Ann Napolitano, author of “Hello Beautiful”

Debut crime writer Dwyer Murphy, author of "An Honest Living": Dwyer Murphy is the editor-in-chief of CrimeReads, Literary Hub‘s crime fiction vertical and a popular destination for thriller readers. A former litigator, Murphy is the author of the debut novel An Honest Living (publishing on July 26, 2022 by Viking).  Murphy joins Marrie Stone to talk about writing crime fiction and what he's learned about crime writing in his years working in the industry. He gives insights into New York in the early 2000s and setting a novel before the social media and technology boom. He also talks about creating recurring characters, how to maintain suspense, and other aspects of creating compelling crime fiction.  For additional writing tips, prompts, and perks, visit our Patreon page here. Download audio.   (Recorded on July 7, 2022) (Broadcast date: July 18, 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.m by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Novelist Erica Ferencik, Girl in Ice: Erica Ferencik, author of Girl in Ice, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new novel, creatures that can freeze and thaw out alive, why she's a plotter, writing the book she wished existed, and more.  Erica Ferencik is an award-winning novelist who writes adventure novels featuring women who brave not only internal struggles but face extreme challenges in their environment: remote forests, steaming jungles, and desolated ice scapes. To research GIRL IN ICE, (Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster), she explored the desolate iceberg-packed fjords of Greenland. Download audio.  (Recorded in June 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com Visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/writersonwriting by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Novelist Jacinda Townsend, Mother Country: Jacinda Townsend, author of the novel Mother Country (Graywolf), and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett discuss her new book and the setting of Morocco, alternating POVs, slavery, writing with the senses, and more.  During her Fulbright year, on a layover in Morocco, Jacinda discovered the city of Marrakech and fell in love. Later that same year, on a trip to Northern Mali, she also first witnessed modern-day slavery: that incident inspired the research that eventually took her to Mauritania, where she met with escaped slaves and anti-slavery activists and began the work that would become her newly published novel, Mother Country (Graywolf, 2022).  Mother Country is told in the voices of an American woman struggling with infertility who kidnaps a young Moroccan girl, and the young mother, escaped from Mauritanian slavery, who loses her. Jacinda is also the author of Saint Monkey (Norton, 2014), which is set in by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Monique Roffey, author of "The Mermaid of Black Conch": Monique Roffey is the author of six works of fiction and the 2012 memoir, With the Kisses of His Mouth. The British-Tobagonian author's latest book, The Mermaid of Black Conch, was released by a small press during the height of the 2020 pandemic. But, much like Roffey's outcast mermaid, the novel is enjoying a second life, winning prestigious awards, getting picked up by Knopf in the United States, and garnering praise in the press. Roffey joins Marrie Stone to talk about the novel's unlikely journey, from her decision to launch a crowdfunding campaign in 2019 to the book's ultimate award-winning success. She also discusses writing compelling sex scenes, how Jungian analysis changed the trajectory of her writing, using television-style treatments for her manuscripts, why she needs 20 strong scenes before she begins writing, and so much more.   For more information about the show, as well as additional writing tips, promp by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Tiffany McDaniel, author of “On the Savage Side”: In 2015, several women from the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio began disappearing. Some were found dead in a nearby river and others were never found at all. The victims were drug addicted and supported their addiction with prostitution. They became known as the “Chillicothe Six,” although the body count kept rising. The case caught the attention of novelist Tiffany McDaniel, who grew up near the town and went to school with one of the victims. On the Savage Side reimagines the lives of women like these. Set in the 1990s, before iPhones and social media, McDaniel brings backstories, faces, names and humanity to women society often forgets. Author of the international bestselling novel Betty (2020) and the award-winning novel The Summer That Melted Everything (2016), McDaniel is of Cherokee heritage and brings those myths and legends to her novels. As a self-taught author with no formal education, McDaniel wrote over 20 unpublished nove by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

