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Heather Clark is the author of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist now out in paperback from Knopf. She and Courtney discuss how biography is like archeology, the "hysterical woman writer" stereotype, and the "profound and bottomless optimism" needed to undertake a large writing project. In the bonus segment, Heather talks about finding joy in the writing process and how the joy she found writing Red Comet influenced the book's structure. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen Arnett's latest novel, WITH TEETH, is out now from Riverhead. In this conversation from 2019, she and Courtney talk about queer writing beyond the coming-out narrative, creating supportive frameworks for getting the work done, and, of course, taxidermy. In the bonus segment, Kristen talks about writing about her home state of Florida. Listen to this and other bonus segments by visiting Patreon.com/wmfapodcast and pledging just $2 a month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elissa's new essay collection, White Magic, is out now from Tin House. She and Courtney discuss reckoning with your past selves, time loops, and giving up control over the process. We also discuss one of Courtney's and the book’s favorite subjects: Twin Peaks. In the bonus segment, Elissa—who has received fellowships and awards from numerous institutions, including Creative Capital and the National Endowment for the Arts—shares some great advice on successfully applying for grants and other funding. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation from 2018, Courtney and Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers, discuss complicating the notions of motherhood, why working on your characters is working on yourself, and keeping the faith through seven years of novel drafts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dantiel W. Moniz's debut collection, Milk Blood Heat, is out now from Grove Atlantic. She and Courtney discuss not protecting your characters, the inextricableness of place and identity, and deciding to take your writing seriously.  In the bonus segment, Dantiel talks about endings and death, and what makes for a good short story ending. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Oyler's debut novel, FAKE ACCOUNTS, is out now from Catapult. She and Courtney discuss social media, autofiction, and our various efforts to be understood online and on the page. In the bonus segment, Lauren talks about how she approaches her reading habit, especially as a critic, and we talk about books we’re excited about. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

R.O. Kwon is the co-editor, with Garth Greenwell, of KINK, a new anthology of literary short fiction exploring love and desire, BDSM, and interests across the sexual spectrum. She is also the author of THE INCENDIARIES. In this episode from 2019, we talk about keeping faith in the writing process, holding characters at a distance, and thinking not just about who is telling the story but also why it's being told. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew's latest book is Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping. He and Courtney discuss what's wrong with the way we talk about our work, how we can do better, and the most ill-used terms in craft discussions—some of which Matthew has banned from his own workshops. In the bonus segment, Matthew talks about the workshop experience that led Matthew down a two-year dead end for his own novel in progress, and how he got himself turned back around. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mateo Askaripour's debut novel, Black Buck, is out now. He and Courtney talk about the intimacy of first-person POV, managing plausibility, and what we learn from the novels we don’t sell. (NOTE: There are some Black Buck plot spoilers between 40:30-45:15.) In the bonus segment, Mateo discusses point of telling and addressing the reader in your work. Bonus segments are available to Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle Evans' latest book is The Office of Historical Corrections, out now from Riverhead Books. She and Courtney talk about flipping received narratives, reckoning with the past, and the relationship between a work's active and emotional plots. In today's bonus segment, Danielle and Courtney talk about race and the craft of writing. Bonus segments are available to WMFA Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Han's debut novel is Nights When Nothing Happened, out now from Riverhead Books. He and Courtney discuss the tricky label of universality, turning a short story into a novel, and how writing is like the Fast & Furious franchise. In today's bonus segment, Simon and Courtney talk about the value of writing the suburbs. Bonus segments are available to WMFA Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anne Helen Petersen's latest book is Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. She and Courtney talk about the difficulty behind advice about "doing what you love," what freelance writing careers look like now, and how she synthesizes research into prose. In today's bonus segment, Anne and Courtney talk about burnout and writing. Bonus segments are available to WMFA Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deesha Philyaw's fiction debut, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, is a National Book Award finalist. She and Courtney talk about creating complex characters, writing Black women, and staying true to your vision even in the face of rejection. In today's bonus segment, Deesha and Courtney talk about what makes good sex writing. Bonus segments are available to WMFA Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/wmfapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally airing on November 8, 2017, Courtney and Celeste Ng—author of Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You—do a deep dive into process: what makes a good beginning, finding the voice, reverse outlining and more. They also discuss writing about identity and the other, and the importance of multiple narratives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Garth Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You and Cleanness, and a 2020 Guggenheim fellow. In 2017, he and Courtney talked about being a poet novelist, the language of desire, and why he writes first drafts by hand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Courtney and Wayétu Moore, author of She Would Be King, discuss diasporic literature, the trouble with magical realism, and how to preserve your relationship with your craft. Wayétu's latest book is the memoir The Dragons, The Giant, The Women. (original air date 10/24/18) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Genevieve Hudson's debut novel, BOYS OF ALABAMA, is out now from Liveright. They and Courtney talk about developing complicated characters, writing the supernatural, and exploring "capital-T truth" in fiction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What in your creative process are you ready to say goodbye to? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carter Sickels latest novel, THE PRETTIEST STAR, is out now from Hub City Press. He and Courtney talk about activist art, writing poignancy without sentimentality, and documenting queer rural narratives.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second quarantine call-in episode, writers with new releases share their favorite moments from a very different kind of book tour than they’d expected. Plus they shout out the new releases they’re reading! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices