The Working Writer Podcast

In this episode of the Working Writer Podcast, host Tia Levings discusses the challenges and triumphs of the writing life with author Joanna Rakoff. They explore themes of imperfection, bravery, and resilience in the creative process. Joanna shares insights into her unconventional career path, the importance of following the reader, and her profound experience of seeing her memoir adapted into a f...

On this episode of the Working Writer Podcast, host Tia Levings talks with poet William Bortz about the diverse ways writers can make a sustainable living. They discuss William's journey as a working writer, including the balance between full-time work and writing, as well as the importance of discipline and intentionality in creating art. William shares insights into his poetry writing proces...

Join us for an insightful episode of the Working Writer Podcast! Today's guest is Shannon TL Kearns, the first openly transgender man ordained to the old Catholic priesthood. Tia and Shannon discuss his journey from evangelical fundamentalism to becoming a pioneering figure in the Catholic Church, his transition, and how his unique experiences inform his writing and work. Shannon also shares h...

In this episode of the Working Writer Podcast, host Tia Levings sits down with Allison K Williams, a prolific writer, editor, and former circus performer. They delve into the journey of creating sustainable careers in writing, emphasizing the importance of multiple drafts for polished work. Allison shares her unique experiences traveling globally, hosting writing retreats, and the significance of...

Join us for a compelling episode of the Working Writer Podcast! Today we are joined by Katie Rose Guest Pryal, a speaker and author known for her work on mental health and neurodiversity. Katie shares her journey from being a non-tenure-track college professor to a published author and speaker. The discussion covers the importance of embracing one's neurodivergence, the evolving language aroun...

Welcome to another episode of the Working Writer Podcast! Today we are joined by guest Lisa Cooper Ellison, an expert in trauma-informed writing. In this discussion, we explore the importance of a trauma-aware approach in writing, particularly for personal stories and memoirs. Lisa shares insights from her writing journey, highlighting the transformational power of storytelling and writing's thera...

Join us for a brand-new installment of the Working Writer Podcast! Today, we're excited to feature Trinity McFadden, a distinguished senior literary agent with a deep commitment to promoting diverse and underrepresented voices in the publishing industry. Trinity shared her journey from her early love of literature, through various roles in publishing, to her current impactful role in agenting wher...

Welcome to another episode of The Working Writer Podcast! I had the fantastic opportunity to speak with Cait West, author of  Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy.  We explored how our religious backgrounds impact our writing, touching on themes like horror in literature and the balance between creativity and darker story elements. Cait shared her journey of faith deconstructi...

Bethny Ricks is the author of the memoir, FACE FORWARD : RECLAIMING HOPE WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APART. Face Forward  is the story of how Bethny navigated failure and setbacks with unwavering faith. We talked about the importance of finding an agent who truly believes in your work and the impact of personality traits on creativity. Bethany shared her powerful journey from corporate HR to becoming a...

You may want to start ironing your pajamas after this episode! Topics include: opening creative space, building more brain, time management, anchor clients, productive rest, and a quantum leap for writing. Yi Shun Lai, author of  A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic,  joins us to discuss her novel about an American suffragist who embarks on an Antarctic expedition during the Golden Age of explora...

Athena Dixon is a poet, essayist, and editor. And today is a HUGE day for her--her latest book, THE LONELINESS FILES, releases today! Happy launch day, Athena! Additionally, her work is included in the anthology The BreakBeat Poets Vol.2: Black Girl Magic and her craft work appears in Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction. Athena is an alumna of VONA, Callaloo, and Ti...

Author Melanie Brooks recently released her memoir of growing up forced to hide her father's painful secret-- his HIV/AIDS diagnosis after a blood transfusion. Join us for this broad conversation that shares the journey of writing A HARD SILENCE, as well as: narrative medicine and how it uses storytelling to lead to better healthcare what it means to "do many things" as a working wri...