52 min listen

Sarah Manguso, author of “Very Cold People”: Sarah Manguso is an essayist, memoirist, and now a novelist. She’s written eight books, including 300 Arguments and Ongoingness (links to interviews regarding those books can be found in our archives). Very Cold People is her debut novel. It’s an Amazon Editors’ Pick, a National Indie Bestseller, A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and was named a best book of the year by numerous publications. Manguso joins Marrie Stone to talk about her decision to write a novel. She discusses setting a book in her childhood town and creating a sense of place and atmosphere. She talks about writing violence as background instead of foreground, as well as writing about shame, class, mothering, and writing about large concepts in intimate and specific ways. Manguso comes to the podcast from the Miami Book Fair. For more information, visit their website here. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon pa by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

59 min listen

Lisa Cupolo, author of Have Mercy on Us: The youngest of six children, Lisa Cupolo grew up in the Honeymoon Capital of the World: Niagara Falls, Canada. At thirteen, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and spent much of her teens and twenties battling illness. She has spoken about how this trial was actually one of the blessings of her life, because it led her to writing. She learned to escape, creating stories when reality got difficult, and she imagined herself living the lives of her characters, and in the real world, she became an observer. Always a spiritual seeker, Lisa has a BA in philosophy from The University of Western Ontario. In her second year, her single mother put a second mortgage on their suburban home so Lisa could study in Nice, France. That changed everything. She spent the next decade in Europe and her health improved dramatically. She completed a graduate degree in Portrait Photography from The London Institute in England and worked a stint as by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

50 min listen

Memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald, author of "Dirtbag, Massachusetts": Isaac Fitzgerald, author of the new memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing his memoir. Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts. He appears frequently on The Today Show and is also the author of the bestselling children's book How to Be a  Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (winner of an IACP Award). His writing has appear in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and numerous other publications. He lives in Brooklyn. Download audio.   (Recorded on July 15, 2022 via Zoom) Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Support the show on Patreon. Marrie and I appreciate every dollar. Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.p by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Novelists Erica Ferencik & Aaron Phillip Clark: Erica Ferencik, author of Girl in Ice, and Aaron Phillip Clark, author of Blue like Me, join me at Sisters in Crime Orange County to talk about their new novels as well as the art, craft, and business of writing. If you’d like to watch the panel we did on Zoom, visit YouTube. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website. (Recorded in November 2022) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettCo-Host: Marrie StoneMusic and sound design: Travis Barrett by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

