What writing advice can one mine from a two-hour interview with prolific essayist, author, and professor Philip Lopate? If you read the July 2018 issue of The Writer, you learned about Lopate's overall approach and philosophy in "Playing on all 88 keys: The prose playbook of Phillip Lopate" who was my former grad school writing teacher. In part two…

You might recognize the title of this podcast if you picked up the July 2018 issue of The Writer. In it, you'll find my article on my former grad school writing teacher Phillip Lopate. I interviewed Lopate last December about his career and in the next two episodes, I'm sharing some of our chat with you. In it, we talk about his latest book, A Moth…

In April 2017, I invited author and engineer Nick Arvin to the school where I work. Over two days, he gave several talks on writing, and I recorded one of them: “Nick Arvin and The Short Story.” In this episode, I'm giving you that recording! Nick discusses his short story “Along the Highways.” He gives one of the most thorough, honest, and humorou…

Welcome to this special episode of Behind the Prose. Special, because I bet you didn't think it was coming! More special, because it features former guest, literary historical fiction writer and fellow New School Creative Writing MFA Grad Scott Alexander Hess. This time, I talk to him about how he wrote his latest novella, Skyscraper, while he was …

Today's episode is brought to you by: coincidence. It's how I met both of these great writers. Last year, I covered Bob Brody's essay panel at the American Society of Journalists and Authors for The Writer Magazine. His book Playing Catch with Strangers came out on Father's Day this June on Heliotrope Books. This year, I interviewed Mandy Len Catro…

Hey Prosers, I know. I know. Let's not talk about that lil' missing in action thing. The important thing is that I'm here now and so are you! This episode features a humor writer that I discovered earlier this year on McSweeney's. Adam Rotstein has an undergraduate degree in - get this - neuroscience - but he abandoned the field to pursue his love …

In this episode, I talk to Geeta Kothari, an English professor and author of the new short story collection I Brake For Moose, out now on Braddock Avenue Books.由Behind the Prose

In this episode, we’re venturing into the land of humor. I discovered actress, singer, and writer Gilli Messer during my daily reading. I loved her piece on McSweeney’s: "Young Couple Shares Vows Amidst State Sponsored Chaos." Listen to learn how she landed her first clip on a major humor site and nailed the voice of New York Times’ wedding beat wr…

I met Alyssa Sorresso at the Creative Nonfiction Writer’s Conference in 2015 (not 2014 as I think I said in the podcast). Alyssa’s essay had just been published in Creative Nonfiction, and she approached me after the magazine’s founder and the “Godfather of Creative Nonfiction” Lee Gutkind announced that I was looking for people to interview. Thoug…

Plume Senior Editor Kate Napolitano recorded this in October 2016, right before my schedule went to hell in a Coach bag, but I'm happy to finally share it with you. A graduate of The College of New Jersey, Kate's got a girl-next-door vibe and she gives us an honest look at working your way up the ranks in the world's oldest apprenticeship style car…

Liz Pryor, author of the new memoir Look At You Now, kicks off season two of Behind the Prose. In this episode, I interview Liz with one of my new interns, associate producer and co-host Sarah Lorish. If you don't feel like you can write a book and get it published after you listen to this, then listen to it again. The feeling is bound to surface. …

Write This Way: How to Find and Develop a Niche in Your Writing, A Roundtable Discussion Writers are an eclectic group of people and often have a range of interests. This roundtable discussion, moderated by Keysha Whitaker, explores whether writers should clarify and narrow their interests to develop a personal brand and gives advice on how to deve…

Ask an Editor Panel moderated by In Fact Books Associate Publisher, Ellen Ayoob. The panel features Hattie Fletcher, Creative Nonfiction’s own managing editor, and editors Jessica Bylander and Geeta Kothari. Get an insider’s view—our panel of editors answers your questions about the revision and editing process. Learn how pieces change in revision …

Last year Creative Nonfiction Magazine and Behind the Prose teamed up to bring you special excerpts from the amazing 2016 Creative Nonfiction Writers’ Conference (CNFWC). (Remember Lee Gutkind’s feature panel on how Law and Order teaches story structure to creative nonfiction writers?) This year, if you couldn't join us in Pittsburgh, PA from May 2…

Interviews with Erik Deckers, humor writer, author, and resident #60 of The Kerouac ProjectGeoff Binge of The Kerouac Project由Behind the Prose

If you’ve ever wondered how to write an alternating point-of-view historical novel with prose that wields similes like samurai swords, then Kim Brooks’ second appearance on Behind the Prose is for you. Brooks graces the virtual studio a second time to discuss her debut novel The Houseguest, out on April 12, 2016 on Counterpoint Press. (Her first ti…

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For full show page, visit www.behindtheprose.com Jacki Skole is an award-winning journalist and adjunct professor of communication. She launched her journalism career at CNN, first as a news writer, then as a producer in the network’s documentary unit; she’s also produced programs for Animal Planet and HGTV. Jacki has taught at La Salle University,…

