16.18: Poetry and the Fantastic

How close is your reader to the story? Should they be closer? Today, our hosts get nerdy about narrative distance: the space between reader, narrator, character, and world. We talk POV, sensory detail, and familiarity—and how each can zoom a reader in or pull them back. From The ...  Show more

A story doesn’t always need the same tools from beginning to end. In this episode, we talk about recognizing when it’s time to shift gears—and how to make those changes feel intentional rather than abrupt. Our hosts look at transitions between action, dialogue, and tone, while ex ...  Show more

The creative process, deconstructed. This episode we take you behind the scenes to capture raw human talent: the intimate brainstorming, trials, and experimentation of 3 musicians and a poet preparing for a spoken word performance. What's more, is this is the first time the group ...  Show more

At the top of the episode, Austin and Amanda briefly address the ongoing revelations of misconduct and abuse within queer publishing. We stand with authors. Austin and Amanda go digging for comedy gold in ancient Harlequin blurbs, then get serious and talk about how damn hard beg ...  Show more

This week, the Reading discuss Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward and Persepolis by Majane Satrapi. Books Mentioned in this Podcast Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn WardPersepolis by Marjane SatropiSex Object by Jessica ValentiSex and Girls by Peggy OrgensteinAll the Single Ladies by ...  Show more

It's a literary smorgasbord! First, Jacke dives into the recent news of the surprising connection between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson. Next, he welcomes Mike Palindrome, President of the Literature Supporters Club, for a discussion of why Mike has been reading Flannery O'Con ...  Show more