Episodes - Page 6 | writing class radio

Dec. 23, 2020

Bye Bye 2020

Andrea and Allison say goodbye to 2020.

Dec. 2, 2020

On today’s episode you’ll hear a story that takes a bad situation and finds the good. We don’t love sappy happy endings, but honest happy endings are the best, especially when they bring joy to the world. Jamie Katz got married on her balcony during lockdown and was greeted with some pleasant surpr…

Nov. 18, 2020

How Does a Man Get Away with Calling Women Bitches and Hoes in a Story?

This episode is about how home is love.

Nov. 9, 2020

Should I Stay or Should I Leave This Country?

Today’s episode is part of a series called Home. Writing Class Radio helped produce a documentary to help end homelessness for Chapman Partnership, a homeless center in South Florida. On this episode, you will hear a story by writer Tiffanie Drayton who takes an idea that most Americans hold about…

Oct. 21, 2020

At Home in My Skin

This episode features a story about feeling at home in one's skin and shows the art of planting seeds.

Oct. 7, 2020

Torn Between Two Houses Feeling Like a Fool

How to write a story when the end is murky.

Sept. 2, 2020

What Does Your TV Habit Say About You?

This episode is about story structure and all things done well in an essay. LiAnne Yu tells a story about watching TV with her Chinese immigrant parents. As a narrator she brings us into her world--dinners in front of the TV ...

Aug. 5, 2020

Who's Your Voice of Reason?

A good device is to use another character to offer a voice of reason.

July 1, 2020

Every Word Matters

Today on our show, we’re talking about how every word in a story matters. We have a story to share that illustrates this point so well. Essayist, teacher, and Writing Class Radio listener Amy Paturel submitted her story called “The Other Love of His Life,” which was originally published in Newsweek…

June 3, 2020

A Poet's Response to Senseless Murders

This episode of Writing Class Radio is dedicated to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and all those who have lost their lives in a senseless murder. The story we share with you on this episode is by student and poet Zorina Frey. Last Saturday, May 30, 2020, Andrea gave students a writing prompt and 14 …

May 6, 2020

An Insider Conversation with a Literary Agent

Today on our show, we share a New York Times Modern Love essay we love by Jessica Strawser, editor-at-large at Writer’s Digest. Her essay caught the attention of literary agent Barbara Poelle, an agent with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and the author of Funny You Should Ask: Mostly Serious Ans…

April 1, 2020

You Have Permission to Write or Not to Write

We bring you two stories that about the coronavirus pandemic that bring you something more about the human condition.

March 4, 2020

How to Write About Death: Use an Obsession

Writing about an obsession is a creative and interesting way to write about death.

Feb. 5, 2020

Writing Helps You Figure Out How You Think

Today on our show, we’re talking about how writing helps you figure out how you think. And helps you see yourself, specifically your failures more clearly because it’s hard to ignore a pattern when you see it in writing. We share an essay by listener, Karen Debonis who’s story, “Even the Weak Can …

Jan. 8, 2020

Gotta Be a Good Literary Citizen if You Wanna Get Published

Being a good literary citizen means helping other writers and promoting their work.

Dec. 4, 2019

Abortion Stories Matter

On this episode, you’ll hear two stories about abortion, because we believe abortion stories must be told to keep abortions safe, legal, and accessible. If all women who had abortions told their stories, abortion would not be stigmatized, public perception would change, and laws would change. We …

Nov. 6, 2019

How to Go From Idea to Published Essay to Book Deal

Ariel Henley suffers from crouzon syndrome, a rare disease that affects her appearance. Her writing shares her experience and emotional growth. A Face Like Picasso is the book, There’s a Mathematical Equation that Proves I’m Ugly--Or So I Learned in My Seventh Grade Art Class is the essay and Ariel…

Oct. 2, 2019

Think Like a Writer with Dani Shapiro

This episode is about how to think like a writer, which means, how to figure out what your story is about, how to understand your themes, and how to respect other people's privacy.

Aug. 28, 2019

How to Write When Shit Gets Real

Three weeks ago, Allison was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. In this emotional episode, we share the stories we wrote about this situation. We are treating this episode as if we’re in writing class by sharing our own writing and critiquing it.

Aug. 14, 2019

Create Scenes So People Remember

A suicide bomber in Afghanistan, with children around him, headed straight towards our base. This is the picture painted by listener Michael Howell in his essay, How Are You Really? We read Michael's essay and discuss what goes into creating a memorable and relatable scene.

July 31, 2019

What’s Inside Your Container?

A visit to the hair salon provides a container for a story about mental health. A container is a method to tell your entire story while contained in a place or period of time. This story is told while sitting in the stylists chair and details the author's 20-year-old daughter’s attempted suicide.

July 17, 2019

How to Write About the Unbelievable

To be reliable when describing the unbelievable we must express doubt, we must focus on details and we must convince our reader that we believe. Pat Martin achieves all these things in the story that she shares on today's show.

July 3, 2019

How to Write Your Story While You're Still Living It

Today on our show, we’re talking about how to end a story when the situation is ongoing. You’ll hear an essay by the Brazilian born Miami writer, Camile Flosi Araujo. Camile brings us into her world, which changed dramatically for her when she got into a car accident that left her paralyzed from th…

June 19, 2019

What's a Meta Phor?

Hear how to make a metaphor work in your essay