Attending a literary workshop can be fraught with highs and lows of creative feedback, a gorgeous natural setting, and amazing peers. Who happen to be alone 90% of the year, creating magic on a screen. Hear two first hand accounts of navigating the wilds of a writing conference in Northern California. Writers include B... more
Meet 90 year old debut author Lillian McCloy, who was stationed in six countries while raising three kids as the wife of a CIA undercover agent. Host Ben Hess gets to explore the real experiences of this spy family, well beyond the detective fiction of his youth. He also compares the editing of that memoir with the exp... more
Host Ben Hess takes his passion for film to the literary world and explores the ins and outs, ups and downs, of the often circuitous adaptation process. Guests include National Book Award finalist Andre Dubus III (House of Sand and Fog, Townie, Dirty Love), Willa Award winning novelist BK Loren (Theft), award winning s... more
Between 35 and 40 million Americans - that’s 11% to 14% of the population - move every year according to the US Census Bureau and real estate metrics site HomeData. Episode 14 features two chapters and spotlights authors at very different stages of their writing journey, Pulitzer Finalist in Nonfiction Luis Alberto Urr... more
This episode, Sexuality in Lit, features three writers who have incorporated sex and sexuality into their work in very different ways. Chapter 1, Tina’s Transformative Performance, features Fenton Johnson’s (The Man Who Loved Birds) account of a live concert in the late 60’s. Amber Keyser, is our Chapter Two, Mom’s Se... more
Host Ben Hess is fascinated by beginnings - get it right, and you've hooked your reader. Get it wrong, and all your hard work is set aside for another story or book. He explores how strong works begin with interviews and readings from science and environmental writer Craig Childs (Apocalyptic Planet: A Field Guide to t... more
How do we elegantly write about ‘unexplainable’ concepts like spirit, sex, beauty, or death? In a lightly edited panel discussion, national and regional award winners Mark Doty, Greg Glazner, and Lidia Yuknavitch provide thoughtful consideration to this challenging task while referencing literary giants Hart Crane, Emi... more
How do authors approach writing a book-length piece, whether fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir? As he continues tackling his work-in-progress novel, host Ben Hess explores varying approaches to structure, character development, and plot with debut novelist Elizabeth Marro (Casualties) and GrubStreet National Book... more
Season Two of Story Geometry kicks off with Episode 009, an exploration of Initiative vs Destiny. Host Ben Hess is in conversation with award-winning writer Fenton Johnson where Fenton also reads from his latest novel, The Man Who Loved Birds, and literary nonprofit Writing by Writers Co-Founder Karen Nelson. There's a... more
Have you felt it?We're living in this incredible, unparalleled age of storytelling. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will relive these heady days in 2085 or 2110, assuredly with some immersive virtual reality experience. After laughing at our ridiculous hair, clothing, vehicles, and politicians and after makin... more
We break down four foundational tools for the writer’s toolbox pulled from award winning writers Mark Doty, Greg Glazner, Pam Houston, and Lidia Yuknavitch. The tools are: number one - Find Inspiration, number two - Form / Structure, number three - Rhythm of Language, and number four - Reading Aloud.
Host Ben Hess breaks down the business of writing into three categories - number one - patronage and support, number two - publishing, whether traditional or self, large press or small, and number three - distribution & promotion. Authors and teachers Steve Almond, Greg Glazner, and Tanya Chernov provide perspective an... more
In an exploration of how place, setting, and location inform our writing, we travel around the United States, from the Deep South with National Book Award finalist Dorothy Allison and award winning novelist Josh Weil and then up to New York City with New York Times Bestselling writer Tom Barbash before heading west to ... more
This episode is an excerpt of a live, free-flowing panel discussion at the recent Writing by Writers Conference in Tomales Bay, California between poet, novelist, and National Book Award finalist Dorothy Allison, memoirist, journalist, fiction writer, and teacher Steve Almond, and award winning writer, teacher, and Wri... more
So you’ve slaved over your stories, essays, book proposal, or fiction manuscript … and now what? Ben Hess explores the business of writing with nonfiction agent Gordon Warnock, independent editor and writer Jay Schafer, in addition to writers and teachers Gary Ferguson and Pam Houston.
Aspiring novelist Ben Hess explores writing from the deep end of loss, grief, and uncertainty with teachers and authors Tom Barbash, Gary Ferguson, Alan Heathcock, Pam Houston, and Josh Weil. Links: Writing By Writers - http://writingxwriters.org Tom Barbash - https://www.facebook.com/Tom-Barbash-1403861426501638/ti... more
Show Notes:Aspiring novelist and screenwriter Ben Hess explores the life of professional writers and how they balance their own writing with income pursuits, primarily teaching. Writers and teachers Interviewed include Pam Houston, Gary Ferguson, and Alan Heathcock.Links:Writing By Writers - http://writingxwriters.org ... more
Aspiring novelist and screenwriter Ben Hess spent time at the April 2015 Writing By Writers Boulder Generative Workshop and gained insights on the origin of stories, on getting going using Pam Houston’s glimmer technique. The words of wisdom came from award winning writers and teachers Pam, Gary Ferguson, and Alan Heat... more