writing class radio

Originally published on April 2 of 2024, we bring you a story by Morgan Sutton that embodies everything a story should embody. The story uses no extra words; the narrator looks inside herself; and the story matters to the broader world. The story is so important because it explains a very dangerous and ugly assumption that is often made about women who’ve been raped. Morgan does it by examining her own situation and h...

Andrea and Allison continue their sabbatical and have left behind some of their favorites.

Christopher Blackwell co-founded Look 2 Justice, an organization that provides civic education to system-impacted communities and actively works to pass sentence and policy reform legislation. He is currently writing a book about solitary confinement. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington...

Originally published in November of 2023, we are talking about hot topic/cold prose and when and why to write in the present tense vs. past. The story we share is written in the present tense, which gives readers the feeling that they're going through the situation with the narrator, in real time. Today’s essay is by Dr. Colleen Arnold who is a physician and freelance writer in Lexington, Virginia. 

Dr. Arnol...

Today we continue the Summer Echoes Series with a story by Kimberly Elkins. Kimberly is the author of the novel, WHAT IS VISIBLE, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and named to several Best of 2014 lists. She’s written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Iowa Review, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Glamour, Slice, The Cincinnati Review, and Best New ...

This episode is about how to write a near perfect essay. The story was written by Banning Lyon who writes about a harrowing childhood experience in a psychiatric ward. His essay was previously published in The Washington Post. After we discuss Banning’s story, you’ll hear an interview with the author on what his process was like, the difficult emotions writing the memoir brought up, and the cold call he made to find his ag...

Today we bring you another story told live on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. This story is by Dr. Jane Marks. Her story is called Saving Fossil Creek. What's cool about this story is how expertly the narrator weaves the personal in with the science. THAT is how a narrator builds trust. It's how listeners understand how their actions impact the greater world. It's how we, as a society, will ch...

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Andrea Askowitz called A Numbers Game. This story was previously published in Memoirland, a curated compilation of the week’s best personal essays on the internet. It was also read live on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in 2024. A Numbers Game is a braided essay. So, In this episode, we will discuss the braided essay and how Andrea’s came to be. Just a hint: Nicole Wal...

On this episode, we’re going to talk about using the letter form (epistolary) and specifically not telegraphing. If you don’t know what telegraphing is, don’t worry. You will after you hear our discussion at the end. The story in this episode is written by one of our favorite students, Danielle Huggins. This is the 4th time Danielle’s been featured on the podcast but the first time she’s joined us in the virtual studio. We...

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Rachel Perse, who had severe anxiety after giving birth to her first child, but pretended she was having the time of her life. She tells her important story and then talks to us about how she used writing to get to the truth. And to work out her shit around becoming a new mother.

Rachel is here in the studio with us, so we are recording for the podcast as usual but now, you can als...

Today we bring you another story told live on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. This story is by Emma Lathrop and is about her anxiety. This quality she thought was hindering her turned out to be something she now values. 

Two years ago, we were hired by Dr. Jane Marks and Dr. Bruce Hungate, two famous ecologists from ECOSS at Northern Arizona University. They heard our podcast and then star...

Today we bring you a story told live at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. We’re talking about making a connection from your personal life to what we study. We’re also talking about being vulnerable. Because everyone will love you more. We promise. 

This is our second year collaborating with the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University. Two years ago, we were hir...

Today on our show, we are re-running a story by Emily Henderson titled After Our Son Died, My Husband Gave Me The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Of My Life. Emily workshopped this essay in our Final Draft class and then the Huffington Post published it on December 25, 2021. This story is an excellent example of using an object to convey emotion, details, and telling in addition to showing. Emily tells us how she’s feeling ...

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Dana Shavin, who submitted her essay to the podcast. When it came in, we were blown away. The writing is so smart and well-crafted. In this episode, we talk about the difference between situation and story and we also discuss why callbacks are effective.

Dana Shavin is an award-winning humor columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and the author of a memoir, The Body Touris...

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Her story was so relatable, that we realized sometimes we choose stories so we can just talk about ourselves. And that’s just what we do in this episode. We also talk about the narrator’s brilliance in drawing us in with just the right details. Rachel’s story is titled, The Craving That Killed My Veganism

Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) is an ess...

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sarena Neyman. Sarena is in Allison’s 2nd Draft class, which contains writers who come together to share a draft of their essay and receive feedback from the group. Sarena was previously published on Writing Class Radio. Episode 187: The Bigger Table: How I Lost My Husband But Gained a Bigger Family. In that episode, we discussed Sarena’s brilliant landings. 

In this episode w...

This is the final story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4  to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade.  

The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. 

As the country gears up for the elec...

This is the sixth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4  to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade.  

The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. 

As the country gears up for the elec...

This is the fifth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4  to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade.  

The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. 

As the country gears up for the elec...

This is the fourth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4  to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade.  

The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. 

As the country gears up for the ele...