Tag: podcasts

6 Podcasts for Aspiring Authors

Published on by Taylor Dilger1 Comment

Podcasts are quickly growing as one of the most popular online storytelling mediums. One genre that has developed (thank the book gods) are ones that inspire, encourage, and inform you about the ins and outs of the writing world and help jumpstart your creativity. Below, I’ve compiled six amazing podcasts for writers who hope to one day share their creations with the world—or maybe even just their closest friends. These podcasts share everything from ways to make that story just a little extra special to the best ways to get a story published, giving you insider tips and tricks for whatever writing journey you’re on. I encourage you to check these ones out anywhere you get your podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, just to name a few), and to explore what other book-ish podcasts are out there.

88 Cups of Tea—Yin Chang. 88 Cups of Tea is a great podcast if you’re looking for that “just sat down with my friend that gives the best advice while drinking a relaxing chamomile tea” vibe. I recommend this podcast for anyone who is looking to find out more about crafting advice, lifestyle habits that nurture creativity, and overcoming rejections in a gentle, encouraging delivery. This nurturing and supportive environment is great for any writer that might be scared to take that first step into the writing community. Don’t worry, the host Yin Chang will be delighted to have you, and already has a cup of tea waiting.

Write or Die—Claribel A. Ortega and Kat Cho. If you’re more of a tough-love-gets-the-job-done kind of a person, the Write or Die Podcast hosted by authors Claribel A. Ortega and Kat Cho will definitely push you outside your writing comfort zone by spilling all of the dirty, insider secrets of what it actually takes to become an author. The authors take you through the many challenges of what it takes to get published—time, energy, thousands of rejections, and many, many tears. However, they also talk about how many authors pushed through that and are now living their dreams. This podcast answers the question: Do you have what it takes to become an author?

Pub(lishing) Crawl—Various Authors. Pub(lishing) Crawl is led by a group of authors and industry professionals who dive deep into all things “reading, writing, books, and booze.” You get an insider perspective on industry secrets such as crafting a pitch, characters, publishing relationships, and many other techniques that publishers are specifically looking for. You know how you’re supposed to do a crazy amount of research on the company you want to work for? This podcast takes all the guesswork of knowing what publishers want and simply tell you the nitty-gritty inner workings of publishing companies.

The Happy Writer—Marissa Meyer. I may be a little biased on this one, but The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer—my favorite author, by the way—is one of my go-to podcasts. It is by authors for every writer, whether pro or beginner. Meyer and her guests join together for a fun chat about rejection, imposter syndrome, writer’s block and how to overcome all of it so that you can be…a happy writer! This podcast is great for talking about how writers can bring more joy to their writing process. Not only should writing be about getting published, but also about releasing stress, imagination, and writing about what makes you inspired.

Helping Writers Become Authors—K.M. Weiland. WARNING: Information Overload! K.M. Weiland has a straightforward, no-nonsense kind of attitude that is perfect for an information dump about “summoning inspiration, crafting solid characters, outlining and structuring novels, and polishing prose.” She educates her audience about writing and editing something that is good enough to see the light of day. The name of the podcasts speaks for itself, and anyone who listens to this will gain helpful knowledge about making your creations the best they can be.

Deadline City—Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Córdova. Sit down with Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Córdova to talk about things they’ve experienced in the time they’ve published 40 books. This podcast is incredibly fun as these New York City–based authors talk about “YA fiction, editing, reading reviews, and burnout.” Think of them as your two older sisters/best friends who just want the best for you and your writing endeavors. This is what I imagine each time I listen to them talk about love triangles or Hollywood adaptations of books. They’re young, fun and honest, but still know a thing or two about what lies beyond the industry curtain.

4 For Your Ears: Bookish Podcasts for the Summer

Published on by Nick MuellerLeave a comment

I recently began listening to podcasts to give my eyes some relief from screen and print. These podcasts represent a range of my regular listening—two are concerned with language itself, while the following two focus on book reviews and poetry readings, respectively. I’ve found them to be a great way to explore and revisit language, poems, and books. It’s my hope that you enjoy them as well!

The Allusionist—Helen Zaltzman. From swear tablets found in bogs around Bath (68, 2017) to how transfolk maneuver their words to match their experiences of gender (56, 2017), The Allusionist focuses on language in its funny, serious, creative, and everyday functions. There is an entire episode devoted to how apples get their names and another about polari (99), which was the argot that many gay men in England used to reveal and conceal identity simultaneously.

Zaltzman also includes additional material for each episode on the podcast’s website, https://www.theallusionist.org/. For the episode about polari, materials include a link to the Polari Bible, a link to Round the Horne (a polari-loving radio program that aired from the mid-to-late 1960s), gay language in the Philippines, and much more. Zaltzman might also be the funniest person around formally trained as a Medievalist.

A Way With Words—Martha & Grand Barrett. This podcasting duo composed of an author/journalist and lexicographer/linguist talk about family expressions, where words come from, current slang, and classic sayings. They’re like the teachers we all love the most—lively, engaging, thoughtful, and warm. More about the podcast can be found at: https://www.waywordradio.org/about/

In “Pie in the Sky” a 6 foot 8 listened shares his favorite pithy remarks to strangers’ comments about his height (2012). The same episode also covers why leg cramps are called charley horses, and where the phrase “pie in the sky” originated. “Had the Radish” (2019) centers on a phrase commonly used by a listener when fed up or worn out. The phrase came to the upstate New York listener from France by the way of Quebec. The French phrase je n’ai plus de radis—which translates to “I don’t even have a radish”—originally expressed poverty.

The New York Times Book Review Podcast—Various Hosts. Wide-ranging as The Times itself, the Book Review Podcast explores fiction and non-fiction alike with a variety of hosts guiding the program. Trends in the publishing world and literary criticisms are also common subjects. In the episode “The Angry Children Are Our Future,” an interview of Lydia Millet, author of A Children’s Bible—an allegorical novel about climate change and a family vacation—precedes a discussion of Barry Gewen’s The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World.

The background of what constitutes a children’s Bible and how Millet’s novel departs from typical conventions of a coming-of-age tale offers material for contemplation for readers and writers alike. More about the podcast, including the option to stream content, can be found at https://www.nytimes.com/column/book-review-podcast.

Poetry Unbound—Pádraig Ó Tuama. “I need to feel the air in my throat and vocal cords constrict to make the poem real,” says the podcaster himself before he reads the poem “1383” by Emily Dickinson. He reads it well and follows the reading with his interpretation of the poem—how the fire described in the poem is like the fire that keeps friendship alive across distance and time. It’s a topical episode from late March of 2020, following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Other episodes are topical as well, though in a more general way. The episode “A Poem to See What’s Overlooked” offers a reading of a poem by Lemn Sissay that addresses what becomes forgotten. It’s a poem that demands remembrance, according to Ó Tuama, of the flat beer and missing buttons alike. “Like” is the word Ó Tuama brings our attention to throughout its repetition in the poem and his experience coming out as a gay man. Attentive and thoughtful, this podcast rewards the ears and the mind. More about the podcast can be found at https://radiopublic.com/poetryunbound-69qD3w/s1!30fd6.

Guest post courtesy of Nick Mueller