Talking Writing
A podcast for writers, readers, and creative lifers. The hosts, staff of Talking Writing magazine, talk to artists of all mediums about their personal and creative lives and the intersections between the two. They explore how creators keep making art against the odds, seeking purpose and meaning in a chaotic world.
Episodes
Erik J. Brown on His Banned Books
For today's episode, YA author Erik J. Brown sits down with TW Creative Director John Vogel for Banned Books Week. Erik’s books have been banned in many school libraries around the US for LGBTQ+ themes, and just this past year the Malaysian government banned two of his books for the entire country.The action and settings of Erik J. Brown’s books are all very different, but they all have one aspect
K'wan Refuses to Choose Lanes
For this episode best-selling author K'wan Foye sits down with TW Creative Director John Vogel to talk about his new book, House of the Rising Sun (Akashic Books, 2026). K’wan Foye gained major publishing attention after the success of his first novel, Gangsta (Triple Crown Publications, 2002), led to the beginning of a run with St. Martin’s Press, releasing over a dozen books. He has since author
Juliet Diaz, Athena Dixon, and Tom McAllister: A Reading and Q&A
For this episode we have a recording from the author reading with Juliet Diaz, Athena Dixon, and Tom McAllister that we held last November at Big Blue Marble bookstore in Philadelphia.In order, Tom McAllister read from his collection of essays It All Felt Impossible, Juliet Diaz read from her revised second edition of The Altar Within, and Athena Dixon read an essay from a forthcoming collection.
Ramona Ausubel's Practical Advice
Author Ramona Ausubel sits down with TW creative director John Vogel to talk about her new craft book and write's guide. In Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page, Ramona lays out exercises and strategies to maintain momentum throughout a writing project. Much of the advice centers around a few different themes, such as forging a relationship with the ever-present self-
Brian Trapp Writes His Twin into Literature
For this week's episode, author Brian Trapp sits down with TW creative director John Vogel to talk about Brian's 2025 novel Range of Motion (Acre Books). The book is semi-autobiographical fiction about twin brothers, one of whom was born with cerebral palsy and severe intellectual disabilities, an experience paralleling Brian's own with his twin brother Danny.The novel is written with tenderness,
Michael Sanchez Looks Behind the Curtain
For this episode musician and filmmaker Michael Sanchez sits down with TW creative director John Vogel.Michael grew up in Newcastle, Delaware, where he started playing and recording music. One of his bands from that time, the New Death Show, eventually pared from four-piece to duo and migrated to Seattle. Later Michael would move to Brooklyn, San Francisco, Chicago, and then Philly, settling into
Lisa Borders on the Sustenance of Art in Dark Times
Lisa Borders, author of three novels, talks with TW creative director John Vogel to talk about her newest book. Last Night at the Disco (Regal House Publishing, 2025) is a fictitious memoir framed as a letter to the former editor of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner. That context gives the audience their first clue about the book’s narrator, Lynda Boyle.The introduction to the letter also gives us a few
Michael Jamin and the Importance of Small Moments
For this episode TW creative director John Vogel sat down with television writer and showrunner Michael Jamin about his collection of personal essays, A Paper Orchestra.Michael’s television career started in the mid-90’s with an episode of Lois and Clark, followed by more involved work on Just Shoot Me! and King of the Hill. Other writing and production credits include Beavis and Butthead, Rules o
Antonio Michael Downing on Inner and Outer Colonialism
Author and musician Antonio Michael Downing sits down with TW creative director John Vogel to talk about Antonio Michael's books Black Cherokee and Saga Boy, music audience expectation regarding race and incorporating varied genres, and the disregard of the tech industry when it comes to profiting off of the work of artists without compensation.If his memoir Saga Boy is a personal story grappling
Joanna Walsh on Collective Internet Aesthetics
Multidisciplinary writer Joanna Walsh sits down with TW creative director John Vogel to talk about Amateurs! How We Built Internet Culture and Why It Matters. When Joanna first started writing, lacking IRL community and instruction, she turned early Twitter to find likeminded others to share work with. It wasn’t until after she’d been working as an artist that the schooling aspect came into play,
