Craftwork
Craftwork is a podcast co-hosted by writers Mike Thorn and Miriam Richer. The show features conversations between writers about the craft of writing, covering topics such as process, technique, and the creative journey. Each episode aims to offer insights into the art and discipline of writing.
Episodes
Gothic Spaces, Familial Secrets, & Diasporic Perspectives w/ Dania Idriss
In this interview, we chat with Dania Idriss about representing human cruelty, finding creative nourishment in academic conferences, spending time in "writing jail", and so much more. Dania Idriss (she/her) is a Lebanese-Canadian author and a doctoral candidate in the Department of English at the University of Calgary. She (currently) gratefully lives and works on the traditional territ
Shakespearean Themes, Wang WPS Mishaps, & Stephen King's Revisions w/ Caroline Bicks
In this interview, we chat with Caroline Bicks about combatting AI in the classroom, words clanging on readers' ears, the uniquely portable magic of fiction, and so much more. Caroline Bicks is the author of several academic books, including Cognition and Girlhood in Shakespeare’s World and Midwiving Subjects in Shakespeare’s England. After she was named the University of Maine’s inaugural Stephen
Ghostwriting, Cold War Propaganda, & Coming Back from a Five-Week Coma w/ Luke Francis Beirne
In this interview, we chat with Luke Francis Beirne about literature versus entertainment, Atlantic Canadian textures, a literary marriage proposal, and so much more. Luke Francis Beirne was born in Ireland in 1995 and now lives on Wolastoqey land in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beirne has published three novels with Baraka Books, Foxhunt, Blacklion and Saints Rest. His stories, essays, and revi
Gut Feelings, Sonic Recursion, & Raspberry Cordial w/ Cassidy McFadzean
In this interview, we chat with Cassidy McFadzean about skewing prepositions, trusting the reader, opting for vibes over plot, and so much more. Cassidy McFadzean is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Crying Dress (House of Anansi, 2024). Her fiction has appeared in Joyland, The Walrus, Hazlitt, and Dead Writers (Invisible Publishing, 2025). Cassidy was born in Regina, earned an
Earthy Language, Scary Cupids, & Lunar Portrayals w/ Michael Wehunt
In this interview, we chat with Michael Wehunt about the administrative side of professional writing, the unanticipated weirdness of public selfhood, the "moment before the moment", and so much more. Michael Wehunt has been a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award, multiple Shirley Jackson Awards, and the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts' Crawford Award. In Spain
Indie Publishing, Intentional Ambiguity, & the Tyranny of Structure w/ Daniel Braum
In this interview, we chat with Daniel Braum about exploring the ecology of the supernatural, finding inspiration in liminal spaces, cultivating a sense of awe, and so much more. Daniel Braum writes short stories that explore the tension between the psychological and the supernatural. He intentionally adopts the term “strange tales” for his “Twilight Zone-like stories in homage to author Robert A
Sculpture, Anaphora, & Writing by Hourglass w/ Hajer Mirwali
In this interview, we chat with Hajer Mirwali about cross-disciplinary work, embodied writing, poetic mad libs, and so much more. Hajer Mirwali is a Palestinian and Iraqi writer living in Toronto. Her first book, Revolutions (Talonbooks, 2025), is a collection of poetry on shame, pleasure, and Arab Muslim girlhood. Two poems from the collection also appear in an anthology of Palestinian poetry c
Braided Essays, Collective Solitude, & the Objective Correlative w/ Kasia Van Schaik
In this interview, we chat with Kasia Van Schaik about reverse outlining, asking "what if", sublimating emotion through landscape, and so much more. Kasia Van Schaik is the author of the Giller Prize-nominated story collection We Have Never Lived on Earth and the forthcoming book of memoir and cultural criticism, Women Among Monuments. With Myra Bloom, she is the co-editor of the essay
Building Communities, Finding Guardrails, & Reading the Comments Section w/ Jean Marc Ah-Sen
In this interview, we chat with Jean Marc Ah-Sen about comic books, literary scenes, flipping the script on what a book can be, and so much more. Jean Marc Ah-Sen is the author of Grand Menteur, In the Beggarly Style of Imitation, and Kilworthy Tanner. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Literary Hub, Catapult, The Comics Journal, Maclean's, The Walrus, and elsewhere
Dreaming in Fire, Working in Clay, & Reaching for Awe w/ Ramsey Campbell
In this interview, we chat with Ramsey Campbell about the importance of tapping into creative instincts, the pleasure of happy accidents, the lingering impact of eerie children's tales, and so much more.The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes Ramsey Campbell as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer”, and the Washington Post sums up his work as “one of the monumental accom
Tonal Registers, Byzantine Journeys, & Repurposing Research w/ Michael LaPointe