62 min listen

Eric Nguyen, author of "Things We Lost to the Water": Eric Nguyen's debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water, was one of President Obama's favorite books of 2021. It's recently out in paperback. Eric joined Marrie Stone to talk about understanding his own history through the lens of fiction, how he came to know his characters, writing about a well-known city in a new light, how bilingualism serves his fiction, and so much more. If you're a regular listener or like this episode, check out our new Patreon page, where we offer weekly writing tips and prompts, as well as other goodies for our listeners. Thanks for listening! Download audio.   (Recorded on June 24, 2022)    Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Alexis Schaitkin, author of "Elsewhere": Alexis Schaitkin joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest novel, Elsewhere (to be published by Celadon on June 28, 2022).  The speculative fiction story explores the perils and pleasures of motherhood, how mothers judge one another, how women can often disappear into motherhood — and into aging — and how sometimes they can find themselves again. The setting is evocative and the issues are profound. Schaitkin shares several backstories behind the novel, including the inspiration for this hauting fictional village, her many attempts to find her way into the story, how she let go of her expectations for the novel, and how she once again managed a large cast of characters. For novelists, there's mounds of advice for character development and structure. For speculative fiction writers, there are insights for creating effective rules for your world. For Schaitkin's fans, there's fun backstories on how she constructs her novels and the themes s by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Celeste Ng, Our Missing Hearts: Novelist Celeste Ng, author of Our Missing Hearts and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett discuss her latest novel (NYT review, 10/2/22). They talk about world building, developing characters, reading for writers, and much more.  Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Celeste grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. She graduated from Harvard University and earned an MFA from the University of Michigan (now the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan).  Her fiction and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, and many other publications, and she is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Download audio.   (Recorded on 9/23/2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  We are now on Patreon! by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Novelist Julie Clark: Julie Clark, author of the new novel, The Lies I Tell, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about how she found her way to the domestic thriller genre, why she finds female con artists fascinating, her revision process, how she finds time to teach full-time and get her writing done, and so much more.  Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight. It has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, and the New York Times has called it “thoroughly absorbing.” It’s been named an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads Pick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. Her debut, The Ones We Choose, was published in 2018 and has been optioned for television by Lionsgate. She lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control. Download audio.    (Recorded in June, 2022)  Support the show on Patr by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Novelist Tom Perrotta, author of "Tracy Flick Can't Win": Tom Perrotta joins Marrie to talk about his latest novel, Tracy Flick Can't Win. The author of nine previous works of fiction, Perrotta wrote Election, The Leftovers, Little Children and Mrs. Fletcher, all of which have been adapted to screen. The conversation covers the #metoo movement and how feminism and the women's rights movement has evolved since Election came out 25 years ago. Perrotta discusses how he approaches politics in fiction, and what he failed to see coming in this country despite setting his novels in America's suburbs. He also shares insights into his writing process including the importance of drawing a distinct time-frame around your novel, writing from various points of view, how writing for the screen has helped his fiction, and so much more. For more information about the show, as well as additional writing tips, prompts, and perks, visit our Patreon page here. Download audio.   (Recorded on Augu by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Literary agent Jennie Dunham: Jennie Dunham has been a literary agent in New York, New York since May 1992. In August 2000 she founded Dunham Literary, Inc. She represents literary fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Her clients have had both critical and commercial success. Books she has represented have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller lists and her clients have won numerous awards including: New York Times Best Illustrated Book, The Schneider Family Award, Boston Globe Horn Book Honor, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist. She has been a member of AALA (American Association of Literary Agents, formerly AAR) since 1993. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Anthropology and .has a master's degree in Social Work from New York University (although now she only practices with characters on the page).For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

38 min listen

Novelist Anthony Marra, author of "Mercury Pictures Presents": Anthony Marra is the New York Times bestselling author of The Tsar of Love and Techno and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, longlisted for the National Book Award. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, and how a book he began over eight years ago suddenly took on new and unsettling relevance in today's America.  Marra shares his struggles with writing this book, managing a large cast of characters and an enormous amount of research, as well as some general writing advice for novelists. He stresses the importance of filling your notebook with questions, reading broadly, writing daily and more.  If you find this or other interviews useful, consider supporting the show on Patreon.   Download audio. (Recorded on September 8, 2022) Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: h by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Memoirist Amy Turner, author of "On the Ledge": In 1957, when Amy Turner was four years old, her father stepped out onto the ledge of his high-rise hotel room and threatened to jump. More than 50 years later, Turner faced her own near-death experience when she was struck by a truck in a pedestrian crosswalk. Those two incidents, happening over half a century apart, led Turner to understand the legacy of anxiety and depression she inherited from her family, and the role of trauma in forming her identity. Turner joined Marrie Stone to talk about her memoir, On the Ledge, as well as coming to writing later in life, how being an attorney impacted her writing, and how she knew when it was time to publish this book. Turner shares the struggles she had with structure, knowing what material to cut, and how to deal with time gaps in her story. She also discusses choosing She Writes Press (a small press who publishes women writers), foregoing the need for an agent, marketing her memoir and choos by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You: Rebecca Makkai’s novel, The Great Believers, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal, the Stonewall Book Award, and the LA Times Book Prize; and it was one of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House, and the story collection, Music for Wartime. Her new novel is I Have Some Questions For You, released Feb 21, 2023. On the show, Rebecca spoke with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about pantsing vs plotting, titles, categorization, what she does when she hits a wall, and more. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website. (Recorded on February 3, 2023) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Co-Host: Marrie Stone Music and sound design: Travis Barrett by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

