The Metaworker Podcast

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Nancy Noelke and Bryce Painter about unfinished work—those ‘buried’ drafts. They talk about how an idea develops, sometimes over years, and how they decide when a piece is finished or whether it should stay a draft. The group also discusses the vulnerability of sharing unfinished work and how it provides insight into one’s development as a writ...

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Kathryn Temple and Matthew Smallwood about unfinished work—those ‘buried’ drafts—and what they do with them. Kathryn reads two unfinished poems, “The Lawyer Reads Yeats” and “Dis: A Dictionary Entry” while Matthew explains why he deletes all of his unfinished and unwanted drafts. The five go on to discuss different approaches to works in progre...

Episode Description: In Part 2 of our Pushcart Prize Nomination podcast series, we review three pieces: one of poetry, one of creative nonfiction, and one of fiction. Our editors Elena, Mel, and Cerid share their reasons for nominating these pieces, and we hear each author's background and reason for writing, in their own words. Stories here include "Sharh on Sunan an-Nasa'i 736&quo...

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid review and discuss three of their nominees for the 2024 Pushcart Prize. Part 1 of this podcast includes readings of "Parteada por el Fuego/Twice Born" by E.N. Diaz, "December Rain" by Subarna Mohanty, and "Heavy" by Shaun Anthony McMichael. You’ll also hear reflections from each author on their piece, their craft, and what dr...

Elena, Mel, and Cerid are back with updates. Elena asks Mel how it feels now that River and Stone is out in the world, Cerid discusses the fun challenge of arranging the order of pieces in her anthology Artificial Sweetener, and the trio discuss the thought and care that goes into book design and illustration. Mel’s anthology, River and Stone , is now available for purchase as an e-book or physica...

Elena, Mel, and Cerid get technical and discuss the software Mel used to create her books, plus the benefit of hiring a professional book designer, and fostering a community of new and seasoned writers and editors who can learn from each other. Mel and Cerid also share their marketing plans, as well as their hopes and projections for the projects once they are released into the world.  Mel’s antho...

Episode Description: Elena talks with Mel and Cerid about their upcoming anthology projects outside of The Metaworker . They discuss how the projects got started, how they chose pieces to publish, and the process of editing those pieces into a book. They also discuss editor/author dynamics and the joys of creating the anthologies for their communities.  Referenced in this episode:   River and Ston...

Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Chris Cooper, Frank Njugi, and Linda Lacey. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we chose to nominate it.  Feature...

Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Amita Basu, Daniel Brennan, and Marie-Louise McGuinness. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we chose to nominate...

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about writing rituals, how they create characters, and the benefits and drawbacks of writing with or without a plan. They discuss the importance of respecting readers and doing research when writing about vulnerable topics, then Matthew shares an excerpt (rated NC-17) from one of his published st...

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about his writing and publishing journey since he stepped away from leading the magazine. They discuss writing query letters, the challenges of marketing a novel and finding stories you didn’t know you were looking for. They also discuss what goes on behind the scenes in the slush piles, and Matt...

Episode Description: Matthew, Elena, and Mel talk with Oisín Breen about his poem “The Borderland Furies” and about his new book of poetry, Lillies on the Deathbed of Étaín , published by Beir Bua Press. We discuss how to approach reading poems that we don’t understand on a first read, a reader’s interpretation of a poem vs. the author’s intention, and looking at the world from different angles to...

Episode Description:   Matthew, Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with Isabel O’Hara Walsh about her short fiction piece “In the Willow Garden”. Content Warning: We discuss victims of trauma and abuse reclaiming their narratives, the process of writing dark and difficult stories, and the need to take care of one’s mental health while doing so. We also discuss different perspectives on the need for dark f...

Episode Description: In this final episode of the editors chat, Matthew, Elena, Mel and Cerid get personal. They talk about their own writing projects and how they approach their craft, they share what they get up to outside of their fiction lives and finally wrap things up by providing a list of great books from the recent reads they loved.  Referenced in this episode:   Mermaids Monthly WorldCon...

