The RIters Resource: Recent Episodes
What Cheer Writers Club
Professional tips and advisories for writers, journalists, illustrators, indie publishers and podcasters across Rhode Island. Hear behind-the-scenes interviews with members and guests of What Cheer Writers Club—downtown Providence's nonprofit club for people trying to make a living with words.
Mollie Flanagan of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts explains how to apply for grants and fellowships available to Rhode Island creatives. With hot tips, what not to do and an insider look at upcoming changes to funding for Rhode Island artists & writers in 2020.
Rhode Island author and journalist Stephanie Gorton discusses the challenges facing investigative journalists in today’s political climate through the lens of her new book Citizen Reporters: S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell and the Magazine that Rewrote America.
From Rhode Island Monthly’s Best in RI to Providence Monthly’s Who to Watch, 2019 has been a huge year for What Cheer Writers Club. Staff reflect on the Club’s growth from idea to full-fledged community. Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of What Cheer Writers Club, highlights from the past year, plus a look ahead at goals and events in 2020.
Ana Arelys Cruz Cabrera is the author of three books comparing the cities of Providence & Santo Domingo as well as two books of poetry and a sleep study. She speaks with Jillian and Jodie about the inspiration and challenges of moving between genres, languages and cities.
Steve Porter & Mike Squatrito of the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA) take Jodie on a walkthrough of how to successfully display your work at book expos, conferences and local events like ARIA’s Author Expo and Rhode Island Comic Con.
Veteran journalist Rick Massimo spent 17 years at the Providence Journal before pivoting to work in radio. Rick discusses writing for both print and audio and steps us through the process of publishing his book I Got a Song: The History of the Newport Folk Festival. Local mandolinist Marc Tannous chimes in at the end with a song of his own.
Brown University historian Bathsheba Demuth takes us from Arctic landscapes to “twitter hellscapes” as she discusses the process of releasing her first book, The Floating Coast: A History of the Bering Strait.
Chuck Staton and Brad Rohrer, cohosts of The Chuck and Brad Podcast, share insight into the growth of the RI podcasting community from 2008 to now and its place at the intersection of the local comedy, music and food scenes. With plenty of quips, stories, jokes and tips for local podcasters along the way.
Inspired by Matthew Lawrence’s weekly events calendar Law and Order Party, cohosts Jodie and Jillian discuss e-newsletters—from subject lines to subscribers, before interviewing Lawrence about publishing his newsletter and Headmaster Magazine. Lawrence reveals the story behind the name Law and Order Party and offers advice for RI creatives launching new projects. Plus: a surprise appearance by a local podcaster at the end of the episode.
What happens when 800 copy editors converge on Providence? Sara Ziegler, president of the American Copy Editors Society, lets us inside the ACES annual conference held this past March in PVD (spoiler: infinitives were split, Scrabble tournaments launched). Sara is Assistant Sports Editor at FiveThirtyEight and shares advice for journalists in today’s rapidly changing world.
Club Staff Jillian Winters and Jodie Vinson talk with the organizers of the first annual Providence Book Festival about what Rhode Island readers and writers will discover at this historic literary event April 26-27, 2019 at the Renaissance Hotel Providence.
What Cheer Writers Club Program Manager Jodie Vinson sits down with CPA Janelle Vining of Farmer & First CPAs in Warren, Rhode Island to ask the tough questions about taxes for freelancers. Plus: a haiku.