Plume: A Writer's Podcast

Team Plume is reanimating, dusting off the last year, and sharing our first podcast in a while. In today’s episode, we bring you a ghosty story circle with writing that taps into the otherworldly… just in time for Halloween and the Samhain season! Featuring writing from (in order of appearance):  Danielle Hanson – “Ghosts and Mirrors,” poetry  Melanie Unruh – “Altar Me,” poetry Dawn Sperber – “Gho...

In this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with featured writer, Crystal (K.) Odelle, about  flash prose,  trans identity, the blurred lines between fiction and nonfiction, liminal spaces, chapbook publishing, RPG writing, and more! Crystal (K.) Odelle  (they/she) is a queer trans writer, chapbooks editor at Newfound , and author of the novel Goodnight. Their flash stories have appeared in Gertrude , P...

In today's mini episode, we offer you a brief reprieve from the hellscape of the news in the form of a magical short story by Plume's own Dawn Sperber. "If the River Men Take You" is a lovely tale from Dawn's debut flash fiction chapbook, Now, That's a Trick , out for pre-order now from Finishing Line Books . Preorder your copy today! We hope you enjoy the reading! Da...

In this episode, we’ve paired two mother-daughter writing duos to talk about how to support (and take seriously!) young writers and their creative endeavors. Sam hosts a conversation between returning-guest Jenn Ghivan and her 10-year-old daughter, Lina, and Ileisha Saunders and her 10-year-old daughter, Odyssey Miranda Mercado. About Our Guests: Jennifer & Adelina Ghivan Jennifer has earned f...

In this episode, Melanie and Dawn talk with featured writer, Jessamine Chan, about her New York Times bestselling novel The School For Good Mothers , publishing your first novel after 40, writing envy, motherhood, art and social change, “unlikeable” women in fiction, and more! Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Jessamin...

To kick off Season 3, Plumesters Sam and Dawn are turning the tables on their fellow co-host, Melanie Unruh, and talking to her about writing novels, sticking with large projects, and the founding of Plume. We're so excited to share this new season with you all! CW: grief and abortion Melanie Unruh has an MFA in fiction from the University of New Mexico. Her writing has appeared in and is for...

We can’t believe we’ve just completed the second season of our podcast. We have enjoyed this beautiful, encouraging, supportive ride, and are excited to offer up our season 2 finale. In this episode, we’ll break from our usual roundtable format. We thought, what better way is there to end the year than to include in this final episode as many voices from our Plume community as possible? The result...

In this episode, Melanie and Dawn talk with November featured writer, Kendra Tuthill, about self-publishing; writing through grief; setting small, timed writing goals, and more. Plus, Kendra reads her thought-provoking letter of encouragement, which explores the effects of writers losing their attention spans in the age of social media. Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to a...

In this episode, we talk with three writers who identify with Pagan traditions or as witches. We focus on how magic influences their writing, how they move through the world with this belief system and identity, how to ethically incorporate magic and spirituality into writing, and more. CW: child loss, sexual assault, and religious intolerance Jenn's website Britt's website Dawn's w...

In this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with October featured writer, Nari Kirk, about her writing process, poetic influences on her prose, MFA reflections, writing about grief, and more. Plus, Nari reads her engaging letter of encouragement, which explores the ways in which we often try to force writing into a work ethic. Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to an upcoming bonus...

In this episode, we’ve pulled back the curtain on what happens behind the scenes of a literary magazine. It’s a great one for those of you who’ve never worked on a literary magazine before or perhaps you are just starting to submit your work for the same time as it offers some advice for what to do, some insight into what editors look for, and some sense of the labor involved in putting out a lite...

In this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with September featured writer, Paula Treick DeBoard, about low residency MFA programs, balancing writing and teaching, publishing industry labels for writing by women, and more! Plus, Paula reads her compelling letter of encouragement. Join our Patreon for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Paula talks about her riveting novel exc...

We asked and you answered! By popular vote, our Patreon community members chose this roundtable topic. In this discussion, Sam, Melanie, Dawn, and guests Jameela F. Dallis, Cynthia Patton, and Cassie McClure talk about the tricky nature of writing about real people, others’ reactions to their work, writing through grief,  deciding who owns a story, and more. TW// Intimate partner violence and Coro...

