Story Makers Show

What of the storyteller who stands before a live audience, to entrance, to entertain, to warn, to engage? What can we learn from the most ancient form of story making? Today we talk with acclaimed storyteller--and former psychotherapist--Hari Meyers about the art, archetypes and activism of the storyteller.

This week Angie interviewed Elizabeth, just to get really meta or, you know, narcissistic. Actually, we thought this would be a good way to introduce us to our listeners: Who are these people asking these questions? Why are they so hungry to know everything about story?

In this honest conversation with Meredith Maran, prolific memoirist, book reviewer, novelist and editor of the newly released Why We Write About Ourselves, we dive into the risks of writing a memoir whose story you are still living.

What does it feel like to be an overnight success after 17 years of publishing? In our lovely conversation with novelist, memoirist and essayist Paul Lisicky, we discuss the benefit of low expectations and the liberation of not worrying about having a huge audience followed by the surprise of getting one with his new memoir, The Narrow Door.

What do you get when you cross a novelist and a screenplay writer? An 80 page outline of a movie! Author Jacqueline Luckett always dreamed of her book being turned into a movie, and now a known actress has bought the screenplay.

What do animal tracking and writing have in common? More than you think, as we learn in conversation with Sylvia Lindsteadt, a prolific young author of fiction and non-fiction and a certified animal tracker.

Have things gotten worse for mothers who want the time to write? Former non-fiction editor at Literary Mama, now SF Grotto-ite, solo performer, writer, host of a yearly contemplative creative retreat at Santa Sabina and more, talks about the prohibitions against mothers leaving their children for extended writing retreats, the challenges and process of fielding submissions, time management, juggling projects, navigating Medium.

Janet Harvey brings together savvy from advertising and invests it in indie filmmaking and comic books--and she told us the key to a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Diane Fraser had a remarkable niece, predicted to die in her first week of life who lived through 40 surgeries and more brushes with death but also through wild adventures, seductions and transformations, for almost three decades.

Web series and feature films are all about collaboration, and Florencia, who’s been at the helm of both as a writer/ director, goes into the good, the bad, the ugly . . . and the pleasures of that process, from generating ideas and developing characters to co-writing to getting strong readers to working closely with a trusted editor.

Nina LaCour just finished her fourth YA novel when we sat down to talk about everything from traumatic grad school workshops to tips for getting an agent to the difference between writing under contract and writing before publication.

We had a fascinating conversation with journalist and self-published author of a “long piece” on heterosexual, mixed HIV status couples who get pregnant through sex, Positively Negative.

"Part of your job is to be rejected," Steve Goldbloom says, and offers great inspiration for developing chutzpah and surviving failure and thriving.

Anthony Lucero is the writer/ director of the indie feature hit East Side Sushi, and he joins us to talk about storytelling in film.

Our conversation with Nina takes place as she launches into the writing of a new novel, beginning by exploring whether it is, indeed a novel--or a short story.

Lea Page is a wonderful writer and long-time Book Writing World student whose first book--Parenting in the Here and Now: Realizing the Strengths You Already Have--was recently published by Floris Press.

We met with Carolina just after she sent her work-in-progress to its first, early readers. The main questions she had, she told us, was: is it a book?

Mary is a master of many forms, and we discuss and compare writing screenplays, poetry and novels.

Talking with Meliza Banales is like riding some amazing, brightly-colored roller coaster through the church of creativity.

Rhona Berens is a life coach extraordinaire. We should know--we’ve worked with her, as have many “creatives.” She’s also got a background in film, screenwriting and writing for television, and writes poetry and other forms as well--so she was the perfect guest for Story Makers.