Why We Write

Professor Caroline Heller's book, Reading Claudius: A Memoir in Two Parts, explores not only her family's experiences during World War II, but also how the Holocaust affected her own life as the chil…

When Joel Christian Gill realized painting wasn't working for him, he returned to comic books and began writing and illustrating books that tell the largely unknown stories of extraordinary black peo…

Richard Blanco is the fifth presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history—the youngest, first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role. In this interview, he speaks with former Boston …

Sara Farizan is an Iranian American young adult author. In this interview she talks about Here to Stay, her new book on basketball and Islamophobia, navigating social media as a public figure and int…

Fabiola R. Decius’s is a playwright and the founder of Teens WRITE (Writing, Reading, and Investigating Theater Everywhere), which is a program for teenagers to write, revise, cast, direct, and produ…

It took Janet Pocorobba 15 years to write "The Fourth String: A Memoir of Sensei and Me," a biography of a non-traditional Japenese sensei teaching a very traditional instrument and an autobiography …

YA and children's author David Elliott's most recent titles are Bull, a raucous, rhyming retelling of the Minotaur myth that's been compared to Hamilton and Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc, a …

Boston-based poet Jess Rizkallah is the award-winning author of The Magic My Body Becomes. She first decided to "chase poetry" as an undergrad at Lesley University and went on to study creative writi…

Sara Levine is writer, educator and a veterinarian. Her books for children include Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons; Tooth by Tooth: Comparing Fangs; Tusks and Chompers; Fossil by Fossil: Com…

Hundreds of new books for kids and young adults hit shelves every year, yet teachers often stick with the same titles year in and year out. The educators behind The Classroom Bookshelf, a blog on the…

Enzo Silon Surin, Haitian-born poet, educator, publisher, and social advocate, is the author of two chapbooks, A Letter of Resignation: An American Libretto and Higher Ground. He is recipient of a Br…

Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author, educator, and activist whose latest novel for teens is Watch Us Rise, co-written with Ellen Hagan. A native of Portland, Oregon, Renée writes book…

Children's book author Susan Goodman writes books that are humorous, honest, and sometimes historical. Case in point, her book titles include The Truth About Poop, The First Step: How One Girl Put Se…

If you've ever contemplated getting your MFA in Creative Writing, this is the episode for you. We've got a panel on the MFA in Creative Writing experience with three members of the Lesley University …

Scott Loring Sanders is the author of "Surviving Jersey: Danger and Insanity in the Garden State," a collection of personal essays on growing up in New Jersey and life beyond the state. In this inter…

Jami Brandli is an award-winning playwright based in Los Angeles and a faculty member in Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program. In this episode she discusses "making it" as a playwright…

Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down and many other books for kids, middle grade and young adults. His novels feature diverse characters and are unfailingly compel…

Cheryl Eagan-Donovan is a graduate of Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program, where she also teaches screenwriting. Her first documentary film, All Kindsa Girls, screened in London, Toro…

Rachel Kadish is the acclaimed author of The Weight of Ink, winner of the 2017 National Jewish Book Award, as well as the novels From a Sealed Room and Tolstoy Lied: a Love Story. Her work has appear…

Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing alumna Katie Cotugno is a self-proclaimed "love junkie" and the author of How to Love, 99 Days, Fireworks, Top Ten, and 9 Days & 9 Nights. She writes feminis…