In this interview, we chat with Michael LaPointe about navigating the pipeline between impulse and expression, breaking the genteel picture of literature, finding liberation in failure, and so much more.Michael LaPointe is the author of The Creep, a novel published by Random House Canada. He has written for The New Yorker and The Atlantic, and he was a columnist with The Paris Review. His work has
Myth, Fetishism, & the Horror of Living in an Allistic World w/ Gemma Files
In this interview, we chat with Gemma Files about horny monsters, Lovecraftian Airbnbs, the female gaze, and so much more. Previously a film critic, journalist and teacher, Gemma Files has been an award-winning horror author since 1999. She's best-known for her novel Experimental Film (Open Road Media) and her collections of short fiction, including the Bram Stoker Award-winning In That Endles
Girlhood, Defamiliarization, & Poetic Excavation w/ Emily Banks
In this interview, we chat with Emily Banks about posthumous publications, linguistic allergies, the atomic nuts and bolts of imagery, and so much more. Emily Banks is the author of Mother Water (Lynx House Press, 2020). Her poems have appeared in Plume, Copper Nickel, 32 Poems, The Rumpus, CutBank, Mid-American Review, and other journals. She publishes scholarship on American gothic literature, r
Ghost Stories, Market Pressures, & Tapping into the Subconscious w/ Naben Ruthnum
In this interview, we chat with Naben Ruthnum about character development, avoiding TV-brained writing, making sense of first-reader notes, and so much more. Naben Ruthnum is a Toronto-based writer of fiction, cultural criticism, film and TV. His novel A Hero of Our Time was released by Penguin Random House and was optioned for development by The Littlefield Company. His books include the YA novel
Ekphrasis, Sinuous Sentences, & the Logic of Sound w/ Sarah Bernstein
In this interview, we chat with Sarah Bernstein about contemplation, finding time for writing, capturing the rush of language, and so much more. Sarah Bernstein is the author of two novels, The Coming Bad Days and Study for Obedience, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. She is from Montreal and lives in the Scottish Highlands. Books and stories mentioned in this episode:Hysteric; Whore – N
Worldbuilding, Aha Moments, & Writing for the Stage w/ S. P. Miskowski
In this interview, we chat with S. P. Miskowski about Asian horror cinema, the power of grief, the relentless desire to shape the self, and so much more. S. P. Miskowski is a recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, for literature and for drama. Her books have been recognized with four Shirley Jackson Award nominations and two Bram Stoker Award nominations. Her stories have ap
Dream Journals, Imaginary Conversations, & Work-Life Balance w/ Fawn Parker
In this interview, we chat with Fawn Parker about showing the reader around the room, finding the right tense, protecting your writing time, and so much more.Fawn Parker is the author of five books including novels What We Both Know (M&S), nominated for the Giller Prize and Hi, It's Me (M&S), nominated for the Writer's Trust Atwood Gibson Prize, and the poetry collection Soft Inher
Character Case Files, Consecution, & the Acoustics of Language w/ Rod Moody-Corbett
In this interview, we chat with Rod Moody-Corbett about tonal dissonance, sponging up influences, writing from memory, and so much more.
Rod Moody-Corbett is an award-winning writer from Newfoundland. His writing has appeared in Socrates on the Beach, The Drift, The Paris Review Daily, and Fiddlehead, among other publications. He is the recipient of the 2022 Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story, a
Debauchery, Plotless Fiction, & the Paranoiac-Critical Method w/ Nour Abi-Nakhoul
In this interview, we chat with Nour Abi-Nakhoul about copy editing, creative nonfiction, feverish creations, and so much more.
Nour Abi-Nakhoul is a writer and editor based in Montreal. She is the editor-in-chief of the award-winning quarterly Maisonneuve Magazine. Her short fiction has appeared in Hazlitt and The Walrus. Her debut novel, Supplication, was released by Penguin Random House in 2024
Ecstasy, Ruin, & the Talent of the Room w/ Kathe Koja
In this interview, we chat with Kathe Koja about balancing simultaneous projects, resisting online distractions, raising the literary dead, and so much more.
Kathe Koja writes novels and short fiction, and creates and produces live and virtual events. Her award-winning books include The Cipher, Skin, Buddha Boy, Under The Poppy and Velocities, and she is currently at work on the Dark Factory immer
Cruel Elegance, Cosmic Pessimism, & Rust Belt Vibes w/ Paula D. Ashe
In this interview, we chat with Paula D. Ashe about writer's block, narrative movement, urban legends, and so much more.
Paula D. Ashe (she/her) is an author of dark fiction. Her debut collection We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (Nictitating Books) was a Shirley Jackson Award winner for Single Author Collection and a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. Re
Collaboration, Closet Dramas, & Writing for Audio w/ McKenna James Boeckner & Carlee Calver
In this interview, we chat with McKenna James Boeckner and Carlee Calver about nature writing, epistolary possibilities, elusive chicken detectives, and so much more.