Kim Brooks is the new personal essays editor at Salon, a baton passed on to her from Sarah Hepola. I met Kim (virtually) after I interviewed Sharisse Tracey who had an essay published in Salon. Oh, and by the way, Sharisse Tracey just had another piece published on Yahoo! Parenting - "Why I Moved Out of State and Didn't Take My Children With Me." I…

Happy 2016 Prosers! We've been rocking for almost a year now! Check out the very first Behind the Prose with essayist Tavonne Carson. I'm kicking off 2016 with two great episodes. Today's show features reporter Jessica Contrera who works at The Washington Post. She talks reporting and writing in this episode recorded live with students at Penn Stat…

I recorded this episode in September when Dinty W. Moore’s latest book, Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy: Advice and Confessions on Writing, Love, and Cannibals hit the stands. We talk about that book and his classic memoir Between Panic and Desire. In this interview you’ll learn how to: Craft universality in memoir,Create “character” in nonfiction, an…

This week’s episode goes behind the prose of Sharisse Tracey, a fellow New School Creative Writing Program alum. Sharisse recorded this show in the middle of one of her best writing weeks ever! If you’re not on the email newsletter - why not? - here’s a reminder of why that week in early October was so amazing. (And I do mean amazing. Listen to the…

What do you get if you cross a syndicated newspaper columnist with a business book author on a Pearson imprint with an entrepreneur who owns Pro Blog Service and novelist who's the Spring 2016 writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida? Erik Deckers, this week’s guest of Behind the Prose. I interviewed Erik in August, just be…

Let me just start off by saying that after transcribing writer Sean Ennis' interview (Yeah, I'm back on that again!), I've decided that he's the most conscious self-editor I've interviewed this year. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he’s already assessed whether it’s actually what he means, whether it’s “a dumb pun” or “too dramatic.” He often…

In this meta-writing hour, author and fellow New School alum Scott Alexander Hess, dissects his use and balance of language to create scene and character in his latest book, a historical novel, The Butcher’s Son (a literary fiction hell-of-a-work if I do say so mahself.) The author of three books, Hess masters juxtaposing elements of nature to “agg…

In this Behind the Prose exclusive, I interview Shapiro, who was my thesis mentor while I was an MFA student in the Creative Writing Program at The New School, where she's taught writing since 1993 and won a Distinguished Teaching Award. The first time I took her highly popular "Instant Gratification Takes Too Long" Journalism course, I - like many…

Hey Behind the Prosers, I know you've been waiting for part two of the awesome interview with Gwen Hernandez, and here it is! In this episode we talk about crafting introductions, how the writing software Scrivener helps "plotters" and "pantsers" - (listen to find out which one you are), how Hernandez uses Scrivener to structure her books with four…

Many writers might covet a byline on one of the most popular educational, instructional series ever, the For Dummies line published by Wiley. But not many can snag that gig. For Gwen Hernandez, her story shows how a writer follows a passion that puts her in the “right place at the right time” to compete for a contract on Wiley. In other words, it’s…

Here's the craft-packed episode you've been waiting for - the exciting and extended episode featuring the award-winning international-selling humble and personable Neil Smith. Neil is the author of Bang Crunch, a wildly successful book of short stories. A few weeks ago, he stopped by the virtual Behind the Prose studio to discuss his new novel Boo,…

In May, nearly 200 folks descended on the historic city of Pittsburgh to rub writing elbows with authors, essayists, journalists, and editors at the 2015 Creative Nonfiction Writers’ Conference. Maybe you were there. Maybe you weren’t. If you find yourself in the latter, shame on you. Your penance is to listen to this great episode of Behind the Pr…

Serendipity. Noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: a fortunate stroke of serendipity, a series of small serendipities When I interviewed writer and teacher Kate Walter in the second week of June, I’d already delayed the recording at least a week or two. Then, after a great interview about her memoir,…

In May, I interviewed author Kira Lynne Allen about her new book Write This Second out now on Prashanti Press. In this episode, Kira explains how she used various strategic moves to recreate voice and pace in her work. She tells you what she thinks of the publishing process (as opposed to self-publishing) and whether it helped or hurt her work. You…

Hello from Pittsburgh, PA! I'm way past my bedtime and I still have homework to do for Dinty W. Moore's Master Class at the Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference 2015. But the show must go on. And boy is it a show. Jennifer Niesslein, a founder of Brain, Child Magazine, discusses her latest venture, an online literary journal, Full Grown People an…

It's the most anticipated podcast episode of the season . . . Part Two of Rachel Toor's amazing interview which aired in April. I interviewed Rachel a few weeks ago and we had a great conversation about the magic of fiction. Though On the Road to Find Out is her first novel, the mystical experience she recounts jives with what I've heard other fict…

