Write On Radio

On September 11th, Lynette Reini-Grandell talks with former long-time "Write On! Radio" host Jules Nyquist about her newest collection of poetry Homesick, Then. Jules Nyquist has an MFA from Bennington College in Vermont and formerly was a program associate for education at the Loft as well as a "Write On! Radio" co-host. She founded Jules' Poetry Playhouse in Albuquerque, MN, where she now lives. Her previous collections of poetry include Behind the Volcanoes and Appetites. Steve speaks with Steven Johnson about his new book Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions that Matter the Most. He is the bestselling author of 11 books, including Wonderland, Where Good Ideas Come From, and The Invention of Air. He is also the host and co-creator of the PBS and BBC series How We Got to Now.

Write On Radio   September 3 at 8:32 AM ·  On September 4th, Ian talks with Roma Calatayud-Stocks about her recent work A Symphony of Rivals. A Symphony of Rivals, the second book in a trilogy, is a compelling historical novel set in 1930s Germany, Austria, Italy, and the United States. Alejandra Stanford Morrison pursues her dream of becoming a symphonic conductor at an unfortunate time when culture and the arts are falling under the influence of Nazism, but through her devotion to music and Beethoven's legacy, she finds a measure of hope and strength. Award-winning novelist and composer Roma Calatayud-Stocks holds a Bachelor's degree in Music and Psychology, and a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota. She later continued her studies in creative writing at the University of St. Thomas. She's currently working on the third book, An Ode to Joy. We then hear from author Thomas Lamarre discussing his latest work in Japanese animation, The Anime Ecology: A Genealogy of

Steve speaks with Jill Santopolo about her debut adult novel The Light We Lost. She is also the author of three successful children’s and young adult series, including The Nina, The Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure, and the Sparkle Spa Shimmering Collection books. She works as the editorial director of Philomel Books, and in addition, she is an adjunct professor in the New School’s MFA program.  Ian talks with Lezlie Lowe about her recent work No Place To Go: How Public Toilets Fail Our Private Needs. No Place To Go is a toilet tour from London to San Francisco to Toronto and beyond. From pay potties to deserted alleyways, No Place To Go is a marriage of urbanism, social narrative, and pop culture that shows the ways — momentous and mockable — public bathrooms just don't work. Lezlie Lowe is a freelance journalist and journalism instructor based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has been recognized for her long-form journalism by the Canadian Association of Journalists and the Atlantic Journalism A

Josh talks with Christopher Bolton about his recently published Interpreting Anime.  Interpreting Anime is a thoughtful, carefully organized introduction to Japanese animation for anyone eager to see why this genre has remained a vital, adaptable art form for decades. What emerges from the sweep of Interpreting Anime is Bolton’s original, articulate case for what makes anime unique as a medium: how it at once engages profound social and political realities while also drawing attention to the very challenges of representing reality in animation’s imaginative and compelling visual forms.

Liz talks with Brantley Hargrove about his first book The Man Who Caught the Storm: The Life of Legendary Tornado Chaser Tim Samaras. Brantley Hargrove is a journalist who has written for Wired, Popular Mechanics, and Texas Monthly. He’s gone inside the effort to reverse-engineer supertornadoes using supercomputers and has chased violent storms from the Great Plains down to the Texas coast. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Renee, and their two cats. The Man Who Caught the Storm is his first book. Jessie will talk with our very own Steve McEllistrem about his newest work Hound of God, the story of a researcher doing DNA testing and preparing for grad school, suddenly becoming a werewolf. At first, she doesn’t believe it. However, she soon realizes that the dreams are real and that she has become the victim of an ancient mystical curse. Steve McEllistrem has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years. His Susquehanna Virus novels include The Devereaux Dilemma and The Devereaux Disaster, both final

Ian talks with Marilene Phipps about her memoir Unseen Worlds: Adventures at the Crossroads of Vodou Spirits and Latter-day Saint. In this powerful memoir, we enter the lives of a family who are both descendants of European aristocrats and African slaves. We meet Phipps's godfather, the rebel leader Guslé Villedrouin, and we relive her experiences with Vodou priests and spirits, a cold-eyed pope, a charismatic Muslim astrologer, Catholic monks and exorcists, American Mormon bishops, scholars and missionaries. Her collection, The Company of Heaven: Stories from Haiti, won the Iowa Short Fiction Award. Her poetry won the 1993 Grolier poetry prize, and her collection, Crossroads and Unholy Water won the Crab Orchard Poetry Prize. Steve talks with Gail Honeyman about her debut novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. It has received massive praise from many outlets, including the NY Times, NPR, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and was selected by Reese Witherspoon for her book club and for the film rights. Honeyman stu