McKenna James Boeckner is a Ph.D. candidate and contract lecturer at the University of New Brunswick (territory of the Wolastoqiyik people), with a specialization in long eighteenth-century British literature. As a creative writer, t
Weird Tales, Uncanny Dolls, & Creative Breakthroughs w/ Lisa Tuttle
In this interview, we chat with Lisa Tuttle about genre history, the ideal protagonist, Harlan Ellison's writing advice, and so much more.
Lisa Tuttle was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and moved to Britain in the 1980s. Her first novel, Windhaven, co-written with George R.R. Martin, was followed by over a dozen fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels, including three recent books set i
Eavesdropping, Travel Writing, & Glasgow Kisses w/ Mark Anthony Jarman
In this interview, we chat with Mark Anthony Jarman about hockey fiction, deadwood words, finding inspiration in newspaper clippings, and so much more.
Mark Anthony Jarman is the author of Touch Anywhere to Begin, Czech Techno, Knife Party at the Hotel Europa, My White Planet, 19 Knives, New Orleans Is Sinking, Dancing Nightly in the Tavern, and the travel book Ireland’s Eye. Burn Man, published i
Obsession, Transgression, & the Library of Gestures w/ Maryse Meijer
In this interview, we chat with Maryse Meijer about metaphor, quotation marks, the dubious necessity of author photos, and so much more.
Maryse Meijer is the author of Heartbreaker, Rag, Northwood, and The Seventh Mansion. She lives in Chicago.
Books and stories mentioned in this episode:
Samuel Beckett: A Biography – Deirdre Bair
Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett
About Schmidt – Louis Begle
Maximalism, Weird Angels, & the Taste of Prose w/ Craig Laurance Gidney
In this interview, we chat with Craig Laurance Gidney about genre mashups, writing workshops, telling Mom which of your stories to avoid, and so much more.Craig Laurance Gidney (he/him/his) is the author of Sea, Swallow Me & Other Stories; Skin Deep Magic: Stories; Bereft (a YA novella); and A Spectral Hue (a novel). He has been a Lambda Literary Finalist three times, was a Carl Brandon Parall
Productivity, False Epiphanies, & Existential Dread w/ Niall Howell
In this interview, we chat with Niall Howell about crime fiction, creative spontaneity, the magic of public swimming pools, and so much more.
Niall Howell lives in Calgary, Alberta with his wife, sons, and pets. His debut noir novel Only Pretty Damned was shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. His follow-up novel, There Are Wolves Here Too, was shortlisted by the Book
Romance, Ritual, & the Darkness of Yacht Rock w/ Phoebe Marmura
In this interview, we chat with Phoebe Marmura about fear, fairies, set design, and so much more.
Phoebe Marmura is a writer and artist. Her work explores desire, femininity, domestic adventure, and reclusion. Marmura’s writing can be found in Expat Press, D.F.L. Lit, and Orca Literary Journal.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Erotic Interludes: Tales Told by Women – Lonnie Barbach
Naked Lunc
Scaffolding, Dionysus, & Mental Bonfires w/ Lindsay Lerman
In this interview, we chat with Lindsay Lerman about philosophy, procedural knowledge, writing dialogue, and so much more.
Lindsay Lerman is a writer and translator. Her first book, I'm From Nowhere, was published in 2019. Her second book, What Are You, was published in 2022. Her first translation was published in 2023. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Ca
Magic Realism, Intertextuality, & Making it Beautiful w/ William Ping
In this interview, we chat with William Ping about historical fiction, hauntology, Animal Crossing, and so much more.
William Ping is a novelist and journalist, born and raised in St. John’s. His debut novel Hollow Bamboo was published by HarperCollins in 2023 and was shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the BMO Winterset Award, and the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award as well as
Agency, Microtensions, & Mythic Resonance w/ Randy Nikkel Schroeder
In this interview, we chat with Randy Nikkel Schroeder about noir, character possession, Biblical frisson, and so much more.
Randy Nikkel Schroeder is the author of Arctic Smoke (NeWest), Crooked Timber: Seven Suburban Faerie Tales (Green Magpie), and over fifty published short stories. In his spare time, he is professor of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University.
Books mentione
Persona Poems, Metacognition, & Vancouver Island Marmots w/ Meghan Kemp-Gee
In this interview, we chat with Meghan Kemp-Gee about poetry, screenwriting, comics, and so much more.
Meghan Kemp-Gee is the author of The Animal in the Room (Coach House Books, 2023), as well as three poetry chapbooks, What I Meant to Ask, Things to Buy in New Brunswick, and More. She also co-created the webcomic Contested Strip, recently adapted as a graphic novel, One More Year. She is a PhD
Trailer
Welcome to Craftwork: a podcast by writers for writers co-hosted by Mike Thorn and Miriam Richer.We created Craftwork to address questions that frequently come up in our own writing practices. Questions such as: What makes for a compelling read? Do you believe in writer’s block? What’s a piece of writing advice that really stuck with you? In the following weeks, we’ll bring on guests and delve int
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