An Evening with Memoirists Claire Bidwell Smith, Dinah Lenney and James Brown at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series.

This podcast was recorded in May 2012 at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series in Corona del Mar, CA. The panel is comprised of Claire Bidwell Smith, Dinah Lenney, and James Brown, moderated by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett. If you'd like news about upcoming speaker series event, visit penonfire.com/speakerseries.

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 (Broadcast date: May 12, 2012)

Novelist Dara Horn and poet Gary Soto on Writers on Writing

Novelist Dara Horn and poet Gary Soto talk with guest host Nicole Nelson on the show.

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(Broadcast date: Sept. 25, 2013)

Memoirist Beverly Donofrio visits Writers on Writing

Memoirist Beverly Donofrio, author of Astonished, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Looking for Mary came on the show to primarily discuss her latest, Astonished. One highlight: When an editor bought Riding in Cars with Boys, she visited him in his office. He started talking to her about her memoir, but she said no, no, she had written a novel.  "I can't sell a novel," he said.  "I can sell a memoir." Donofrio hemmed and hawed a lil bit, then said, Well, okay, I didn't make anything up. 

Donofrio is a memoirist through and through.  Very entertaining, especially difficult to do when telling a story about being raped after 50 and the journey it led her on.

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 (Broadcast date: Sept. 18, 2013)

Suspense novelist Gregg Hurwitz on Writers on Writing

Gregg Hurwitz, author of Tell No Lies, is Barbara's guest for the entire show. He talks about writing suspense fiction, and his latest novel, Tell No Lies.

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(Broadcast date: Sept. 4, 2013)

Said Sayrafiezadeh and C.E. Poverman on Writers on Writing

Marrie Stone talks with short story writer Said Sayrafiezadeh about his latest collection, Brief Encounters with the Enemy.   In the second half hour, C.E. Poverman discusses his novel, Love by Drowning.  (There is a brief delay in the second half, as the interview starts a little late.  Stay tuned.) 


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(Broadcast date: August 28, 2013)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Literary Agent Vicky Bijur

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

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(Broadcast date: February 11, 2009)

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)

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)

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.)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)