From debut authors to Pulitzer Prize winners, Writers on Writing tackles a little of everything — novels, short stories, memoir, poetry, and more, as well as interviews with agents and publishers.

Unlike other shows dedicated to discussing books, we focus on the art, craft, and business of writing. Writers appreciate the opportunity to talk about the artistic elements of their job — the thousands of decisions that must be made to produce a manuscript. There’s no aspect of craft, creativity, and publishing we don’t explore.

We’ve hosted well over 1,500 authors on the show including Elizabeth Strout, S.A. Cosby, Ann Patchett, Amor Towles, and George Saunders. Expert advice from some of the industry’s top writers allows us to offer a show that’s been called “your own personal MFA program” (with no financial strain).

Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Host: Marrie Stone

Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

EPISODES

(2001 - present)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 9/2/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 9/2/13

Jenny Milchman, author of the novel, Cover of Snow, came on the show to talk about her book, perseverance, and suspense writing.

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(Broadcast date: August 14, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/28/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/28/13

Constance Hale talks about Sin and Syntax with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Constance Hale, author of the revised and updated edition of Sin and Syntax came on the show to talk about writing and style with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and Nicole Nelson

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(Broadcast date: August 21, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/26/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/26/13

Fevered author Linda Marsa talks about her new book

Good friend and colleague, Linda Marsa, author of Fevered, came on the show to talk about her new narrative nonfiction book and about freelancing. Download audio. (Broadcast date: August 7, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/22/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 8/22/13

Susan Choi and Jessica Lott

Novelists Susan Choi (My Education) and Jessica Lott (The Rest of Us) talk about their books and writing with guest host Nicole Nelson.
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(Broadcast date: July 31, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/27/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/27/13

Novelists Karen Joy Fowler and David Groves are guests on Writers on Writing

Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, and David Groves, author of What Happens to Us, talk with my guest host Nicole Nelson and with me about their novels, their process, and ebooks.
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(Broadcast date: July 24, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/24/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/24/13

Novelists Erika Robuck and Courtney Angela Brkic on Writers on Writing

Guest host Nicole Nelson talks with novelists Erika Robuck, author of Call Me Zelda and Courtney Angela Brkic, author of The First Rule of Swimming. Download audio.
Please be aware there may be technical problems with the broadcast...it's not you, it's us... (Broadcast date: July 3, 2013)

Marrie 7/15/13 Marrie 7/15/13

Literary Agent Vicky Bijur

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Vicky Bijur, New York City literary agent.

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(Broadcast date: February 11, 2009)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/15/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/15/13

Curtis Sittenfeld talks about Sisterland on Writers on Writing

Guest host Nicole Nelson and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, producer and host of Writers on Writing, talk with Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Sisterland, about her new novel and about writing.

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(Broadcast date: July 3, 2013)

Marrie 7/15/13 Marrie 7/15/13

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, on Writers on Writing

Here's one from the archives... Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.

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(Broadcast Date: December 8, 2010)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/15/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/15/13

Literary agent Vicky Bijur & Robert Olen Butler, Part II

Literary agent Vicky Bijur and Robert Olen Butler, for Part II of the interview with him. Part I took place on 8/2/11. He's author of A Small Hotel.

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(Broadcast date: August 10, 2011.)

Marrie 7/11/13 Marrie 7/11/13

Caroline Leavitt & Howard Norman

Marrie Stone chats with Caroline Leavitt, author of Is This Tomorrow, about being an outsider, how writing can't escape personal experience, and what perseverance really looks like. In the second half hour, Howard Norman discusses his memoir, I Hate To Leave This Beautiful Place, his love of ornithology, and the power of place.

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(Broadcast date: July 10, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/9/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/9/13

Literary agent Ted Weinstein talks about the state of publishing on Writers on Writing

San Francisco-based agent Ted Weinstein talks about the current state of publishing, and offers advice to writers: Let agents find you (he talks about how), become a multimedia empire (he talks about how), new publishing models (he talks about these), and more.

(Note: There's a bit of technical trouble toward the beginning of the interview and at the end, about 50 minutes in. It's not you, it's me.)

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Broadcast date: June 26, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/2/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/2/13

Lauren Weisburger and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talk about Revenge Wears Prada

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Weisburger at the Newport Beach Library last Tuesday, June 25. We talk about her new novel as well as her writing process. Listen by clicking here.

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/2/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 7/2/13

Foodie novelist Erica Bauermeister talks about writing

Erica Bauermeister, author of The Lost Art of Mixing, talks with Barbara about her work, interconnected short stories, mind-mapping, and more on this June 2013 episode of Writers on Writing.

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(Broadcast date: June 5, 2013)

Marrie 6/12/13 Marrie 6/12/13

Colum McCann & Joan Silber

Marrie Stone interviews Colum McCann, author of TransAtlantic, who chats about why the Irish are literary geniuses, how structuring a novel is like conducting an orchestra, and his disregard of the terms "fiction" versus "non-fiction" in favor of story. In the second half hour, Joan Silber talks about her collection of interlinked short stories, Fools.

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(Broadcast date: June 12, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 5/10/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 5/10/13

Judith Schwartz talks about her new book, Cows Save the Planet

Judith Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Plant (Chelsea Green) came on the show to talk about how cows are not only cute--they are useful in countless ways. They've also been much maligned for their methane gassy ways. It's not so! Listen to find out why. Judy also talked about how her articles about soil and the environment segued to a book length manuscript.

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(Broadcast date: May 8, 2013)

Marrie 5/10/13 Marrie 5/10/13

Anna Quindlen & Meg Wolitzer

Guest host Marrie Stone chats with Anna Quindlen about her new memoir, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake and Meg Wolitzer, author of The Interestings.

Please note that Anna's interview finishes abruptly and Meg's interview begins mid-stream due to studio recording issues. We apologize for the technical snafu, but the majority of both interviews were captured. Thanks for your patience.

Download audio of Anna Quindlen.

Download audio of Meg Wolitzer.

(Broadcast date: April 24, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/19/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/19/13

Hilary Davidson on Writers on Writing with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Hilary Davidson, author of Evil in All its Disguises (Forge), talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her latest mystery.

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(Broadcast date: April 9, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/18/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/18/13

Kevin Smokler, Peggy Payne, and Jillian Lauren on Writers on Writing

Kevin Smokler, author of Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School(Prometheus) during the first half, and during the second half, Peggy Payne, author of Cobalt Blue, and Jillian Lauren, author of Pretty: A Novel.

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(Broadcast date: April 10, 2013)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/17/13 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 4/17/13

Alison Singh Gee, author of Where the Peacocks Sing, on Writers on Writing

Alison Singh Gee, author of Where the Peacocks Sing: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home (St. Martin's Press) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new memoir and the process of writing it.

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(Broadcast date: April 17, 2013)