Short story author Julie Zuckerman, author of The Book of Jeremiah, joins Marrie Stone to share her novel in stories. Julie talks about drawing inspiration and structure from Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kittridge, how she structured the collection and the stories within, working with a small press (Press 53), and how a simple writing prompt unlocked Jeremiah Gerstler's complex character.In the second half, Annalee Newitz joins to talk about their latest novel, The Future of Another Timeline. They talk about how their science background feeds their fiction, what fiction can accomplish that nonfiction cannot, dealing with the complexities of time travel, and much more.22-2020.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: January 22, 2020)

Nearly 50 years after it first shocked readers nationwide, Alix Kates Shulman's, Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen is still being hailed as a feminist classic. Inspired by the iconic protest of the 1968 Miss America Pageant, and called by the Oxford Companion to Women's Writing "the first important novel to emerge from the Women's Liberation Movement," the 1972 book continues to hit home with its comic portrayal of growing up female in a man's world in white middle-class pre-feminist America. The book was re-released last year. At 87, Alix is still writing, speaking, and taking her message to the streets.8-2020.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: January 8, 2020)

Poet Michael Miller joins Marrie Stone for an hour of poetry and reflection on New Year's morning. He talks about his retrospective collection, Tea and Subtitles: Selected Poems 1999-2019, many addressing beginnings, endings, and New Year's Day itself.Michael discusses his life-long love of the form, how journalism aids his poetry, assembling the writer's toolbox, and the many poets who he recommends as accessible and necessary reads.Michael will appear at the LA Times Festival of Books on the poetry stage in April. 1-2020.mp3">Download audio.  (Broadcast date: January 1, 2020)

Stephen Dunn, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his latest volume, Pagan Virtues. (There are a few audio challenges, but keep listening. It's worth it.)Download audio.(Broadcast date: Dec. 4, 2019)

Louis L'Amour, father of the western and frontier novel, passed in 1988 leaving behind 89 novels, 14 short story collections, and mounds of unfinished manuscripts. His son, Beau L'Amour, continues his legacy by finishing many of his novels and short stories and adding notes, history, and backstory. He shares his latest, Lost Treasures Volume II, as well as his father's writing process, his relationship with Ray Bradbury, and more.Robin Cook, father of the medical thriller genre, joins in the second half to share his latest novel, Genesis. During his time in the navy, and after completing his medical training, Robin came on the writing scene in the 1970s with the novel Coma. Now, 35 novels later, he still thrills readers with his uncanny sense of where medical technology is heading, the radical advances and attendant consequences we're making, and how his longstanding and beloved characters deal with them.18-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: December 18, 2019)

Tim O'Brien, National Book Award winning novelist and iconic author of The Things They Carried, joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest—and last—book.Dad's Maybe Book is at once a memoir, a love letter to his young sons, a meditation on war, a writing guide for writers, a history lesson, a literature lesson, and swan song to his fans. (Don't let the title or cover fool you . . . this book packs a meaty punch that extends well beyond fatherhood). Tim shares his enduring struggles with writing, with memory, and with his own father.11-19.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: December 11, 2019)

Christopher Ketcham, author of the new nonfiction book, This Land: How Cowboys, Corruption, and Corruption are ruining the American West, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for the entire hour about the book that Outside magazines says, "...brings the fighting spirit and conservation vision of great writers like Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, and Bernard DeVoto into the 21st century.” Download audio.(KUCI-FM broadcast date: Nov. 27, 2019)You can reach Barbara at penonfire at earthlink dot net. Subscribe to the Writers on Writing podcast at iTunes and Stitcher.

Novelist Jeanne Blasberg joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to discuss her latest, The Nine. She shares how her work in finance and spreadsheets aids her writing, about Grub Street's Novel Generator, NaNoWriMo, the unique opportunities afforded by She Writes Press, finding your unique niche as writer, and much more.20-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: November 20, 2019)

Cathleen Schine, author of The Grammarians and 10 other novels, joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about creativity, how writing grows harder over time, her love of words and language and dictionaries, why she felt inspired by the relationship between Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren, and so much more.13-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: November 13, 2019)

Walter Mosley, author of the new book on writing, Elements of Fiction, and 40 other books, mostly novels, talks with Barbara about plotting (or not), rewriting, writing for TV, MFA programs, and much more.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Nov. 6, 2019)

Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher, joins Marrie for the entire hour to talk about sex in the new millennium, whether technology can affect desire, how male writers can effectively access the female point of view, writing through the various stages of life, humor, and much more.11-17.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: October 11, 2017)DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed on this program do not reflect those of KUCI, its management, or the UC Board of Regents. For more information on this talk show, or other talk shows, visit our website at www.kuci.org. 

Novelist Aris Janigian joins Marrie Stone to talk about the latest novel in his "Waiting" trilogy, Waiting for Sophia at Shutters by the Beach. A challenging and thought-provoking novel about the #metoo movement and sexual harassment on college campuses, Aris discusses the many trials and difficulties he encountered while writing it (including a stolen manuscript). He also talks about being the author of six novels (and spending significant time on the LA Times bestseller list), all without an agent. Aris will be appearing at Book Soup in December to launch the book. More information about the event can be found online as the date approaches.In the second half, Robert Kerbeck joins to discuss Malibu Burning: The Real Story Behind LA's Most Devastating Wildfire. Robert and his wife successfully saved their home from the Woolsey fire last year. Their neighbors were not so lucky. Robert conducted extensive interviews and organized the book as a series of compelling vignettes, highlighting the many tragic, shocking, and poignant stories that emerged from this devastating fire. He shares insights about what homeowners can do to be prepared, and the surprising aftermath of the fire's destruction. Check out Robert's website for information about his many appearances scheduled in and around Los Angeles.30-2019.mp3"> Download audio.(Broadcast date: October 30, 2019)

Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay, her fourth novel (first stand-alone), was my guest for the entire hour, talking about writing crime fiction, specifically noir, finding your voice through reviewing on Yelp, and much more.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Oct. 23, 2019)

I knew Kate a few ways: through my show where she was a guest three times. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where she sat on my panel. And a writing project for which she generously wrote an essay on spec (not yet unpublished). She wrote one of my favorite short stories: "Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta." It's in the fantastic collection, Squandering the Blue, as well as widely anthologized and googleable.Here are the shows:  Martin J. Smith, co-author of Oops : 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America, and Kate Braverman, author of Frantic Transmissions to and from Los Angeles.16-2006.mp3">Download audio. The show begins at 24:30.(Broadcast date: Mar. 16 2006)22-2003.mp3">Kate Braverman, author of The Incantation of Frida K.(This one you have to click on her name to access audio.)(Broadcast date: May 22, 2003) Kate Braverman, author of Lithium for Medea.18-2002.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: Sep 18, 2002)

Elizabeth Strout returns with Olive, Again, a newly released collection that picks up where Olive Kitteridge left off. Elizabeth joins Marrie Stone to talk about how Olive reasserted herself, how the world has changed around her, and how Elizabeth managed to leave a porous space around Olive (and her other characters) so readers might insert their own experiences into the narrative.In the second half, Lise Funderburg shares her anthology, Apple, Tree: Writers on their Parents. She talks bout the relationship middle-aged adults have with their parent's legacies, how she chose this special crop of authors, and gives a mini-class on the essay form and what makes an essay work.16-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: October 16, 2019)

Poet Grant Hier, professor at Laguna College of Art and Design, and author of Similitude, The Difference Between, and co-author with John Brantingham of California Continuum, joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for what turned out to be a masters' class in writing poetry. You don't have to be a poet or have any interest in writing poetry, to get something out of this show. And no matter what you write, reading poetry will only make you a better writer.Download audio(Broadcast date: Oct. 9, 2019)

Bestselling novelist Ann Patchett joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to discuss her latest book, The Dutch House. She talks about how the writing of this novel differed from her others, and how many times she had to rewrite and revise the manuscript. She shares the one writer who can teach you everything you need to know about writing fiction, and the essay she penned that will answer all your writing related questions.Discover how being a bookstore owner has changed her approach to writing, her feelings about cultural appropriation, separating good art from bad artists, the colorful story behind the book's cover, and much more.2-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: October 2, 2019)

Meet the woman who lives inside your iPhone. Writer and poet Mariana Lin was recruited by Apple to write the personality for Siri, and went on to write for other artificially intelligent personalities, like Sophia. This week's show explores the thinking behind creating a personality and "voice" for machines—from their humor to their backstories. Mariana was tasked with considering machines living in other cultures, and how they should respond to racist, sexually charged, or other offensive speech. And she was challenged to imbue them with whimsy, nuance, and complexity. Hear about how Mariana’s love of language, fiction, and poetry is influencing a new cast of characters living in our world.18-2019.mp3"> Download audio. (Broadcast date: September 18, 2019)

Actor, audiobook narrator, and writer Jorjeana Marie joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about Improv for Writers. In the second half, novelist Helen Phillips comes on to talk about The Need, published by Simon and Schuster. Phillips discusses "emotional" revision while Marie talks about how improv is a tool writers can employ for everything from getting past the blank page to figuring out plot and structure.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Sept. 11, 2019)

Novelist Christy Lefteri joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest book, The Beekeeper of Aleppo. She talks about her time as a UNICEF volunteer and growing up as a child of two refugees and how these events informed the novel. She discusses how words and phrases trigger her memories, and how she used that experience as an effective flashback device in the book, and much more.In the second half, Susan Straight shares her memoir, In the Country of Women. She talks about her family's secret language, the effective thread of The Odyssey throughout the book, and her enduring relationship with a very special possum.4-2019.mp3">Download audio.  (Broadcast date: September 4, 2019)

Peter Orner joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest collection, Maggie Brown & Others. He discusses the power of the short story form, and how he attempted to create the sensation of walking down a city sidewalk and staring up into all the lit apartment windows to get a sense of story. He talks about the importance of place, and leaving it. And much more.In the second half, Ben Marcus shares his collection, Notes From the Fog. Ben talks about the story around which the rest of the collection formed, how Elon Musk's hatred of food inspired him, and more.21-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: August 21, 2019)

T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Last Good Guy, and Sigrid Nunez, author of Mitz: The Marmoset of Bloomsbury, join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss the art, craft, and business of writing on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, 88.9 fm.Download audio.(Broadcast date: August 28, 2019)Archive: writersonwriting.blogspot.com

In a show dedicated to memoir, Rick Moody joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest book, The Long Accomplishment: A Memoir of Hope and Struggle in Matrimony. He shares how he wrote through a difficult life experience, feeding his creative energy, and more.In the second half, Elissa Altman joins to talk about Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing and Longing. She discusses the intricate connection between food and mothering, writing critically about a loved one who is still alive, and what the writing—and reading aloud—of the book taught her about her own story.14-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: August 14, 2019)

Memoirist Liz Scott, author of This Never Happened, and Sands Hall, author of Flunk. Start.: Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their memoirs.Download audio.  (Broadcast date: August 7, 2019)

Novelist Janet Fitch, author of Chimes of a Lost Cathedral, joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about her new novel published by Little Brown.Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 31, 2019)

Taffy Brodesser-Akner joins Marrie Stone to talk about her novel, Fleishman is in Trouble. In the second half, Kathleen Alcott joins to talk about her latest, America Was Hard to Find.24-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 24, 2019)

New York City literary agent Mark Gottlieb joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for the entire hour to talk about what he looks for in a client, the attraction--and danger--of trends, self-publishing, and so much else about publishing.Here's his bio: Mark Gottlieb is a literary agent at Trident Media Group in New York City. He ranks highly among literary agents in overall deals and other categories. With that insight and initiative, Mark Gottlieb is actively building his client list of new authors. He manages and grows author careers at publishing's leading agency. One of his core values is helping writers realize their book publishing dreams. Since his time at Trident Media Group, he has represented New York Times bestselling, as well as award-winning authors. He has also optioned and sold books to film and TV companies. He previously ran Trident Media Group's Audiobook Department and before that worked in Foreign Rights. Prior to that he served as Executive Assistant to the literary agency's Chairman. Agent Mark Gottlieb is actively seeking submissions in all categories. He is looking forward to bringing new authors to the curious minds of their future readers.Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 17, 2019)

Caite Dolan-Leach joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest novel, We Went to the Woods. She shares her draw to her childhood home as setting, her research methods, the myriad blind paths her narrator led her down, and her methods for unlocking character.10-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 10, 2019)

Shawn Levy, author of The Castle on Sunset:Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont, joins Barbara to talk about his new nonfiction book. The only guest for the entire hour, they discuss "gathering string," doing research, writing and revising.Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 3, 2019)

Novelist Gary Shteyngart joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about his latest book, Lake Success, now available in paperback.Gary talks about creating effective satire, his pull toward the immigrant story, research, the novel's biggest challenge, and much more.26-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: June 26, 2019)

Novelist and short story writer Karen Russell joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest collection, Orange World. She discusses how she approaches stories versus novels, the Venn Diagram of character, how copying out sentences of other writers helps her rhythm and more.In the second half, Jessica Francis Kane joins to talk about her novel, Rules for Visiting. She shares insights into how to deal with an interior main character, how the novel can be structured like a series of stories, what motivated the novel and more.19-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: June 19, 2019)

Short story writer eisenberg-chronicler-of-american-insanity.html">Deborah Eisenberg, author of Your Duck is My Duck, joins Marrie for the hour to talk about writing, aging, smoking, and life.12-19.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: June 12, 2019)

Poet and professor Patty Seyburn joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about her latest collection, Threshold Delivery. She discusses ways to make poetry more accessible and her favorite contemporary poets. She talks about the ways a poem can gather momentum, how rhythm and language can lead a poem in new directions, how reading across disciplines and mining those disciplines for their own peculiar language feeds her work, and much more.The interview references a promise to include some of Patty's writing exercises for poets and writers. For a link to those exercises, seyburn-interview-and.html">click here.29-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 29, 2019)

Leland de la Durantaye, author of Hannah versus the Tree talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about writing his debut novel (though not the first one he wrote), about patience, and language. Not to be missed.Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 22, 2019)

New York City literary agent Claire Roberts talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about books, publishing, trends, self-published books, and more, on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM, broadcast from the University of California, Irvine campus.Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 15, 2019)

Sigrid Nunez, author of the 2018 National Book Award winning novel The Friend, joins Marrie Stone to talk about enduring themes across her work, her trepidation about writing about a writer, and her general wisdom about the writing process, learning the craft, the role of talent, teaching, and the importance of reading wide and deep.In the second half, Amanda Marbais discusses her debut short story collection, Claiming a Body. She shares her arduous revision process (confessing that stories often undergo between 25 and 40 revisions), and assembling a collection versus publishing individual stories. Amanda dissects one of her pieces—from original kernel of inspiration to the final revision. She discusses dialogue, the importance of reading your work aloud, and her propensity towards gallows humor.8-19.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 8, 2019)

Katya Apekina, author of The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish, and Amy Hempel, author of Sing to It talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 1, 2019)

Novelist Lydia Fitzpatrick joins Marrie Stone to talk about her debut novel, Lights All Night Long. Lydia shares her connection to Russia, how she approached the ominous task of research, the importance of photographs and Google Maps in her work, and her thoughts about structure and narrative tension. She also shares her writing advice about "the wall of shame" and how deconstructing other people's novels helped her own work.In the second half, Kim Magowan joins to talk about her short story collection, Undoing. Kim discusses the usefulness of putting constraints around her work, her thoughts about linked stories, and the elegant way she assembled her collection. She also talks about overcoming her fears to send work out, the role of contests for flash and short story writers, and the importance of independent presses.24-19.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: April 24, 2019)

Benjamin Dreyer, author of Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, talks with host Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about exclamation points, comma splices, and an assortment of matters concerning grammar and punctuation. Download audio.(Broadcast date: April 17, 2019)

Debut novelist duclos.com/">Melissa Duclos joins Marrie Stone to talk about her novel, Besotted. Melissa shares her nearly 15 year journey with her novel, her decision to break up with it, and her discovery of small, independent presses. She also talks about the novel's unique point of view, first person omniscient. You can learn more about Melissa and her duclos.com/magnify-small-presses-bigger/">newsletter at her website. In the second half, Kim Dower joins to discuss her fourth collection, Sunbathing on Tyrone Power's Grave. In honor of National Poetry Month, Kim reads a few poems about her late father, talks about their origin, recurring themes throughout her collections, the accessibility of her work, and the subconscious influences at play. She also shares helpful advice for aspiring poets.10-19.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 10, 2019)

Memoirist Meredith May, author of The Honey Bus: A memoir of Loss, Courage, and a Girl Saved by Bees (Park Row Books/Harper Collins) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: April 3, 2019)

Alex Michaelides, author of the debut literary thriller The Silent Patient, joins Marrie Stone to talk about his journey from screenwriting to novels and how the two feed each other. He discusses taking walks in the park—like his character—as a form of method writing. He discusses how Agatha Christie influenced his work, discovering his characters, keeping a diary as a way of giving his silent character a voice, and more.In the second half, Amy Meyerson joins to talk about her novel, The Bookshop of Yesterdays.  She shares the origin story behind the book, learning the intimate and amazing things people tuck inside of books to later be found. She talks about weaving together clues based on significant novels, and more.13-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: March 13, 2019)

Lisa Gornick, author of The Peacock Feast, joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest sweeping novel. She talks about the braiding together of three story-lines; researching historical figures while ensuring the research never feels didactic to the reader; managing vast amounts of time and complex story-lines, etc.In the second half, debut novelist Julie Clark joins to talk about The Ones We Choose. She talks about writing a novel while working full-time as a teacher and raising two children on her own. She shares the contest that led her to her agent, and her path to publication. And she discusses how the explosion of reproductive technologies have led to some unintended ethical consequences.27-2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: March 27, 2019)

Steven Rowley, author of The Editor, and Abby Geni, author of The Wildlands, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: March 20, 2019)If you're in Orange County, California, on May 14, come to Lido Village Books where Steven Rowley will talk further with Barbara about his book. More at penonfire.com.

Historical fiction writer Pam Jenoff joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest novel, The Lost Girls of Paris. In an interview full of craft advice for writers, Pam shares her tips for research, structure, voice, inspiration and more.In the second half, Soniah Kamal joins to talk about her debut novel, Unmarriageable. Soniah shares her origin story as a writer, how her background in acting serves her fiction, transposing a classic novel, cultural appropriation and more. 2019.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: February 20, 2019)

Memoirist Vanessa McGrady, author of Rock Needs River, and novelist Glen Erik Hamilton, author of Mercy River talk about the art, craft, and business of writing their new books.  Download audio. (Broadcast date: March 6, 2019)

Amanda Sthers, author of Holy Lands (Bloomsbury) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new epistolary novel and why she starts with the ending.Download audio.(Broadcast date: February 27, 2019)

Novelist Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men, and Susan Shapiro, author of The Byline Bible, join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on the show to talk about the art, craft, and business of writing.  Download audio.(Broadcast date: Feb. 13, 2019)

Tom Barbash, novelist and short story writer, joins Marrie Stone for the hour to discuss his latest novel, The Dakota Winters. Tom shares his research, his background in journalism, his secret to creating compelling short stories and more. We learn a little about John Lennon, and a lot about Tom, in this informative and fun 58 minutes.6-19.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: February 6, 2019)

Pam Houston, author of Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about writing on airplanes, setting, balancing life with writing, finding structure, and more.Download audio(Jan. 30, 2019)

Iconic Vietnam War novelist and short story writer Tim O'Brien (author of The Things They Carried, In the Lake of the Woods, Going After Cacciato, and more) joins Marrie Stone for the hour to talk about memory, truth, storytelling, mortality and more. O'Brien shares his philosophy that the sound of the story—its cadence, rhythm, and music—should be its guiding principle. He also discusses his revisitation of Hemingway's work and the powerful persistence of childhood memories.23-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: January 23, 2019)

David R. Gillham, author of Annelies, a novel based on Anne Frank and who would she might have been had she lived, and Janet Clare, author of the novel, Time is the Longest Distance, about a woman who learns her father is an Aussie, and goes to find him, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on this latest episode of Writers on Writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: January 16, 2019)

Debut novelist Jenn Stroud Rossmann joins Marrie Stone to talk about her novel, The Place You're Supposed to Laugh. She shares her insights on how she unpacked the novel, writing from a young, black male's point of view, and how her work as a mechanical engineer and professor feeds her fiction.In the second half, June Casagrande shares her insights and wisdom into grammar and syntax with her latest book, The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know. She discusses common mistakes writers make, how to play with syntax in fiction, good examples of bad writing, and more.9-2019.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: January 9, 2019)

Bestselling author Liane Moriarty joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest novel, Nine Perfect Strangers. She shares her process, her weaknesses, and her affinity for multiple points of view, among many other things.In the second half, Mark Russell Gelade joins to share his debut collection, Navigating by Stars: 24 Very Short Stories of Love Longing.  He reads a few pieces and talk about their origins, his revision process, his inspirations, arcs across his work and the art of compression.26-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: December 26, 2018).

Actor Omid Abtahi, featured in American Gods, Boys of Abu Ghraib, Homeland, Argo, etcetera etcetera, spends the hour with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett. They talk about the creative process, his roles, and how it all begins with the word.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Jan. 2, 2019)

Memoirist Beth M. Howard, author of Hausfrau Honeymoon, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about her new memoir, a prequel to Making Piece, on KUCI-FM 88.9. The show is first broadcast from UC-Irvine Campus and later podcast on iTunes. Subscribe to the show on iTunes and when a new show is uploaded, you'll receive it in your podcast file.Download audio.(Broadcast date: January 2, 2019)Happy New Year!

Janet Fitch, author of The Revolution of Marina M, talks with Barbara about her newest novel, why she's a novelist and not a memoirist, composite characters, her undergraduate focus on Russia and her stay in Russia as a student, and so much more.19-18.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: Dec. 19, 2018)

Novelist and short story writer Karen Bender joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest collection, The New Order. Bender discusses her writerly instinct to create order from chaos, and how events in the real world shape her art. She shares her "octopus theory" for creating scope in short stories, as well as her "container theory" for stories.Bender dissects a few of her stories from original concept to final draft, and highlights some of the steps in her revision process. She also notes several stories she uses for teaching these various techniques. All this, and much more.12-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: December 12, 2018)

Los Angeles-based literary agent Betsy Amster talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the state of publishing, self-publishing, query letters, what she's looking for, and more.  5-18.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: Dec. 5, 2018)

Louie Pérez, founding member of the American rock band Los Lobos, and Grant Hier join Marrie Stone for a round-table discussion of poetry, lyric-writing, prose, visual arts, music and more.Hier and Pérez collaborated on the double CD Joyride: Friends Take the Wheel, a compilation of various artists (including George Saunders) interpreting the words and music of Louie Pérez. The CD was created as a special companion piece to Pérez's new book, Good Morning, Aztlán: The Words, Pictures Songs Of Louie Pérez. Hier is the author of several poetry collections and a forthcoming historical flash fiction book. His most recent work is Similitude. Pérez and Hier discuss their creative process, the origin of some of their work, how setting personal boundaries breeds creativity, and much more. We also are treated to some Los Lobos songs.28-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: November 28, 2018)

