Charlotte McConaghy, Migrations and Once There Were Wolves

Charlotte McConaghy, author of the novels, Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about wolves' role in bringing the forests back to life, writing in the close first person, and defying categories. 

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(Recorded on Feb. 17, 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

Lee Cole discusses his debut novel, Groundskeeping

Lee Cole grew up in Kentucky and set his debut novel, Groundskeeping, in his childhood home. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about establishing a strong sense of place within the novel, tackling dialect, and the physical and psychological distance required to write about home. 

As a graduate of the University of Iowa's MFA program, Cole talks about the lessons he learned there, including the importance of staying in scene, establishing a strong sense of interiority in his characters, and more. 

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Record date: February 22, 2022
Broadcast date: March 28, 2022

Lee Kravetz discusses Sylvia Plath on Writers on Writing

Lee Kravetz—author of Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success and Strange Contagion: Inside the Surprising Science of Infectious Behaviors and Viral Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves—takes on the life and legacy of Sylvia Plath in his debut novel, The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.

Kravetz joins Marrie Stone for a deep dive into the enduring influence of Sylvia Plath and her work, and how she—along with Anne Sexton—pioneered the genre of confessional poetry, leading in part to punk rock and the memoir as we know it today. The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is at once a compelling mystery, a psychological study, a slice of historical literary fiction, and an homage to some of the greatest poets of the mid-20th century.

Kravetz spent years in the publishing industry. He decided on an advanced degree in psychology instead of an MFA. And he opted to leave nonfiction behind in favor of fiction. He shares all the insights and wisdom he's gained along the way, as well as mounds of writing advice. Listeners will learn the importance of putting on their shoes, and how a dog determined Kravetz next project, among many other great stories.

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Record date: February 28, 2022
Broadcast date: March 14, 2022

Coolest American Stories 2022 w/Mark Wish, Mary Taugher & David Ebenbach

This show was especially fun for me because I got to talk with Mark Wish, editor of Coolest American Stories 2022, an anthology that includes my story, "Blue Martini," along with stories I loved by two other writers in the book, Mary Taugher and David Ebenbach.

More than 125 of Mark Wish's short stories have appeared in print venues such as Virginia Quarterly Review, The Georgia Review, Triquarterly, Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize 2000. His three novels, published by two small presses and Putnam, have been praised by the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Mary Taugher’s short stories have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Narrative Magazine, Santa Monica Review, Epiphany, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Redivider. She has worked as a journalist in Ohio and Southern California, and as a writer and editor for public relations, political consulting, and fundraising agencies. She lives in San Francisco, where she is working on a collection of short stories. 

David Ebenbach is the author of nine books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including his recent novel How to Mars. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches at the Center for Jewish Civilization and promotes student centered teaching through the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. More at davidebenbach.com.

 More about show host B. DeMarco-Barrett at www.penonfire.com.

Learn more about COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 at www.coolestamericanstories.com The anthology is considering stories for the 2023 edition.

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(Recorded: Feb 11, 2022)

Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett