Tag

Short Stories

Fiction, Short Stories, Writers on Writing

Nov 29: Kelly Sather Award Winning Author of Small in Real Life

Winner of 2023 Drue Heinz Literature Prize – Short Story Debut Author

Small In Real Life with author Kelly Sather

Some say short-story formats are impossible to publish. Kelly Sather proves that wrong with her first book: A beautiful collection of nine stories – and winner of the 2023 Drue Heinz Literature PrizeSmall In Real Life.

Kelly Sather’s characters face desire, regret, betrayal. They make false choices. Look for love and belonging with the wrong people. And ultimately face the consequences of the unsavory business of being human.

Kelly discusses her work, compiling the stories for this collection, and the challenges involved in the writer’s life.

About Kelly Sather

Kelly Sather is a writer, former entertainment lawyer, and screenwriter. Her stories and reviews have appeared in Santa Monica ReviewJ JournalPembroke MagazinePANKZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. She grew up in Los Angeles and lives in Northern California. 

Continue reading
Essays, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Nov 09: Peter Orner – Still No Word From You: Notes in the Margin

Observations on books, stories, poems, and life by the author of Am I Alone Here?

He’s known as a writer’s writer, a triple threat — novelist, short story master, and prolific essayist. But if you ask Peter Orner what he really wants readers to take away from his work, it’s connection.

Still No Word from You: Notes in the Margin melds intimate stories from the lived life and reading life. We discuss how Peter’s stories are often built around small moments;  how he knows which moments will make a great story. Living the writer’s life. What challenges Peter as a writer, and more.

About Peter Orner

The author of two novels and several story collections, Peter Orner‘s work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and more. His previous essay collection, Am I Alone Here? Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Peter Orner is a 3-time recipient of the Pushcart Prize and has received numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Fulbright in Namibia. He is currently the director of creative writing at Dartmouth College.

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

DEC 23: Unrestricted Access with James Rollins

#1NYT bestselling author James Rollins discusses his first-ever anthology of short stories

If  you’re looking for a last minute gift, Unrestricted Access is packed full of exciting stand-alone stories, some familiar characters, and a brand new novella from  James Rollins.

We discuss how James approaches writing short stories versus novellas and novels. Story locations and the mystery surrounding them. And some of the unknown stories behind the stories.

About James Rollins

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of international thrillers. Unrestricted Access is his first book of new and classic short fiction, and includes Sun Dogs, a new novella. James’ books have sold more than 20 million copies throughout the world, and have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Continue reading
Essays, Humor, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

DEC 03: Sara Ruhl’s Letters From Max & Matt Geiger’s Astonishing Tales

Sara Ruhl is a distinguished playwright and author, Tony award nominee, and two time Pulitzer Prize finalist.  In 2012, exuberant and opinionated Max Ritvo took her playwriting class at Yale University, proving himself a highly gifted poet.  Max was also in remission from pediatric cancer.  Over the course of four years, Sara watched Max blossom as his illness returned and his health declined, exchanging a series of letters with him that changed the way she looked at life, death, and the unexpected connections one makes along the way.  She shares these urgency and humor filled exchanges in Letters From Max: A Book of Friendship.

Sara’s plays have won numerous awards, and have been produced all over the country and internationally, including on Broadway.

Matt Geiger, our second guest, says “Anytime I’m able to talk about Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov in a single interview, I’m happy!” So Vicki makes him happy and asks why.  We’ll chat about his latest book Astonishing Tales: Your Astonishment May Vary – a collection of stories and essays.

Matt is a humorist, essayist, and award-winning journalist and author, who lives in Wisconsin with his wife, daughter, ten animals, and several metaphysical questions.

 

Continue reading