DIY MFA Radio: Recent Episodes
LiveWriters
If this website were a campus, the DIY MFA podcast would be the school’s radio station. Hosted by instigator Gabriela Pereira, this show emulates the traditional MFA speaker series where authors and industry experts speak to students about writing, but makes these conversations accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing G.G. Kellner
Gayle is a poet, essayist, artist, educator, and Author of Hope: A History of the Future, a novel in which she imagines a peaceful, just, sustainable future based on facts, legal precedence, and historical documents. Gayle lives in a home that has been in her family for five generations. She spends most of her time creating with words, paints, and sculpture, as well as walking the beaches and forests of her island home with her dog.
In this episode GG Kellner and I discuss: * How she created the web of complex character relationships and the framework for her novel. * Why you need to face your fears in order to open yourself up to the possibilities of life. * The relationship between cause and effect in history and its impact on the future.
Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/406
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Claire Stanford.
Born and raised in Berkeley, Claire holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English at UCLA, where she studies science fiction/speculative fiction, narrative theory, and novel theory.
Claire’s work has received fellowships and grants from the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences. Claire is also an avid watcher of BBC mysteries and the author of her debut novel, Happy for You.
In this episode Claire Stanford and I discuss: * The meaning of happiness, its relationship with social media, and how that plays out in her novel. * Why she classifies her novel as literary fiction as opposed to speculative. * How she navigated writing a novel about a character who is strongly opposed to change.
Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/405
Today, Lori is interviewing Jody Hadlock.
Jody studied journalism and was a television news reporter and anchor serving her community in South Carolina as well as Texas. In addition to writing, her other passion is advocating for people with special needs. For several years Jody served on the board of directors of North Texas Special Needs Assistance Partners (SNAP), a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live the fullest lives possible in their communities.
She has just released her debut historical novel, The Lives of Diamond Bessie.
In this episode Jody Hadlock and Lori discuss: * The research process and how to blend primary and secondary sources. * Why finding the right point of view is so important to the writing process. * What role context plays in writing about the past and how to integrate it into your plot.
Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/404
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rob Hart.
Rob is the author of The Warehouse, a gripping speculative thriller which sold in more than 20 countries and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. He is also the author of the Ash McKenna series, the short story collection Take-Out, and Scott Free with James Patterson. His latest book is The Paradox Hotel, about a hotel at the crossroads of the space-time continuum.
In this episode Rob Hart and I discuss: * Why naming characters is important and where he found the names for these characters. * How to write an unlikeable character that your readers will actually like. * Using storytelling to shine a light on bad things that are happening in the real world.
Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/403