Marie Lu and Ellen Hopkins

New York Times bestselling young adult authors Marie Lu, The Rose Society, and Ellen Hopkins, Traffick, join Marrie Stone.  They talk about writing in a series, deplorable characters, writing banned books, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: December 30, 2015)

Our annual Christmas show, with readings and music. Readers: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Jill Amadio, and Mike Conlon. Readings of traditional, classic, and contemporary Christmas writing.

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: Dec. 23, 2015)

Bruce Bauman and Sanderia Faye with Nicole Nelson

Novelist Bruce Bauman, author of Broken Sleep joins Nicole Nelson to talk about writing dialogue, balancing tragedy with humor, and the good that can come of letting your characters take control.

In the second half, debut novelist Sanderia Faye, author of Mourner's Bench talks about finding the voice for her story in the form of eight-year-old Sarah, the surprises she found when researching the Civil Rights era history of her home town in Arkansas, and the importance of having confidence and especially to, as her teachers advised her along the way, "keep writing."


Download audio


(Broadcast date: December 16, 2015)

Anthony Marra and Karen Bender on with Marrie Stone

Anthony Marra, author of the collection The Tsar of Love and Techno, joins Marrie Stone to talk about his draw to Russia and Chechnya, the importance of humor, writing to music, the short story form, and more.

In the second half, Karen Bender shares her new collection, Refund.  She talks about living in New York after 9/11, parenting, money, aging and lots of tips and tricks on craft.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: December 2, 2015)

Lisa Gornick and Elizabeth Tallent on Writers on Writing

Lisa Gornick, author of Louisa Meets Bear, joins Marrie Stone to talk about whether her book is novel or linked short stories.  She talks about structure, character, revision, and all the things necessary to write effective novels and short story collections.

In the second half, short story writer Elizabeth Tallent returns with her first collection in over two decades.  She talks about Mendocino Fire, how her writing has changed over time, and more.

 Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: October 28, 2015)

Ann Beattie and Ron Rash

Short story author Ann Beattie, The State We're In: Maine Stories, joins Marrie Stone to talk about why Maine, although home, remains a mystery to her.  She discusses compelling women, the danger of linked short stories, and more.

In the second half, Ron Rash returns to the show to discuss his latest novel, Above the Waterfall.  He shares his thoughts on the importance of place, redemption, and his reluctance about embracing the "southern writer"  label. 

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: October 21, 2015)

Colum McCann and John Freeman on Writers on Writing

Colum McCann joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novella and short story collection, Thirteen Ways of Looking.  He talks about his attack in New Haven, how it's impacted his writing, what remains important to him, and what single novel he returns to again and again.

In the second half, John Freeman talks about editing the anthology, Tales of Two Cities, The Best and Worst of Times in Today's New York.  He discusses the NY housing crisis, the juxtaposition of wealth in NY, treating people with dignity, and how homelessness can divide a family.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: November 18, 2015)

Novelists Nina Revoyr and Katherine Taylor

Novelists Nina Revoyr, author of LOST CANYON, and Katherine Taylor, author of VALLEY FEVER, talk with Barbara about having patience as a writer, writing hundreds of pages and discarding them, finding the voice of the novel and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Nov. 11, 2015)

Lauren Groff and Garth Risk Hallberg on Writers on Writing

Lauren Groff, author of the National Book Award-nominated novel, Fates and Furies, talks to Nicole Nelson about how she came to realize she was writing one book, and not two, about the tale of a marriage. She also discusses her approach to tackling plot, and the importance of staying with your work. In the second half, debut novelist Garth Risk Hallberg, author of City on Fire, talks about being drawn to the Victorian novel, the art of bringing chapters to a close, and how when something isn't working it means that either you shouldn't do it, or you should do more of it.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: November 4, 2015)

Barry Yourgrau and Sasha Abramsky

Barry Yourgrau, author of Mess: One Man’s Struggle to Clean Up His House and His Act with Nicole Nelson about "writing short"in the distractible age of the Internet, grinding your mind until you get to the place where things flow, and how even as a confessional writer of fiction, when that mask is removed and he is telling his own story, he found writing a memoir scary.

Then Sasha Abramsky, author of The House of Twenty Thousand Books talks about how telling this personal story was different from his other journalistic projects, how he came upon the structure for the book, and  the importance of letting your guard down, having confidence to take chances with the language and ultimately working to put your personal stamp on your writing.

