Emerging Form

If you’ve noticed that being outside improves your creativity, you’re right. We speak with Florence Williams about the science of awe, why cultivating openness is your muse’s best friend, and specific ways to nourish your creative practice by engaging with the natural world. We also talk about the writing of her new book, in which she studies how we recover from heartbreak. It’s an episode that appeals to heart, brain and the unselved soul, exploring “the science of the ineffable.”Florence Williams is a science journalist, author, podcaster and speaker. Her book BREASTS: A Natural and Unnatural History won the LA Times Book Prize in 2013, in 2017 she came out with The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative , an Audible best seller, and her new book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, now just out in paperback, is nominated for this year's PEN/Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. She’s won two Gracie awards for podcasts based on her books, and she often writes for audio as well as print. She also leads workshops and retreats on topics ranging from narrative writing to the importance of finding awe and healing in nature. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

“Put on your zeitgeist hat,” says Holiday Mathis, syndicated astrologer and author of How to Fail Epically in Hollywood, “then pour everything you can into the part of your art you can control.” In this episode of Emerging Form, we talk about how to gather “textures” from daily life for creative practice, what she’s learned from writing, editing, publishing and narrating her new novel, the importance of beta readers, dreaming big, and the healthiest relationship to rejection letters we’ve ever heard. Holiday Mathis writes the daily horoscope for The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and hundreds of newspapers around the world. In her decades-long syndication she's published almost nine million words on luck, the stars and the human condition. She's also a multi-platinum selling songwriter with songs recorded by Miley Cyrus, Emma Roberts and more. Holiday is the author of several books including How to Fail Epically in Hollywood.  Previous Holiday episodes:Episode 28: The Daily Grind Episode 28 bonus: Extended Interview with Holiday MathisEpisode 63: Reviving abandoned projects with Holiday MathisEpisode 63 bonus: Holiday Mathis on creative processThe blog post that started our friendship with Holiday: I Know Astrology Is B******t, But I Can’t Stop Reading My Horoscope by Christie Aschwanden This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Lauren Fleshman knows firsthand the challenges of being a female runner, and how some of the greatest challenges come from the system meant to support athletes. In this episode of Emerging Form, she talks about how and why she came to write her memoir, “bringing a pulse to the research.” She tells us about the challenges of trying to write a book during a global pandemic while parenting young children and how depression threatened to derail the project. Our discussion includes frank talk about her mental health crisis, how she healed, and how she found the courage and authenticity to see the project through. Lauren Fleshman is one of the most decorated American distance runners of all time, having won five NCAA championships at Stanford and two national championships as a professional. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and Runner’s World. She is the brand strategy advisor for Oiselle, a fitness apparel company for women, and the co-founder of Picky Bars, a natural food company. She lives in Bend, OR with her husband, triathlete Jesse Thomas, and their two children. Her new book is Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World. Lauren Fleshman’s New York Times Op/EdMary Cain’s storyImage: credit Oiselle Ryan Warner This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

How can looking back at your creative practice over the last year help steer you forward into next year’s creative practice? Join Christie and Rosemerry as they do their annual review of things they’d hoped might happen, what really happened and where they think their creative lives are going next. The conversation reveals several epiphanies about creative practice vs. career, what really matters, and the power of planning (and changing plans). Bonus: they hand out magic wands for you to make your own creative magic.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

“Art gathers  us,” says poet aaron a. abeyta. In this episode, we talk with the celebrated poet about his newest collection of poems and letters, ancestor of fire. In this episode, focus on what is the work of the writer? How do we save language? What are the benefits of writing longhand? How do we give voice to what is broken? How does repetition echo storytelling? Why is it important to write what you don’t know?  Plus aaron shares many lines and bits of wisdom from his mentors and literary heroes. aaron a. abeyta is a Colorado native and the author of five collections of poetry and one novel. For his book, colcha, Abeyta received an American Book Award and the Colorado Book Award.  In addition, his novel, Rise, Do Not be Afraid, was a finalist for the 2007 Colorado Book Award and El Premio Aztlan. abeyta was awarded a Colorado Council on the Arts Fellowship for poetry, and he is the former Poet Laureate of Colorado’s Western Slope and was a finalist for the 2019 Colorado Poet Laureate.  Abeyta is also a recipient of a Governor’s Creative Leadership Award for 2017. aaron has over 100 publications in journals, anthologies, textbooks and books. His most recent book, ancestor of fire, was just released by Lithic Press.abeyta also served as mayor of his hometown, Antonito, for eight years, completing his two terms in April, 2022. aaron, his wife Michele and their daughter, Rut, call Antonito home. Michele and Aaron are co-Directors and founders of The Justice & Heritage Academy, a school based on the three pillars of Environmental, Social and Food Justice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Paying attention is an essential part of creative practice, and in this episode, we speak with comedian and TV writer Chris Duffy about how he transforms what he notices into a career in comedy. He also talks about why jokes and poems are versions of the same thing, how to structure a comedy set, why math is so important to comedy, how to maximize a laugh, the importance of vulnerability and how to arrange word order for maximum effect. He also offers incredible writing and performing advice, delivered with a big dose of laughter. Chris Duffy is a comedian, television writer, and radio/podcast host. Chris currently hosts TED’s hit podcast How to Be a Better Human. He has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News, NPR, and National Geographic Explorer. Chris wrote for both seasons of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas on HBO, executive produced by John Oliver. He’s the creator/host of the streaming game show Wrong Answers Only, where three comedians try to guess what a leading scientist does all day, in partnership with LabX at the National Academy of Sciences. He has performed live in venues as big as a sold out Lincoln Center and as small as a walk-in closet (also sold out). Chris is both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. Chris Duffy’s website:Chris Duffy’s Newsletter, Bright Spots This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Image: Rosemerry and her daughter definitely succeeded in making a delicious chocolate beet birthday cake. What is success? How have your ideas about success changed over time? Who is someone you think of when you think of a successful person in your field? How has their success made an impact on you? What risks have you taken for success? In this conversation, co-hosts Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Christie Aschwanden explore the importance of role models, external vs. internal markers for success, and what happens when you meet your goal posts–how does that change your ideas about success? Links: Christie’s LWON essay about people who make their beds (Rosemerry) and those who don’t (Christie)Judyth Hill on Emerging FormTim Green on Emerging FormRosemerry’s first poem in Rattle.comRosemerry’s Poetic Role Model Ellen Bass This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

