Halley Sutton on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Halley Sutton, author of The Lady Upstairs, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her noir thriller and about the art, craft, and business of writing.

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(Broadcast date: July 28, 2021)

Music by Travis Barrett.

Laurence Jackson Hyman on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Even casual readers will be familiar with Shirley Jackson's classic works: The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and her iconic and widely anthologized short story "The Lottery." Stephen King called The Haunting of Hill House "one of the most important horror novels of the 20th century."

In the course of her two-decade career, Jackson wrote six novels, two memoirs, and over 200 short stories. A film based loosely on her life, starring Elisabeth Moss, was released last year (though the portrayal is far from accurate).

Although Jackson died in 1965, her work is enjoying a renaissance. Thanks in part to her eldest son, Laurence Jackson Hyman, several of her books and stories are now being made into movies. Hyman published two story collections posthumously and now, for the first time, has revived a collection of Jackson's letters dating from 1938 to 1965.

Hyman joins Marrie Stone to talk about The Letters of Shirley Jackson, his mother's legacy, the woman behind the thrillers, and domestic life and memories with Jackson growing up. We also learn about Jackson's husband, Stanley Hyman, a staff writer for the New Yorker, professor at Bennington College, and literary critic. Shirley Jackson fans won't want to miss this intimate insider's look inside her life. 

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(Broadcast date: July 21, 2021)

Chris Offutt on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Chris Offutt, author of the new novel, The Killing Hills (Grove Press) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his new work, as well as the art, craft, and business of writing. 

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(Broadcast date: July 14, 2021

Musical intro/outro and interludes by Travis Barrett.

Jane Alison, author of Meander, Spiral, Explode, on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM

Two years ago, Jane Alison set out to redefine how writers might think about structure in their work. Most novelists are trained on the narrative arc (better known as Freytag’s Pyramid)—arguing that a story should begin with an enticing incident, build to a climax, and fall into some form of resolution. By examining patterns in nature, Alison argues there are many other ways novelists can structure a story. 

 

Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Patterns in Narrative  provides eight examples, with plenty of supporting literary evidence. She joins Marrie Stone to talk about how she’s used these methods in her own work, what inspired her to seek out these structures, and how novelists can use these techniques to their creative advantage. For further reading, check out Alison's book recommendation, Exercises in Style, by Raymond Queneau.

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(Broadcast date: June 25, 2021)

Novelist Patricia Engel, Infinite Country

Patricia Engel, author of Infinite Country, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about writing about immigration, class, and the art, craft, and business of writing.

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(Broadcast date: June 30, 2021)