Why We Write

Why We Write


Latest Episodes

National Poetry Month: Bonita Lee Penn finds joy in the "Death Doula's Song"
April 26, 2022

On our final National Poetry Month episode of the year, Bonita Lee Penn shares a hopeful poem inspired by death (no really).

National Poetry Month: Staci Halt imagines the wilds of New York City with 'Soft'
April 19, 2022

A visit to a New York City expands Staci Halt's understanding of poetry.

National Poetry Month: July Westhale Goes to the Moon's Moon
April 12, 2022

July Westhale ’13 imagines life in outer space with her forthcoming poetry collection "Moon Moon." On this episode, she gives us a preview with "the world as it is."

National Poetry Month: Robbie Gamble's Memo to a Border Patrol Agent
April 05, 2022

Robbie Gamble shares an unforgettable poem from his experiences working with immigrants in the Southwest.

How to Read Poetry (and Why) with Kevin Prufer
March 22, 2022

Poetry is great, right? Why don't we read it more? Poet and professor Kevin Prufer gives us practical ways to start reading poetry and why it's (sometimes) better than fiction.

Mean Girls meets Cheer in Hayley Krischer's 'The Falling Girls'
March 01, 2022

In Hayley Krischer's "The Falling Girls," a mysterious death, friendship, betrayal, and social media mix to create a "thrilleresque" and compulsively readable young adult novel.

Hireath is the Welsh word you didn't know you needed
February 15, 2022

Step aside hygge, there's a new non-English word that you need to know and Pamela Petro has written a beautiful book about it with "The Long Field: Wales and the Presence of Absence."

Margaret Chen's 'Suburban Gothic'
February 01, 2022

Margaret F. Chen's short story collection "Suburban Gothic" peers behind the facade of life in the 'burbs.

A journey into the 'Blue Desert' with Celia Jeffries
December 14, 2021

In "Blue Desert," Celia Jeffries tells the story of a young English woman abducted by a nomadic tribe into the Sahara.

How to Survive NaNoWriMo
November 16, 2021

We're midway through National Novel Writing Month, and we've got two NaNoWriMo veterans to share their advice. Whether or not you're trying to pen 50,000 words on your novel this month or are thinking