How to Make an Impact w/ Patty McNair

173 Have you ever encountered a person who changed the course of your life forever? Such was the case when Nadine took Patty McNair's creative writing MFA class 19 years ago. In this episode, the two discuss why Patty's teaching style is so effective, Patty's path to becoming a writer, and the single most impactful component of a creative writing lesson.

Covered in this episode:

• The unique components of The Story Workshop Method that Patty and Nadine were trained in as teachers
• The ways in which Patty changed the trajectory of Nadine's life
• Why Patty resisted writing at first
• The personal experiences that propelled both Nadine and Patty to publish their writing
• The writers that have inspired Patty's writing and teaching

Join Patty and Nadine for a Collaborative Masterclass

Want to experience Patty's magic? Join her (Extra)ordinary Content masterclass on Nov 19 at 10 am CT. The replay will be sent if you can't make it live.

Patricia Ann McNair 

Associate Professor Emerita of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, McNair was nominated for the Carnegie Foundation U.S. Professor of the Year. She facilitates adult writing workshops online and in-person, is Artistic Director of Interlochen College of Creative Arts’ Writers Retreat, and is on the faculty of the Yale Writers’ Workshop. She has left Chicago winters behind to live in Tucson with her husband, visual artist Philip Hartigan, and a yard visited by feral cats.

McNair’s first collection of short stories, The Temple of Air, has been re-issued in 2024 as a second edition with new stories and content. Originally published in 2011, The Temple of Air won the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Award, Southern Illinois University’s Devil’s Kitchen Readers Award in Fiction, and was a finalist for the Society of Midland Authors Award in Adult Fiction. Her second story collection, Responsible Adults, was selected for the Legacy Series in Short Fiction by Cornerstone Press and was named a Distinguished Favorite by the Independent Press Awards. And These Are the Good Times, McNair’s essay collection, was a Montaigne Medal finalist.

Website: https://patriciaannmcnair.com/

IG: @patricia.a.mcnair.7

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About Nadine:

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your...