Pia Leichter's Pivot to the Creative Club
Pia Leichter, founder of Kollektiv Studio and author of Welcome to the Creative Club, talks with TW creative director John Vogel about her experience transitioning from the advertising world to the artistic path. A big shift happened in her life about ten years ago, and Pia delves into some very personal details about the events that brought about that shift. As she said in our conversation: “I wa
Molly Gaudry Experiments With Personal Storytelling
In today’s episode author Molly Gaudry sits down with TW founder and publisher Martha Nichols. Molly holds degrees in fiction, poetry, and experimental prose, and her new book that just came out last week is aptly titled Fit Into Me: A Novel, A Memoir. The book weaves a fictional narrative into Molly’s own story along with fragments from a wide range of other authors in an effort to create a sense
Nic Brown: Making Peace with his Musical Past
In this week's episode, TW Creative Director John Vogel sits down with drummer and author Nic Brown to talk about his memoir Bang Bang Crash (Counterpoint, 2023).Despite being accepted to Ivy League colleges, Nic opted to pursue his band Athenaeum straight out of high school. They signed to Atlantic Records, landed a few hits, and played extensively before Nic decided to leave to group in 2001 to
Victor Manibo on Touching the Work Regularly
Victor Manibo, a 2022 Lambda Literary Emerging Voices Fellow, sits down with TW Community Manager Neva Talladen to discuss the drafting process for his 2022 science fiction novel, The Sleepless. Manibo and Talladen connect over their shared Filipino heritage and roots in New York, as they explore the rise of “hustle culture.” The Sleepless portrays a society where sleep is no longer necessary or e
Tom McAllister on Writing Education and Community
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews author Tom McAllister about his new essay collection It All Felt Impossible (Rose Metal Press, 2025). For the book, Tom challenged himself to write an essay a day that corresponded to each year of his life, keeping within a 1500 word limit. The result is a kind of mosaic memoir through snapshots across time with some tangential thoughts instigated by the
Andrew Boryga on Identity Politics in Publishing
TW Creative Director John Vogel talks with Andrew Boryga, author of the satirical novel Victim. The two talk about the autobiographic backdrop to the novel, balancing creative time with parenthood, and the addictive and distancing natures of social media.
Sasha Wizansky's Juggling Act
TW Community Manager Neva Talladen talks with visual artist and graphic designer Sasha Wizansky about her experience starting Pencil Magazine. The magazine, created entirely out of work made with pencil and paper, brings attention to the physicality of writing and drawing with pencil, as well as the slowing down that writing and reading handwriting can cause.
Athena Dixon's Highs and Lows of Writing
In our last episode of the season, TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews author Athena Dixon, our first repeat guest for the podcast. A year and a half ago we released Neva’s interview with Athena, which focused on her book The Loneliness Files (Tin House, 2023). This time around, in January 2025, John asked her questions from his Perfect Recognition project focusing on intense aesthetic expe
Steve Hoffman and the Art of Authentic Traveling and Writing
TW proofreader Jess Barnett hosts award-winning Minnesotan food writer, Steve Hoffman, for a conversation about the unique joys and challenges of travel. Hoffman, a lover of French cuisine and culture, discusses traveling to the picturesque south of France, not as a tourist, skimming the surface of trending destinations, but as a humble guest, ready to immerse himself and his family in the cultura
Reimagining David and Bathsheba with Jeanne Blasberg
TW Podcast Production Manager Sarah Tulloch interviewed author Jeanne Blasberg this past September. Jeanne Blasberg is an award-winning and bestselling author and essayist. The two discuss her latest book, Daughter of a Promise, a modern retelling of the story of David and Bathsheba, completing the thematic trilogy she began with Eden and The Nine.
Mary Carroll Moore: Finding Connection Through Fiction
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviewed author Mary Carroll Moore this past November. Mary pursued a decades-long career as a food and cookbook writer before pivoting into writing instruction and self-releasing Your Book Starts Here in 2011. The two discuss her latest book, Last Bets, and her lifelong career as a creative with multiple mediums.
