The Make Meaning Podcast

Patrick Hicks is an Irish Catholic writer from Minnesota who has a deep fascination with the Holocaust. He has written three Holocaust novels and has conducted extensive research on the subject, visiting twelve different concentration camps and speaking with survivors. Patrick is also a professor at Augustana University in South Dakota, where he teaches writing and literature.

In the latest episode of th...

Qin Sun Stubis is a Chinese-American author of the book Once Our Lives: A Memoir of Shanghai, Teahouses, and Three Generations of Family, which tells the story of four generations of Chinese women in Shanghai, China during the Great Famine, navigating war and revolution.

In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Qin about her early life, China’s Cultural Revolutio...

Elizabeth Conte is an author with a passion for bringing 19th-century literature to the 21st-century reader. She is the author of Finding Jane, a time travel historical novel, and Chosen Mistress, a scintillating story set in Victorian England. Elizabeth is the founder of Jane Writes Press, a hybrid publishing house for writers who don't fit into traditional publishing boxes.

In the latest episode of th...

Ana Veciana-Suarez is a journalist and author. She has written for various publications and has published several books, including her latest novel, Dulcinea, which was inspired by her reading of Don Quixote in high school. Known for her meticulous research and attention to detail, Anna spent many years digging up the information she needed to focus on the Spanish Inquisition. 

In the latest episode of t...

Jonathan Whitelaw is a Scottish author and journalist now living in Canada who wrote his first novel at the age of 17. He’s since published several books in the cozy crime genre, including Morbid Relations and the popular Bingo Hall Detectives series.

In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Jonathan  about the cozy crime genre, why he’s drawn to it and the genre’s...

Finding an agent and publisher was easy for April Davila, an award-winning author who quit her job in 2016 to write  full-time. Her debut novel, 142 Ostriches, won the WILLA Literary Awards for Women Writing the West.

In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with April, a fourth-generation Californian who studied marine biology before being called to the written word. She hon...

Suzanne Nugent, author of Brunch and Other Obligations and host of the Character Development podcast, uses humor to confront life’s darkest moments. She navigates between various storytelling mediums, from novels to screenplays, finding the right narrative platform for each project.

In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Suzanne about her creative career and how...

Blake Kimzey is the founder of writingworkshops.com, a global community offering writing classes taught by experienced instructors, like Make Meaning Podcast host Lynne Golodner. Blake is also an author, screenwriter and hands-on dad of three. In this episode, Blake recalls a pivotal moment in sixth grade when he wrote a King Arthur rip-off. He and Make Meaning Podcast host Lynne Golodner also talk about his journey a...

While fiction is born from imagination and creativity, many authors explain how they came to the stories they create through lived experiences. This is definitely true for Blair Fell, author of The Sign for Home, whose work in the deafblind community taught him about nuances, details and issues facing that community. This debut novel takes readers on a journey through a fascinating community and the lives of compelling characters.

Episode 155 - Martha Anne Toll - Finely Crafted, Award-Winning Fiction

Martha Anne Toll is an author and former lawyer who has always been passionate about writing. She grew up in a secular Jewish family and was deeply influenced by the stories of Holocaust survivors. Martha's debut novel, Three Muses, is a beautifully crafted story that combines her love for ballet and her exploration of the impact of t...

Episode 154 - Dawn Chalker - Writing What You Know

Dawn Chalker wrote her first novel in fifth grade, finding inspiration from real life. That curiosity, creativity and imagination has continued throughout her life, drawing stories from journeys in nature. The northern Michigan-based writer based her recent novel, Bear Me in Mind, on a real-life encounter with a bear in Alaska and also her love for Brit...

Episode 153 – Jewish Books, Jewish Authors

In a special two-part episode, Lynne Golodner interviews people who curate and promote Jewish books and Jewish authors. The first part features representatives from America's longest-running Jewish Book Fair -- Lauren Johnson, a librarian and consultant at the J-Detroit, and Brenda Brook, the 2023 chair of the Detroit Jewish Book Fair. The second part is a conve...

Ami Irmen’s favorite storyteller was her grandfather, who set her on the path to becoming an educator and a writer. Her first traditionally-published novel is coming soon from Scarsdale Publishing, while she self-published another novel, Wherever Would I Be. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Sinister Wisdom, The Copperfield Review, and Glass: A Journal of Poetry. Ami teaches writing at Kishwaukee College.

Rochelle Weinstein is a successful and talented author known for her emotionally charged novels. After leaving a career in the music industry in 2000, she started writing and has produced eight novels, with the latest coming out on Oct. 20th. Rochelle's writing explores topical issues and draws inspiration from her own experiences and emotions. What’s more, she is a leading example of generosity, camaraderie and commun...

As a child in Richmond, Virginia, Lisa Peers was introduced to writing by her mother, who was also a writer who invited her young daughter to play with her typewriter. Still, Lisa began her career in theater and only later pursued writing in a professional capacity. She shares how acting shapes her writing process and helps her build authentic dialogue, which is a strength of Lisa’s new novel, Love at 350°. This gorge...

Lynne Golodner first met Anne-Marie Oomen at Goddard College, where Lynne was beginning her MFA in Writing and Anne-Marie was graduating. A fellow Michigan resident who calls the forests and hills of the Lake Michigan shores her home, Anne-Marie serves on the board of Michigan Writers where Lynne is now in charge of Marketing. 

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A Super Special Episode: Lynne Golodner discusses her debut novel!

Writer, Washtenaw County Commissioner, Nurse and Friend Extraordinaire Katie Scott takes the mic on this episode to interview Make Meaning host Lynne Golodner about the release of her ninth book and debut novel, Woman of Valor. Lynne and Katie met in a writing course in the 1990s and are more like sisters than friends.

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Diane Gottlieb champions midlife women while telling her own provocative, riveting stories for publications like River Teeth, HuffPost, and SmokeLong Quarterly. Winner of the Tiferet 2021 Writing Contest and a finalist in SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2022, Diane has three master’s degrees and serves as editor of Awakenings: Stories of Body and Consciousness and prose/creative nonfiction editor of Emerge Literary Journ...

Barbara Stark-Nemon takes her time writing historical fiction, tracing the paths her characters walked and lived. The author of award-winning novels, Barbara turned to writing after retiring from a successful career.

In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with Barbara about her passion for writing and her experiences speaking at conferences, literary events, libraries and bo...