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, Google, or your favorite podcast app.
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EPISODES
(2001 - present)
Erica Garza and Jennifer Haupt on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, Jennifer Haupt joins to discuss her debut novel, In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills. She discusses thorny issues surrounding cultural appropriation, how her work in journalism impacted her work as a fiction writer, the importance of travel, the difficulties of writing a novel over the course of years, revision, and more.
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(Broadcast date: April 4, 2018)
Jasmin Darznik and Tara Westover on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, memoirist Tara Westover joins to talk about her debut memoir, Educated. Tara grew up in Idaho, under the care of a father who didn't trust the government. That meant no birth certificate, no medical care, and no school. Tara shares her journey to Harvard and Cambridge, and her journey to writing the memoir. She talks about teaching herself to write by using the New Yorker Fiction podcasts, discovering what her book was really about, and finding the embedded metaphors inside her life.
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(Broadcast date: March 21, 2018)
John Dufresne and Susan Henderson on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
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(Broadcast date: March 28, 2018)
Dennis Palumbo and Veera Hiranandani on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, Veera Hiranandani joins to discuss her debut young adult novel, The Night Diary. She talks about the pleasures and limitations from the diary format, writing from a distant place and distant time, teaching history without being didactic, and more.
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(Broadcast date: March 14, 2018)
John Freeman and Jensen Beach on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, Jensen Beach talks about his collection, Swallowed by the Cold. These interlocking stories, set in Sweden, provide the groundwork for a discussion of setting, character, pacing and plot in the short story form.
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(Broadcast date: November 1, 2017)
Leni Zumas on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, with Nicole Nelson
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(Broadcast date: March 07, 2018)
Kristin Hannah discusses "The Great Alone" on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
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(Broadcast date: February 28, 2018)
Catherine Banner and Kelly Corrigan on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, Kelly Corrigan discusses her latest, Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say. Corrigan talks about several of those hard things, the need to re-write something 42 times to make it appear easy and seamless, the importance of details and the tines of a fork, and much more great wisdom and advice.
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(Broadcast date: February 14, 2018)
PLEASE NOTE: Catherine Banner's interview cuts off a bit early due to technical difficulties.
Dean Koontz and Patrick Nathan on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
In the second half, debut novelist Patrick Nathan joins to share his novel, Some Hell. He talks about the long journey of novel writing, character development, revision, and more.
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(Broadcast date: January 17, 2018)
Peter Heller on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, with B. DeMarco-Barrett
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(Broadcast date: Feb. 21, 2018)
Attica Locke and Janet Buttenweiser
In the second half, Janet Buttenweiser joins to talk about her memoir Guts. In addition to sharing her personal story, Janet talks about crafting a compelling narrative from life events, the emotional distance required to write objectively, finding the metaphors in real-life events, and much more.
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(Broadcast date: January 31, 2018)
Ivy Pochoda with B. DeMarco-Barrett on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM in Irvine
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(Broadcast date: Dec. 6, 2017)
Gayle Brandeis and Jessica Bruder on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM in Irvine
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(Broadcast date: Feb. 7, 2018)
Tom Sleigh on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM in Irvine, CA
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(Broadcast date: January 10, 2018)
Kathleen Sharp on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM in Irvine
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(Broadcast date: January 3, 2018)
Michelle Ross and Jess Arndt
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(Broadcast date: November 8, 2017)
Maud Casey and Edwidge Danticat
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(Broadcast date: December 13, 2017)
Caitlin Rother on Writing True Crime on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
Caitlin is the author of a dozen books, a writing coach, teacher and investigative journalist. She can be found both on FaceBook and her website: http://caitlinrother.com/.
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(Broadcast date: November 29, 2017)
Beverly Gray and Carmen Machado on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
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(Broadcast date: November 22, 2017)
Jeffrey Eugenides on his Novels and the Short Story Form on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM
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(Broadcast date: October 25, 2017)
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed on this program do not reflect those of KUCI, its management, or the UC Board of Regents. For more information on this talk show, or other talk shows, visit our website at www.kuci.org.