Nadia Pupa on the Publishing Process from Start to Finish
TW’s Community Manager Neva Talladen talks to the CEO and Co-Founder of Pique Publishing. In 2022, she was inspired to launch The Editor's Half Hour podcast—a monthly podcast that focuses on the craft of editing, industry trends, and editorial resources for advanced editors. The two discuss Nadia’s move from book coaching to starting her own publishing company, where she and her team help authors
Laura Hartenberger: What's Wrong with Chatbot Writing?
Last May, TW founder Martha Nichols spoke with Laura Hartenberger, author of the definitive 2023 essay “What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing” in Noema. Laura, who’s a lecturer in the Writing Programs at University of California at Los Angeles, is an essayist and fiction writer herself. When she spoke with Martha, they were both finishing up a turbulent spring semester that included protests for a
Naomi Cohn On Reimagined Lexicons and Writing Forward
TW’s Neva Talladen talks to writer Naomi Cohn about her book The Braille Encyclopedia: Brief Essays on Altered Sight and the reclamation of self it explores for her as a legally blind person. A 2023 McKnight Artist Fellow in Writing, her previous publications include a chapbook, Between Nectar & Eternity (Red Dragon-fly Press, 2013), and pieces in Baltimore Review, Fourth River, Hippocampus, T
Jianna Heuer on Rediscovering and Sustaining Her Writer Self
TW’s Neva Talladen talks to author Jianna Heuer about blown-up whale parts, opening a bookstore during the 2020 pandemic, and writing a revenge novel as catharsis. Her creative nonfiction and personal essays have been published in The Inquisitive Eater, Midsummer Dream House, Across The Margin, and other literary journals. Her flash non-fiction has appeared in two books, Fast Funny Women and Fast
Maris Kreizman on Publishing and Pop Culture
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews writer Maris Kreizman, creator of the Tumblr blog and book Slaughterhouse 90210 and the podcast turned Substack newsletter, The Maris Review. Maris's work mixes together humor and serious poignancy to talk about a wide range of topics, from the publisher industry to politics and social justice to prime time soap operas. It's all on the table. Her forthcom
The Weird Punk of Northern Liberties
TW's Creative Director John Vogel interviews Philadelphia punk trio Northern Liberties. The band consists of brothers Justin and Marc Duerr on vocals and drums and Kevin Riley on bass and occasional vocals. The band’s most recent album, Self-Dissolving Abandoned Universe, was recorded in March 2022 with the legendary engineer and producer Steve Albini, who passed away in May of this year. The albu
Dr. Tamara Mitchell-Davis’ Guide to Self-Publishing Success
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Dr. Tamara Mitchell-Davis, award-winning author of #GoalGetter: Strategies for Overcoming Life’s Challenges (self-published, 2017) and chief executive officer of TM Davis Enterprises, LLC, a coaching practice that empowers aspiring authors to bring their books and business visions to life through storytelling. In this week’s episode, Tamara joins us from
Perception vs Reality in the Music Industry With Jay Mumford
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews drummer and composer Jay Mumford from New York City. He is half of the funk duo the Du-Rites and author of the out-of-print autobiography Root for the Villain, which pokes fun at the classic musician’s story of rising to fame and fortune. The book offers a different and more realistic perspective of a creative career.
Sean Michaels on AI, Poetry, and the Future of Creativity
In this week’s episode, TW publisher and founder Martha Nichols interviews author Sean Michaels. Sean is an internationally bestselling novelist and critic from Montreal. He is the author of the new novel Do You Remember Being Born?, a book about family, poetry, work, and artificial intelligence (AI). During their conversation, Martha inquires about his thoughts on the intersection of AI and writi
Minaa B on Healing Trauma Through Community Care
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Minaa B, author of Owning Our Struggles, which is available for purchase now on our Bookshop page. Her work focuses on taking responsibility for one’s self in order to enjoy the benefits of healing, including taking a look at one’s own personal development, one’s community, and the social justice issues that one may have to deal with on a day-to-day basi
What We're Obsessed with Now: On Technology
In this week’s episode, the TW staff get together to share their current technological obsessions. We discuss everything from software to hardware and everything in between. We share the tools that make our daily lives so much easier and complain about the planned obsolescence that seems to be ingrained in every new piece of tech we buy today.
