The Writer's Story

Episode 43: Kalela Williams

Kristin and Meredith talk about the value of attending literary festivals as a writer (and as a reader) and interview special guest Kalela Williams. Kalela is the new director of the Virginia Center for the Book which oversees the Virginia Festival of the Book, as well as the author of a YA book (coming 2024) The Tangleroot Papers. They discuss upcoming events at the next festival (March 23-26, 2023) as well as her plans for future festivals.

Episode 42: Katharine Herndon

Kristin and Meredith launch the new year with a new podcast angle: topic or theme. This month's is point of view (POV to you writers out there). What is it? How does it affect the story in writing and reading,...? Guest Katharine Herndon joins in the conversation and also shares her experiences with Richmond, VA-based James River Writers, from attending every (!) annual conference as a writer herself to serving in recent years as the organization's Executive Director. 

Episode 41: Mary Alice Hostetter

Kristin and Meredith talk about self-imposed deadlines and celebrating small wins with your writing community. Their guest is Mary Alice Hostetter, author of the memoir PLAIN: A MEMOIR OF A MENNONITE GIRLHOOD. She talks about her life and her path to publication.

Episode 40: Fran Hawthorne

Kristin and Meredith talk about using their iPhone to record their writing ideas when they're away from the computer. Fran Hawthorne is their guest this month, and she talks about her writing journey from journalist to novelist. Her latest novel, I MEANT TO TELL YOU, will be out in November.

Episode 39: Sibley Johns and WriterHouse

Kristin and Meredith discuss beta readers and how to select good ones for your manuscript, and then chat with Sibley Johns, a writer and the Executive Director of WriterHouse. WriterHouse is a space in Charlottesville, Virginia dedicated to the craft of writing, and has writing classes (online and in-person), programs, and readings. Meredith teaches occasionally at WriterHouse, and both she and Kristin have had book events in the space. 

Episode 38: Writing Retreat

Meredith and Kristin recount experiences and lessons learned on their recent writing retreat in the beautiful Goshen Pass. Tune in for tips on organizing and enjoying your own such creative adventure!

Episode 37: Maya Smart

The incalculable value of reading suffused this month's conversation with guest Maya Smart, whose new book Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six reflects her passion for growing literacy as it gives busy parents (and grands and aunts and uncles and) practical tools to help raise happy readers. We talked deep-dive research and the challenge of putting it into the hands of non-specialists in the context of the life-changing skill and pleasure that is reading. 

Episode 36: Stephanie Pearson

Meredith and Kristin talk endings - how do you know you're done?,... enough to start over, revising and all - and other crafty bits. Then Outside mag and National Geographic writer, Stephanie Pearson, joins us to talk about her new 100 Great American Parks book, which can't help but leave readers feeling oh-so-lucky to live in this wonder-ful, beautiful, care-worthy world.

Episode 35: Alma Katsu

Kristin and Meredith talk about secondary characters in stories, and chat with guest Alma Katsu about her new book THE FERVOR, historic fiction with supernatural and horror elements. They also talk about her thriller RED WIDOW, based on her career in intelligence, and her recent television deal.

Episode 34: Martien Halvorson-Taylor

Martien Halvorson-Taylor, professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia joins Meredith and Kristin in conversation about writing and the Bible - writing about the Bible, writing in the Bible, and Martien's Great Courses on Audible course, Writing the Bible. Writing as an act of discovery and angles on translation, it's a conversation that tracks along many levels.