Why We Write
Interviews with award-winning authors from the Lesley University community and beyond. We cover a broad range of genres and topics, all related to books and the writing life.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 34 minutes
- Episodes
- 81
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2023
Dark fantasy writer Zin E. Clarke wins with "Flowers from the Sea"
Zin E. Rocklyn speaks on their Shirley Jackson Award-winning novella “Flowers for the Sea" with fellow speculative fiction author and Lesley University faculty Laurie Foos.
Read Zin's essay, "My Genre…
In ‘A Fractured Infinity,’ a sci-fi love story spans the metaverse
Creative Writing alum Nathan Tavares talks about his debut novel, "A Fractured Infinity," a sci-fi love story that's "like the movie 'Arrival,' but really gay." In this episode, Nathan gives us a vie…
A.J. Verdelle's 'Literary Friendship' with Toni Morrison
Episode notes
Being friends with Toni Morrison, one of the most influential writers in American literature was a life-changing experience for A.J. Verdelle, but it came with its ups and downs. A.J. wr…
Emily Inouye Huey explores Japanese-American history in YA debut
Episode notes
The forced relocation of thousands of Japanese and Japanese-Americans during World War II profoundly shaped Emily Inouye Huey's family. Uprooted from their home on the West Coast, her gr…
Sara Farizan on Chucky Dolls, an Evil Pinball Machine and Writing Horror
Lesley University alumna and Creative Writing faculty Sara Farizan talks about her first YA horror novel, Dead Flip, a not-too-scary of nostalgia, friendship, and an evil pinball machine. In this epi…
Grace K. Shim brings K-dramas to the page
Episode notes
Growing up, Grace K. Shim relished the twists and turns of Korean dramas. Now, she's written one of her own with her YA debut, The Noh Family, in which recent high school graduate Chloe …
Saraciea J. Fennell is Bringing Books to the Bronx
The Bronx is Reading founder Saraciea J. Fennell is working to get more books into the hands of young people, especially those who come from backgrounds similar to hers, through her organization, a y…
Rebecca Rolland on 'The Art of Talking with Children'
Episode notes
Whether you're a parent, teacher, or simply someone who will one day in encounter a child, Rebecca Rolland ’17 has advice for how to respond to kids, and most importantly, how to listen.
'Mother Noise' author Cindy House on addiction, parenting, and David Sedaris
With heartfelt, gritty, and sometimes humorous essays, Cindy House's memoir Mother Noise addresses her years of drug addiction, becoming a parent, and her long friendship with David Sedaris.
Starting a literary podcast with Tavi Taylor Black and Christine Junge
Tavi Taylor Black and Christine Junge are the podcasters behind The Personal Element, a monthly discussion about one essay that both writers loved. On this episode, they take us through their podcast…
National Poetry Month: Bonita Lee Penn finds joy in the "Death Doula's Song"
On our final National Poetry Month episode of the year, Bonita Lee Penn shares a hopeful poem inspired by death (no really).
Find the transcript on our episode page.
Today's guest
Bonita Lee Penn is an…
National Poetry Month: Staci Halt imagines the wilds of New York City with 'Soft'
In our third National Poetry Month episode of the month, a visit to New York City expands Staci Halt's understanding of poetry and inspires her poem "Soft."
National Poetry Month: July Westhale Goes to the Moon's Moon
Episode notes
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
Our Poetry Month series returns! Every Tuesday in April we invite a Lesley poet to share a poem and speak briefly about their work. This year, we're starting with Robbie Gamble ’17, who reads and dis…
How to Read Poetry (and Why) with Kevin Prufer
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.
This episode is all to …
Mean Girls meets Cheer in Hayley Krischer's 'The Falling Girls'
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 with inspiration from…
Hireath is the Welsh word you didn't know you needed
In her memoir, The Long Field: Wales and the Presence of Absence, Pamela Petro unfurls the meaning of hireath — a Welsh word that encompasses nostalgia, homesickness, and longing — and dissects all t…
Margaret Chen's 'Suburban Gothic'
Margaret F. Chen's short story collection Suburban Gothic peers behind the facade of life in the 'burbs...and it gets a little dark.
In this episode, Margaret discusses her fascination with suburbs, c…
A journey into the 'Blue Desert' with Celia Jeffries
In "Blue Desert," Celia Jeffries tells the story of a young English woman abducted by a nomadic tribe into the Sahara. In this episode, Celia talks about writing a story in a culture and time complet…
How to Survive NaNoWriMo
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 thinkin…