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 9/13/16 Nicole Nelson 9/13/16

Dana Johnson and Anna Solomon with co-host Nicole Nelson

Dana Johnson, author of the short story collection In the Not Quite Dark talks with co-host Nicole Nelson about how her journalism background informs her documentarian approach to writing about place, the value of reversal in constructing tension, and her affection for the short story form.

In the second half, novelist Anna Solomon, author of Leaving Lucy Pear, talks about her process of having a good idea of the story but not overthinking it in the first draft, the various kinds of research that went into writing a story that takes place in the Prohibition Era, the art of motivating coincidence in a story when a lot is at stake, and how a Post-it note that says, "You will fail," is her key to writing freely.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: August 31, 2016)

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.

Download audio (Mones)

Download audio (Silverman)

(Broadcast date: March 12, 2014)