“There is a magic to stories well told,” says novelist T.A. Barron, and in this thoughtful, heart-opening, life-affirming episode, he explores how story weaves through every part of our lives. He talks about how he went from rejected novelist to successful business leader to best-selling author. He speaks of the story as a boat containing treasure–and of the magic not only in his stories about Merlin, but also in our daily lives and how creative practice helps us share this treasure. To close, he shares one of the best stories of perseverance and making lemons from lemonade that we ever heard–think rejection, Madeleine L’Engle and a notary–a story to inspire anyone who has ever been roundly rejected want to find a way forward. T. A. Barron grew up in Colorado ranch country. After a successful business career in New York, he moved back to Colorado to pursue his dream to be a writer, outdoorsman, and conservationist. He is the award-winning author of more than 30 highly-acclaimed books, including the international bestselling series The Merlin Saga, which is now being developed into a feature film by Disney. T. A. Barron is an advocate for public-spirited kids, and is founder of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a national award that each year honors 25 young people who help their communities or the environment. In addition to writing and speaking, T. A. Barron serves on many environmental and educational boards, including Princeton University, where he helped to create the High Meadows Environmental Institute, and The Wilderness Society. He has also launched his own podcast, Magic and Mountains, on creative process, the magic of Merlin, and more. www.tabarron.com/podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/tabarronauthor/https://www.facebook.com/TABarronFansRosemerry’s poem about apricots  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Creative projects are rewarding, but let’s be honest: they’re also hard. Today’s guest, Steve Magness, is an expert on doing hard things and he has some good advice on how to break through. Steve discusses the benefits of a quiet ego, how to feed and reward the positive voices in your head, how shifting to talking to yourself in second or third person can help you quiet negative self-talk, and how spending time alone and practicing boredom can foster creativity.Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance. He is the author of the new book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and The Surprising Science of Real Toughness. He’s also coauthor of Peak Performance. The Passion Paradox, and the author of The Science of Running. Magness has served as an executive coach and a consultant on mental skills development for professional sports teams, including some of the top teams in the NBA. Steve’s writing has appeared in Outside, Runner’s World, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, and a variety of other outlets. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and a graduate degree from George Mason University. He currently lives in Houston, Texas with his wife Hillary. Once upon a time, he ran a mile in 4:01 in high school, at the time the 6th fastest high school mile in US history.Steve’s website Steve on Twitter https://twitter.com/stevemagnessEmerging Form is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new bonus episodes and help us make this podcast sustainable, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Emerging Form is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Imagine researching a theoretical global disaster that, while you are writing your book, comes to pass. In this episode, Emerging Form welcomes Nicola Twilley and Geoff Manaugh, who were writing their non-fiction book Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine before the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about writing as metabolic process–how it helps to coalesce life into meaning and purpose. We talk about writing with a partner, Scrivener vs. Word, how to shape a book, how to research, and how to turn reporting into a cohesive narrative. Nicola Twilley is cohost of the award-winning podcast Gastropod, which looks at food through the lens of science and history, and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. Geoff Manaugh is the author of the New York Times-bestseller, A Burglar’s Guide to the City, as well as the architecture and technology website BLDGBLOG. He regularly writes for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Wired, and many other publications.Nicky and Geoff live in Los Angeles.Until Proven Safe Website  A Burglar’s Guide to the CityNicky at The New YorkerInstagram: @untilprovensafe@nicolatwilley@geoffmanaugh This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe