Episodes

March 13, 2024

176: Flying Home or Someplace Better

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jennifer Byrne, who conjures the courage to leave her husband after she's faced with removing a bird that flew into her house. Her story is an excellent example of using a book-end …
Feb. 28, 2024

175: Fighting Fire with Aspen and Birch

Nick’s story takes a personal experience that has been burned into his memory. As an undergraduate student, he and his housemates almost burned down the neighborhood when they got rid of their Christmas trees. This experienc…
Feb. 14, 2024

174: For the Love of Science

Happy Valentine’s Day. Today on our show, we bring you a story that was originally performed on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in October 2023. This was a Collaboration with The Center for Ecosystem Science and S…
Feb. 7, 2024

173: Birds Will Be Birds

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Christopher Blackwell. Chris is 42 and serving a 45-year prison sentence in Washington. Chris’s story came to us through writer and Chris’s mentor, Jamie Beth Cohen. This episode…
Jan. 24, 2024

172: How to Start a New Job

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sumitra Mattai. Sumitra is a writer and textile designer based in New York City. She holds a BFA in Textile Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Creative Writ…
Jan. 10, 2024

171: Can You Find Humor in Addiction?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Maxine Poupko, a semi-retired nurse, long-time student of Writing Class Radio, and hilarious person. Maxine is a master at writing humor and writing the truth. Of course someone can…
Dec. 27, 2023

170: Here's Why I Resolve to Fail More

Today on our show we’re talking about the writing process and how getting rejected is just part of the fun. After our own Andrea Askowitz takes a class on rejection taught by Elissa Bassist, she develops a new way of thinkin…
Dec. 13, 2023

169: My Brother's in Prison. Could I Have Done More?

Today on our show, we’re talking about structure and planting seeds. You’ll hear a story by Claire Tak called The Unopened Letter. Claire is a freelance writer and editor living in Denver.
Nov. 29, 2023

168: How to Write about Life When Everyday Is a Reminder of Death?

Today on our show, we are talking about hot topic/cold prose and when and why to write in the present tense vs. past. The story we share is written in the present tense, which gives readers the feeling that they're going thr…
Nov. 15, 2023

167: Even Though I'm Judging You, Don't Judge Me for Being a Chopper Mom

Today on our show, we’re talking about writing with personality and being vulnerable. And when we say vulnerable, we mean including the hard things, good and bad, about ourselves. You’ll hear a story by Dr. Jane Marks, who i…
Nov. 1, 2023

166: The Most Unique Essay We've Ever Aired

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Kimberly Elkins . Kimberly is the author of the novel, WHAT IS VISIBLE , which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and named to several Best of 2014 lists. She’s writte…
Oct. 18, 2023

165: A Psychiatric Hospital Nearly Ruined My Life

This episode is about how to write a near perfect essay. The story was written by Banning Lyon who writes about a harrowing childhood experience in a psychiatric ward. His essay was previously published in the Washington Pos…
Oct. 4, 2023

164: Can We Live on Through Our Writing?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Amy Paturel, which is a great example of how to write about someone else while still including the narrator in a big way. Paturel incorporates her husband’s late wife’s writing into…
Sept. 20, 2023

163: Letters to My Son in Prison–Why Writing Matters.

On this episode, we bring you a story by Ken Guidroz. Ken’s story shows us the importance of writing and sharing stories, especially with people we either don’t understand or who don’t understand us. Ken says writing to his …
Sept. 6, 2023

162: Do As I Say Not As I Do

If you are wondering how to help a friend who is grieving or have ever felt like you don't know what to say or do when someone dies, this episode will help. After you hear the story, we’ll discuss one of our biggest writing …
Aug. 23, 2023

161: You Look Great BECAUSE You’ve Aged

On this episode, we bring you a story by our own Andrea Askowitz . A version of this essay was published April 2023 on CNN and titled What Justine Bateman Gets Exactly Right About Beauty. You’ll hear tips on how to bring in …
Aug. 9, 2023

160: Cliches Saved My Life

Today on our show, we bring you a story by student Emily Henderson. The story is called Cliches Saved My Life.
July 26, 2023

159: Rash Decisions

Today on our show, we bring you a story by student Kim Costigan. Kim wrote this story while on our December 2022 writing retreat in Key Largo. This story crushed us and made us love Kim even more. What I want you to listen f…
July 12, 2023

158: My Dead Mother Brings My Sister and Me Together Once a Year

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Maxine Poupko. Maxine’s story is a great example of character development, showing the tiny details in a complex relationship, and bringing the reader into a different world. Maxine…
June 28, 2023

157: I’m the Black Crayon Nobody Wants

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Corey Devon Arthur. Corey has served 25 years on a life sentence for robbery and murder and is currently housed at Otisville Correctional Institution in New York. Corey is an artist…
June 14, 2023

156: Outsourcing My Orgasm

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jenny Powers. Jenny is a New York-based freelance reporter. She writes for HuffPost, The Cut, Business Insider, Fortune, and more. She is working on a memoir called, "Smooth Operato…
May 31, 2023

155: Every Word Matters

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Laurie Eynon. This story is a behind-the-scenes Jeopardy! audition revealed and a good lesson in how every word matters. And the voice of the narrator is amazing. So good!!! Laurie …
May 17, 2023

154: Are Thin People Allowed To Write About Weight?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sari Botton. Sari’s story is a great example of how to tell a story that encompasses your whole life. It is also a great example of how to end a story while you are still living wit…
May 3, 2023

153: Want To Get Published in HuffPost? Editor Noah Michelson Tells You How

Today’s episode features a story by one of our favorite students, Margery Berger . She has been taking classes with us since way before the pandemic. Margery has told stories on our podcast twice before. Episode 46: An Objec…