Jonathan Lethem, author of The Feral Detective, and Deborah Gaal, author of The Dream Stitcher, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Nov. 21, 2018)

Young adult writer Marie Lu returns to "Writers on Writing" to talk with Marrie Stone about her latest duology, Warcross and Wildcard. She talks about the intersection between video gaming and her novels, how to build a compelling world, how her sketchbooks help her build character, and more.In the second half, debut novelist Rita Dragonette joins to discuss her novel The Fourteenth of September. In addition to talking about the impact of the Vietnam War on her life, she discusses the difficulties of writing a novel over the course of 12 years, mining your own life as a starting point in fiction, the role of critique groups in her writing and more.The interviews were pre-recorded and ran longer than the allotted on-air time. To access the longer interviews, click on the links below the podcast.14-2018.mp3">Download audio.Lu.mp3">Download full length Marie Lu.Dragonette.mp3">Download full length Rita Dragonette.(Broadcast date: November 14, 2018)

Hallie Ephron, author of You'll Never Know, Dear, and Lisa Brackmann, author of Black Swan Rising, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing mysteries and suspense.  Download audio.(Broadcast date: Nov. 7, 2018)

Marcus Zusak, author of Bridge of Clay and The Book Thief, and Lisa Unger, author of Under My Skin, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing.Download Audio.(Broadcast date: 10/24/2018)

Rick Moody, author of The Ice Storm, Hotels of North America, and Demonology (among many other works), joins Marrie Stone to talk about taking risks, the importance of playing with form, stoking creativity, living in the world in an artist in today's America, and more.31-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: October 31, 2018)

Andre Dubus III joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about his latest novel, Gone So Long. He discusses how to make the empathetic leap into characters vastly different from him, and living in the discomfort of a character who might repulse him. He gives insight into his process for writing effective sex scenes. He talks craft, process, structure, and revision, all with his signature down-to-earth and eloquent style.17-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: October 17, 2018)

Liana Finck, author of the graphic memoir, Passing for Human, and novelist Deborah Reed, author of The Days When Birds Come Back, join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about their new books and the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: October 10, 2018)

Christina Dalcher, author of Vox, talks with Marrie about dystopian fiction, linguistics, the importance of language, and her love of flash fiction. She also discusses beat sheets, rough outlines, how flash fiction helps novel writing, and more.In the second half, Donna Hilbert discusses her latest poetry collection, Gravity. She talks about the quiet space necessary to produce work, art versus therapy, and the process of understanding what a poem is about. Donna also dissects one of her poems for the listening audience.3-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: October 3, 2018)

Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland and Gangster Nation, and NYC literary agent Jennie Dunham talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about novels, agents, publishing, and so much more.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Sept. 26, 2018)Tod will be featured at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series and Salon on Oct. 16, 2018, at the Lido Bookstore in Newport Beach, CA   More at www.penonfire.com/speakerseries

Novelist and essayist jo-ann.html">Jo Ann Beard talks with Marrie Stone about her past works, The Boys of My Youth and In Zanesville. Over the course of the hour, she shares a wealth of wisdom and honest insights about her process and craft, her feelings about her work and her artistry, the importance of the work versus the importance of publication, and much more.19-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: September 19, 2018)

Leslie Schwartz, author of the memoir The Lost Chapters talks with Barbara on the show about her time in jail, treatment of prisoners, and how this experience became a book, and how reading books kept her going during these 90 days.Download audio.(Broadcast date: Sept. 12, 2018)

Alexia Arthurs joins Marrie Stone to share her short story collection debut, How to Love a Jamaican. She discusses beginnings and endings. She talks about writing from place and setting. And she talks about the unexpected surprises of a short story and what they reveal to the writer.15-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: September 5, 2018)

Novelist and memoirist Sandra Gail Lambert joins Marrie Stone to talk about her memoir in essays, A Certain Loneliness. She discusses how writing from the body avoids sentimentality, and how she can both protect her own privacy while exposing herself on the page. Sandra also discusses how one essay, when broken apart, became the backbone structure for the whole book.5-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: September 5, 2018)

Glen David Gold, author of I Will Be Complete (Knopf), is Barbara's guest for the entire hour. The show is a master class in writing memoir. If you're writing memoir, you won't want to miss this one.Download audio.(Broadcast date: August 29, 2018)Avoid missing a show. Visit iTunes and subscribe, free of charge, to the Writers on Writing podcast. When a new show is uploaded, it will arrive in your podcast file.

