GrottoPod The Writers Grotto
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- Arts
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Conversations with working writers on the craft of writing, the writer’s life, and the broader writing community, recorded at the Writers Grotto in San Francisco, California.
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The Punkest Thing Ever with Hugh Ryan and Mark Wallace
Hugh Ryan (https://www.hughryan.org/), Mark Wallace (https://inlooking.substack.com/archive) and T. K. Rex (https://www.tkrex.wtf/) discuss MFAs, finding out what kind of writer you are, queer history, pitching niche topics, tarantulas, finding the right peers and instructors for your writing, and the punkest thing ever.Stuff we talked about in the episode:* The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison (https://www.hughryan.org/house-of-d)* Bennington workshop (https://www.bennington.edu/writing-seminars)* C. L. Polk's Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/clpolk)* New York Public Library research fellowship (https://www.nypl.org/short-term-research-fellowships)* Pop-Up Museum of Queer History (https://www.hughryan.org/pop-up-museum)* Hide/Seek: Difference in Desire in American Portraiture (https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/hideseek-difference-and-desire-american-portraiture)* Yaddo residency (https://yaddo.org/)* Watermill residency (https://www.watermillcenter.org/residencies/)* New York Foundation for the Arts (https://www.nyfa.org/)* Hugh’s Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/HughRyan)
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Pantser, Plotter, Poet with Lori Ostlund & Doug Henderson
Lori Ostlund (https://loriostlund.com/), Doug Henderson (https://www.doughendersonauthor.com/), and T. K. Rex (https://www.tkrex.wtf/) discuss hopeful fiction, metaphor, the Midwest, balancing humor and darkness, crafting characters who feel like real people, the Flannery O’Connor award, and a third addition to the pantser/plotter dichotomy: poet.Stuff we mentioned in the episode:* Lori’s novella Just Another Family (https://www.nereview.com/vol-44-no-3-2023/just-another-family-excerpt/)* flannery o’connor award (https://ugapress.org/series/flannery-oconnor-award-for-short-fiction/)* Flannery winner Iheoma Nwachukwu (https://iheomanwachukwu.com/)* Rainbow Railroad (https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/)
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Write the gayest sh*t imaginable with Sam J. Miller & Doug Henderson
Sam J. Miller (https://samjmiller.com/), Doug Henderson (https://www.doughendersonauthor.com/) and T. K. Rex (https://www.tkrex.wtf/) discuss tapping into who you really are, going too far first, the Clarion writers workshop, writing stories with a structural conceit, filing off the serial numbers, writing from a marginalized point of view, loneliness, climate anxiety, hope, inhale and exhale phases, video games, writing as programming, AI, writing to a specific audience, and writing the gayest sh*t imaginable.Stuff we mentioned in the episode:* Boys, Beasts and Men (https://tachyonpublications.com/product/boys-beasts-men/) (novel by Sam J. Miller)* The Cleveland Heights LGBTQ Sci-Fi and Fantasy Role Playing Club (https://uipress.uiowa.edu/books/cleveland-heights-lgbtq-sci-fi-and-fantasy-role-playing-club) (novel by Doug Henderson)* Smokefall (https://mailchi.mp/4a76766dbcd7/smokefall) (game by Sam J. Miller, playable demo on itch.io)* The Art of Starving (https://samjmiller.com/books/the-art-of-starving/) (novel by Sam J. Miller)* Samuel R. Delaney (https://www.samueldelany.com/) (author)* Clarion writers workshop (http://clarion.ucsd.edu/)* Clarkesworld magazine (https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/)* Cassandra Clare (https://cassandraclare.com/) (author)* "Liking What You See: A Documentary" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liking_What_You_See:_A_Documentary) (novelet by Ted Chiang)* "There’s a Hole in the City" (https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/theres-a-hole-in-the-city/) (short story by Richard Bowes)* "Inventory" (https://lithub.com/inventory/) (short story by Carmen Maria Machado)* Graham Greene (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Greene) (author)* Pale Fire (novel by Vladimir Nabokov)* The Pogues (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pogues) (band)* What Did You Eat Yesterday (https://kodansha.us/series/what-did-you-eat-yesterday/) (manga)* Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/anarchism-a-very-short-introduction-9780198815617?cc=us&lang=en&) (nonfiction book)* The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi (https://thenewpress.com/books/perfect-nine) (novel by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o)* Shingai Njeri Kagunda (https://www.shingainjerikagunda.com/) (author)* L. P. Kindred (https://linktr.ee/LPKindred) (author)* Baldur’s Gate III (https://baldursgate3.game/)
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Writing Weird with T. K. Rex and Doug Henderson: Kicking off the new 2024 season!
The GrottoPod is back! In this kickoff episode for the new season, writers T. K. Rex and Doug Henderson discuss upcoming guests, their favorite writing craft tips, the importance of finding local writing community, and writing weird.Stuff we mentioned in the episode:* Classes and Events at the Writers Grotto (https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-events)* Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses (https://bookshop.org/p/books/craft-in-the-real-world-rethinking-fiction-writing-and-workshopping-matthew-salesses/15013424?ean=9781948226806)* Clarion Writers Workshop at UCSD (http://clarion.ucsd.edu/)* Club Chicxulub (https://clubchicxulub.com/)* Litquake (https://www.litquake.org/)T. K. Rex* Website (https://www.tkrex.wtf/)* Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tharkibo/)* Mastodon (https://wandering.shop/@tkrex)Doug Henderson* Website (https://www.doughendersonauthor.com/)* Twitter/X (https://twitter.com/dugpower)
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Episode 142: Dallas Woodburn’s ‘Best Week’
(https://www.sfgrotto.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dallas_Woodburn_Horizontal_Headshot-1024x683.jpeg)Novelist Dallas Woodburn (https://dallaswoodburnpr.com/) joins us on the GrottoPod this week to read from her recent book, The Best Week that Never Happened, described as a “captivating, poignant story is perfect for teens on the brink of discovering who they are and what really matters.” Woodburn is a former Steinbeck fellow in creative writing and the author of two earlier books of short fiction, Woman, Running Late, in a Dress and 3 a.m. She is also the host of the popular book-lovers podcast “Overflowing Bookshelves,” (https://anchor.fm/dallas-woodburn) and founder of the organization Write On! Books (http://writeonbooks.org/).
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We’re Taking a Break
(https://www.sfgrotto.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Grottopod-logo-1.jpg)We hope that this message finds you as well as can be. 2020 has contained a great deal of change for the GrottoPod, and for our production team. To fill you in: the Writers Grotto recently moved out of its physical offices in San Francisco, and we at GrottoPod consequently moved out of the podcast studio where we recorded so many of the interviews that we’ve broadcast on this show. Given these changes, we’ve decided to take an indefinite break from our regular release schedule; however, we will likely be bringing you the occasional reading from a Grotto member, so please stay subscribed. We’ll be looking forward to reconvening with all of you down the line. Be well.
Customer Reviews
So many lessons!
A new favorite podcast! If you’re a literary citizen, wanting to learn more about writing , reading and the industry, this is a great podcast to listen to ! And it’s just so joyful ♥️🏳️🌈
Thank God for conversations like these!
In today's mass-media world -- where good outlets for good writing shrink by the week -- having an intelligent discussion like this about the art and craft of writing is a Godsend. I hope The Grotto can keep it up!
poet
Smart, witty, and engaging interviews!