Writers on Record

"But I think that it's a time that'll come back in flashes... And it's whenever I'm not happy for another writer. I think that's the most toxic quality."

"How do you be both active and patient? That's actually very challenging. But I think it's a lesson we all have to learn."

Dora Malech grew up in Maryland, and earned a BA in Fine Arts from Yale and an MFA in Poetry from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her awards include a Clapp Fellowship from Yale, Capote and Teaching-Writing Fellowships from Iowa, a Glenn Schaeffer Fellowship, and a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship. Malech's poems have appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry Foundation, and elsewhere. She is the author of Shore Ordered Ocean (2010), and Say So (2011). Malech has taught writing at the University of Iowa; Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington, New Zealand; Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Augustana College; and Saint Mary's College of California. She now teaches at Johns Hopkins University.

"Something is done when someone publishes it or when I can't work on it anymore."

"I try to write as little as I can and still live with myself. 90% of the time the writing is awful, 10% of the time it is wonderful."

Kim Brooks is the personal essays editor at Salon. Kim's stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, One Story, Five Chapters and other journals and her essays have appeared in Salon, New York Magazine, and Buzzfeed.  Her first novel, The Houseguest, was published in 2016 by Counterpoint Press.  The Houseguest is a novel that starts in the summer of 1941 and follows Abe Auer, a Russian immigrant and small-town junkyard owner, who has become disenchanted with his life. So when his friend Max Hoffman, a local rabbi with a dark past, asks Abe to take in a European refugee, he agrees, unaware that the woman coming to live with him is a volatile and alluring actress named Ana Beidler.  Set on the eve of America's involvement in World War II, The Houseguest examines a little-known aspect of the war and highlights the network of organizations seeking to help Jews abroad, just as masses of people seeking to escape Europe are turned away from American

In part 3, Simran Sethi tells us the importance of using sensory description, she raves about her favorite authors, and how she overcame imposter syndrome. 

In part 2, Simran Sethi stresses the importance of serving your audience and her belief in showing every character truthfully and handling each with love and care.

Simran Sethi is an author and journalist who has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Martha Stewart Show. She was the environment correspondent for NBC News and is the recent host of the PBS QUEST series on science and sustainability. She has written for FoodTank, AlterNet, The Huffington Post, Orion, Metropolis Magazine, Mother Earth News, and Oprah.com. Her newest and first book, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, is part memoir, part investigation into the loss of foods-and those who are fighting to preserve them. Traveling to six continents in pursuit of endangered tastes, Simran explores the loss of biodiversity in our food and the inspiring people and places that are bringing them back. In part 1, Simran explains why she decided to take on the endeavor of writing a book, why you should never abandon your work, and why you need to embrace the 'hustle.' 

Andrew Bratcher is a writer and editor who divides his time between Washington, DC and Iowa City. After graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism, Bratcher worked as a feature writer and assistant editor at the Washingtonian, where he also served as the magazine's book critic. A contributor to the Oxford American, the Paris Review Daily, and Nowhere Magazine, Bratcher also founded EthnoTraveler in 2010. He just acquired an MFA from the University of Iowa where he studied and taught Nonfiction Writing. 

In part three of my interview with fiction writer Michelle Hoover, she gives us the tricks to writing an effective novel and sells the Novel Incubator Program. 

In part two of my interview with Michelle Hoover, she explains why you can't create effective characters without empathy, stresses the importance of finding a writing community, and tells how you should look out for editors who just try and sell your first draft. 

I sit down with fiction author Michelle Hoover. Michelle is the author of two novels and is the Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University and teaches at GrubStreet, where she leads the Novel Incubator Program. She is a 2014 NEA Fellow and has been a Writer-in-Residence at Bucknell University, a MacDowell Fellow, and a winner or the PEN/New England Discovery Award. Her first novel, The Quickening, was published in 2010 and was based on her grandmother's journals during the Great Depression. It was a Massachusetts Book Award "Must Read" pick and one of the Poets and Writers Top 5 debut novel of 2010. Her newest book, Bottomland, follows the Hess family in the years after World War I as they struggle to piece together what happened after two members vanish in the middle of the night. It is a story that hooks you not only with its premise and content, but also with its detailed, unique characters and expert lyricism. 

In part three, we discuss why writing shouldn't be necessarily be fun, Kyle gives his own personal 'Misery' story, and why surprise is the most important element of writing.

In part two, we discuss the inspirations behind their new books, the importance of knowing how to navigate the business side of writing, and the significance of finding a consistent press.

In our first ever joint interview, I sit down with Wayne Miller and Kyle McCord. Wayne Miller is the author of four poetry collections and translates Albanian works to English. He is the recipient of the George Bogin Award, the Lyric Poetry Award, and a Ruth Lilly Fellowship. His newest collection Post- is a sometimes haunting, sometimes humorous, but always beautiful book that shows past experiences becoming present actions, a book that deals with loss, new life, and political conflict and violence.  Wayne lives in Denver with his wife and two children and teaches at the University of Colorado in Denver. He is also the managing editor at Copper Nickel press. Wayne will be the first voice you hear. Kyle McCord is the author of six books of poetry including his newest collection, Magpies in the Valley of Oleanders. He has work featured in the Boston Review, Denver Quarterly, Michigan Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly and elsewhere. He's received grants or awards from the Academy of American Poets,

In part three of my interview with fiction writer Mary Rakow, she talks about why she craves language and sensibility in a novel, which book had the greatest impact on her, and how its important not to try and 'be' another writer. 

In part two of my interview with fiction writer Mary Rakow, she discusses why she chose to study theology, the inspiration behind her newest novel, and where she finds joy in her writing. 

Mary Rakow comes to fiction from theology, acquiring her Masters degree from Harvard University Divinity School and her Ph.D. from Boston College. Residing in San Francisco, she offers one-on-one tutorials and coaching, creative writing workshops, and classes and editing of full or partial manuscripts for new and experienced writers. Her debut novel, The Memory Room, is a story which affirms the resilience of the human spirit and the healing power of love and faith. The Memory Room was shortlisted for the University Libraries International Saroyan Prize in Literature, a PEN USA/West Finalist in Fiction and was listed among the Best Books of the West by Los Angeles Times. Her newest novel, This is Why I Came, takes already flawed, broken Biblical characters and makes them even more accessible and human. Every character entrances and garners your empathy. Familiar voices fill every page, but each distinct and multidimensional. Mary does not have an agenda with this work but rather is looking to respond to

In the final part of my interview with Julian Hoffman, he touches on the difference between the editing process versus the creative process, how he struggles with putting what is in his mind down on the page, and how we should approach the world.