Writers Who Read
Gary Alan McBride founded the Boulder, Colorado-based Writers Who Read novel study group in May of 2018. Since then he and other local writers have been analyzing 10 novels per year within 12-18 months of their publication. WwR is focused 100% on today's fiction, mostly in advance of academic scholarship, so we live on the cutting edge of contemporary analysis. And that's how we like it. Our goal is to read like a writer and not wait for someone else to tell us what to think.
That means we read with intent--to become better at noticing what the author is doing to manage our emotions and manipulate our point of view. And so it doesn't matter whether what we read is critically acclaimed or academically vetted, because we can learn the same lessons from bad writing as from highly polished prose. We use our own reactions to the text to discover where to dig, and we use Literary Forensics techniques to sift through the layers. Our goal is to uncover the author's intent and to identify the tools they used to create their story so we can use them in our own writing.
On our monthly podcast Gary is joined by Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and sometimes others guest readers. We discuss our own textual discoveries as well as insights gleaned from our group discussion, because as much as we can learn on our own, we can learn so much more about how to read and write when we listen to others' viewpoints.
And that's where you come in, dear listener. We invite you to join us each month, 10 months a year, for a new episode when we discuss the latest literary techniques and publishing trends so that you can try out these techniques for yourself and maybe add your voice to ours.
We are Writers Who Read.
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- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 22 minutes
- Episodes
- 48
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Next Up: Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
Chelsea Pennington joins Gary, Whitney, and Mira to analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Colorado Springs author Re…
Season 2 - Preview
Gary, Mira, and Whitney introduce all 10 novels coming up in Season 2 of Writers Who Read:
62: Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros (USA, 2023)
63: Tom Lake - Ann Patchett (USA, 2023)
64: Holly - Stephen King (…
2024 Jackson Hole Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Jackson Hole Writers Conference in Jackson Hole, WY, this November 1-3. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently spoke with Jackson Hole Ex…
Whitney, Mira, & Gary - The Interview
2024 Maryland Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Maryland Writers Association's 2024 Conference, in Baltimore, MA, this October 19 & 20. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently spoke with…
61: Mr. Texas - Lawrence Wright
Chelsea Pennington, Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright, which is Writers Who Read book number 61. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels di…
Next Up: Mr. Texas - Lawrence Wright
Chelsea Pennington joins Gary, Whitney, and Mira to analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright.
What could be a juicier tar…
2024 PNWA Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Pacific Northwest Writers Alliance's 2024 Fall Conference, in Seattle, WA, this September 19-22. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently …
60: Yellowface - RF Kuang
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang, which is Writers Who Read book number 60. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available…
Next Up: Yellowface - RF Kuang
Gary, Whitney, and Mira analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang.
Where do our ideas come from, and what defines a story t…
2024 Quills Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another Rocky Mountain regional writer’s conference that we've been spotlighting once a month this spring and summer. For July we're covering the 2024 Quills Writers Conferen…
59: Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld
Author Chelsea Pennington joins Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride to talk about Romantic Comedy by Eleanor Catton, which is Writers Who Read book number 59. Discussion slides for this nov…
Next Up: Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld
Gary, Whitney, and Mira analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.
The first half of this novel is an intense week…
2024 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another Front Range and Rocky Mountain regional writer’s conference that we've been spotlighting once a month this spring and summer. For June we're covering the 2024 Rocky M…
58: Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton
Whitney Pinion and Mira Landry join Gary McBride to talk about Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, which is Writers Who Read book number 58. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are a…
Next Up: Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton
Gary, Whitney, and Mira analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton.
Eco-ravaging for profit and the technology of the surv…
2024 Writing Heights Conference
Here’s a brief update on another Front Range and Rocky Mountain regional writer’s conference that we've been spotlighting once a month this spring and summer. For May we're covering the 2024 Writing …
57: Victory City - Salman Rushdie (with Puja Guha)
Author Puja Guha joins Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride to talk about Victory City by Salman Rushdie, which is Writers Who Read book number 57. Discussion slides for this novel and all n…
Next Up: Victory City - Salman Rushdie
Gary, Whitney, and Mira analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Victory City by Salman Rushdie.
Magical realism, thy name is Rushdie. Pampa Kampana i…
2024 Wyoming Writers Conference
Here’s a brief update on another Front Range and Rocky Mountain regional writer’s conference that we've been spotlighting once a month this spring and summer. For April we're covering the 2024 Wyomin…