Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

Welcome to the final installment of my interview with Cynthia Weiner, author of the brand new book “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City that is inspired by both Cynthia's own upbringing on the Upper East Side during the 80s and the infamous Preppy Killer. Cynthia is also the assistant director of the writer's studio in New York City and her short fiction has be...

In part two of my interview with Cynthia Weiner, author of a hot-off-the-presses coming-of-age-novel, “A Gorgeous Excitement,” we cover what I call inner stuff, the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it. We unpacked: - Learning how to tolerate the discomfort of sharing your work - And how to ignore the voice that tells you nobody cares what...

This week I'm talking with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City. “A Gorgeous Excitement” is inspired by Cynthia's own 80s upbringing on the Upper East Side of New York, as well as the infamous Preppy Killer, a former prep school student who killed a girl in Central Park in the summer of 1986 and who frequented a bar called Dorian's, wh...

As we come up on the end of the year AND this podcast's one-year anniversary, I wanted to share the things from the last six months of interviews that are still sticking with me--a little tour of the a-ha moments and insights that have made a lasting impression. It's a little walk down memory lane, a little like re-reading your journal well after the fact. I also have some news to share and a teen...

Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Laura Belgray, author of the national bestseller Tough Titties, a collection of essays that is essentially a permission slip to be a dork, a sometimes-unspiritual slacker, a late bloomer and, ultimately, unapologetically you. Laura is the founder of Talking Shrimp and co-creator of The Copy Cure with Marie Forleo. She has been featured in...

Welcome back to the second part of my conversation with guest Laura Belgray, author of “Tough Titties,” a hilarious, bestselling collection of NYC-flavored life lessons that Laura’s own husband calls a “loser Sex and the City.” Today I’m talking with Laura about what I call inner stuff–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re not fully conscious of it We covered: •...

This week my guest is Laura Belgray, author of the national bestseller Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You’re the F-ing Worst. Laura is also an internet-famous copywriter, founder of Talking Shrimp, and co-creator, with Marie Forleo, of The Copy Cure. Laura started her writing career at Spy Magazine, New York Magazine, and then VH1 before starting her own copywriting and teaching busi...

In this final part of my conversation with Susan Merrell (author of Shirley: A Novel, teacher in the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at the Lichtenstein Center of Stony Brook Southampton, and co-creator, with the novelist Meg Wolitzer, of the BookEnds Fellowship novel revision program) we talk about where her personal throughline is leading her next and she shares how she’s been writing two d...

In this second part of my interview with Susan Merrell, author of Shirley: A Novel, teacher in the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at the Lichtenstein Center of Stony Brook Southampton, and co-creator, with the novelist Meg Wolitzer, of the BookEnds Fellowship novel revision program, we talk about what I call inner stuff–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re...

This week my guest is Susan Scarf Merrell, author of Shirley: A Novel, which became a major motion picture. She’s also the author of A Member of the Family, and The Accidental Bond: How Sibling Connections Influence Adult Relationships. Susan teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at the Lichtenstein Center of Stony Brook Southampton, and she is the co-creator, with the novelist Meg W...

In this final installment of the Finding the Throughline interview with James Beard Award-nominated journalist Hannah Selinger (whose book, Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, will be released in 2025 and is available for pre-order now), we talk about what’s coming up next for her as well as what she’s been reading, watching, and eating, including: - The badass Martha Stewart documen...

Welcome back to my interview with Hannah Selinger–James Beard Award-nominated lifestyle journalist, Certified Sommelier, about-to-be memoirist, and–surprise!-someone who just sold her first novel. In this episode we really get into the nitty gritty of the mindset it takes to build a career as a journalist and author. We covered: The amazing feeling that happens when a longer piece of writing falls...

This week my guest is Hannah Selinger, a James Beard Award-nominated lifestyle journalist who is also a Certified Sommelier. Hannah's work has appeared in a long list of prestigious places, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Wine Enthusiast, Al Jazeera, and more. Her book Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly...

In this final part of my interview with Antonia Angress, author of "Sirens & Muses," we peek at what’s coming around the bend for her and I get her answers to my fast five questions. (Note–this episode is a replay. We’ll be back to new episodes next week, yay!) We talked about: - The novels about motherhood Antonia is reading to prepare for when her baby is born - The pressure on young women autho...

n this episode I'm talking with Antonia Angress, author of “Sirens & Muses” and a 2024 NEA Creative Writing Fellow about the squishier side of creativity–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it. (Note–this episode is a replay. We’ll be back to new episodes next week, yay!) - The part of the writing process that Antonia relishes - The speci...

This week I am talking to writer Antonia Angress. Antonia is the author of "Sirens & Muses," which starts off as a campus novel set at a New England art school, but then blooms into an exploration of the intersection of home and belonging versus individualism and seeking to stand out, set in the New York City art scene during the Occupy Wall Street era. "Sirens & Muses" was named one of the best b...

In this final part of my interview with Palestinian-American, award-nominated memoirist, Nada Samih-Rotondo, we covered: - A preview of her second memoir, which has a central theme of earthquakes, both the geological variety and the personal kind (it sounds amazing I cannot wait) - The allure of folk tales and fairy tales - The joy of going down a research wormhole - Nada’s current obsessions–turt...

In this episode I'm talking with Nada about what I call inner stuff, the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it, including: - How her least favorite part of writing (sharing her work) becoming her most favorite part - The type of reader feedback that fills her heart and lights her up and fuels her to create - Feeling out of step with the worl...

My guest this week is Nada Samih-Rotondo, a multi-genre Palestinian-American writer, teacher, and mother, who recently published her first book, a memoir called All Water Has Perfect Memory, which has been shortlisted for the 2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, Nada immigrated to the U.S. at the age of six to Rhode Island. Her work has been...

Warning–there’s at least one swear word in today’s episode and it’s coming up quick. If you’re listening with sensitive ears--either yours or someone else’s--within earshot, this is your heads up. My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulette has written two essays that have gone viral, including “A Story of a Fuck Off Fund,” which was included in the anthol...

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author of the book “Welcome to the Writer’s Life,” Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among many other places. She also hosts a virtual writing salon called A Very Important Meeting, teaches many online writing classes, and works with folks one-on-one as a writing coach. We talked about: - How bei...

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among other places, and she’s written two essays that have gone viral, including “A Story of a Fuck-Off Fund,” which was included in the anthology Freshman Year of Life. Paulette helps others make their way as writers, with her book about writing, called...

Welcome to the final installment of my talk with historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books. As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fift...

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with Kenneth C. Davis, author of the brand new book THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day. Kenneth is also the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bests...

Today my guest is historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” and a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books, proving that Americans don’t hate history — they just hate the dull version they slept through in class. As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD...