Watershed Lit: Recent Episodes
Watershed Lit
Watershed Lit: Center for Literary Engagement and Publishing Practice is the home of literary orgs Fall for the Book, The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center, Poetry Daily, Stillhouse Press and more!
In this episode, host Carol Mitchell and Stillhouse author Morgan Christie sit down to talk about the major themes within Christie’s new book, "Liddle Deaths," and how many of those themes are inspired by the southern African American experience. Mitchell and Christie delve into the life of Niya, the main character, and how she navigates life after a tragic familial incident and returning home to the South. In this episode, they discuss African American familial values, the complexities of parent-child relationships, grief, and much more. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MjSQwDryKZ9FY3AndSeB4gNZkojFHEbL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107089563825182912200&rtpof=true&sd=trueCarol Mitchell is a book editor at Stillhouse Press and an alum of the George Mason University MFA program (2020). Her first novel for adults: "What Start Bad a Mornin'" was published by Central Avenue Publishing in September 2023. In the past she has written realistic fiction, however, her love of fantasy has been nudging its way into her writing and appearing as magical realism in the most unexpected places. In addition to being an author, Carol is a trained and experienced editor who enjoys working with Stillhouse authors to bring out the best in their work. Morgan Christie’s work has appeared in Callaloo, Room, The Hawai’i Review, Sports Literate, as well as other publications. She is the author of four poetry chapbooks and her first full-length short story manuscript, “These Bodies” (Tolsun Books 2020), was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in fiction. She is the 2022 Arc Poetry Poem of the Year Prize recipient and her poetry chapbook, “when they come” (Black Sunflowers Press 2021) was featured in the Forward Arts Foundation’s National Poetry Day exhibit. Her collection "People Without Wings" was the winner of the 2022 Digging Chapbook Series Prize and her essay collection Boolean Logic was the winner of the Howling Bird Book Prize (2023).
Eliza Knight talks fantastic flappers, star studded dancers, and incredible female stars in this episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast. From the underappreciated legacy of Adele Astaire, sister to Fred Astaire, to Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe's unlikely friendship. She is the author of Starring Adele Astaire, Why Can't We Be Friends, and many other titles.
Edward Cahill discusses his novel Disorderly Men, which follows three gay men in pre-Stonewall NYC, who find their fates thrown together during the police raid of a Village bar. Cahill talks identity, shame, 'disorderly conduct, and James Baldwin, in this episode of the Fall for the Book podcast.
Vandana Khanna sits down to talk about her poetry collection Burning Like Her Own Planet, the ancient Hindu text The Ramayana, women's rage and power, and of course, Beyonce.
Nicole Glover discusses her genre bending Murder and Magic series - The Conductors, and The Undertakers. Set in post-Civil War society, they feature Hetty and Benji - two former Conductors on the Underground Railroad, as they solve murders using celestial magic.
Annie Rains stops by in this bonus holiday episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast to talk about her novel "Through The Snowglobe," a mashup of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Groundhog's Day." Romance, Christmas, and second (and third and fourth) chances shape this heartwarming novel.
Carol Mitchell and Josh Denslow sit down to talkabout the collaborative process of creating Denslow's new book Super Normal, a novel over 15 years in the making. Mitchell, one of many talented editors with Stillhouse Press, worked with Denslow as managing editor of Super Normal through the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, they discuss the process of redrafting a novel, and the many possible iterations of a single story. Super Normal was released on November 7 2023 from Stillhouse Press and is available for sale on our website at stillhousepress.org.Carol Mitchell is a consulting editor with Stillhouse Press and a term professor in the English Department at George Mason University. She holds an MFA from George Mason and is the author of several books for children and one novel for adults: What Start Bad a Mornin'.Josh Denslow is also the author of a short story collection Not Everyone is Special. He currently lives in Barcelona, Spain with his three boys, his amazing wife, his mother-in-law, four cats, a dog, hundreds of books, and an electronic drum kit.A transcript of this episode is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F6krwOwAUt_06e01M7ij0XZdWAcUTOTjDNSoMX_e0s0/edit?usp=sharing
M.P. Woodward talks about his own experience in the Intelligence community, and how it helped him write his new espionage thriller, Dead Drop, where international nuclear negotiations turn allies into enemies.
Caty Borum talks satire, humor, and the power of uplifting voices through comedy in this episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast. Borum is Executive Director of the Center for Media & Social Impact, and the author of The Revolution Will be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power.
