DIY MFA Radio

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Jane Anders. Charlie Jane is the author of the essay collection Never Say You Can't Survive along with the short story collection Even Greater Mistakes.  Her other books include The City in the Middle of the Night and All the Birds in the Sky . Her fiction and journalism have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Slate, McSweeney's,...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing J.L. Torres. J.L. is the author of a novel, The Accidental Native , as well as the short collection The Family Terrorist and Other Stories , a collection of poetry, Boricua Passport , and Migrations , a short story collection that won the inaugural Tomás Rivera Book Prize.  He has published stories and poems in numerous journals and magazines including Th...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sacha Black. Sacha is an author, rebel podcaster, and professional speaker. She has five obsessions; words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories, self-improvement, and breaking the rules. Sacha writes books about people with magical powers and other books about the art of writing. When she's not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, sni...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mark McGuinness. Mark is an award-winning poet, author, podcaster and host of The 21st Century Creative, as well as a coach for creative professionals. He is also someone I've had the pleasure of calling a colleague and friend for nearly a decade. When Mark told me about his latest project, a new podcast titled A Mouthful of Air, I knew I had to bring him...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing someone very special. Aside from being an author of a hilarious romantic comedy, she is also a mainstay of the DIY MFA community. This person is, of course, Tammy Lough. Growing up, Tammy had dual-career goals, she wanted to be a nurse and a writer. When she was three she played nurse to her dolls when they got sick, fell off her bed, or broke their bones...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Polick . Amanda is a writer, book coach, and food writing columnist for DIY MFA. She began her career with acting and improv, she shifted focus to food writing which led to her being the first dedicated segment producer of Facebook Live for Time Inc. While in that role, she oversaw more than 300 live segments and created the company's Food Media Ju...

Today, I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Marcus Harrison Green. Marcus is the publisher of the South Seattle Emerald, and a columnist with the Seattle Times.  Growing up in South Seattle, he experienced first-hand the impact of one-dimensional stories on marginalized communities, which taught him the value of authentic narratives. After an unfulfilling stint in the investment world dur...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Baab-Muguira. Catherine is a writer and journalist who has contributed to many media outlets, including Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. She is a frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker's Upgrade. Catherine currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son. Today we'll be discussing her first b...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Khanh Ha. Khanh is the author of Flesh and The Demon Who Peddled Longing .  He is a seven-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for the Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, and The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize.  He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, the Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fictio...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Debbie Macomber. Debbie is the author of many books including: It's Better This Way , A Walk Along the Beach , Window on the Bay , Cottage by the Sea , Any Dream Will Do , If Not for You , and the Rose Harbor Inn series. Thirteen of her novels have been New York Times #1 bestsellers, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hal...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie BwaBwa. Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition. She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themsel...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Andy Marino. Andy Marino was born in upstate New York, spent half his life in New York City, and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He works as a freelance writer. The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess is his first horror novel   In this episode Andy and I discuss: Why addiction and recovery provide a rich backdrop for a horror novel. How he crafted a cold...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kiffer Brown. Kathryn (Kiffer) Brown is the CEO and co-founder of Chanticleer Reviews and Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards (The CIBAs) that Discover Today's Best Books. The company differentiates itself with "under the hood" digital technology that increases the digital footprint of each book review and CIBA winner developed by her super-geek husband, Argus...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Philip Lopate. Phillip is the author of over a dozen books:  4 personal essay collections ( Bachelorhood, Against Joie de Vivre, Portrait of My Body, and Portrait Inside my Head ), as well as Being with Children, Waterfront , and Notes on Sontag 3 works of fiction ( Confessions of Summer , The Rug Merchant , and Two Marriages ) 3 poetry collections ( The...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Gonzalez James. Elizabeth's stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, The Rumpus, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She is also a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Her debut novel Mona at Sea was a finalist in the 2019 SFWP Literary Awards judged by Carmen Maria Ma...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Traci Sorell and Carole Boston Weatherford. Traci is the author of the critically acclaimed book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located. Today we're talking about her picture book Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Eng...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Finola Austin. Finola Austin, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist and lover of the 19th century. Her first novel, Bronte's Mistress , was published in 2020. When she's not writing novels or her blog, she works in digital advertising.   In this epis...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Marissa Levien. Marissa is a writer and artist who hails from Washington State and now lives in New York with a kindly journalist and their two cats. The World Gives Way is her first novel.   In this episode Marissa and I discuss: How current and recent events influenced the dystopian future of her novel. The unique point of view shifts she writes at the...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rajani LaRocca. Rajani was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning novels and picture books.  She has always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels, picture books, prose and poetry.  She finds inspiration in her fami...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kris Clink. Kris writes about relatable characters who rely on humor and tenderness to navigate complicated relationships. Set in middle America, her novels are laced with romance, heartbreak, and just enough snarky humor to rock the boat. When not writing, Kris spends her time searching for an open karaoke mike and an understanding audience. Born and rai...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman. Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman have been great friends for over 20 years and are now co-authors. Their friendship has sustained them through the ups and downs of raising kids, juggling careers, and creating new family traditions. Girls with Bright Futures , their debut novel, out now, is a dark, suspenseful journey into...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman. Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman have been great friends for over 20 years and are now co-authors. Their friendship has sustained them through the ups and downs of raising kids, juggling careers, and creating new family traditions. Girls with Bright Futures , their debut novel, out now, is a dark, suspenseful journey into...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Elly Griffiths. Elly is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series and the stand-alone novels The Stranger Diaries and The Postscript Murders . She is a recipient of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. She lives in Brighton, England. Today we'll be discussing The Postscript...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Veronica G. Henry. Veronica was born in Brooklyn, New York, and has been a bit of a rolling stone ever since. Her work has appeared in various online publications. She is a graduate of the Viable Paradise Workshop and a member of SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America). She now writes from North Carolina, where she eschews rollerballs for foun...

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brandie June. Brandie spent most of her childhood onstage or reading, as both activities let her live in fantastic stories. She moved to Los Angeles to study acting at UCLA, and eventually branched out into costume design and playwriting. While she spends most of her free time writing, she will still take any excuse to play dress-up, especially if it invo...