Writers Who Don't Write
Hosted by Jeff Umbro and Kyle Craner, this project began as a way for the two of them to get over their own fears of writing, and slowly morphed into an inspiring multi-year project to tell the stories others find difficult. Each episode brings a well-known creative into the studio to discuss his or her career, their newest projects, and one story they’ve always struggled to tell. Guests include Andy Weir, Lev Grossman, Stephanie Danler, The McElroys, Claire Messud, Mark Manson & Tim Urban, among dozens of others.
26
Doug Stanton
Doug Stanton is a journalist, lecturer, screenwriter, and author of the New York Times bestsellers In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers. Horse Soldiers is the basis for a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie by the same name, starring Chris Hemsworth and Micha...
70 min
27
Claire Messud
Claire Messud is a recipient of Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Author of five previous works of fiction including her most recent novel, The Burning Girl. She chats with ...
69 min
28
The McElroys
Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy from My Brother, My Brother and Me have recruited their dad Clint for a campaign of high adventure. Join the McElroys as they find their fortune and slay an unconscionable number of ... you know, kobolds or whatever i...
35 min
29
Sara Novic
Sara Novic is the author of Girl At War, a critically acclaimed novel about the Croatian Civil War, told through decades and perspectives. Sara is also the fiction editor of Blunderbuss Magazine, a Professor at Stockton University, and deaf. We jump in...
50 min
30
Jennifer Brody
Jennifer Brody is the author of the award-winning Continuum Trilogy and chats with us about YA, science fiction, world building and the film and book industry.
56 min
31
Brendan O'Connor
Brendan O’Connor is a reporter for the Special Projects unit at Gizmodo. In the past he’s written for The Awl and was a staff writer at Gawker (RIP). He discusses his career, his research habits, the Hulk Hogan fiasco, and Donald Trump.
67 min
32
Dave Weigel
Dave Weigel is a National Reporter for the Washington Post and author of the book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock. He chats with us about what it's like covering politics today, media bias, and one story he's always s...
61 min
33
Ken Liu
A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards, Ken Liu is the author of The Dandelion Dynasty, a silkpunk epic fantasy series and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, a collection of short stories. He's currently working on a S...
71 min
34
Aaron Lammer
Aaron Lammer is a proprietor of Longform.org and a host of the popular Longform Podcast. He writes songs with the artist Francis and the Lights, who in 2016 alone worked collaboratively with Bon Iver, Kanye West, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Chance the...
62 min
35
Doree Shafrir
Doree Shafrir is a Senior Tech Writer at BuzzFeed News and has worked as an editor or staff writer at Rolling Stone, the N...
60 min
36
Beau Lotto
Beau Lotto is one of the few speakers to have given two TED talks, which have amassed over 5 million views combined. He has also spoken at Google’s Zeitgest Minds, Wired, G8 and made significant programme contributions to BBC's Horizon, National G...
59 min
37
Nathan Hill
Nathan Hill’s debut novel The Nix was named the #1 book of the year by Audible and Entertainment Weekly, as well as one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Slate, Amazon, and many others. Hill’s short stories have ...
65 min
38
Colin Barrett
Colin Barrett is an Irish short story writer and the author of the critically acclaimed Young Skins. He’s won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, The Guardian First Book Award, and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His work has bee...
68 min
39
Bonus: Alyssa Cowit & Greg Dunbar of Live From ...
Alyssa Cowit teaches at an elementary school in New York City. In May 2015, she started the Instagram account Live from Snack Time with Greg Dunbar, a digital market...
36 min
40
Corinne Fisher
Corinne Fisher is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor. She co-hosts the podcast Guys We F**cked with Krystyna Hutchinson. Their book, Fucked, will be published in October.
51 min
41
Lillian Cunningham
Lillian Cunningham is the editor of the Washington Post's On Leadership section and host of the popular Presidential podcast.
60 min
42
Louise O'Neill
Louise O'Neill is the Irish young adult author of Asking For It and Only Ever Yours. The Guardian called her the "best YA fiction writer alive today" and the New York Times called Asking For It "riveting and essential." She has...
58 min
43
Mike Brown
Mike Brown is a standup comic and writer based in Harlem, New York. He was named one of Rooftop Comedy’s Comics to Watch, Caroline’s Best of New Talent, has performed at Comedy Central’s New York Comedy Festival, The San Francisco Sketchfest, The...
58 min
44
Alana Massey
Alana is a writer covering identity, culture, virtue and vice for basically every outlet there is, save The New Yorker which she gets into in this interview. This week on the show she discusses what it’s like to write with an audience in mind, One...
61 min
45
Bonus: Sanura Williams from MyLitBox.com
Writers Who Don't Write is brought to you this week by My Lit Box. Each month you’ll receive a newly released novel by a writer of color as well as some book related goodies. A book lover’s dream, delivered straight to your mailbox. Listeners of t...
9 min
46
Margaret Eby
Margaret Eby is a journalist and critic who writes about books, movies, music, television, and various cultural ephemera. She currently works as culture editor at ExtraCrispy, a new Time Inc. food site. Previously, she was the features and essays...
73 min
47
Phil Klay
Phil Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008 as a Public Affairs Officer. After being discharged he went to Hunter College and received an...
68 min
48
Blair Braverman
Blair Braverman is a nonfiction writer and dogsledder whose work has appeared in This American Life, The Atavist, Buzzfeed, Orion, The Best Women's Travel Writing and elsewhere. She is training for the Iditarod, a 1100-mile dogsled race across Ala...
67 min
49
Mychal Denzel Smith
Mychal Denzel Smith is a Knobler Fellow at The Nation Institute and a contributing writer for The Nation magazine. He has also written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Salon, Feministing.com, The Guardian, The Root, theGrio, ThinkProgress, and The...
74 min
50
Hollie Overton
Hollie Overton is an author and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She writes for or has written for the show's Shadowhunters and The Client List, and her new book Baby Doll was out this summer. She sat down with us this week to discuss her histor...
52 min