Download audio.
(Broadcast date: October 14 2015)

Michelle Huneven and Tracy Daugherty on Writers on Writing

Michelle Huneven, author of Off Course and Tracy Daugherty, author of the Last Love Song, a biography of Joan Didion, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their new books and the art and business of writing.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Oct 7, 2015)

Karen Joy Fowler & Bonnie Jo Campbell

Karen Joy Fowler talks with Marrie Stone about the re-release of her short story collection, Black Glass: Short Fictions.  She discusses her pull toward science fiction, how her interests have changed, and why she believes the sibling relationship is one of the most compelling.

In the second half, Bonnie Jo Campbell introduces her latest collection, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters.   How did the title story come to be?  What is her pull toward bleak landscapes?  How long is too long to work on a short story?  When does she abandon a project?  (The answers may surprise you.)

Download audio. 

 (Broadcast date: September 23, 2015)

Jillian Lauren and Jonathan Galassi

Barbara talks with memoirist Jillian Lauren, author of Everything You Ever Wanted. 
During the second half, Nicole Nelson talks to Jonathan Galassi, President and Publisher of FSG and debut novelist, about his new book Muse.

Download audio. 
(Broadcast date: September 30, 2015)

Jillian will be a featured author at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series and Salon in Corona del Mar on October 13. 

Carol Higgins Clark and Daniel James Brown

Mystery darling Carol Higgins Clark joins Marrie Stone to talk about compelling characters for a series, generating new ideas, the structure of the genre, and drawing from real life in her writing.

Carol is a keynote speaker at the OC Sisters in Crime, Ladies of Intrigue event on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 in Huntington Beach.  More information can be found here.

In the second half, Daniel James Brown discusses adapting his narrative nonfiction book Boys in the Boat for young audiences.  He talks about writing in the aftermath of success, what was required for the adaptation, why the book resonated with a wide audience, and his process for organizing vast amounts of research.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: September 9, 2015)

Gail Godwin and Parnaz Foroutan on Writers on Writing

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talks with Gail Godwin, novelist and memoirist, about her new memoir Publishing, and the changes she's seen in the industry, being a student in Kurt Vonnegut's workshop, and working with the same agent for 50 years. Then debut novelist Parnaz Foroutan, author of The Girl from the Garden, talks with Nicole Nelson about why she used an unreliable narrator, the responsibility that comes with telling a story inspired by family history, and the benefits of "talking to your demons"while writing, and letting them guide you to the good stuff.

Download audio

(Broadcast date: September 16, 2015)

Andrew Roe and Rebecca Makkai

Andrew Roe, author of Miracle Girl, joins co-host Marrie Stone to talk about generating ideas for material, writing from various points of view, and the importance of mentors.  In the second half, Rebecca Makkai returns to the show to talk about her short story collection, Music for Wartime.

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: July 15, 2015)

Narrative nonfiction writer David Gessner, author of All the Wild that Remains and novelist Joshua Mohr, author of All This Life, discuss their books with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Sept. 5, 2015)

Julia Pierpont and Adam Johnson

Debut novelist Julia Pierpont, author of Among the Ten Thousand Things, joins Marrie Stone to talk about shifting points of view, new ways to approach old topics, and the virtue of MFAs.

In the second half, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and short story writer Adam Johnson discusses his latest collection, Fortune Smiles.  Adam talks about his quirky childhood, his hands-on research process, what drives his curiosities, and much more.

 Download audio.

(Broadcast date: August 19, 2015)

Novelists Lisa Glatt, author of The Nakeds and Victoria Patterson, author of The Little Brother, discuss their books with B. DeMarco-Barrett. Victoria Patterson will be at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series on Tues., Aug. 18, and Lisa Glatt will be at the Series on Sept. 8. Visit www.penonfire.com/speakerseries for more information and to register.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: August 12, 2015)

Lidia Yuknavitch and Louisa Hall

Co-host Nicole Nelson talks to Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Small Backs of Children, about exploring the fluidity of identity, the challenge and necessity of awareness of scripts in art and in life, and how she is influenced by photography and film. Then Louisa Hall, author of Speak, talks about creating a novel with the innovative structure combining court transcripts, a diary, letters, and a memoir, about finding the voice of Mary, the 17th-century young woman at the heart of the novel, and about postponing her poet's habit of cutting and perfecting when writing fiction.