Yes, you read it right. The legendary Lee Gutkind graces the Behind the Prose virtual studio for a chat with yours truly. In this interview, we discuss everything from what time he goes to bed to how he crafted an overall narrative in a collection of stand-alone essays in his book Forever Fat: Essays by the Godfather. Plus, you get the scoop on wha…

This episode of Behind the Prose is more like Behind the Lyrics. Indiana-born, New York-based singer/songwriter Gandhi takes us on a journey that starts when he taught himself how to play the guitar and write songs. That was 15 years ago. Today, like prose writers, Gandhi says through an process of experimentation and practice, he’s found his voice…

Though she hesitates to call herself a “writer” (she thinks it sounds self-important), author and columnist Rachel Toor has written her way into a new Young Adult novel and onto my list of writers I want to be when I grow up. You’ll remember I blogged about her wise but rude writing advice, and as soon as I hit publish, I emailed her to invite her …

This week’s episode features a candid conversation with Washington Post reporter Soraya McDonald. In this interview, you’ll recognize right away the wit that shades much of her prose. Soraya is a graduate of Howard University and began covering the high school sports desk as an college intern. After traveling across the country completing journalis…

This week's episode has all kinds of literary good stuff: - a Q&A with Lisa Cron, the author of Wired for Story - a feature interview with writer and editor Chesley Clammer - The Writer's Check-In Visit BehindtheProse.com for the episode show page that includes links and transcripts for this episode.…

In this week's episode, I talk to author and journalist Kenny Porpora about his debut memoir The Autumn Balloon. The show also features: An interview with Emily Griffin, Kenny's editor at Grand Central Publishing Writers on Writing Radio Show My New School MFA classmate Erin Harris Writer's Psych with Dr. Ike Listen on demand or download on iTunes.…

Woe be unto you writer, should you land in a Washington Post article titled “The five worst sentences I read in January.” When I read that post written by the new nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada, I knew two things. First, I needed to interview Lozada. Second, I was afraid to write him an email. Lozada’s voice engaged me because in addition to …

Author Cameron Conaway is a triple threat. He writes. He teaches. He fights. The latter was literal several years ago when he stepped into the ring as a Mixed Martial Artist but now his battles are on the world stage, raising awareness for preventable diseases like malaria through poetry and prose. His latest book, Malaria, Poems, is born of that c…

Besides having one of the best writer’s websites I’ve ever seen, Joan Dempsey has successfully merged the craft she loves with a business model that helps others reach their writing goals. On March 8 at 6 PM EST, she joins me on the Behind the Prose Radio Show to tell us how she lives the literary life oh-so-well. There are things I want to know li…

It is with great Behind the Prose pride that I share awesome news about Natalie Baszile's first novel. Queen Sugar is moving to Oprah Winfrey's OWN network under the helm of "Selma" director Ava DuVernay. I am proud, but I'm not surprised. Days before the news broke, I wrote "If there ever was a novel that surely will be a movie, Queen Sugar is it.…

*** UPDATE #2 - AFTER THE SHOW *** This episode is filled to capacity with awesomeness. First, you'll hear the rest of Associate Senior Editor Roxanne K. Young's interview about her work at the Journal of the American Medical Association and Dr. Andrew Bomback's essay "Errands" which ran in the "A Piece of My Mind Column" in JAMA. (BTW: His episode…

UPDATE ---- JAMA PROVIDED FREE ACCESS TO BOMBACK'S ESSAY FOR A LIMITED TIME!! --- THANK YOU JAMA! Think you don't have time to write? Andrew Bomback is a physician and writer (with toddlers and a wife) but he's still managed to write a novel, a textbook, many academic papers, and first-person essays. On Sunday, February 15, we'll discuss his two no…

I've never read Frankenstein. And honestly, I never wanted to. But then I found "This Monstrous Heart" by Aimee Baker. By the time she finished weaving in and out of three narratives in the creative nonfiction essay, I not only wanted to read Mary Shelley's legendary tome and every autobiography about her messy life, I wanted to devour anything Bak…

This episode of Behind the Prose features an interview with writer and artist Soo Na Pak. Soo Na Pak lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her essays and prose appear in The Butter; TheRumpus.net; AlterNet.org; “Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption” (South End Press); Hamilton Stone Review; and Digital Artifact Magazine. On Sunday’s sho…

On Sunday, January 25, 2015, Jennifer Genest, MFA will join me on Behind the Prose to discuss two of her recent publications in the genres of fiction and creative nonfiction. We will be close reading and discussing her flash fiction story "Ways to Prepare White Perch" and her creative non-fiction essay "Her Fighting Weight - A Postpartum Experience…

In the pilot episode of Behind the Prose, I interview writer Tavonne Carson who has her MFA from The New School. Tavonne's essay "Closer," which features her unique ability to convey details with rich description, was published in Gastronmica, The Journal of Critical Food Studies. She lives and writes in New York City and is pitching her first manu…