Jonathan Kravetz on Publishing a Debut Novel
TW Copyeditor Jess Barnett interviews Jonathan Kravetz, author of How We Were Before, which will be released Running Wild Press this month. His short stories and plays have appeared in various journals, including The Iris Literary Journal, The Rappahannock Review, The Furious Gazelle, The Opiate Magazine, Narrative Northeast, and others. He also teaches a creative writing class online. This week’s
Naomi Baron Is Worried About Bots Doing the Thinking for Us
TW founder and publisher Martha Nichols talks AI with linguist and professor Naomi Baron. Mostly centering around Baron's recent book, Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing (Stanford University Press, 2023), their discussion ranges from the effects of AI on writing and teaching, what makes good writing, and the importance of thinking for oneself in an AI world.
Russell Baker on Technological Sustainability and Doing Good-er
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Russell Baker, the creator of the sustainability platform A Modern Remedy (AMR), a company helping purpose-led organizations deliver value for people and the planet. On his website, Russell writes long-form essays about various topics and their role in sustainability, including artificial intelligence, social media, fashion, and weather, among other subje
Work Won’t Love You Back With Sarah Jaffe
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Sarah Jaffe, author of Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone. In this episode, the two discuss the idea of the American dream, how it is used to control the working class, and how it affects working artists and their ability to live off their work.
The Intense Aesthetic Experiences of Writing Poetry With Alan King
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Alan King, a poet and author of the book, Point Blank. In this interview, which John collected as part of his Perfect Recognition project on intense aesthetic experiences, the two discuss his connection to music and poetry, as well as his development as a poet.
Angie Elita Newell on Crafting Accessible Native American History Fiction
TW’s Podcast Production Manager Sarah Tulloch interviews Angie Elita Newell, a trained historian, and author of the novel All I See Is Violence. The two discuss how Angie sought to make Native American history more accessible by writing a historical fiction novel as well as the lasting impact of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and how the results of the battle still affect us to this day.
Saundra Gilliard on Prioritizing Feminine Storytelling and Connection
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Saundra Gilliard, a professional storyteller, a playwright, and a personal transformation leader. The two discuss the importance of prioritizing feminine storytelling from the perspective of feminine people. Much of mainstream media prioritizes the misogynistic idea of a feminine woman rather than the stories written by women for women. Saundra emphasize
Parenting Roundtable With Bekka Palmer, Matt Buccelli, and Toya Gavin
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Bekka Palmer, Matt Buccelli, and Toya Gavin. Each guest is a respected artist in their field and creates art while raising their kids. In this week’s episode, the group discusses how they juggle their creative careers and parenting.
Adam Gnade on the Realities of Life as an Artist
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews musician and author Adam Gnade, who just released I Wish to Say Lovely Things. The two discuss the realities of life as an artist—including the idea of the starving artist, avoiding lifestyle creep, and making the world a better place.
Illuminating Collective History With Claudia Acevedo-Quiñones
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Claudia Acevedo-Quiñones, author of The Hurricane Book: A Lyric History. In this episode, Neva and Claudia discuss the process of writing a memoir from the perspective of people who have experienced ecological and colonial trauma.
NFTs, Web3, and the Future of Publishing With Nifemi Aluko
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Nifemi Aluko, author of Toffy’s Divide. In this episode, Neva and Nifemi discuss the rise of Web3 options in publishing and his use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to maintain ownership over his work.
Amy Belfi on the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Creation of Music
TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Amy Belfi, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science exploring the intersection of music, psychology, and neuroscience. In this week’s episode, they discuss intense aesthetic experiences, the role of art in people's personal lives and society as a whole, and Amy’s journey to the science of music.
