Episodios

  • World-building Real-Life Cultures with Diana Rojas

    World-building Real-Life Cultures with Diana Rojas
    Jul 1 2024
    Real-world cultures come up all the time in any genre of writing, but it can be difficult to world-build with something so nuanced. Host Abi Newhouse speaks with The Inner Loop's July Author's Corner spotlight, Diana Rojas, about creating stories from our own cultures. They cover how time affects culture, how to use specific cultural details to world-build, and they try to untangle ideas about working around cultural generalizations. Plus, they bring a few cultural misconceptions to the table--Abi with Mormonism, and Diana with first-generation Latinos--and discuss how to use those misconceptions to their advantage in their writing. You can buy Diana's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9781558859944
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    40 m
  • Just Checking in with Serena Zets

    Just Checking in with Serena Zets
    Jun 24 2024
    Abi catches up with freelance journalist and writer for the 730DC newsletter, Serena Zets. They discuss the DC journalism scene, stories Serena's been working on lately, and how writing creative nonfiction can be a great starting point for journalistic stories.
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    12 m
  • Inspiration Takeover: Let the Ideas Carry You with Andrew Bertaina

    Inspiration Takeover: Let the Ideas Carry You with Andrew Bertaina
    Jun 17 2024
    Andrew Bertaina, author of “One Person Away From You” and the new essay collection “The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place,” suggests inspiration comes from reading. Andrew takes us through a writing prompt that leads him to fictionalize a meeting with his late grandfather in the afterlife. Try negotiating the speculative realm in your own writing, and if you’re stuck, you know what to do: pick up a book and find a line that reminds you why you started writing in the first place.
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    9 m
  • A New Point of View with Danielle Ariano

    A New Point of View with Danielle Ariano
    Jun 10 2024
    Finding the right point of view can make or break a story, and in nonfiction, the line of experimentation can be blurry. Hosts Abi Newhouse and Courtney Sexton speak with The Inner Loop’s June Author’s Corner spotlight, Danielle Ariano, about innovative points of view in memoir. They cover the empathy, challenges, and breakthroughs a new point of view can inspire, and Danielle reads from her new memoir, The Requirement of Grief. Plus, they all write a memory from someone else’s point of view, and the outcome is full of unexpected nuance. You can buy Danielle's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9798891320840
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    35 m
  • The Value of Independent Presses with Michael B. Tager

    The Value of Independent Presses with Michael B. Tager
    Jun 3 2024
    With the sudden shutdown of Small Press Distribution, let’s dig into the value of independent presses and how their downturn might affect us as both writers and readers. Michael B. Tager, Managing Editor of Mason Jar Press and author of Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Edition from Akinoga Press, talks about independent presses from both sides of the publishing experience. Plus, we play a little game called indie press or indie rock band... can you tell the difference?
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    35 m
  • Just Checking In with Joe McGinniss

    Just Checking In with Joe McGinniss
    May 27 2024
    The Inner Loop board member Leeya Mehta catches up with “Carousel Court” author Joe McGinniss for her new sub-series of Just Checking In: Writers in Solariums with Pets. The pair check in with the dogs and another secret pet (!), talk about the difference between the creative process of fiction and nonfiction, and discuss how writing nonfiction can offer a specific sort of peace. Joe says that “the reality is there is no reality,” especially in the thrilling, immersive, and terrifying experience of writing.
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    16 m
  • The Nuts and Bolts of Poetry with Amanda Shaw

    The Nuts and Bolts of Poetry with Amanda Shaw
    May 20 2024
    We talk about major writing tenets like plot, character, and setting all the time in fiction and nonfiction, but how do these ideas come up in poetry? Hosts Abi Newhouse and Aeriel Merillat speak with The Inner Loop's May Author's Corner spotlight, Amanda Shaw, about rooting the readers inside a poem, crafting a story's arc through a poetry collection, and the many levels of time throughout it all. Plus, try your hand at our trivia game, in which we guess which story matches each specific setting. You can buy Amanda's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9781957755359
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    39 m
  • Inspiration Takeover: Using Your Dreams with Cameron MacKenzie

    Inspiration Takeover: Using Your Dreams with Cameron MacKenzie
    May 13 2024
    Looking for inspiration in all your usual places but coming up empty? Cameron MacKenzie, author of "The Beginning of His Excellent and Eventful Career" and "River Weather," suggests using your dreams to get you started on a new writing project. He takes us through his process of using one line to create a story, and how your unconscious brain can give you the best ideas. Take yourself seriously, he argues, even when you're not aware of what your self is up to.
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    10 m