In this episode of Moonshine Murmurs, Michelle Ross sits down with Taylor Schaefer to discuss her writing process for flash fiction, working collaboratively with Kim McGowan, the pros and cons of publishing with small presses, and more. Ross is the author of three short story collections: Shapeshifting, There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You, and They Kept Running.For Full Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11F9MvvVymVgg9xbAebtjr0uJvp8Z20QD-5QyZPSiBlw/edit?usp=share_link
Mojgan Ghazirad discusses her autobiographic novel, The House on Sun Street, about a young girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. She talks about the power of storytelling, changing identities, and the dangers of book banning.
Vanessa Riley talks about her novel Queen of Exiles, about the first black queen of Haiti after the Haitian Revolution. Marie-Louise Christophe then lived in exile where she became the first 'media-stalked' royal in an impressive tale.
Kathryn Savage, author of the debut lyric essay Groundglass, breaks down Superfund sites, the “body burden” of pollution, and the importance of hearing those whose voices often are silenced.
Salar Abdoh discusses martyrdom, (in)humanity in war, and dichotomies of art, peace, and violence in the Middle East, in his powerful novel Out of Mesopotamia.Abdoh was born in Iran and splits his time between Tehran and New York City. He is the author of the novels Tehran at Twilight, The Poet Game, and Opium; and he is the editor of Tehran Noir. His latest novel is Out of Mesopotamia.
Dr. Debra Lane, a 30 year veteran of the education systems in the US and abroad, sits down to talk about resilience in school for students and instructors, the changing role of women in education, and what needs to change to help make students more successful in school.
Bruce Holsinger, author of The Displacements, and Matt Bondurant, author of Oleander City, sit down with Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon for the first episode of 2023. They talk superstorms, climate change, disaster response in their tales of a near future Category 6 hurricane and the true devastation in Galveston, TX in the early 1900s.
On the final episode of the year, Sisters Frances & Ginger Park talk about family history and memory, collaborating on a long list of children's books and a memoir, and the best chocolate pairings for their newest books, That Lonely Spell, and The Hundred Choices Department Store.
Intro:
Welcome to Moonshine Murmurs, a podcast from Stillhouse Press.
Thank you for joining us as we interview our authors about their writing and process as artists -- we're so glad you're here!
You can find more about our press and the books discussed in this episode at our website stillhousepress.org.
Included in this episode is a transcription of Latif and Tommy’s conversation, including transcriptions of poems read by Latif:
Intro:
Welcome to Moonshine Murmurs, a podcast from Stillhouse Press.
Thank you for joining us as we interview our authors about their writing and process as artists -- we're so glad you're here!
You can find more about our press and the books discussed in this episode at our website stillhousepress.org.
TOMMY: Hello everyone, and welcome to the second episode of the Moonshine Murmurs podcast from Stillhouse Press and Watershed Lit. I’m here with Latif Askia Ba, a poet who I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know by serving as the managing editor of his newest full-length poetry collection from Stillhouse Press, a publishing house emerging from the George Mason University Creative Writing MFA Program. The collection, titled The Machine Code of A Bleeding Moon introduces us to the mind of the poet, to his preoccupations, his fascinations, and even his traumas. In the process, we begin to understand more of Latif’s experience, and to grasp his brilliance as well. First, let me give you a little background. Latif Askia Ba is a poet with Choreic Cerebral Palsy from Brooklyn, New York. He’s currently an MFA candidate at Columbia University and is the print Poetry Editor for their journal’s 61st issue. He’s also an author with Stillhouse Press, who published his first collection Machine Code of the Bleeding Moon in September of 2022. He was the First Place Winner of the Perceptions Writing and Art Contest, judged by Sheila Black in 2021, and the Second Place Winner of the Iris N. Spencer Award in 2020. His debut collection, Wet Monasteries, a chapbook, was published by Alien Buddha Press in 2019.
Combat veteran and former paratrooper Bill Glose discusses his story collection, All the Ruined Men, as well as the toll of war on soldiers, and the power of poetry and writing, on this episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast.
A Calm and Normal Heart author Chelsea T. Hicks talks about revitalizing the Wazhazhe ie language, creating art, fashion, and poetry, and her story collection in this episode of The Fall for the Book Podcast. Hicks is an enrolled citizen of the Osage Nation and she belongs to the Pawhuska District.
In the first episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast's season, Alma Katsu curls horror and the supernatural through her historical fiction - from the Donner Party to the Titanic, to Japanese internment campus during WWII in her newest book The Fervor. She talks research, Japanese folklore, and more. She even talks about how she helped predict the future of Intelligence in social media during her time in the CIA.