Nancy Rommelmann, author of To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder (Little A) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the book, from idea to publication, where stories originate,   how covering dark topics affects her as a writer and a mother, and more. Download audio. (Broadcast date: Aug. 22, 2019)

Short story writer Gabriel Houck shares his debut collection, You or a Loved One. Gabe talks with Marrie about beginnings, endings and first sentences. He shares insights on how revealing ourselves through fiction, as opposed to essays, is often easier. He deconstructs a few of his stories from initial kernel of an idea, throughout the revision process, and all the artistic decisions he made along the way. He talks about weaknesses and overcoming them, literary influences, and so much more.In the second half, Caeli Wolfson Widger joins to talk about her novel, Mother of Invention. Caeli talks about the origins of her ideas, how to construct (and adhere to) a coherent set of rules for novels set in alternate realities, as well as her research process. Caeli shares how she grapples with difficult characters, how to sustain a reader's intrigue, and much more.11-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 11, 2018)

Novelist and short story writer Victoria Patterson joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about her latest collection, The Secret Habit of Sorrow.Victoria talks about her love/hate relationship with Orange County, addiction, and the geographical terrain of her fiction. She also provides practical advice on the craft and living in the world as a writer.As an added bonus, KUCI intern Kerry sits in on the show and they discuss the collection's cover art, which Kerry happens to have tattooed on her rib cage. A discussion of spirituality, mythology and religion ensures.8-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: August 8, 2018)

White House stenographer recording-press-news.html">Beck Dorey-Stein joins Marrie Stone to talk about her memoir, In the Corner of the Oval. She talks about her time in the Obama White House and the lessons President Obama imparted about writing, storytelling, and the power of words. She shares her wisdom for being vulnerable on the page, her commitment to copious notes, and the benefits of writing in the immediate aftermath of an intense event.In the second half, Allie Rowbottom joins to talk about her memoir, Jell-O Girls: A Family History. She discusses the urgency of telling her mother's story against the backdrop of feminism, and the weight of her family's inheritance of the Jell-O fortune. In part memoir, history, feminist philosophy and more, Allie talks about how she wove all those threads, avoided being didactic, and organized the massive amount of research she accumulated.1-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: August 1, 2018)

Memoirists Melissa Stephenson, author of Driven, and Elizabeth Rosner, author of Survivor Cafe, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about the art, craft, and business of writing their books.Download audio. (Broadcast date: July 25, 2018)

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talks with Patt Morrison, author of Don't Stop the Presses! and Amy Wallen, author of the memoir, When We Were Ghouls.Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 18, 2018)

Editor and Bloomsbury Press publisher Peter Ginna, author of What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Editing, talks about what goes into the acquisition of a title, what editors look for, the changes in publishing, and more.Download audio.(Broadcast date: July 4, 2018)

Novelist and essayist Alexander Chee joins Marrie Stone for the hour to talk about his latest collection of essays, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. He discusses the important distinction between writing for therapy versus writing for publication. He discusses the pitfalls of readers' interest in what is "true" and autobiographical about a writer's work. And he deconstructs a few essays from point of origin to completion.27-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: June 27, 2018)

Marrie Stone chats with the very funny Abbi Waxman, author of Other People's Houses. They talk about the differences between British and American humor and values, and the ways in which problems in other people's marriages can affect our own. Abbi shares how her prior career in copywriting and advertising helps her fiction, and how life experiences can be fodder for her books.In the second half, Kirstin Chen joins to discuss her latest novel, Bury What We Cannot Take. She discusses writing about a time and place not her own, working with unsympathetic characters, the lessons we can take from history, and more.13-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: June 13, 2018)

Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers, joins Marrie Stone for the full hour to talk about her pull towards the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Chicago. She talks about the unexpected origins of the novel, her massive amount of research, and the ways empathy can only take a writer so far. She shares techniques for getting inside a character's skin, managing momentum, and more.20-2018.mp3"> Download audio.(Broadcast date: June 20, 2018)

Sue Halpern, author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, joins Marrie Stone to talk about the healing power of libraries and the unlikely friendships made there. They chat about the importance of telling the story only you can tell, allowing the story to tell the writer what it needs, and working with different voices inside a single novel. In the second half of the show, guest host Nicole Nelson talks to Curtis Sittenfeld, author of the new story collection You Think It, I'll Say It about the appeal of characters who are "smart but wrong," letting plot drive characterization, treating endings as an opportunity to open another door, and more.Download audio.p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} (Broadcast date: June 6, 2018)

Christina Lynch, author of The Italian Party and memoirist Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, spend this penultimate day of May talking about their work with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on Writers on Writing, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 30, 2018)

Novelist and short story master Richard Bausch spends the full hour with Marrie Stone talking about his latest collection, Living in the Weather of the World. He talks about his early influences in writing, his connection to poetry, and his approach to the short story. Along the way, he dissects some of the stories in his collection, from first spark to final edit. All the while, he shares his wisdom, recites a little poetry, and even renders the last few stanzas of a song.23-2018.mp3"> Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 23, 2018)

