Leni Zumas on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, with Nicole Nelson

Novelist Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks, talks to guest host Nicole Nelson about how attention to language can help foster authenticity, how she learned to put more pressure on story threads and "stick with the trouble," and how she developed a style that insists that readers "keep up."

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(Broadcast date: March 07, 2018)

Authors Teddy Wayne and Shawn Wong with Nicole Nelson

In the first half hour, novelist Teddy Wayne, author of Loner, talks with Nicole Nelson about leveraging spare use of the second person to add menace, building dread gradually through multiple drafts, and managing his writing time to balance work on fiction as well as being a regular contributions to The New Yorker and The New York Times.

In the second half, novelist Shawn Wong, author of American Knees, talks about his pioneering work in the field of Asian American Studies, how watching and listening closely to women helps him write rounded female characters, and how working with returning soldiers through the Red Badge Project taught him to think on his feet.

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(Broadcast date: November 30, 2016)

Shawn Shiflett and Jim Fusilli

In the first half, Shawn Shiflett, author of Hey, Liberal! talks to co-host Nicole Nelson about the challenges of humanizing evil characters, writing realistic dialogue, and how being a natural mimic helps him create authentic-sounding voices.

In the second half, Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talks to Jim Fusilli, editor of, and contributor to Crime Plus Music about how being a music critic influenced him as a fiction writer, how he finds short stories more challenging to craft than novels, and why noir seems to work better in short fiction and movies as opposed to longer formats.

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(Broadcast date: November 9, 2016)

Jade Chang and Janice Y. K. Lee with Co-Host Nicole Nelson

Debut novelist Jade Chang, author of The Wangs vs. the World, talks with co-host Nicole Nelson about playing with point of view, her experience putting an earlier novel in a drawer, and how she found her agent.

In the second half, novelist Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Expatriates, talks about balancing three different POV characters, not taking the easy way out, and the importance of trusting yourself and your voice when you struggle to write through to the end.

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(Broadcast date: October 5, 2016)

Rachel Cantor and Tracy Robert with Nicole

Novelist Rachel Cantor, author of Good on Paper, talks to co-host Nicole Nelson about the finer points of the art of translation, her approach to writing complex child characters, and the benefits of taking advantage of artists' colony residency opportunities. Then Tracy Robert, author of the novel Flashcards and The Curse of Ambrosia, talks about the role of setting in her work, her experience following her story into a dystopian world, and her advice to embrace messiness, recognizing it as a prerequisite for creating art.

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(Broadcast date: February 3, 2016)

Tatjana Soli and Erin Harris on Writers on Writing

Tatjana Soli, author of The Last Good Paradise, talks to Nicole Nelson about the importance of setting in developing a novel, the art of revision, and the writing benefits of a good hike. Then Erin Harris, NYC agent with Folio Lit talks about what kind of work she represents, what catches her eye in a query, and what agents want to see in those all-important first pages.

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[Note: In the Harris interview, there are a couple of very brief phone line blips that resolve quickly.]

(Broadcast date: February 11, 2015)

Stacey D'Erasmo and Jenny Offill on Writers on Writing

Nicole Nelson talks to Stacey D'Erasmo, author of Wonderland, about doing research touring with an indie rock band, writing sex scenes, and the importance of working past perfectionism.

In the second half of the show, Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, talks about experimenting with structure, finding authenticity in your storytelling, and why she resists Twitter.

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(Broadcast date: May 28, 2014)

Akhil Sharma, author of Family Life, on Writers on Writing

Akhil Sharma, author of Family Life, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the 12-plus years and 7,000 pages he took to write the novel. He also talks about why, when the book is highly autobiographical, he chose to write the story as a novel and not a memoir.

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(Broadcast date: April 9, 2014)

Note: This podcast starts a few minutes into the interview. Akhil is with us for the entire hour with no musical break at half.

Amanda Coplin & Edie Meidav

Marrie Stone talks with Amanda Coplin, author of "The Orchardist," and Edie Meidav, author of "Lola, California".

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(Broadcast date: September 22, 2012)

Pen on Fire Salon with Aimee Bender and Michael Jaime-Becerra

The Pen on Fire Writers Salon. Barbara DeMarco-Barrett in conversation with Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and Michael Jaime-Becerra, author of This Time Tomorrow.

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(Event date: June 2010)