Download audio

(Broadcast date: August 5, 2015)

Literary agent Felicia Eth on Writers on Writing with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Bay Area literary agent Felicia Eth joins author and host Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for an hour of conversation about the publishing industry and how to get an agent.

Download audio.

 (Broadcast date: July 29, 2015)

Lisa Lutz and Emily Gould

Lisa Lutz, author of How to Start a Fire, joins co-host Nicole Nelson to talk about writing in multiple points of view, moving from screenplay writing to novel-writing, and also about being labeled with the category of "Women's Fiction." Her book was used as an example of how the label unacceptably labels fiction by and about women as a subcategory of the real thing in a column by the Chicago Tribune's John Warner. Then Emily Gould, author of Friendship, enters the conversation to discuss how exploring her own interiority as a blogger and essayist helped her develop compassion for her characters, how time is a luxury when revising, and also how finding a title (as well as naming a baby) is hard.

Download audio
(Broadcast date: July 22, 2015)

Ethan Rutherford and Barry Newman

Short story writer Ethan Rutherford, author of The Peripatetic Coffin and Other Stories, joins co-host Marrie Stone to discuss nerdy writer topics like commas and character names.  They also talk about titles, revision, and other elements of the short story.  In the second half, journalist Barry Newman joins to discuss News to Me: Finding and Writing Colorful Feature Stories.  Barry's experience in journalism is unparalleled.  He discusses what makes a compelling story, following your passions, and how the mundane can become the fascinating.

Download audio. 

 (Broadcast date: May 20, 2015)

Emily St. John Mandel and Diana Wagman on Writers on Writing

Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven and Diana Wagman, author of Life #6 join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about their current novels, revision, social media, agents, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: July 8, 2015

William Joyce and Dan Santat

In a special episode devoted to children's literature, Academy Award winner William Joyce joins co-host Marrie Stone to discuss his latest children's book-cum-memoir, Billy's Booger.  He talks about rejection, perseverance, creativity, and his advice to young writers.  In the second half, Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat joins to discuss his award-winning book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend.  He talks about the Caldecott process, inspiration, homage, and the balance of visuals against test in children's literature.

 Download audio.

(Broadcast date: June 24, 2015)

Dan Pope and John Mutter

Dan Pope, author of Housebreaking joins co-host Nicole Nelson to talk about the challenges of using shifting points of view with temporal overlaps, developing complex characters, and writing compelling dialogue. Then John Mutter, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Shelf Awareness, on the heels of that website's tenth birthday, explains the role of Shelf Awareness in the book-selling marketplace, shares the site's origin story, and talks about the process of deciding which books get reviewed and who reviews them.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: July 1, 2015)

Austin Bunn & Thomas Pierce

Short story writers Austin Bunn, The Brink, and Thomas Pierce, Hall of Small Mammals, join co-host Marrie Stone.  They discuss setting, character, titles, building the arc of a collection, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: June 17, 2015)

Mary-Beth Hughes and Lauren Acampora

Mary-Beth Hughes, author of The Loved Ones talks to Nicole Nelson about finding her way into her novel, using sensory detail to further the narrative, and drawing from her earlier career as a modern dancer (with the Merce Cunningham studio in New York) to tell her stories. Then Lauren Acampora, author of The Wonder Garden, talks about how her false start with a novel led to this book of inter-connected short stories that she had a blast writing, how growing up in the suburbs and later choosing to live there as an adult has influenced the tales she is drawn to, and how she finds the humor in reactions from readers who don't read flap copy, thanks to a blog post by Rebecca Makkai about online reader reviews.

Download audio.
(Broadcast date: June 10, 2015)

Vendela Vida and Samantha Harvey on Writers on Writing

Nicole Nelson talks to Vendela Vida, author of The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty, about the challenges and fun of writing in the second person singular, why she doesn’t read her reviews, and the value of setting a daily word goal. Then SamanthaHarvey, author of Dear Thief, discusses how setting her novel in the form of a long letter allowed the protagonist to explore a wide territory, how her dissatisfaction with academic philosophy led to a realization that she could best explore philosophical questions through writing fiction, and how having real clarity of purpose when writing a novel, knowing what its “necessity” is, working in tandem with perseverance, is crucial.

