Episodes

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 after personal essay. She learned about their parents, what they eat for dinner, their nannies, grandparents, and favorite sport. They resisted getting personal, the same way Allison did when she started writing.

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.

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 do you read and listen to stories: to be taken into another world or to find yourself in the story?

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 men who submitted, but none was quite right for Writing Class Radio. We will continue to bring you abortion stories as they come in. So men, please weigh in. We want to hear from you. Submission guidelines are on our website.

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 talk about trying to make money as a writer, revisiting the same theme, and how to win a writing contest.

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 wherever you get books. Andrea read an advance copy and this story–this book–is one of Andrea’s all time favorites. This essay, the whole memoir, is a lesson in guts out vulnerability. Andrea believes Allison Landa is the next Joan Didion. The part we bring you is a perfect...

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 noble. Her wit and humor make this episode another must listen!!

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 and Pamela wants to re-write that story. She is tired of worrying about being the “angry Black woman” and gives women a prescription for how to take care of themselves. We talk about writing as activism and writing as service. This story does both.

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, her friends gathered around and built a giant bonfire. Sally was reluctant to “celebrate” at first, but as she threw her monogrammed stationery into the flames, she realized she needed the ritual.

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 Askowitz and Ida Dupont.

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. After you hear this episode, you will be dying to give it a try. But why did she use speculative memoir? According to author Laraine Herring, who wrote in the Rumpus, speculative memoir explores the truth through the figurative over the literal. She questions why we say “just” before imagination, because isn’t imagination the foundation of everything? Go to the Rumpus to learn more. On this episode, we have a special guest host: Zorina Frey. Zorina has been taking our classes for years and now she teaches one of our first draft classes on Wednesday night from 6-7pm ET. Click to sign up. Andrea got the idea for this writing prompt from Beth Kephart, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of 30 books. If you’d like to write your own speculative memoi…

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 posted on Medium and got lots of traction. Her story shows her struggle with Crohn’s disease while asking herself a question very familiar to our hosts, “Am I doing enough?” Kelly's essays and short fiction have won several awards. She has been writing for magazines and onli...

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 sentiment but also because the tightness of the essay proves that keeping it simple can often make the story stronger. We wanted this story on our show for the heart it expresses. The essay is also artfully crafted. But, the heart hit us hard. The story is about coming home. Which both Allison and Andrea did.

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 talk him into continuing the violence he learned on the street, and his attempt to become a better man. We also have a special guest host. Sarah Holtz is a reporter and audio producer based in Oakland. Her work has aired on Houston Public Media, New Orleans Public Radio, and Northern California Public Media. She received training in audio and writing at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Sarah Holtz volunteers with Empowerment Ave, an organization created by Emily Nonko and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas. Their mission is to normalize the inclusion of incarcerated artists and writers in mainstream venues. They assist incarcerated writers in getting their work published and compensated for, and contribute creatively to the abolition movement and libera…

This episode is about landing an ending. It’s also about raising the bar on what we write about. In this case, storyteller Jennifer Landau writes something new and important about being a mom. She is afraid for what will happen to her son after she dies. This is especially important because like Allison and Andrea, Jennifer chose to have children on her own using anonymous sperm donation. So, Jennifer does not have a co-parent. The story is beautiful and so honest. This essay was previously published in Literary Mama. Jennifer Landau lives in Westchester County, NY with her son, who does spot-on impressions of both Johnny Cash and Kermit the frog. She’s a children’s book editor, special education teacher and grant writer, and has published more than a dozen books. Her writing has appeared in Autism Parenting Magazine and Literary Mama. She owns three coffee makers, which is as close to a hobby as she gets. Writing Class Radio is produced by Allison Langer, Andrea Askowitz and by Ma…

Today on our show we’re talking about language. Listener Jamshid Samareh came to the United States from Tehran in 1978. He shares his story, which is about how learning the English language has helped him connect with Americans. Jamshid quotes Nelson Mandela who said, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

Welcome to Season 13. On today’s episode, you’ll hear a story which is less than 600 words and perfectly told. So much so, that we have chosen to use this story to show how to structure an essay. We’ll go over the 5Cs of a well-structured essay and why details are important. Anthony Askowitz is not a writer. He is a realtor, and he is also Andrea’s older brother. Anthony read this essay during a family dinner after his daughters left for college. Do not miss the bloopers at the end, where Andrea helps Tony record his essay.  Writing Class Radio is produced by Allison Langer, Andrea Askowitz and by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski and Courtney Fox at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music by Amadians. There’s more writing class on our website, writing class radio dot com: including essays to study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  For $10/month Andrea will answer all your publishing qu…

This is the final episode in a 10-part series inspired by the men Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. This series shared stories written by Allison’s former memoir students as well as formerly incarcerated and currently incarcerated people from around the United States. Their experiences and voices, like those of many incarcerated people, are often marginalized and unheard.

This is the ninth episode in a 10-part series inspired by the people Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories her former students wrote after taking her class and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world.

This is the eighth episode in a 10-part series inspired by the people Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories her former students wrote after taking her class and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world. In this episode, you will hear a story written by Robert Fell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife. Robert has been in prison for 44 years.  Robert Fell earned a Bachelors of Agricultural Science from Cornell. He’s certified as a specialist vegetable grower in intensive growing methods and has over 5000 hours in facilitating other inmates and DOC staff in intensive farming methods. Xaire will read Robert’s story Damaged Goods. Please join our GoFundMe campaign to raise money for 2-Tall (Clifton Jones), whose story and voice you heard on episode 116. He needs our help to hire an appellate lawyer to get the justice he was promised and deserves. Writing Class Radio is pro…

This is the seventh episode in a 10-part series inspired by the people Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories her former students wrote after taking her class and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world. Today on the show, we have Dewain Williams. Dewain responded to our call for stories. His story reveals something really ugly at the top. We think he reveals this deliberately to show how much he's changed. We want to hear from you. Should he have have left out this detail? You'll know it when you hear it. Please weigh in on our FB page by clicking Writing Class Radio FB. Dewain was born in Flint, Michigan and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He started writing in 2015 and self published his first eBook in May 2020. Dewain wants to see the world in a better place and he believes through writing it can be done. In 1997, Dewain made a terrible mistake but he knows that mistake doesn't define him.

This is the sixth episode in a 10-part series inspired by the memoir students Allison Langer taught in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories her former students wrote after taking her class and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world.

This is the fifth episode in a 10-part series inspired by the people Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories by her former students wrote and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world.

This is the fourth episode in a 10-part series inspired by the people Allison Langer taught memoir writing, in a men’s prison. You will hear new stories her former students wrote after taking her class and stories from other incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people around the world. Today’s show shares two stories by Dutch Simmons, who served two years in a federal prison. Dutch reveals the horrors of saying goodbye to his family as he walks into prison. Dutch also takes us through 11 (of 30...