by Bethany | Feb 3, 2017 | Courage to Create, Podcast
Episode Six features Sara Pennypacker, award-winning author of Pax, the New York Times best-selling Clementine series, the Waylon! series, Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Pierre in Love, Sparrow Girl, The Amazing World of Stuart, and many more.
During Sara’s Porchlight visit, she and host Bethany Hegedus explore her journey creating Pax, including what it means to write from an animal’s point of view and how much “wildness” it takes to live an authentic life. We discuss the scary but beautiful craft of writing and allowing the story to be the boss—letting go so that we can tell the story that wants to be told. Sara also talks about her friendship with her hands-on editor, Donna Bray.
Sara will be coming to the Writing Barn February 23 – 26, 2017 for our Advanced Writer Weekend Workshop: Mastering the Middle Grade with NYT bestseller Sara Pennypacker and Publisher Donna Bray. Apply now!
Show Notes:
New York Times Review of Pax
Sara Pennypacker’s Pax Interview with NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’
Intensive with Sara Pennypacker is now sold out!
by Bethany | Sep 29, 2016 | Courage to Create, Podcast
Kathi Appelt is the author Maybe a Fox, co-written with Alison McGhee. Her many other award-winning books include The True Blue Scouts of Sugarman Swamp, The Underneath,and When Otis Courted Mama, Counting Crows and more. She pops by the Porchlight and together she and host Bethany Hegedus meander on a craft and creativity talk, that like the loveliest of long walks takes in the beauty and importance of place.
We discuss literary friendships—the meaningful ones with our artist colleagues that push us to do our best work. We touch on omniscience and knowing when (or allowing the gut to dictate when) a shift needs to be made and the most radical version of 1st person omniscience Kathi has read—ever: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith. We take a break to talk about grit and determination and how it can yield great joy.
Enjoy your time with Kathi. I sure did.
Thank you for listening. Please share your comments and thoughts on the podcast with us. Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or Sticher—share the Porchlight with others. And remember to retreat, create and celebrate.
by Bethany | Aug 12, 2016 | Courage to Create, Podcast
Camen signs the party porch, which the Porchlight podcast is named for
Episode Four features fabulous friend and Writing Barn teaching artist Carmen Oliver, author of Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies and founder of The Booking Biz, a boutique speaking agency, with such esteemed clients as Kwame Alexander, Evan Turk, Arun Gandhi, and Bethany Hegedus.
Our Porchlight conversation with Carmen covers writing picture book text, teaching the picture book and helping writers find their stories hearts, the importance of analysis work and more. We then dive in to Carmen’s career as a literary business person and how and why she formed The Booking Biz (with a big shout out to Kwame Alexander, Carmen’s top client). We discuss writing mentors: Cynthia Leitich Smith, Liz Garton Scanlon, Sarah Aronson and how deep study yields deep results.
For those of you who live in Central Texas, don’t miss the chance to study with Carmen in Perfecting the PB II: Draft, Draft, Drafting beginning 9/15.
Carmen teaching at the WB satellite location
Show notes:
Carmen’s class shared on Book Riot by Maya Smart
Kirkus Review of Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies
Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies Book Trailer
by Bethany | Jul 15, 2016 | Courage to Create, Podcast
From time to time, here at the Porchlight podcast we will be sharing a LIVE podcast directly from the party porch, with a live audience. Applause. Laughter. Wine and cheese. (Perhaps this will replace our tag line: Retreat. Create. Celebrate.) What could be better? Today we share with you our first LIVE AND DIRECT FROM THE PARTY PORCH episode, complete with audience questions.
Episode Three features the incredibly multi-talented Katherine Catmull, discussing her glorious new novel The Radiant Road.
Katherine and I discuss bad reviews, working in various creative communities, how she came to write about fairies, the “Freedom” to turn off the internet, character intention and motivation and how to teach that in our work with other writers, and how for Katherine acting is more like reading than writing, and the best description of show vs tell that I guarantee you will have ever heard.
We also get into the Oxford comma debate, and her work with her big famous editor Julie Strauss Gable, how Cynthia Leitich Smith hits delete at the end of first drafts, and how following our obsessions can lead to a career.
Show notes:
Texans: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Hill Country folks this means YOU–you can study with Katherine right here at The Writing Barn. She will be teaching World Building: Emotional Engagement with us THIS August. You can register for her class here.
by Bethany | Jun 23, 2016 | Courage to Create, Podcast
The Porchlight: Craft & Creativity Conversations welcomes author G. Neri (Greg to his friends and family.) Join us as we talk about mining stories from real life headlines, following the happy accidents, becoming an accidental author, the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and the research behind Tru & Nelle. Harper Lee and Truman Capote enthusiasts will have much to grin about as Greg shares about Tru and Nelle’s love of Sherlock Holmes and how their childhood reading influenced their lives. And if you listen close, Greg even reveals a “dark” secret—never shared before.
As an added bonus, author and filmmaker e.E. Charlton-Trujillo filmed Greg on his visit to Monroeville, Alabama—hometown of Nelle Harper Lee and Truman Capote, which is referenced in the podcast. Enjoy the film they made of his time in the birthplace of these two literary greats here.
And for the NYT article about Tru & Nelle, visit here.
Join us soon for Episode Three with Katherine Catmull.
Episode Six features Sara Pennypacker, award-winning author of Pax, the New York Times best-selling Clementine series, the Waylon! series, Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Pierre in Love, Sparrow Girl, The Amazing World of Stuart, and many more.
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