Writing and Editing

Send us Fan Mail This is the premiere episode of a weekly series I am going to be doing on Saturdays about words in the English language. This week’s word is " Etymology ."

Send us Fan Mail Before I introduce today’s guest, I wanted to talk briefly about a new feeature—and a new episode—that I’m adding weekly to the show. I’m calling it “One More Word,” and it will be just me talking about an English word. It could be a word in the news, it could be some new jargon, it could be a word you’ve used for years but which has an interesting history. The episode will be sho...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is actor Mollie Leivars, who is also the owner of Spirit Productions , a film production company she founded in 2019 when she was only 15 years old. Beyond making films centred on issues about youth, she gives online classes for young people wanting to learn various aspects of filmmaking and acting. 

Send us Fan Mail I talk about some of the words and rituals around the seemingly intractable problem of mass shootings in the US.

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Jan McInnis, whose activity schedule for the past 25 years has been incredibly varied. “Worklady,” BTW is the apt name of her website. She started in standup comedy and eventually was working in the niche of comic keynote speaking. She also has a podcast called Comedian Stories , and has sold comedy material to Leno’s Tonight Show and to radio stations across the US. S...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Gigi Microys, who is now a retired family physician. She graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1963, and has held academic positions as teacher in the departments of family medicine. She has written and lectured about physician health, the medical marriage, and women in medicine. She published her memoir, A Journey Through Medicine: Memoirs of a Fe...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Alex Freeman , who is a theatre director who also does voicework. He has directed plays across the US and has voiced over 50 audiobooks . He’s done acting and teaching as well, and has an MFA in directing from Western Illinois University. We talk about how a director works with the playwright’s script and with the actors, how audiobooks are made, and the differences be...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Louise Harris, who is an editor and writer based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We focus on her editing work, including  blog posts and press releases, but also have an extended discussion about the importance of flow to the reader.

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Colleen Tews, who is an author with a taste for writing about strong women who take strength even from their weaknesses. Colleen has established her own imprint, Delphian Hope Publishing , to publish her work and hopes that she can also some day publish others’ as well. Her novel Onyx is forthcoming in March. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Robin Landa , who holds the title of Distinguished Professor at Michael Graves College of Kean University in Union, New Jersey. She’s also a “creativity guru” who advocates for industry inclusion and equity, and provides scholarships for meritorious students or students in need. Robin’s expertise is in creative advertising, branding, graphic design, and social media. H...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Harker Jones (no relation), who provides a witty self-bio, but of whom I can say more newscastery, so to speak, that he’s an artist who works and has worked in many different media for a few decades now. He published the Amazon #1-bestselling gay love story called Until September. Harker has also written many screenplays, and directed and produced several short thrille...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Oscar Martens , who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve known for over 30 years, when I met him in a writing class in Ottawa. He has since published two collections of literary short stories to excellent reviews: The Girl with the Full Figure Is Your Daughter in 2002, and No Call Too Small in 2020. In th...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Oscar Martens , who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve know for over 30 years, when I met him in a writing class in Ottawa. He has since published two collections of literary short stories to excellent reviews: The Girl with the Full Figure Is Your Daughter in 2002, and No Call Too Small in 2020. In thi...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Heather Buzila, who is past president and a current member of the national executive council of Editors Canada , the professional association for editors in Canada. She has been an editor for over 15 years and currently works for Athabasca University in Edmonton, Alberta, where she edits materials for online courses in humanities and the social sciences. Heather also h...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Emily McPherson , who writes for young adult readers, with several fantasy projects in the works. She describes herself as “an Irish dancer with a slight obsession with mythological creatures.” Emily lives in Connecticut, and her debut novel, Mother of the River , will be published by Eyebright Books in March. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Les Madewell, who is a professional photographer with a wide range of experience, from event photography to fashion. We also talk about his interest and forays into writing. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Julie Ann, who is the founder and CEO of Influence Publishing in British Columbia, Canada. She also hosts retreats for writers in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she also lives. We talk about her own life story, as well as some of the aspects of her corner of publishing, with discussion of how hers differs and the current state of traditional publishing. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Alan Kolok, who is a professor at the University of Idaho and Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute , based in Moscow, Idaho. He is an expert in toxicology and author of the Modern Poisons: A Brief Introduction to Contemporary Toxicology . He’s also author of the sci-fi novel Twist . We talk about poisons as well as making the transition from science...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Julie Coraccio . She is a professional organizer, who writes books and gives talks about the effects that go way beyond just having a messy home. Julie is based in Wheeling, West Virginia, and also hosts a podcast called Clear Your Clutter Inside & Out . We talk about clutter and the various reasons that some people can’t help themselves from doing it. Please liste...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Doug MacLeod, who has a doctorate degree from SUNY Albany and is an associate professor at SUNY Cobleskill —teaching intercultural communication, script writing, visual media, cinema, mass media, literature and composition (the latter by using standup comedy). He has published widely as well, on topics as diverse as religion and Bonnie and Clyde. He lives in Cobleskill...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Mercedes Killeen , who has extensive experience as a poet, a freelance writer and editor, and a digital marketer. She is based in the Niagara area in Ontario, Canada. Our conversation covers the theory of writing, the place of poetry in modern culture, and mental health, among other things. Please listen.

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Jennia D’Lima , who is a freelance editor offering the full range of editing services. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Richard Anderson, who has written a book called The Evolution of Life , with a broad timeline: starting 13.8 billion years ago, and then a new phase for humans around 2120.

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Brian Sachetta, who has published books about both anxiety and depression, and maintains a website and a blog. He also does personal coaching. We talk about his approach as well as the various other methods that are used to deal with these increasingly prevalent mental illnesses. 

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Rob Broadhead , who has written about the practicalities and pleasures of his coding career—and about the death of his wife.