Vendela will be at Skylight Books in Los Angeles on June 15, 2015 at 7:30P.M.                                                                                                                                                       

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: June 3, 2015)

Mystery Author Noreen Ayres and Hummingbird Rescuer Terry Masear

Noreen Ayres, author of The Juan Doe Murders, and Terry Masear, author of Fastest Things on Wings, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their new books.

Download audio.

 (Broadcast date: May 27, 2015)

Michael Paterniti and Marian Palaia on Writers on Writing

Essayist Michael Paterniti, author of Love and Other Ways of Dying, joins Marrie Stone to discuss writing tragedy, how he finds doors into human emotion, what makes a compelling essay, and creating the narrative voice in nonfiction.  In the second half, Marian Palaia discusses her novel, The Given World.   She discusses Vietnam, creating fictional characters from real people, the common pitfalls of new writers, and how her MFA transformed her work.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: April 29, 2015)

Nayomi Munaweera and Aline Ohanesian on Writers on Writing

Debut novelists Nayomi Munaweera, author of Island of a Thousand Mirrors, and Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan's Inheritance, join Marrie Stone to discuss writing as an exhile, the power of personal history, the effects of war and genocide on future generations, and how to make the political stories personal. 

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: April 22, 2015)

Seth Greenland on Writers on Writing

Seth Greenland, author of I Regret Everything: A Love Story, published by Europa, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his new novel, writing in the opposite gender's point of view, living twice (through your characters) and much more.

 Download audio.

 (Broadcast date: May 13, 2015)

Peter Heller and Rebecca Scherm on Writers on Writing

Novelist Peter Heller, author of The Painter, joins Marrie Stone to talk about the power of place, the importance of art, and how to create compelling characters.  In the second half, debut novelist Rebecca Scherm discusses her book, Unbecoming.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: March 18, 2015)

Mary Norris and Christie Watson

Mary Norris, author of Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, talks to Nicole Nelson about how being so focused on the details because of her copy-editing job made her appreciate the work of her editor for this book in helping her craft chapters with a beginning, middle and end; what it's like to be in charge of the "comma shaker" at The New Yorker; and how knowing the grammar behind the use of "me" in some contexts can, between her and us, help writers make the correct choice. Then Christie Watson, author of Where Women are Kings, joins the show to talk about how she discovered the voice of her main character, Elijah, how the novel changed as she worked through nearly a dozen drafts, and how important it is for writers to silence their inner critic and keep on writing.

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: May 6, 2015)

Beth Kephart talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about memoir

Beth Kephart, author of Handling the Truth (Gotham), talks about writing memoir. She's the author of five memoirs, is a National Book Award Finalist, and a moving writer.  If anyone knows about the memoir form, it's Beth.

Download audio.




(Broadcast date: Oct. 16, 2013)

Jacob Rubin and Angela Flournoy

Jacob Rubin , author of the novel The Poser, talks to Nicole Nelson about the value of re-reading, how his protagonist Giovanni emerged from his work on a short story, and the comfort of rituals when writing (and in life). Then Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, discusses finding the right first chapter, how studying The Brothers Karamazov helped her map the story of her novel, and the importance of submitting to--and not resisting--the revision process.

Angela and Barbara DeMarci-Barrett will be at the LA Times Festival of Books. 
Angela's panel is Sunday, April 19 at 3:30 (Fiction: The Past in Our Present Hoffman Hall )
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett will moderate Fiction: Perfectly Flawed Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Annenberg Auditorium.

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: April 15, 2015)

Pulitzer prize winning poet Stephen Dunn

Pulitzer prize winning poet Stephen Dunn, author of Lines of Defense, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about crafting poems, including writing from your own POV or using a persona, revision, the best training for a poet, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: April 8, 2014)

John Burley and Kelly Link talk with Marrie Stone

Marrie Stone interviews novelist John Burley, author of The Forgetting Place.  Dr. Burley discusses creating an authentic setting, managing suspense, creating compelling characters, and more.  In the second half, Kelly Link discusses her short story collection, Get In Trouble.  She discusses her draw to the fantastical, titling stories, what makes a compelling story, endings, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: March 4, 2015)

Jill Alexander Essbaum and Michele Young-Stone on Writers on Writing

Poet and debut novelist Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of Hausfrau, joins co-host Nicole Nelson to talk about the importance of the small Swiss town setting for her story and her protagonist Anna, how the worst times in our lives are probably the most important, and how a love of words unites her work in poetry and fiction. Then author Michele Young-Stone talks about her latest novel, Above Us Only Sky, balancing research when writing a novel, exploring the concept of "home" in her work, and approaching the page with confidence.