56 min listen

Legal Thriller Novelist Scott Turow, author of “Suspect”: Scott Turow, author of Suspect, talks with Marrie Stone about his new novel, creating enduring characters, writing from the first person POV of a young, bisexual female, creating compelling settings, and so much more. Scott will appear at the Miami Book Fair on Saturday, November 19 in conversation with Craig Johnson and Brad Meltzer. The Miami Book Fair is the nation's largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. It takes place Sunday, November 13 through Sunday, November 20. Please visit www.miamibookfair.com. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page (www.patreon.com/writersonwriting). To listen to past interviews, visit our website (www.writers-on-writing.com). (Recorded in November 2022) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Co-Host: Marrie Stone Music and sound design: Travis Barrett by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

54 min listen

Novelist Susan Straight, Mecca: Susan Straight, author of the novel, Mecca, which Michael Connelly called "a masterpiece," talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new novel and how it came to be. Susan Straight was born in Riverside, CA, and still lives there with her family. She’s passionate about home, California, the Santa Ana River, the foothills and the deserts, and has been writing about southern California and the inland area for forty years. From her kitchen window, she can see the hospital where she was born, which her three daughters find kind of hilarious and pathetic; most days, she walks her dog Angel beside the Santa Ana River as she has since childhood, and then past the classrooms at Riverside City College, where she wrote her first short story, at 16, which is also kind of hilarious, but hopeful. She has written about the people of California for her new memoir, In the Country of Women, based on women’s stories told for five generations to Straight and her da by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Memoirist Tad Friend: Memoirist Tad Friend, author of In the Early Times, and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett discuss getting to the truth in memoir, what to do when you're asked to record your own audio book (and don't want to), revision, backstory vs. front story, and so much more. Tad Friend has been a New Yorker staff writer since 1998. An excerpt of this book was published in an April issue, which is when we became aware of the memoir and knew we had to have Tad on the show.  Download audio.  (Recorded via Zoom on July 7, 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett. More typewriter music on Spotify: Just My Type Consider becoming a Patreon supporter. Now that we're no longer at the station, it's a bit more complicated producing shows so every donation helps more than you know. Here's the link.  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Literary Agent Lori Galvin on finding the right agent: Literary agent Lori Galvin of Aevitas Creative Management represents both adult fiction (especially women's fiction and crime fiction) and non-fiction (memoir, food writing, and cookbooks). A few of her clients include Hannah Kirshner's Water, Wood, and Wild Things (Viking '21), Cambria Brockman's Tell Me Everything (Ballantine '19), and Wanda M. Morris's All Her Little Secrets (Morrow '21). Some projects have been optioned by A24 and Netflix. Galvin joins Marrie to talk about changes in the publishing industry, what she looks for in effective query letters, the importance of the first five pages, the dos and don'ts of finding an agent, what you can do to improve your chances of finding a good match with an agent, and so much more.  If you find this or other interviews useful, consider supporting the show on Patreon.    Download audio.   (Recorded on September 21, 2022) Music and sound design by Travis by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Maggie Ginsberg, author of Still True: Maggie Ginsberg, author of the new novel Still True, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her debut novel, writing in multiple POVs, the crossover from nonfiction to fiction, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website. (Recorded in November 2022) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettCo-Host: Marrie StoneMusic and sound design: Travis Barrett by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

61 min listen

Brian O'Hare on his debut story collection, "Surrender": A former U.S. Marine Corps officer and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Brian O'Hare's debut story collection Surrender brings war to life. These 17 interconnected stories explore manhood through the lens of fatherhood, football culture, the military, war, and more. Brian joins Marrie Stone to talk about the art, craft, and business of fiction. He shares how training as an actor influenced his writing, the "architects and gardeners" in fiction, the importance of writing contests and creating a niche for yourself, how to market your work and so much more. For more information on "Writers on Writing" and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

