Catch up on the latest episodes...

Guilt, failure, negative reviews… We dig into the good stuff and the hard stuff with the wonderful Brian Hurley, a publisher, editor and passionate reviewer of books, including what authors need to know going into publishing. We discuss why, when a book wins an award,…

We had an inspiring and far-ranging conversation with feminist economist Myra Strober about her new memoir, Sharing the Work:What My Family and Career Taught Me About Breaking Through (and Holding the Door Open for Others). We examined differences between memoir writing…

We broke open the traditional publishing/ self-publishing dichotomy in this conversation, having the most exciting discussion on platform building, purpose, marketing and creativity that maybe we’ve ever had. Nina straddles traditional publishing and self-publishing, …

It was an honor and a joy to sit down (virtually) with Jabari Asim and talk about just how a man with five children and a big deal job manages to be so productive across so many genres.

Best-selling author of three novels and two story collections, Ann Packer sat down with us to talk about writing for herself on her own schedule, about two different kinds of revision, about having a sense of the emotional shape of a book before she begins.

Adam Wolpert is a painter who blogs beautifully about the creative process, and our conversation began by looking at the moment when you’re shifting out of a big a long extended project and finding the next one–something writers certainly face as well. This led into an…

Heather Haggerty and Nanou Matteson are a superteam of film producers who brought us the recent award-winning comedy starring Rita Moreno and previous Story Makers podcast guest Steve Goldbloom. Their film East Side Sushi has also had remarkable success. We dig into the…

We had a lively and important conversation with author, publisher and literary curator Peg Alford Pursell, about the publishing landscape and how writers can successfully interact with it. Peg, who runs the popular reading series Why There Are Words, is launching an ind…

My conversation with Angie Powers, co-host of Story Makers Show, began with the process and pleasure of telling yourself a story. We discussed what she did and did not get from her MFA program, including an understanding of structure and revision, which led us into the …

We had such a rich and helpful conversation with the multitalented Janis Cooke Newman, author of memoir and novels, editor of the newly launched Technically Literate column of fictional short stories on CNET, and leader of LitCamp. We talked about the isolation of writi…

We had a far-ranging conversation with the multi-talented author of the trilogy The Wolf Chronicles, professional developmental and acquisitions editor and now, first-time screenplay writer Dorothy Hearst. She shared how her ideas and inspirations arrive and develop, ho…

Problems with sound? Extras don’t show up? In this far-ranging conversation with filmmaker Juan Davis, a writer/ director with experience in sound, editing and just about every other area of film, we learn just how projects morph and problems can shape a stronger fil…

This was such a helpful and inspiring conversation with new literary agent Jennifer Soloway, who went to grad school with Angie and who shares her journey to becoming an agent, how she fell in love with the work, her process for selecting clients, how to pitch your work…

Nicholas P. Taylor has an alias. The acclaimed author of two historical novels, Nick took up with mysteries under the name T.T. Monday.

What of the storyteller who stands before a live audience, to entrance, to entertain, to warn, to engage? What can we learn from the most ancient form of story making? Today we talk with acclaimed storyteller–and former psychotherapist–Hari Meyers about the art, arche…

This week Angie interviewed Elizabeth, just to get really meta or, you know, narcissistic. Actually, we thought this would be a good way to introduce us to our listeners: Who are these people asking these questions? Why are they so hungry to know everything about story?…

In this honest conversation with Meredith Maran, prolific memoirist, book reviewer, novelist and editor of the newly released Why We Write About Ourselves, we dive into the risks of writing a memoir whose story you are still living.

What does it feel like to be an overnight success after 17 years of publishing? In our lovely conversation with novelist, memoirist and essayist Paul Lisicky, we discuss the benefit of low expectations and the liberation of not worrying about having a huge audience foll…