Claire Fuller, author of Swimming Lessons, joins Marrie Stone to chat about her novel, her later-in-life journey to writing, her process and advice. She discusses ways writers can survive the first draft, her revision process, and the intimacy of tucking memorabilia away inside books.Mark Sarvas joins in the second half to discuss his novel, Memento Park. He talks about his research process, how some ideas are made to wait until the right time, dealing with elusive characters, and his love of playing with time in a novel's structure. More information can be found about Mark at his website. He's also on Twitter and Facebook.16-2018.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 16, 2018)

Novelist Michael Zadoorian, author of The Leisure Seeker talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his novel (recently made into a film with Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland).Download audio.(Original broadcast date: March 31, 2010)

Novelist Lisa See, author of the novel, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett for the entire hour about her book, how it came to be, Pu'er tea, and the Akha culture. They also discuss her mother, the late great writer, Carolyn See.The station is in the midst of their annual fund drive. If you've enjoyed the show and listen to it or to the podcast, consider donating. Any amount will do. You can donate online at KUCI.org or call 949 824 5824 if you'd like a premium. Remember to say Writers on Writing is the show you listen to. This year the show is 20 years old and all that time we have volunteered. Thanks so much for helping out. Download audio.(Broadcast date: May 9, 2018)

Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin, and Julia Fierro, author of The Gypsy Moth Summer join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss their novels and the art, craft, and business of writing.  Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 11, 2018)

Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The House of Broken Angels, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his current wondrous novel, as well as the art, craft, and business of writing.Download audio.(Broadcast date: April 25, 2018)

Joan Silber, author of Improvement, joins Marrie Stone for the full hour. Improvement recently won the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.Silber discusses the importance of travel on her work, cultural appropriation in fiction, finding one's voice, humor, the "kaleidoscopic story cycles" of her novels, metaphor, revision and more.18-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 18, 2018)

Erica Garza, author of the memoir Getting Off: One Woman's Journey Through Sex and Porn Addiction, talks with Marrie Stone about her reasons for writing the memoir, the incredible reception it has received since publication, and the obvious need to bring buried issues to light. She discusses how to tackle painful scenes, overcoming shame, where and how to begin one's story, and more.In the second half, Jennifer Haupt joins to discuss her debut novel, In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills. She discusses thorny issues surrounding cultural appropriation, how her work in journalism impacted her work as a fiction writer, the importance of travel, the difficulties of writing a novel over the course of years, revision, and more.4-2018.mp3">Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 4, 2018)

Memoirist and novelist darznik.com/">Jasmin Darznik joins Marrie Stone to talk about her novel, Song of a Captive Bird. She talks about her pull toward Iran, toward silenced women, poetry, and more. She discusses the difficult path she took to find the structure of her novel, research, point of view, and more.In the second half, memoirist Tara Westover joins to talk about her debut memoir, Educated. Tara grew up in Idaho, under the care of a father who didn't trust the government. That meant no birth certificate, no medical care, and no school. Tara shares her journey to Harvard and Cambridge, and her journey to writing the memoir. She talks about teaching herself to write by using the New Yorker Fiction podcasts, discovering what her book was really about, and finding the embedded metaphors inside her life.21-18.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: March 21, 2018)

John Dufresne, author of Flash! Writing the Very Short Story and Susan Henderson, author of The Flicker of Old Dreams talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their new books.Download audio.(Broadcast date: March 28, 2018)

Novelist, essayist and psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest Daniel Rinaldi thriller, Head Wounds. He discusses the role of technology in crime fiction, the ways in which crime fiction can reflect society, and the many challenges posed when writing brilliant characters. Dennis also shares his many words of wisdom to writers regarding teh creative process and challenges he sees from his therapist's chair.In the second half, Veera Hiranandani joins to discuss her debut young adult novel, The Night Diary.  She talks about the pleasures and limitations from the diary format, writing from a distant place and distant time, teaching history without being didactic, and more.14-18.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: March 14, 2018)

Literary critic, writer and poet John Freeman joins Marrie to talk about his collection, Maps. John brings all his insights, wisdom and pitch-perfect ear to the discussion of poetry, and treats the listener with a few readings.In the second half, Jensen Beach talks about his collection, Swallowed by the Cold.  These interlocking stories, set in Sweden, provide the groundwork for a discussion of setting, character,  pacing and plot in the short story form.1-17.mp3">Download audio.(Broadcast date: November 1, 2017)

Novelist Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks, talks to guest host Nicole Nelson about how attention to language can help foster authenticity, how she learned to put more pressure on story threads and "stick with the trouble," and how she developed a style that insists that readers "keep up."Download audio. (Broadcast date: March 07, 2018)p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'}