Paul speaks with Heidi Czerwiec and Anthony Ceballos, and Roy Guzmán about their work. Heidi Czerwiec is the author of the poetry collection Conjoining as well as the essay Sweet/Crude: A Bakken Boom Cycle. Her work has been published in many publications. She teaches in the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. Anthony Ceballos received his BFA from Hamline University. His work has been featured in The Fulcrum and Yellow Medicine Review. Raised in Miami, Roy G. Guzmán is a Honduran poet whose first collection will be published by Graywolf Press.  Jessie speaks with Cecilia Konchar Farr about her book The Ulysses Delusion: Rethinking Standards of Literary Merit. She is a Professor of English and Women’s Studies at the women's college St. Catherine University in St Paul. Her research interests all circle around novels—their history, their (women) readers, and their social, educational, aesthetic, and political work.

Steve talks with Jason Mott about his new novel The Crossing, a literary post-apocalyptic work about two siblings trekking to see the last great thing humanity will ever do. His poetry and fiction has appeared in various literary journals. He was nominated for a 2009 Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 "New Hollywood: Next Wave" people to watch. He is also the author of The Wonder of All Things and The Returned, which was made into the TV series Resurrection. Paul talks with Joseph Di Prisco about his novel coming out on August 14th Sibella and Sibella. Part tell all, part mystery, and part coming-of-age novel, Sibella & Sibella is a biting look at the world of publishing from a reluctant witness who pulls no punches with anyone. Least of all herself. Di Prisco was born in Brooklyn and lives today in Northern California, with his wife. He's the author of the novels All for Now, The Alzhammer, The Confessions of Brother Eli, and books about childhood and adolescence.

On July 10th, Conor talks with Issac Baily about his memoir My Brother Moochie. A rare first-person account that combines a journalist’s skilled reporting with the raw emotion of a younger brother’s heartfelt testimony of what his family endured for decades after his eldest brother killed a man and was sentenced to life in prison. Bailey was born in St. Stephen, South Carolina, and holds a degree in psychology from Davidson College in North Carolina. Having trained at the prestigious Poynter Institute for journalists in St. Petersburg, Florida, he has been a professional journalist for twenty years. He has taught applied ethics at Coastal Carolina University and, as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, has taught journalism at Harvard Summer School. Bailey has won numerous national, state, and local awards for his writings. He currently lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and children. Josh talks with Joe Hart about his newest novel Obscura. Merging thrilling science-fiction adventure with mind-bending psychological s

Josh & Paul talk with Chuck Palahniuk about his new novel Adjustment Day. Chuck Palahniuk's novels are the bestselling Fight Club, which was made into a film by director David Fincher, Diary, Lullaby, Survivor, Haunted, and Invisible Monsters. Portions of Choke have appeared in Playboy, and Palahniuk's nonfiction work has been published by Gear, Black Book, The Stranger, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in the Pacific Northwest. Conor talks with Jonathan Santlofer about his memoir The Widower's Notebook. Jonathan Santlofer is a writer and artist. His debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international bestseller, translated into seventeen languages, and is currently in development for screen adaptation. His fourth novel, Anatomy of Fear, won the Nero Award for best novel of 2009. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. He is also the creator and editor of several anthologies including It Occurs to Me That I Am America, a collection of original stories and art. His paintings and drawing

Jessie talks with Francesca Lia Block about her recently published book on the craft of writing,The Thorn Necklace: Healing Through Writing and the Creative Process. Francesca Lia Block is the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including the award-winning Weetzie Bat series. Her writing has been called "transcendent" by The New York Times, and her books have been included in "best of" lists compiled by Time magazine and NPR. In this long-anticipated guide, Block offers an intimate glimpse of an artist at work and a detailed guide to help readers channel their own experiences and creative energy. Sharing visceral insights and powerful exercises, she gently guides us down the write-to-heal path, revealing at each turn the intrinsic value of channeling our experiences onto the page. Paul talks with K.J. Howe about her newest Kidnap-and-Ransom Thriller Skyjack. She is a Thriller and Barry Award nominee, and she has won several writing awards, including three Daphne du Maurier Awards for Excellent

We speak with Gary Kaunonen about his new book Flames of Discontent: The 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike, which just won the 2018 Hognander Minnesota History Award. He is the author of several books, including Finns in Michigan, Challenge Accepted, and the co-author of Community in Conflict. He is an independent historian of labor and immigration, and a documentary filmmaker based in International Falls. Also, as a special feature of our pledge drive episode, Write On! Radio hosts read from their work. 

