Writing Forward

In the season one finale, Writing Forward welcomes former Wisconsin poet laureate Nicholas Gulig, author of the acclaimed poetry collections "The Other Altar" and "Orient." Nick reflects on growing up in Minneapolis's punk scene, why moving his family to Wisconsin initially felt like a mistake, how poetry can become a salve for grief, and its power to help us see the familiar in new ways. Along th...

Writing Forward welcomes Nate Marshall, author of the acclaimed poetry collections "Wild Hundreds," winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize, and "Finna," praised by Roxane Gay as "elegantly and precisely crafted" and "full of realness about Blackness, masculinity, family, and Chicago." In this episode, Nate reflects on growing up in a house full of women, how masculinity became one of the central...

Writing Forward welcomes  Dantiel W. Moniz , author of the acclaimed story collection  "Milk Blood Heat,"  which was shortlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award. In this episode, Dantiel discusses why she chose Wisconsin over Iowa, the hard-won confidence that allowed her to embrace her authority as a storytel...

Writing Forward welcomes  Tamara Saviano , cultural historian, Grammy Award-winning music producer, and author of the books  "Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music,"   "The Most Beautiful Girl: A True Story of a Dad, a Daughter and the Healing Power of Music,"  and  "Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark,"  which won the Belmont Award from the International Cou...

Writing Forward welcomes Christina Clancy, author of the novels  "The Second Home,"   "Shoulder Season,"  and  "The Snowbirds,"  a USA Today bestseller and one of People's Best New Books of February 2025. In this episode, Christi discusses the similarities between writing and knitting, how publishing an essay in the New York Times' Modern Love column left her gun-shy, her evolving relationship to...

Writing Forward welcomes Liam Callanan, author of the novels "The Cloud Atlas," "Paris by the Book,"   "When in Rome,"  and the forthcoming nonfiction book  "Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America's Forgotten Flier"  (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, September 1). In this episode, Liam discusses meeting Pope Francis, why Milwaukee is the new Paris, how his 2023 Parkinson's d...

Writing Forward welcomes  Chloe Benjamin , author of the novels  "The Anatomy of Dreams,"  the New York Times bestseller  "The Immortalists,"  and the forthcoming  "Under Story,"  out September 1 from G.P. Putnam's Sons. In this episode, Chloe discusses the challenges of pitching literary fiction, the ambitions behind "Under Story," how living with chronic migraines reshaped her relationship to ti...

Writing Forward welcomes  Melissa Faliveno , author of the novel “Hemlock” and the essay collection “Tomboyland,” which was named one of the best books of 2020 by NPR, the New York Public Library, Electric Literature, and Debutiful. In this episode, Melissa discusses writing from within communities and subcultures, the quiet grief of leaving home, and Midwestern weather as a love language. Books o...

Writing Forward welcomes  Maggie Ginsberg , author of the award-winning novel  Still True  and the forthcoming  Daisy Chain , due out in fall 2027 from Blackstone Publishing. In this episode, Maggie discusses her transition from journalism to fiction; the realities of building a life as a published author; and the emotional whiplash of the publishing industry. She also reflects on ambition, sobrie...

Our inaugural Writing Forward guest is Barrett Swanson: Harper's Magazine contributor , author of the essay collection Lost in Summerland , and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His new book, Equipment for Living: Notes on Selfhood after the End of the World , is forthcoming from Atria/Simon & Schuster. Barrett is also a co-founder of either/or , a magazine of fict...

Writing Forward is a weekly podcast featuring candid conversations with writers connected to Wisconsin, a state with a rich and often underrecognized literary tradition. Hosted by writer and former New York Times editor Jeff Oloizia and named for the state’s motto, “Forward,” the show explores the idea of momentum — what keeps writers going and how a creative life takes shape beyond the traditiona...