Ink-Making, Place-Based Art, and an Artist Community With Jason Logan
In this week’s episode, the TW staff get together to share their current artistic obsessions. We discussed everything from community building, ink making, book reviewing, and a thorough analysis of Beverly Hills, 90210. This discussion allowed us to take a break from making art to pay the bills and discuss our processes of making art for art’s sake.
Current Obsessions With the Talking Writing Staff
In this week’s episode, the TW staff get together to share their current artistic obsessions. We discussed everything from community building, ink making, book reviewing, and a thorough analysis of Beverly Hills, 90210. This discussion allowed us to take a break from making art to pay the bills and discuss our processes of making art for art’s sake.
Athena Dixon on Exploring Isolation, Art, and Connection
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Athena Dixon, the author of The Loneliness Files. In this episode, Neva and Athena discuss the weight of loneliness that came about during the lockdown of 2020 and how it affected our daily lives even after being lifted.
Tuan Phan: The Trouble with Memory
TW Managing Editor Neva Talladen interviews Tuan Phan, author of Remembering Water: A Memoir of Departure and Return (Hidden River Press). Tuan juxtaposes his childhood memories of Vietnam and his family’s exile to the US with his parents’ recollection of the same events, finding connections and resonance in spite of the discrepancies. The memoir explores the complex questions around identity and
WART on Connecting With the Creative
John Vogel, our creative director, interviews artist and short story writer Christian McCulloch, also known as WART. WART's art has been featured on the Talking Writing website before so it’s only natural that we invite him to speak on the podcast. WART is a prolific short-story writer with a background in fine art. He’s been an international teacher in the British West Indies, Singapore, Japan, a
JoeAnn Hart on Confronting Climate Change Hopes and Realities
Sarah Tulloch, Talking Writing’s podcast production manager, interviewed JoeAnn Hart. JoeAnn is the author of Highwire Act and Other Tales of Survival. Highwire Act is a collection of previously published short stories that highlight the conflicts that climate change will bring to the forefront of human civilization. The characters are confronted with the consequences of dying ecosystems, illnesse
Ambitions for the Future of Climate
In the wake of this summer’s Canadian wildfires, protesters are descending on Climate Week NYC, which includes today’s United Nations Climate Ambition Summit. Although the spotlight on climate change has gotten a lot brighter in the past several months, the issue has been going on for decades. Three works have come out recently that were all conceived before this summer’s alarming weather but seem
Weird Music Episode 5 - Why Is Live Music Dynamic?
In this episode, the interviewed artists talk about their approaches to playing their music live. What are the challenges? Where is the wiggle room for improvisation? What makes a performance engaging? As with the previous episode, each artist approaches the live situation differently, whether trying to present something that you've made in a studio or working out something that you've made in reh
Weird Music Episode 4 - Two Entirely Different Things
Performing live and recording music are very different acts, and the skill sets don't necessarily cross over. Some musicians are prone to creating things in the studio and then face the challenge of making something live out of it. Others write and experiment in the live setting and then go into the studio to try and translate what they've been doing live. Both approaches come with unique challeng
Weird Music Episode 3 - Growing Projects on the Side
Most artists tend to have many different projects occurring simultaneously or over the course of their artistic lives. Here the artists interviewed tell how they tend to move from one project to another and what their various projects provide them.
Weird Music Episode 2 - When Ideas Float Out of the Ether
This episode explores the way that ideas come up and how they move through the process into becoming a piece of art. The path from vague idea to finished product is never straightforward. One thing that becomes clear during these conversations is how messy and random the progression can be.
Weird Music Episode 1 - Communicating Through Art
The first episode of the Weird Music podcast series focuses on an idea put forth by Stephen King in On Writing: that art depends on telepathy. While discussing the telepathic elements of art, the conversation veers into the area of whether or not the artist's intention translates through the work.