On this episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast, Pamela N. Harris, author of the debut YA novel When You Look Like Us sits down to talk about defying stereotypes, writing your own experiences, the power of representation in books, and of course, Leonardo DiCaprio.
For our fourth episode of Globally Lit, a podcast of international literature and translation, we interview Intan Paramaditha, who wrote the foreword to Budi Darma's short story collection, People from Bloomington. In the second portion of the episode, writer and translator Lily Meyer converses with Darma's English translator, Tiffany Tsao, about her work on People from Bloomington. At the end, Aliza Cohen from The Potter's House in Washington, DC, provides a review of Anne Carson's translations of the ancient Greek poet Sappho.
To learn more about us, please visit the Cheuse Center at https://cheusecenter.gmu.edu/ and Books Across Borders at https://www.booksacrossborders.com/
Please purchase the books discussed in this episode through the Bookshop links below.
People from Bloomington: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9780143136606
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9780375724510
Janice Northerns discusses her childhood in arid West Texas, changing life and land, and coming back to writing later in life. This episode of the Fall for the Book podcast features her work in the debut collection Some Electric Hum.
Revising poems and restoring life. Poet Phil Goldstein discusses his debut book of poetry, HtBaBaS, a narrative of surviving childhood sexual abuse, the art of revision, and how a careful and conscientious inquiry of one's memories can help us learn to revise and restore our lives.
Brandie June, author of the YA fantasy novel Gold Spun, chats about her fairy tale retelling of “Rumpelstiltskin,” which gives the princess more agency, playwriting, doing aerial arts, and more, all on this episode of the Fall for the Book Podcast.
Purchase her book here: https://bookshop.org/lists/fall-for-the-book-podcast
Claudia Kalb, author of Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers talks about the role of memory and luck, and the "rage to master" their skills that make each of the 13 profiled geniuses -- including Pablo Picasso, Yo-Yo Ma, and Julia Child-- so incredible.
For our third episode of Globally Lit, a podcast of international literature and translation, we interview Danish writer Mathilde Walter Clark, who discusses her latest novel, Lone Star. In the second portion of the episode, Clark's translator, K.E. Semmel, converses with writer and translator Misha Hoekstra about his work on Lone Star. At the end, Anna Thorn gives a roundup of 2021's most exciting literature in English translation.
To learn more about us, please visit the Cheuse Center at cheusecenter.gmu.edu and Books Across Borders at booksacrossborders.com. Please purchase all the books discussed today through the Bookshop links below.
Lone Star: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781646050635
Winter in Sokcho: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781948830416
When We Cease to Understand the World: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781681375663
Peach Blossom Paradise: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781681374703
Migratory Birds: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781945492525
Waiting for the Waters to Rise: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781642860733
Heaven: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9781609456214
An Inventory of Losses: https://bookshop.org/a/19120/9780811231411
Jim Peterson takes readers on a surreal journey in his short story collection The Sadness of Whirlwinds. In this first episode of the 2022 season of The Fall for the Book Podcast, he discusses how each tale dabbles or drips with magical realism and why it's important for the reader to ask questions.
Ethel Rohan discusses the importance of "uncomfortable" stories, how memories can shape a character's future, and the power of small moments, all on this episode of The Fall for the Book Podcast. Rohan is the author of In Case of Contact, which won the Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize.
Two writers discuss power, position, and moving forward: M.M. Bailey in her flash piece “Smaller,” and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub in his poem “The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel.” Bailey and Taub are two of the hundred writers from DC, Maryland, and Virginia featured in This is What America Looks Like – the first anthology from The Washington Writers’ Publishing House in 25 years. The book showcases work that represents this landmark historical moment of a social justice movement in the midst of a global pandemic. Editor Caroline Bock drops by to discuss the importance of these works.
Richard Washer, resident playwright at The Rose Theatre Company discusses his new play, Dubliners in Exile after actors perform a scene. In the play, James Joyce wakes up disoriented from a deep sleep to a timeless world at once strange and yet familiar where he knows something important needs to get done quickly, but he can’t remember what it is. As he searches for clues, an ever-changing procession of circumstances and characters distract and confuse him. Will he remember in time?
Jesse DeLong and Beth Gilstrap infuse every word of their poetry and prose with atmospheric tension, using nature to explore what it means to be human. DeLong’s poetry collection The Amateur Scientists Notebook uses scientific tables, field guides and more to draw the natural world together with philosophy, memory, and family. Gilstrap’s Deadheading and Other Stories intertwines her Southern Gothic narratives with nature — whether the characters are eating it or healing through it.
