Nicole Krauss on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Nicole Krauss may be best known for her novels, which include Man Walks into a Room, History of Love, Forest Dark, and Great House. But several of her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories, the Atlantic, and elsewhere. For the first time, she's published a collection of her stories and joins Marrie Stone to talk about them. To Be a Man explores issues of gender in its many forms—parenthood, childhood, romantic partnerships, and friendships. The men in her stories are fathers, sons, soldiers, artists, and lovers with human fallibility and the desire for redemption.

Krauss talks about how motherhood changed her perspective on gender issues, how films and other art forms informs her work, the reasons she's reluctant to teach writing, and so much more.

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(Broadcast date: December 2, 2020)

(Record date: October 14, 2020)

Phil Klay on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

In 2014, Phil Klay shocked the literary world with his National Book Award winning visceral short story collection, Redeployment, a multi-dimensional account of the Iraq war based on his four years of service there.

 

Six years later he’s returned with his debut novel, Missionaries, a sensitive and meticulously researched exploration of America’s involvement in foreign wars (notably Columbia, Afghanistan, and Iraq). Following four main characters—two Americans and two Columbians—the novel details the price of war from every angle and every point of view.

 

Klay joins Marrie Stone to talk about the book. He shares his research process, his organizational tools, and how he came to understand each of his characters.  War buffs, literary fiction enthusiasts, and aspiring and established writers alike should find something useful and inspiring in Klay’s conversation. 

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(Record date: October 26, 2020)

(Broadcast date: November 18, 2020)

Merrill Markoe on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Merrill Markoe, author of the graphic memoir, We Saw Scenery, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing. They laugh a lot, too. 

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Musical intro, outro, and interludes by Travis Barrett. Find more of his music on Spotify.

(Broadcast date: Nov. 11, 2020)

Sharon Harrigan on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Trained young as a poet, Sharon Harrigan came later in life to the novel and the memoir. Her debut novel, Half, emerged from an award-winning short story. Sharon joins Marrie Stone to talk about the novel, as well as her circuitous writing path, getting an MFA later in life, and finding the confidence to play with an unconventional point of view. She shares a wealth of writing advice she's received along the way, the advantages of publishing with a university press, and how she discovered the novel's through-line after she finished writing it. She also talks about how studying movies and television series can teach plot and structure, and so much more.

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(Record date: October 20, 2020)

Novelist Shari La Pena on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Novelist and writer of domestic thrillers, Shari La Pena, author of The End of Her, discusses her latest novel with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.

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This show is a straight-to-podcast interview. 

Musical intro and outro by Travis Barrett. Find him on Spotify.