Ryan G. Van Cleve is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, teacher, and writing coach. They run  the creative writing major at the Ringling College of Art and Design  which has an  annual free-to-enter creative writing contest for high school students . They serve as Editor at  Bushel & Peck , which publishes exciting titles for kids, tweens, and teens. They're also not-so-secretly kno...

Laura Cathcart Robbins is the author of the "quitlit" memoir, STASH: MY LIFE IN HIDING. Stash is Laura’s story of addiction, motherhood, imposter syndrome, being a woman of color, divorce, and privilege. Our conversation digs into her book journey and we had some frank and honest dialog about book promotion and the hard work of publishing well. We also delved into writing and relationshi...

Alycia Ripley is an actor novelist, screenwriter, and director with over 20 years of experience in PR and brand marketing. In the months since we recorded this, Alycia directed a film she also wrote, currently in final production. In our chat, we cover a ton of working-writer topics, from industry trends to favorite software. One of my favorite things about Alycia is that she shares the insider ti...

Using a pen name seemed like a good idea... until it bifurcated my personality, fed my people-pleasing tendencies, and held back my career. In this bonus episode of The Working Writer Podcast, I share the backstory of why I decided to use a pen name –– and why I changed my mind. 

Author Tim Gilmore.  Good stories, investigations, and literary projects all start from the same seed: wonder. Curiosity is essential to writing. In episode 9, I bring you the most curious writer I know: Tim Gilmore.  We meander through a variety of topics, including creative obsessions, launching a book during lock-down, suffering artists, and more. Tim's living literary project, jaxpsy...

Iowa Short Fiction Award winner Sohrab Homi Fracis shares how contests and competitions helped shape his writing career. In addition to the Iowa, Sohrab's work has been shortlisted and decorated by a long list of festivals and associations, including the South Asia Literary Association. He is warm, gracious, and intelligent and I appreciated the insight he shared on how novels and scripts can have...

Misty Wagner gets real, real quick. Direct, warm, experienced, and connective, Misty’s authentic social engagement sets her apart from the fluff. She’s an entertainment writer, memoirist, and writing group facilitator, as well as a podcaster. Here’s a quick list of some of the topics we explored: PR and entertainment writing Writing memoir Social media engagement Tik Tok Communication and connecti...

Freelance writer and editor Bethany Miller shares her experience over the years, touching on the nitty-gritty realities of freelance life. We discuss pricing and finding gigs, dealing with difficult clients, and geek-out in general about our lives as writers.

How do you know your writing is good? How can you fix what's broken in your work?  Writing coach Jamie Morris chats with podcast host (and client) Tia Lindstrom on how working with a coach can make you a better writer. The Companion Guide Series includes the title for this episode is called Get Feedback On Your Writing. The ebook expands the feedback topic to include alpha and beta readers, e...

Team Little Quotes is in the house to share how a virtual team made a real book!  In this interview with the editors behind Little Quotes by Little Folks, we share how a virtual team made a real book, and explore how collaboration can increase your success as a published author.    This topic is covered further in the Companion Guide. Write as a Team is available on Amazon, and is a...

In this episode of The Working Writer Podcast, Tia Lindstrom interviews best-selling romance author, Sara Celi. Topics covered include writing sprints, genre study, and how to manage a writing career in the midst of real life.  Sensitivity alert: the trauma of premature birth and infant loss are both discussed in this episode.    The Working Writer Podcast is available on audio anyw...

Corporate copywriting can pay your bills. This episode includes an interview with The Copy Cats, a team of corporate copywriters who share how copywriting shaped their careers, how to find copywriting jobs, and what it's like to work on a team of writers.  Also, this episode explores creative blocks, perfectionism, and trauma. Writers fret over being blocked to the point where they spend more...

As a working professional writer, I get this question all the time: "How can I make writing my job?"   I also hang out with more non-writers than writers. While my writing friends and I talk shop and understand craft and get the inside-jokes... it's my non-writing friends who save me from the Cliffs of Insanity on the regular.  One of those friends is Melody Blythe. She's a pilot, proper...