Brad Schreiber on the Quantifiable Power of Music
John Vogel, Talking Writing's art director, interviews author Brad Schreiber on his latest book, Music is Power, and the influences that shaped his writing. Brad is an author, screenwriter, producer, literary consultant, journalist, playwright, teacher, and performer. Music Is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change tells fascinating stories about the origins and impact of doz
Dana Humphrey on Writing a Memoir in the Third Person
Neva Talladen, managing editor of Talking Writing, interviews the self-published author Dana Humphrey. The two discuss creating such a vulnerable piece of work while still keeping your real-life relationships intact. Dana is a life coach, an author, a life coach, a death doula, and a hot yoga instructor. May All Beings Be Fed is an incredibly vulnerable memoir of Dana’s life written in the third p
Kelli Russell Agodon: Writing, Family, and the Spaces They Share
John Vogel, Talking Writing’s art director, interviewed poet, writer, and editor Kelli Russell Agodon. Kelli Russell Agodon (she/her) is the author of four collections of poems, including her most recent, the award-winning Dialogues with Rising Tides, published by Copper Canyon Press in 2021. Kelli and John discuss the logistics behind making time for art as a parent, the role of their spouses in
David Santos Donaldson Goes to the Wilderness
Talking Writing founder and publisher Martha Nichols talks to David Santos Donaldson about his novel Greenland, published by Amistad Press in 2022 and out now in paperback, which has garnered wide critical acclaim. In this interview, Martha and David discuss the personal background of the novel, the struggle of racial and sexual identity in the face of the white heterosexual default, and the cultu
Nicki Pappas: Finding Community Among the Excommunicated
TW's managing editor Neva Talladen speaks with Nicki Pappas, a writer and podcaster whose self-published memoir, As Familiar as Family, delves into the abusive events that led her to leave a church with which she had been intimately involved. Nicki also hosts Broadening the Narrative, a podcast dedicated to exploring themes, ideas, and ways of being that exist outside the white evangelicalism in w
Richard Zimler: Making Connections Between Times, Between People
TW's publisher, Martha Nichols, talks with novelist Richard Zimler. Their conversation focuses on Richard's latest novel, The Incandescent Threads, which was selected as a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Martha delves into the personal stories behind the book's themes as well as Richard's thoughts on the invisible threads that connect the past with the future – and all of us.
Anjan Chatterjee: Combining Aesthetics with Neuroscience
John Vogel, TW’s art director, talks with director for the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics Anjan Chatterjee about his paths in science and photography, the brain’s role in deriving pleasure from art, and the funding of the science of art. Anjan has practiced neurology for the past thirty years and produced two books on the subject of neuroaesthetics.
Why Do We Do This? #CreativeLifer
In this closing episode for the year, the Talking Writing team discusses how they mix their creative lives with everything else. Publisher Martha Nichols, Art Director John Vogel, Managing Editor Neva Talladen, and Nonfiction Editor Gabrielle (Gabi) Coloma talk about their successes, hesitations, failures, and determination to stay creatively sparked. Happy Holidays! The TW podcast will be on hiat
Editors Can't Eat Prestige: Rachel Kambury and the HarperCollins Strike
As the HarperCollins strike continues, we're running a fuller edit of TW managing editor Neva Talladen's interview with HarperCollins associate editor Rachel Kambury. This version focuses on Rachel's personal story entering into the publishing world, as well as specifics about the causes and conditions of the strike.
The Trouble with Money and Publishing
This episode focuses on the financial sustainability of art and publishing. It features an interview by managing editor Neva Talladen about the current HarperCollins strike with Rachel Kambury, an associate editor at HarperCollins, and a reading by Rebecca Steinitz of her essay "On Writing Another Novel."
Vote for Art: Writers and Artists Remake the World
In this spotlight episode about politics and art, we bring together readings from poets, interview comments, and excerpts from the essay "Is History Wasted on Everyone?" by Martha Nichols.
Jamey Robinson's Path Through Music
John Vogel, TW's art director, talks with Philadelphia musician Jamey Robinson about creativity, criticism, and intense aesthetic experiences. Robinson is the former keyboard player for Need New Body and Man Man as well as composer for his solo project, Buffalo Stance.All music in this episode is © Jamey Robinson and used with his permission.
Sarah Fay's Cautionary Tale About Misdiagnoses
In this inaugural episode, TW founder and publisher Martha Nichols talks to Sarah Fay, author of Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses, about writing and diagnosing mental health conditions.