In this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with August featured writer, Lisa D. Chavéz , about poetry, creative nonfiction, writing through trauma, MFA programs, and more! CW: sexual assault, trauma, and PTSD Lisa D. Chavéz has published two books of poetry, Destruction Bay and In An Angry Season , and had poems anthologized in Floricanto Si!: U.S. Latina Poets , Camino del Sol:  Fifteen Years of Latin...

In this roundtable discussion, Sam, Melanie, and guests Casandra López, Erin Adair-Hodges, and Suzanne Richardson talk about the role of feminism in writing today, living and writing intersectional feminist lives, writing the body, writing as an act of reclamation, and more. TW// Physical assault, sexual assault, violence against women, disordered eating, gun violence, genocide, & colonialism...

In this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with July featured writer, Cynthia Sylvester, about writing dialogue, finding and defending your voice, the confluence of music and storytelling,  writing about the southwest from a Diné perspective , compiling her new cross-genre collection, and more. Cynthia Sylvester recently completed a collection of short stories and poems, The Half-White Album.   Work fr...

In this roundtable discussion, Sam and guests Marlena Chertock, Belinda Kremer, and Summer Wood talk about what it means to be a queer writer, navigating the publishing industry and workshops designed by and for straight white men, using their voices to uplift communities and shed light on oppression,  the genealogy of queerness, and so much more. CW// forced sterilization Summer's website Ma...

In this episode, Melanie and Sam chat with June featured writer Elsa Valmidiano about writing Filipino heritage. They talk about her story "Down the Rabbit Hole", the inadequacy of labels, and the role of forgotten shamans.  Elsa reads her letter of encouragement and shares some dazzling writers we should be reading now. Elsa's website We Are No Longer Babaylan Elsa on Instagram Wri...

In Plume's first roundtable discussion, Melanie chats with writers and moms, Julia Halprin Jackson, Christina Socorro Yovovich, and Jennifer Jordán Schaller. They discuss dual identities, juggling writing and parenting in the midst of the pandemic, writing about and for their children, current projects, and more. Julia's website Play on Words Christina's recent essays: "Taking...

Welcome to season two, Plumesters! In this episode, Melanie and Sam chat with May featured writer Tia Clark about narrative structure, intersectionality, short story collections, writing fellowships, and the passage of time as it relates to our writing. Tia reads their letter of encouragement, shares excellent writing advice, and gives us a heads up on writers we should be reading now. Tia on Twit...

In this episode, which marks the last from Plume's first season, Melanie interviews the delightful writer Melanie S. Hatter. They talk about work/life/writing balance, writing retreats, and Melanie's award-winning novel, Malawi's Sisters . At the end of the episode, Melanie (Unruh) gives important updates on Plume's new structure and relaunch, including some exciting new Patreo...

As many of you know, Plume’s co-founder, Jennifer Simpson, passed away suddenly in December.  In this special recording, Jenn's friends and family read her essays, blogs, and poems to honor her beautiful work, as well as her generous spirit.  Karin Zirk: “42 Years of Title IX: Where Are We Now?” 5:59 Debby Simpson: “First Dance” 8:17  Cindy Sylvester: “After, We Were Birds” 9:27  Nora Hickey:...

Melanie gives some Plume updates at the top of the show and the rest of the episode is an interview with Tierna Unruh-Enos, the associate publisher and managing editor of The Paper , a weekly alternative newspaper in Albuquerque, and the producer and creator of the podcast The Mesa. They talk about politics, representation in media, creativity in journalistic writing, and yes, men's fragile e...

Melanie and Jennifer unpack the idea of writer's block, discuss dream-boarding your story ideas, chat about books and writing and setting descriptions, and share a writing prompt. They interview Felecia Caton-Garcia, who shares a heartbreakingly beautiful excerpt from her novel in progress. Links Plume Zoom Writers' Support Group (free!) Registration Is It Real? 25 Famous Writers on Writ...

In this episode, Melanie and Jennifer talk about writing conferences after Melanie shares her experience of recently attending her first fully online one, which included speed dates with editors and agents. They chat with poet Jennifer Lynn Krohn about horror movies, giving advice to her younger self, and if the word "zeitgeist" is actually meaningful. Links Jennifer Lynn Krohn's we...