Mason Creative Writing presents 12 diverse writers each year in its Visiting Writers Series where they are joined by a host to talk about craft, content, and the art of creative writing. In this episode, fiction faculty member Helon Habila talks with Tope Folarin, author of A Particular Kind of Black Man.
Heather Young discusses her novel, The Distant Dead, set in the high desert hills. Called “electrifying, ambitious, and crushingly beautiful,” by Kirkus Reviews, Young’s novel is a taught literary thriller which tackles the opioid epidemic, poverty, and deeply buried secrets.
Two writers examine pressing issues of identity, legacy, and historical memory in their work. Poet Sandra Beasley writes through the lens of Washington D.C. and Virginia’s history to examine race, politics, disability advocacy and more in her collection Made to Explode: Poems. Chris Stuck’s debut short story collection Give My Love to the Savages tackles the taboo with grit, humor, and gripping language that propels readers through his work.
On our second episode of Globally Lit, a podcast of international literature and translation, we will celebrate April's National Poetry month by welcoming the great Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish, who will discuss his latest collection of poems Exhausted on the Cross. Then, Najwan's translator, Kareem James Abu-Zeid, will be in conversation with writer and translator Vivek Narayanan. And finally, Gwen Hunter and Scott Abel of Solid State Books in Washington, DC, give two great recommendations of recently translated literature to check out.
Please purchase all the books discussed today through Solid State Books at https://bookshop.org/shop/solidstate. To learn more about us, please visit the Cheuse Center at cheusecenter.gmu.edu and Books Across Borders at booksacrossborders.com. You can learn more about our translators and writers today by visiting najwandarwish.com and kareemjamesabuzeid.com.
Ride the rails and guard the infamous Sing Sing prison with Ted Conover, author of six books, most recently Immersion: A Writer’s Guide to Going Deep. Conover sits down with Tim Denevi in this edition of the Creative Writing Program's Visiting Writers series. Find out more at https://creativewriting.gmu.edu/
Celebrate Children's Book Week with Megan Wagner Lloyd, author of Allergic, and Paper Mice, and Nadine Poper, author of Porcupette and Moppet talk the art and craft of writing kids' books, and the little known facts of the children's book publishing world!
Tania James, author of The Tusk That Did The Damage sits down with Karen Russell, author of Sleep Donation and Swamplandia! to discuss writing toward ambiguity, crazy stories, and more in this edition of the Creative Writing Program's Visiting Writers series.
Arthur Sze sat down with Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon to discuss revisiting fifty years' worth of poetry in his latest collection, The Glass Constellation, finding freedom within structure, and the importance of poetry in daily life.
On our inaugural episode of Globally Lit, a podcast of international literature and translation, we first welcome Moroccan author Abdellah Taia to discuss his novel A Country for Dying. Next, the novel’s translator, Emma Ramadan, is in conversation with wonderful French language translator Laura Marris. And finally, Aliza Cohen reviews A Beautiful Darkness, a new graphic novel translated from French to English.
Please purchase all the books discussed today through Riff Raff Books at riffraffpvd.com and visit the Cheuse Center at cheusecenter.gmu.edu and Books Across Borders at booksacrossborders.com. You can learn more about our translators today by visiting emmaramadan.com and lauramarris.com
Ayşe Papatya Bucak sat down with Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon to discuss mythology, re-imagining the past, and re-imagining the form of her short stories in her newest collection, The Trojan War Museum.
Poet and memoirist Reginald Dwayne Betts spoke from the road with Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon about his poetry collection Felons, "gateway literature," and his ambitious Million Book Project, which will put 500 books in prisons around the country.
Karen Russell, award-winning author of Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Orange World, Sleep Donation, and more sits down with Fall for the Book's Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon to talk magic, ghosts, and writing to uncertainty.
Navigate the Puzzle of Polynesia with Sea People author Christina Thompson. She sits down with Kara Oakleaf to uncover the mysteries of this ten million square miles of ocean and the people who navigated it.
Danielle Evans, author of The Office of Historical Corrections and Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, sits down with Kara Oakleaf to talk short stories, YA, and giving herself permission to write long.
Award-winning author Rion Amilcar Scott sits down with Fall for the Book Director, Kara Oakleaf to discuss his newest short story collection, The World Does Not Require You.
