Novelist Leland de la Durantaye with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Leland de la Durantaye, author of Hannah versus the Tree talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about writing his debut novel (though not the first one he wrote), about patience, and language. Not to be missed.

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 (Broadcast date: May 22, 2019)

Literary agent Claire Roberts with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

New York City literary agent Claire Roberts talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about books, publishing, trends, self-published books, and more, on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, broadcast from the University of California, Irvine campus.

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(Broadcast date: May 15, 2019)

Sigrid Nunez and Amanda Marbais on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Sigrid Nunez, author of the 2018 National Book Award winning novel The Friend, joins Marrie Stone to talk about enduring themes across her work, her trepidation about writing about a writer, and her general wisdom about the writing process, learning the craft, the role of talent, teaching, and the importance of reading wide and deep.

In the second half, Amanda Marbais discusses her debut short story collection, Claiming a Body. She shares her arduous revision process (confessing that stories often undergo between 25 and 40 revisions), and assembling a collection versus publishing individual stories. Amanda dissects one of her pieces—from original kernel of inspiration to the final revision. She discusses dialogue, the importance of reading your work aloud, and her propensity towards gallows humor.

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(Broadcast date: May 8, 2019)

Amy Hempel and Katya Apekina on KUCI-FM

Katya Apekina, author of The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish, and Amy Hempel, author of Sing to It talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.

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(Broadcast date: May 1, 2019)

Lydia Fitzpatrick & Kim Magowan on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Novelist Lydia Fitzpatrick joins Marrie Stone to talk about her debut novel, Lights All Night Long. Lydia shares her connection to Russia, how she approached the ominous task of research, the importance of photographs and Google Maps in her work, and her thoughts about structure and narrative tension. She also shares her writing advice about "the wall of shame" and how deconstructing other people's novels helped her own work.

In the second half, Kim Magowan joins to talk about her short story collection, Undoing. Kim discusses the usefulness of putting constraints around her work, her thoughts about linked stories, and the elegant way she assembled her collection. She also talks about overcoming her fears to send work out, the role of contests for flash and short story writers, and the importance of independent presses.

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(Broadcast date: April 24, 2019)