DIY MFA Radio

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Polick. Amanda is a writer, book coach, and food writing columnist for DIY MFA. She began her career with acting and improv, she shifted focus to food writing which led to her being the first dedicated segment producer of Facebook Live for Time Inc. While in that role, she oversaw more than 300 live segments and created the company’s Food Media Junket, bringing in James Beard award-winning and Michelin-Starred chefs for over a dozen food and lifestyle brands. These days, she helps food folks through the book writing process, helping them craft a story only they can tell.  Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, Food & Wine, and more.. She lives in Nashville, but a piece of her heart will always belong in California.   In this episode Amanda Polick and I discuss: Why food writing can encompass so much more than just the “how-to” element. How to find your own voice and discover what is unique about you in your writing. The importance of challenging yourself as a writer and what you can learn in the process.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/385

Marcus Harrison Green, Publisher of the South Seattle Emerald and Seattle Times columnist, discusses writing personal essays with honesty, authenticity, and hope. The interview covers topics such as achieving a unity of voice in essay collections, embracing brokenness for personal growth, the power of sharing personal essays, finding hope in personal narratives, and the importance of embracing your unique voice as a writer.

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Baab-Muguira. Catherine is a writer and journalist who has contributed to many media outlets, including Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. She is a frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker’s Upgrade. Catherine currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son. Today we’ll be discussing her first book, Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History’s Least Likely Self-Help Guru, which came out this past September.   In this episode Catherine Baab-Muguira and I discuss: How Edgar Allan Poe unexpectedly inspired her to write a book about mental health. Why she keeps her day job and how it helps her avoid literary snobbery. The value of learning to write good copy and the art of marketing your book. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/383

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Khanh Ha. Khanh is the author of Flesh and The Demon Who Peddled Longing.  He is a seven-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for the Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, and The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize.  He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, the Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction, The Orison Anthology Award for Fiction, and The C&R Press Fiction Prize.  His new novel, Mrs. Rossi’s Dream, was named Best New Book by Booklist and a 2019 Foreword Reviews INDIES Silver Winner and Bronze Winner   In this episode Khanh Ha and I discuss: How he writes death scenes in a way that is comfortable for him and powerful for the reader. The difference between style and voice and how writers can make both unique. Why writers need to stay faithful to their character when creating the POV of the narrative.   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/382

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Debbie Macomber. Debbie is the author of many books including: It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series. Thirteen of her novels have been New York Times #1 bestsellers, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel. The Hallmark Channel has also produced the original series Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, based on her Cedar Cove books. With more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide, Debbie is a leading voice in romance and women's fiction.   In this episode Debbie Macomber and I discuss: How our subconscious comes out in writing and directs the topics we explore. The balance between writing light Christmas stories and still providing substance. Why she began her book with a series of letters and flashbacks mixed with the present.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/381

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie BwaBwa. Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition. She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way. Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background. As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.   In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss: How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe. Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns. Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/380

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Andy Marino. Andy Marino was born in upstate New York, spent half his life in New York City, and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He works as a freelance writer. The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess is his first horror novel   In this episode Andy and I discuss: Why addiction and recovery provide a rich backdrop for a horror novel. How he crafted a cold open that created a sympathetic bond between his protagonist and readers. Whether horror is a genre or a mood and what characteristics define it.   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/379

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kiffer Brown. Kathryn (Kiffer) Brown is the CEO and co-founder of Chanticleer Reviews and Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (The CIBAs) that Discover Today’s Best Books. The company differentiates itself with "under the hood" digital technology that increases the digital footprint of each book review and CIBA winner developed by her super-geek husband, Argus Brown.  Kiffer has presented at events such as: Writer's Digest Conference in NYC, IBPA University, Women in Publishing Summit, Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, RWA National Conference, Historical Novel Society, BEA UpubU, ALLi, Left Coast Crime Conference, and many more.  The annual Chanticleer Authors Conference held in Bellingham, WA features international best-selling authors such as Cathy Ace, Robert Dugoni, J.D. Barker, Ann Charles (and more!). The event focuses on marketing and book promotion, advanced writing craft, and Book-to-Film sessions.   In this episode Kiffer and I discuss: Why there has never been a better time to be an author than NOW. What makes something a review as opposed to a write-up and the four types of reviews. How advanced reviews help in promoting your book and when you should start getting them.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/378

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Philip Lopate. Phillip is the author of over a dozen books:  4 personal essay collections (Bachelorhood, Against Joie de Vivre, Portrait of My Body, and Portrait Inside my Head), as well as Being with Children, Waterfront, and Notes on Sontag 3 works of fiction (Confessions of Summer, The Rug Merchant, and Two Marriages) 3 poetry collections (The Eyes Don’t Always Want to Stay Open, The Daily Round, and At the End of the Day).   He has also edited several anthologies, including one of my personal favorites—Art of the Personal Essay—and he’s the author of To Show and To Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction.  He is a professor in Columbia University's MFA Writing Program, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.   In this episode Phillip and I discuss: Why you need to have some things you haven’t worked out when you begin to write an essay. The ground rules, selection process, and organizational structure for his three volume anthology. What qualities make for a great essay, what can kill a piece, and the role the past plays.   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/377

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Gonzalez James. Elizabeth’s stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, The Rumpus, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She is also a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Her debut novel Mona at Sea was a finalist in the 2019 SFWP Literary Awards judged by Carmen Maria Machado, and is out now. We’ll be discussing her book and her writing process in today’s interview.   In this episode Elizabeth and I discuss: How she wrote about an unemployed character in an interesting and refreshing way. The importance of assembling a good critique group and reading good craft books. Why persistence and patience are major parts of the publishing journey.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/376