67 min listen

Novelist Antoine Wilson, Mouth to Mouth: Novelist Antoine Wilson, author of Mouth to Mouth, and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett discuss setting, plotting, creating characters, ironic endings, and more. About Mouth to Mouth, one of Barack Obama's favorite books of 2022, Kirkus said, "A deliciously nasty morality play in the guise of a thriller."  Download audio.   (Recorded on August 18, 2022)  Music and sound design by Travis Barrett  Support the show on Patreon.  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

20 min listen

Melissa Chadburn, author of “A Tiny Upward Shove”: Melissa Chadburn’s debut novel, A Tiny Upward Shove, is part serial killer thriller, part magical realism folklore, part love story, part coming of age story, and fully riveting. Its narrator is an aswang—otherwise known as a Philippine shapeshifter, a ghoul, a spinstress, a vampire, a soul-sucker with a proboscis. Over a decade in the making, Chadburn’s novel contains beautifully unique prose and haunting imagery. She joins Marrie to talk about it. Along the way, they talk about how Chadburn struggled with structure, and how real-life serial killer William Pickton provided it. They talk about the different shapes novels can take, including Jane Allison’s Meander, Spiral, Explode and Ursula Le Guin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. They talk about the power of lists in fiction, how to engage in the writerly art of witnessing, and Lynda Barry’s What It Is. They discuss writing sex and violence, including the best advice Chadburn rece by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

62 min listen

Ed Humes, author of The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder: Ed Humes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of more than a dozen nonfiction books, including Mississippi Mud, Door to Door: The Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation and Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash, and Burned: A Story of Murder and the Crime that Wasn’t. Ed received his Pulitzer for his newspaper coverage of the military, and a PEN Award for nonfiction for No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court. He has taught writing, journalism, and literary nonfiction at graduate and undergraduate levels, and has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Sierra Magazine, and Los Angeles Magazine. Ed joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about his new book, The Forever Witness: How DNA and Geneology solved a cold case double murder. For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our P by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

52 min listen

Jessamine Chan, author of “The School for Good Mothers”: Barack Obama called Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers one of his favorite reads of 2022. The NYT bestseller comes out in paperback on February 7. Every year, thousands of children are removed from their parents’ custody by the state, often for good reasons, but not always. Set in a dystopian future not so far from now, The School for Good Mothers follows Frieda’s tortured journey after losing her daughter following “a very bad day.” Jessamine joins Marrie Stone to talk about the 20 years she spent writing before the book was published, and how one inspiring day of writing changed everything (spoiler alert: don’t try this at home). She talks about writing in longhand, over-writing and learning to cut, how visiting her setting changed the feel of the book, naming her characters and other craft insights. She also discusses MFAs and writing residencies, finding an agent, the long editing process after the book was sold and by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

58 min listen

Rerun…Melissa Bank, author of The Wonder Spot by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

45 min listen

Azar Nafisi, author of Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times: When Reading Lolita in Tehran was published 20 years ago, Azar Nafisi had only lived in the United States for six years. Since then, she has watched the subtle and not-so-subtle signs of totalitarianism take root in America. Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times is Nafisi’s latest book. It’s an epistolary piece written to her father about the writers who Nafisi believe inform what our country, and world, are facing. From Plato to Baldwin, Atwood to Coates, Nafisi draws parallels between the treatment of women in Iran and the treatment of African Americans in the U.S. Since its release last March, the book has grown only more relevant with the Dobbs decision, the attack on Rushdie, the rising protests in her home country of Iran. Nafisi joins Marrie Stone to talk about her decision to write this book. She discusses why governments are so threatened by writers, by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers

62 min listen

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Ann Napolitano, author of “Hello Beautiful”

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