Episodes
151: Follow the Story Spine to Get Published
March 22, 2023
This episode showcases the effectiveness of using the story spine structure. The story spine is a story structure as old as time. It’s the model every fairytale follows. It works really well for all stories because it’s intu…
150: In Transition: How to Write a Story About an Ongoing Situation
March 8, 2023
Today on our show, we’re talking about how to write about a situation that is ongoing. Typically, at the end of an essay, the narrator writes about what they learned or how they changed. But what if transition IS the change?…
149: How to Make Your Writing More Personal (in any Field)
Feb. 22, 2023
On this episode, we bring you a story written by Dr. Jane Marks, a conservation ecologist and professor of Aquatic Ecology at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Jane came to Writing Class Radio with the goal of making her …
148: How to Plan a Threesome
Feb. 8, 2023
Today on our show, we bring you a story by Pamela Druckerman that has voice, laugh outloud humor, and self knowing, which makes for a reliable narrator. The best part is the narrator doesn’t wait until the end to give a stat…
147: How to Write a Story about Abuse Without Using the Word
Jan. 25, 2023
Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sally Quon called Finding Home.
146: How to Write a Winning Pitch
Jan. 11, 2023
Today, we bring you a story by Terry Barr with a secret he’s kept most of his life. This story highlights the importance of telling the truth and letting go of shame, in this case, about sexual assault. You’ll also hear Terr…
145: A New Year's Nightmare
Dec. 28, 2022
On today’s episode, we’re bringing you an old episode that’s still relevant and awesome, in case you missed it back in season one. You’ll meet a bunch of students from season 1: Frenchie, Tobi Ash, Cynthia Castillo, Bo, and…
144: When Is a Gift More than a Gift?
Dec. 14, 2022
Today on our show, we bring you a story by Emily Henderson titled After Our Son Died, My Husband Gave Me The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Of My Life. Emily workshopped this essay in our Final Draft class and then the Huffi…
143: Cutting Needless Words
Nov. 30, 2022
Today on our show, we’re sharing another story by Corey Devon Arthur. Corey’s stories have been aired on Episode 120: My Pen Uncovers the Real Me and Episode 128: My New Manifesto. Corey Devon Arthur has served 25 years on a…
142: Beginnings and Endings
Nov. 16, 2022
Today on our show, we’re talking about beginnings and endings. What is an effective way to begin a story and a satisfying way to end? The story we bring you on this episode is an amazing example of how to start with appropri…
141: Where Does Your Mind Go When You're Given a Writing Prompt?
Nov. 2, 2022
Today on our show, we bring you a story by one of Allison’s 7th grade students. She spent two months teaching English to 7th and 8th graders at a private school in Miami, and because she’s her, she assigned personal essay af…
140: One Man's Abortion Story
Oct. 19, 2022
Today on our show, we bring you the story we’ve been searching for since June 24, 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. We put a call out for men’s abortion stories and waited months.
139: This Is What Mania Looks Like
Oct. 5, 2022
Today’s episode showcases a story by student Danielle Huggins. Danielle’s story shows what happened when she got off her medication for bipolar disorder. This story is the best example of show and tell EVER! We ask you, why …
138: There Is Always More to the Story
Sept. 21, 2022
Today’s episode revisits the subject of abortion but is about much more. We put a call-out for men’s abortion stories and received several abortion stories by women and very few (only three) by men. We are grateful to the me…
137: How to Fight with Your Co-Host and Win a Writing Contest
Sept. 7, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by our own Allison Langer. Her essay is called Writing Class Helped Me Break Down My Fascade. You will hear about the fight hosts Allison and Andrea had that prompted this episode. We’ll ta…
136: What Makes You Weird in the World?
Aug. 24, 2022
Today on our show, author and overall cool woman, Allison Landa reads an excerpt from her new memoir coming out October 4, 2022 called Bearded Lady (Woodhall Press). Pre-order today from our favorite Indy, Books & Books, or …
135: In Praise of Complaining
Aug. 10, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Cheryl E. Klein, author of the soon to be released memoir Crybaby. Cheryl takes an unusual subject, complaining, and makes a case for it. She even goes so far as to say complaining is no…
134: #MedicalGaslighting: Writing as a Service
July 27, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Pamela McBride, a student in our First Draft and Second Draft writing group about her near fatal experience being dismissed by her doctor. This story is far too common for Black women an…
133: Nobody Dreams of Getting Divorced
July 13, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Sally Schwartz called Divorce Shiva. Sally’s story reveals the importance of ritual in helping us go through love and loss. On the day of her divorce, instead of crying at home alone, he…
132: Here’s My Abortion Story. Men, Tell Us Yours.
June 29, 2022
On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Today we bring you a personal essay that includes an abortion story, in hopes that it will prompt men to tell their abortion stories. The story was co-written by Andrea A…
131: How to Write About Something You Can’t Remember
June 15, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Andrea Askowitz. Andrea’s story was written as speculative memoir during our writing retreat in Guatemala. And if you are like most people, you have never heard of speculative memoir. Af…
130: I’m Not Scared of Death, But I Can’t Stop Asking This One Question
June 1, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Kelly Eden who lives in New Zealand. Kelly brought this essay to 2nd Draft, a class we offer on Zoom. (To sign up click here.) Kelly took the feedback she received from the class then po…
129: Maybe We’re All Just Homing Pigeons. Are You Home Yet?
May 18, 2022
Today on our show we share a story by Heidi Walker called Coming Home. The essay is under 800 words and finely detailed to emphasize only what the narrator would like us to focus on. We love this essay not only for its senti…
128: My New Manifesto: A Man Serving a Life Sentence for Murder Changes His Ways.
May 4, 2022
Today on our show we bring you another story by Corey Devon Arthur, an inmate at Otisville Correctional Facility in New York. This story is about the demon he battles in his head, which is literally a voice that tries to tal…