S.A. Cosby, Ann Patchett, Amor Towles, and George Saunders. Expert advice from some of the industry’s top writers allows us to offer a show that’s been called “your own personal MFA program” (with no financial strain).

Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Host: Marrie Stone

Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

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EPISODES

(2001 - present)

Nicole Nelson 10/19/15 Nicole Nelson 10/19/15

Barry Yourgrau and Sasha Abramsky

Barry Yourgrau, author of Mess: One Man’s Struggle to Clean Up His House and His Act with Nicole Nelson about "writing short"in the distractible age of the Internet, grinding your mind until you get to the place where things flow, and how even as a confessional writer of fiction, when that mask is removed and he is telling his own story, he found writing a memoir scary.

Then Sasha Abramsky, author of The House of Twenty Thousand Books talks about how telling this personal story was different from his other journalistic projects, how he came upon the structure for the book, and the importance of letting your guard down, having confidence to take chances with the language and ultimately working to put your personal stamp on your writing.

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(Broadcast date: October 14 2015)

Nicole Nelson 3/28/14 Nicole Nelson 3/28/14

Nicole Mones and Sue William Silverman

Nicole Nelson speaks with Nicole Mones, about her new novel Night in Shanghai, and about research, incorporating history in fiction, and the importance of living a full life as a writer. During the second half, memoirist Sue William Silverman, discusses her third memoir The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew, sharing how she, through digging deep, found the metaphor for her identity search.

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(Broadcast date: March 12, 2014)

Marrie 7/15/13 Marrie 7/15/13

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, on Writers on Writing

Here's one from the archives... Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.

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(Broadcast Date: December 8, 2010)

Marrie 1/22/13 Marrie 1/22/13

Stephen Elliott

Marrie Stone interviews Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder.

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(Broadcast Date: December 30, 2009)

Marrie 10/9/12 Marrie 10/9/12

Memoirist David McGlynn

Marrie Stone talks with David McGlynn, author of the memoir "A Door in the Ocean," about reopening old wounds, the power of writing memoir, and all things craft, memoir, and writing.

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(Broadcast date: August 15, 2012)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 5/10/12 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 5/10/12

Biographers Steve Weinberg & Jack El-Hai and Memoirist Julie Metz on Writers on Writing

Biographers Steve Weinberg and Jack El-Hai, author of The Lobotomist in the first half, and memoirist Julie Metz, author of Perfection, talk with Barbara about the art, craft and business of their chosen genre..

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(Broadcast date: May 9, 2012

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/21/12 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/21/12

Pie Evangelist Beth Howard talks about her memoir with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Beth Howard, author of Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Love and Pie (Harlequin) discusses how she came to write this memoir about becoming a widow at age 47, and how pie saved her.

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(Broadcast date: April 18, 2012)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/5/12 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/5/12

Memoirist James Brown talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on radio

Memoirist James Brown, author of The Los Angeles Diaries and This River talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for the entire hour about his books, the art and craft of memoir, and the business of publishing. (He will appear on her panel at Literary Orange on April 14, 2012 at UC-Irvine. He will also be guest author at the Pen on Fire Writers Salon on May 15, 2012.

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(Broadcast date: March 28, 2012)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 1/30/12 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 1/30/12

Memoirist Glen Retief in conversation with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Barbara talks with memoirist Glen Retief, author of The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood.

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(Broadcast date: July 20, 2011)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/26/11 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/26/11

Memoirist Glen Retief

Glen Retief, author of the memoir, The Jack Bank, in conversation for the entire hour with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.

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(Broadcast date: July 20, 2011)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/13/11 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/13/11

Robert Sabbag and Ander Monson

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Robert Sabbag, author of Down Around Midnight: A Memoir of Crash and Survival and Ander Monson, author of Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir.

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(Broadcast Date: May 19, 2010)

An earlier, incomplete version of this show was posted in 2010.

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/9/11 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/9/11

Mira Bartok and Maira Kalman on Writers on Writing

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Mira Bartok, author of The Memory Palace and Maira Kalman, author/illustrator of In Pursuit of Happiness.

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(Broadcast date: March 16, 2011)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/6/11 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 6/6/11

Catherine Friend and Caitlin Kelly on Writers on Writing

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Catherine Friend, author of Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep & Enough Wool to Save the Planet, and Caitlin Kelly, author of Malled: My Untentional Career in Retail.

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(Broadcast date: May 11, 2011)

Marrie 3/26/11 Marrie 3/26/11

Dori Ostermiller & Memoir Panelists Lisa Catherine Harper and Katherine Ellison

Marrie Stone interviews Dori Ostermiller, author of Outside the Ordinary World and, in the second half hour, moderates a memoir panel with authors Lisa Catherine Harper (A Double Life: Discovering Motherhood) and Katherine Ellison (BUZZ: A Year of Paying Attention).

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(Broadcast Date: March 9, 2011)

Marrie 3/1/11 Marrie 3/1/11

Susan Maushart and Cathleen Schine

Marrie Stone interviews Susan Maushart, author of The Winter of Our Disconnect: How Three Totally Wired Teenagers (and a Mother Who Slept with her iPhone) Pulled the Plug on Their Technology and Lived to Tell the Tale and Cathleen Schine, author of The Three Weissmanns of Westport: A Novel.

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(Broadcast date:February 9, 2011)

Marrie 3/1/11 Marrie 3/1/11

Jill Bialosky and Linda Gray Sexton

Marrie Stone interviews Jill Bialosky, author of History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life and Linda Gray Sexton, author of Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide.

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(Broadcast date: January 26, 2011)

Marrie 5/20/10 Marrie 5/20/10

Susannah Charleson and Sarah Moss

Marrie Stone interviews Susannah Charleson, author of Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog and Sarah Moss, author of Cold Earth.

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(Broadcast date: May 12, 2010)

Marrie 2/12/10 Marrie 2/12/10

Memoirists Dani Shapiro and Rhoda Janzen

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion: A Memoir and Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home.

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(Broadcast date: February 10, 2010)

Marrie 9/10/09 Marrie 9/10/09

Betsy Lerner and Rachel Resnick

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews literary agent Betsy Lerner and Rachel Resnick, author of Love Junkie.

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(Broadcast date: September 09, 2009)