Serendipity. Noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: a fortunate stroke of serendipity | a series of small serendipities When I interviewed writer and teacher Kate Walter in the second week of June, I’d already delayed the
In May, I interviewed author Kira Lynne Allen about her new book Write This Second out now on Prashanti Press. In this episode, Kira explains how she used various strategic moves to recreate voice and pace in her work. She tells you what she thinks
Hello from Pittsburgh, PA! I’m way past my bedtime and I still have homework to do for Dinty W. Moore’s Master Class at the Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference 2015. But the show must go on. And boy is it a show. Jennifer Niesslein, a founder
It’s the most anticipated podcast episode of the season . . . Part Two of Rachel Toor’s amazing interview which aired in April. I interviewed Rachel a few weeks ago and we had a great conversation about the magic of fiction. Though On the Road to Find
Yes, you read it right. The legendary Lee Gutkind graces the Behind the Prose virtual studio for a chat with yours truly. In this interview, we discuss everything from what time he goes to bed to how he crafted an overall narrative in a collection of
This episode of Behind the Prose is more like Behind the Lyrics. Indiana-born, New York-based singer/songwriter Gandhi takes us on a journey that starts when he taught himself how to play the guitar and write songs. That was 15 years ago. Today, like prose writers,
Though she hesitates to call herself a “writer” (she thinks it sounds self-important), author and columnist Rachel Toor has written her way into a new Young Adult novel and onto my list of writers I want to be when I grow up. You’ll remember I
This week’s episode features a candid conversation with Washington Post reporter Soraya McDonald. In this interview, you’ll recognize right away the wit that shades much of her prose. Soraya is a graduate of Howard University and began covering the high school sports desk as a
I decided to interview Chelsey Clammer because I was super impressed with her dedication to writing and publishing. I’ve joked that she’s a submission machine, but this woman is no heartless robot. Spirituality is at the center of her writing practice and in this interview,
In this week’s episode, I talk to author and journalist Kenny Porpora about his debut memoir The Autumn Balloon. The show also features: An interview with Emily Griffin, Kenny’s editor at Grand Central Publishing Writers on Writing Radio Show My New School MFA classmate Erin
Carlos Lozada is an associate editor and nonfiction book critic at The Washington Post. In this episode, Carlos tells you what it’s like to read and write for a living and shares his drafting and revising tips. During the show, we reference these articles by
This episode of Behind the Prose features an interview with author Cameron Conaway. His book Malaria, Poems was named to the NPR Best Books of 2014 list. I spoke with Cameron at Penn State Berks after his poetry reading. We talked about his Newsweek article
In this week’s journey Behind the Prose, I interview teacher and writer Joan Dempsey. Before discussing the way she crafts character actions (she’s got a technique that will certainly show you how committed she is to authenticity in her work), we talk about how she’s
Think you got what it takes to write a novel? How about a novel that gets picked up by one of the hottest directors around (Ava DuVernay) on one of the most influential television networks – Oprah Winfrey’s OWN TV? Well, if you can commit
This episode is filled to capacity with awesomeness. First, you’ll hear the rest of Associate Senior Editor Roxanne K. Young’s interview about her work at the Journal of the American Medical Association and Dr. Andrew Bomback’s essay “Errands” which ran in the “A Piece of