Andre Perry discusses his debut essay collection Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now, exploring form and telling stories across multiple platforms, and writing against a narrative.
Fall for the Book Director Kara Oakleaf sits down with short story writer Jamel Brinkley to discuss his collection, A Lucky Man, which was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award in Fiction, and won the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.
Fall for the Book and the Visiting Writers Series presents a discussion with Jane Brox, author of Silence: A Social History of One of the Least Understood Elements of Our Lives.
Fall for the Book and the Visiting Writers Series presents a discussion with Ilya Kaminsky about his new book Deaf Republic.
Alan Cheuse International Writers Center Presents this episode of Mason Out Loud with Canadian writers Erin Moure, Brecken Hancock, And Aisha Sasha John
Author Rebecca Makkai discusses her book The Great Believers with Fall for the Book director Kara Oakleaf.
Fall for the Book director Kara Oakleaf sits down with Lyz Lenz to talk about her new book God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America.
The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center presents Ahmed Naji Episode 12 by Watershed Lit
Cynthia Marie Hoffman sits down with Fall for the Book to discuss her new book, "Call Me When You Talk About The Tombstones"(Persea Books 2018)
Explore the City of Lights with Liam Callanan as he talks about his new book Paris by the Book!
Chloe Benjamin is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Immortalists, a #1 Indie Next Pick, #1 Library Reads pick, Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, Amazon Best Book of the Month, and an iBooks Favorite.
Her first novel, The Anatomy of Dreams, received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was long listed for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.
Her work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Chloe is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. She lives with her husband in Madison, WI.
This episode of Mason Out Loud is brought to you by our friends at Fall for the Book! Listen here to find out about these authors and their upcoming events.
In this unflinching personal essay, "Fractures", Kerry Folan examines friendship, honesty, and brokenness while deconstructing the emptiness at the heart of her glamorous, successful New York life. A short discussion with the author follows.
Kerry Folan writes about fashion, retail, art, and culture. After a stint editing Women in the Arts magazine in DC and an internship at The Believer in San Francisco, she headed to New York to kick off Ralph Lauren's Rugby Blog in 2007. From 2011 to 2013 she covered all things retail and fashion as the Editor of Racked National.
These days, she writes about the ethics of fashion and conscious consumerism for multiple publications, creates editorial for sustainable businesses, and directs outreach for DC's annual literary festival, Fall for the Book. She's also a third year nonfiction MFA candidate at George Mason University.
You can follow her on the web at: http://kerryfolan.flavors.me/.
In this Halloween Double Feature, Lisa Short reads GMU alumni P.J. Devlin's story "The Witch". Eerie and emotionally fraught, this bittersweet return to childhood burns with a feverish intensity.
Our supernatural fascination continues with chilling, fast-paced poetry that will set your heart pounding: Kristopher Heaton's "His Waiting Arms."
Kristopher Heaton is an undergraduate student in George Mason University's Bachelor of Fine Arts program. He writes fiction and poetry.
PJ Devlin received the MFA in creative writing from George Mason University in 2011. Before changing careers in 2008, she served as Fiscal Services Director of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Fire and Rescue Department. A longtime resident of Fairfax County, she's a Philadelphia native and much of her work is set there.
Two novels -- Wissahickon Souls and Becoming Jonika – and her short story collection – Wishes, Sins and the Wissahickon Creek -- are available through Amazon in print and eBook.
Wissahickon Souls is a 2016 Book Excellence Awards Winner. A short story - “The Decline and Fall” - was runner up in the 2013 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest. Other stories have been published in print, on-line and in anthologies.
This week, GMU graduate student Jett Utah Watson reads his short story, "The Admiral," exploring questions of identity, family, the stories we choose to tell-- and the ones we choose to keep.
Born in Amarillo, Texas, Jett Watson is a 2016 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and currently commissioned as an ensign in the Navy. After finishing his undergraduate coursework a semester early, he came to George Mason University to study English Literature at the graduate level. Upon degree completion in December, he'll be joining the Littoral Combat Ship Crew 201 in San Diego, California as a surface warfare officer.
Writer and MFA student Samuel Ashworth reads his darkly comic short story, "Stieglitz and Meyer, One Night Only." An enthralling examination of audience, family, and commitment, the reading is followed by a discussion with the author.
Art Taylor reads an excerpt from his Agatha Award winning novel, "On The Road with Del and Louise," and discusses the inspiration that led him to create one of crime's most sensational duos.
Announcing Mason Out Loud: the official podcast of George Mason University's creative community.