Jill will be at the LA Times Festival of Books; her panel is Sunday, April 19 at 12:30 (Conversation 2042).

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: April 1, 2015)

Jincy Willett on Writers on Writing with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Jincy Willett, author of Amy Falls Down and The Writing Class, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about voice, story, writing humor, and alter egos.

 Download audio.

 (Broadcast date: March 25, 2015)

Matt Sumell and Elisa Albert on Writers on Writing

Matt Sumell, author of Making Nice talks to co-cost Nicole Nelson about leveraging humor as a coping mechanism, trusting his gut, and using what hurts. Then novelist Elisa Albert, author of After Birth, about the usefulness of keeping a notebook, what her revision process looks like, and having faith that the ending will emerge.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: March 11, 2015)

Christopher Noxon and Tara Ison

Christopher Noxon, author, journalist, and illustrator, is the author of Plus One.  He speaks with Marrie Stone about mining details of personal life for fiction, writing routines, and more.  In the second half, Tara Ison talks about her essay collection Reeling Through Life: How I Learned to Live, Love and Die at the Movies.

Download audio.

 (Broadcast date: January 28, 2015)

Maureen Corrigan and Stewart O'Nan on Writers on Writing

Maureen Corrigan, author and NPR book critic, talks to co-host Nicole Nelson about her latest book, So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came To Be And Why It Endures, as well as what some of Fitzgerald's revisions left behind in earlier drafts of the novel, the importance of water imagery in the book, and her experience retracing some of the author's steps. In the second half, Stewart O'Nan discusses his latest novel West of Sunset, which fictionalizes the last chapter of Fitzgerald's life, the Hollywood years. He talks about coming late to appreciate Fitzgerald himself, what kind of research was required to immerse himself in the world of Hollywood in the late 1930s, and how his experience writing narrative nonfiction helped create a world that served both history and his character.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: February 25, 2015)

Maggie Shipstead & Lily King

Novelist Maggie Shipstead, author of Astonish Me, talks with Marrie Stone about the competitive world of ballet, MFA programs, and the importance of place in fiction.  In the second half, Lily King talks about her novel, Euphoria, how to fictionalize true stories, the endings of novels, and how to give strong characters profound weaknesses.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: January 14, 2015)

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.

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

(Broadcast date: February 11, 2015)

Miranda July and Adam Langer on Writers on Writing

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talks with novelists Miranda July, author of The First Bad Man and Adam Langer, author of The Salinger Contract about first drafts, revision, metafiction, and more.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Feb. 4, 2015)

Literary Agent Jane Dystel on Writers on Writing

Literary Agent Jane Dystel, founder and president of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, joins Marrie Stone to talk about what makes an effective agent, what to look for in an agent, how to query an agent, what's selling and what's not, how the industry has changed, the importance of platform, how ebooks are saving fiction, and more. 

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: January 7, 2015)

Meghan Daum and Siri Hustvedt with Nicole Nelson

Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, talks with co-host Nicole Nelson about the advantages of going unseen in Los Angeles, her favorite essayists, and writing with humor--including, and perhaps especially--while talking about serious and upsetting things. 

Then novelist Siri Hustvedt, author of The Blazing World, discusses the crucial work of an author to find the emotional truth, the potential benefits of automatic writing, and starting a novel with only a glimmer or "smell" for the story.

Her PEN America workshop is titled "Why One Story and Not Another."

Download audio. 

(Broadcast date: January 21, 2015)

Assaf Gavron & Chris Baty on Writers on Writing

Israeli novelist Assaf Gavron joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novel, The Hilltop.  In the second half, Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month, talks about his book No Plot, No Problem. 

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: December 17, 2014)

Lisa Cron, Wired for Story, on Writers on Writing

Lisa Cron author of Wired for Story, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about hooking the reader from the start, regardless of genre.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Dec. 31, 2014