Liz talks with Scott Holliday about his new book Punishment in the Detective Barnes Series. Scott J. Holliday was born and raised in Detroit. In addition to a lifelong love of books and reading, he’s pursued a range of curiosities and interests, including glassblowing, boxing, and much more. His two previous novels are Stonefly and Normal, the latter of which earned him recognition in INKUBATE.com’s Literary Blockbuster Challenge. He loves to cook and create stories for his wife and two daughters. Conor interviews Sheila O'Connor about her latest book Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth. Sheila O’Connor is a multi-genre writer whose novels for both adults and young people include Where No Gods Came and Sparrow Road. She is a professor in the MFA program at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she also serves as Fiction Editor for Water~Stone Review. In fall 2019, her new hybrid novel for adults, V, will be published by Rose Metal Press.

Steve interviews CJ Box about his new novel The Disappeared, his eighteenth Joe Pickett mystery/thriller. He is also the author of six stand alone novels and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe and two Barry awards, among others. Jessie talks with Rachel Wiley about her second full-length poetry collection, Nothing is Okay. Rachel's work simultaneously deconstructs the lies that we were taught about our bodies and our beings, and builds new ways of viewing ourselves. As she delves into queerness, feminism, fatness, dating, and race, Wiley molds these topics into a punching critique of culture and a celebration of self. A fat positive activist, Wiley's work soars and challenges the bounds of bodies and hearts, and the ways we carry them.

Josh talks with John Connolly about his most recent novel He. John Connolly conjures the Golden Age of Hollywood in this moving, literary portrait of two men who find their true selves in a comedic partnership. When Stan Laurel is paired with Oliver Hardy, affectionately known as Babe, the history of comedy--not to mention their personal and professional lives--is altered forever. Connolly is the author of the Charlie Parker mysteries, The Book of Lost Things, the Samuel Johnson novels for young adults and, with his partner, Jennifer Ridyard, the co-author of the Chronicles of the Invaders series. His debut, Every Dead Thing, swiftly launched him into the top rank of thriller writers, and all his subsequent novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers. He was the first non-American writer to win the US Shamus award, and the first Irish writer to be awarded the Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America. Ian Graham Leask talks with Hanna Orstavik about the English translation of her book Love. With the publication o

Steve talks with Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar about her debut novel The Map of Salt and Stars. She is a Syrian American author whose short stories have appeared in The Paris Review Daily, The Kenyon Review, The Saturday Evening Post and elsewhere. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net.

We speak with Sequoia Nagamatsu about his story collection Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone, a collection of twelve fabulist and genre-bending stories inspired by Japanese folklore, historical events, and pop culture. His work has in appeared in many publications, including Lightspeed Magazine, The Fairy Tale Review, and One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories. He teaches creative writing at St. Olaf.  We also talk with Gary W. Evans about his debut novel Death by Drowning, inspired by the series of drownings of young men near college campuses in the 1990s and 2000s. He has spent 30 years in Midwest newsrooms as an award-winning writer, editor and publisher.

We speak with Andrea Swensson about her new book Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound. She is an author, radio host, and music journalist. She hosts a weekly program about the Minnesota music scene, The Local Show, at Minnesota Public Radio’s 89.3 The Current and contributes to the Local Current Blog. Prior to joining MPR, she was the music editor at City Pages, where she founded the AAN AltWeekly Award-winning Gimme Noise music blog.  We also talk with James Rollins about his new Sigma Force novel The Demon Crown. His bestselling thrillers have been translated into 40 languages and they all explore some element of the real world in addition to maintaining their breakneck pace. His most recent works are The Seventh Plague, The Bone Labyrinth, and The 6th Extinction.

On May 22nd, Liz talks with John Copenhaver about his new book Dodging and Burning: A Mystery.  His short fiction has appeared in Glitterwolf Magazine, Roanoke Review, and Gaslight, the Lambda Emerging Voices Anthology. He won the 2015 Larry Neal Writers’ award for short fiction, and was first runner-up in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story Contest and the Narrative Magazine Winter Story Contest. He lives in Washington, D.C. Ian interviews Brian Freeman about his latest book in the The Jonathan Stride series Alter Ego.  Brian Freeman writes psychological thrillers that have been sold in 46 countries and 22 languages. His novel Spilled Blood won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards, and his novel The Burying Place was a finalist for the same award. Other winners of this award have included authors Lisa Gardner, John Sandford, and Stephen King.

Paul talks with Kristin Hannah about her most recent novel The Great Alone. The novel, an epic love story and intimate family drama set in Alaska in the turbulent 1970's is a daring, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival and the wildness that lives in both nature and man. Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year Steve also speaks with Kaethe Schwehn about her debut novel The Rending and the Nest. Her memoir, Tailings, won the 2015 Minnesota Book Award for creative nonfiction and her chapbook of poems, TANKA & ME, was selected by Kiki Petrosino for the Mineral Point Chapbook Series. Schwehn is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently teaches at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.