Matthew, Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk about how they got into writing and why they are involved in the publishing world, even as unpaid editors of an indie literary magazine. They also delve into the type of submissions they’d like to see in their inbox. Referenced in this episode:   The Metaworker submission wish list The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron Jane The Virgin - TV series Brian Froud - Artis...

Matthew, Elena, Mel, and new intern Cerid talk about how they fell in love with reading, then move into a history lesson about how The Metaworker got started, and how Mel and Cerid joined the team. Referenced in this episode:  Treesong by Melissa Reynolds on The Metaworker website Cerid’s photo featured in A Fair Deal by Jon Kemsley on The Metaworker website A translated poem, A Passage by Irsa Ru...

Matthew, Elena, Marina, and Mel talk with Sam Asher about his beautifully strange story Boy, Deer, Chair. We discuss symbolism, inherited trauma, pantsers vs. plotters, and imposter syndrome. Sam Asher is an alcoholic born and partly raised in the Middle-East, now living in New York. He loves translating English -language fiction into Arabic, and being terrible at social media. Find his work in Am...

 In this episode, Matthew, Marina, and Elena talk with Mary Paulson about her poem, Ruins. We talk about writing poetry to express deep emotions, writing and rewriting with help from community, and Mary's own personal journey toward writing this version of this poem. Mary Paulson currently lives and works in Naples, FL. Her poems have appeared in Slow Trains, Mainstreet Rag, Painted Bride Qua...

Matthew, Marina, Melissa, and Elena talk about Mina Rozario’s flash fiction fantasy story, Rangoli Man. We gush about saying a lot in very few words, the utopian fairy-tale tone, and the story’s fascinating dive into Indian culture. Mina Rozario is an Indian-American writer and technical product manager. Her non-work hours consist of dreaming up storylines, learning new dance styles, and trying no...

Matthew, Marina, and Melissa gush about Lane Talbot’s Minotaurs before asking him about how he approaches his craft, the art of writing the thriller, and how his personal experiences have informed his storytelling. We manage to throw out nods to writers who take a long time on their work, and the hidden advantages of doing so. Lane Talbot ’s work has been listed as notable fiction in Best American...

Editors Matthew, Elena, and Melissa talk to Stella Meadows about her brilliant nonfiction (as well as what makes brilliant nonfiction in general), identity, introspection, LGBT+ representation in art, and specifically LGBT+ representation in the science fiction and fantasy genres.  Stella Meadows is a writer to know. Born in 1996, she’s been active since the age of eight, ever in search of the per...

Editors Matthew, Elena, and Melissa talk to Veronica Lupinacci about her wonderful poem, Kurt . We talk about nonfiction, how we remember people, and the general topic of learning to write well. Veronica Lupinacci is poet, an adjunct writing professor at State College of Florida, and a Grant Officer for Mote Marine Laboratory is Sarasota, Florida, U.S. where she crafts foundation proposals and rep...

Editors Matthew, Elena, Marina, and Darin talk to Kate Shannon about her wonderful poetry! We touch on the history of the form, some of the brutal inspirations that Kate uses for her work, and what we love about beautiful poetry of all kinds.   Kate Shannon is a farmer, editor, and poet from Upstate NY where she lives with her partner and too many dark secrets. She writes speculative poetry and fi...

Editors Matthew, Elena, Darin, and Melissa talk to Paul Rabinowitz about his piece Little Gem Magnolia and its surreal mix of genres. We touch on New Orleans, art, making time for art, and so much more.   Paul Rabinowitz is an author, photographer and founder of ARTS By The People, a nonprofit arts organization based in New Jersey. Paul’s photography, short fiction and poetry have appeared in many...

The Metaworker Editors (Matthew Maichen, Elena L. Perez, Marina Shugrue, Darin Milanesio, and Melissa Reynolds) talk to Omar Hussain about his wonderful piece "The Dog in You." We introduce the larger idea of the podcast, Omar reads an excerpt, and then we talk about the piece, morality, and interpreting stories in different ways than the author intends.   Omar Hussain is a writer from t...