Why We Write

Buki Papillon talks about her acclaimed debut "An Ordinary Wonder," a coming of age novel about Oto, an intersex teen growing up in Nigeria. Buki, an alumna of our MFA in Creative Writing program, talks about the drive that keeps her writing, rewriting almost her whole book after she got a book deal, and lots more.Janet Pocorobba, interim direct of Lesley University's MFA program, interviews Buki.Find the transcript and more on the episode page. 

MFA in Creative Writing faculty Tony Eprile has reviewed books, and of course, been reviewed. On this episode, he gives us a peak into his workshop on book reviews and shares the reasons why authors should write them, the pitfalls many new reviewers fall into, and the best practices (hint: don't go full Simon Cowell). Mentioned in this episodeColson Whitehead's scathing review of Richard Ford's "The End of the Affair"Parul Sehgal finds racial and gender imbalances in her review of 125 years of New York Times reviews. About Tony EprileTony Eprile is the author of "The Persistence of Memory," winner of the Koret Foundation Jewish Book Prize and a "notable book" or "best book" by The L.A. Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He is also the author of "Temporary Sojourner & Other African Stories." Learn more about Tony here.A transcript for this episode is available here.

The interconnected short stories in Celeste Mohammed's debut novel, Pleasantview, dispel the myth of Trinidad as a happy-go-lucky island nation, instead revealing it as a complex, troubled, multiracial society.  A lawyer turned writer, Celeste discusses the colorful characters in her book, growing up multiracial, writing in patois that is both authentic and readable and more!Read more about Celeste on our episode page.Learn about our low-residency in MFA in Creative Writing program.

Even though Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing alum Thato Mwosa grew up in Bostwana, her dolls were white and so were most of the faces on her TV. When American shows like "Sister, Sister," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and "Martin" began airing in her country, Thato was enthralled. Now, she is using her varied creative interests to celebrate Black and African people, from her award-winning film Memoirs of a Black Girl, to a book on accomplished African women and even an African trivia game.Learn more about Thato Mwosa and about our low-residency Creative Writing MFA program.

Children's and middle-grade author Andrea Wang talks about her two new releases for young readers—both exploring Chinese-American identity and growing up in the Midwest. Watercress is a gorgeous picture book about feeling out of place, about family and about family history. The Many Meanings of Meilan finds a middle-grade girl dealing with the upheaval of a big move to a small town, racism, and growing up.Lesley University is located in beautiful Cambridge, Massachusetts. Learn more about our low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program.About AndreaAndrea Wang is the award-winning author of picture books The Nian Monster (Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor) and Magic Ramen (Freeman Book Award Honor). She has two books releasing in 2021: Watercress (2021 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award, JLG Gold Standard Selection, starred reviews from BCCB, Horn Book, Kirkus, PW, and SLJ); and The Many Meanings of Meilan, her debut middle grade novel. Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identi

For our last episode of the season, young adult author Cameron Kelly Rosenblum talks about "The Stepping Off Place," her heartbreaking novel about friendship, mental health, suicide, love and growing up.This episode does discuss suicide at length. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, please seek help.Chat with someone at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255. You can also text a crisis counselor at 741741.If you live in Canada, call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 to speak to a trained, volunteer Crisis Responder immediately.Mentioned in this episode:The Center for Grieving Children (Maine)The Yellow Tulip ProjectCameron Kelly Rosenblum's websiteCameron's InstagramAlways more info at www.lesley.edu/why-we-write.

In his debut, The Passenger: How a Travel Writer Learned to Love Cruises & Other Lies from a Sinking Ship (Godine, June 2021),  longtime travel writer Chaney Kwak recounts his harrowing experiences on board the Viking Sky cruise ship that, in 2019, nearly capsized. Chaney was living in Berlin, Germany, and freelancing for publications such as The New York Times when he began his MFA studies in fiction at Lesley University. He has contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, Afar, Travel & Leisure, and a number of National Geographic anthologies. His fiction has appeared in Zyzzyva, Catamaran Literary Review, Gertrude, and other literary journals, earning a special mention from the Pushcart Prize. A winner of the Key West Literary Seminar Emerging Writer Awards, he has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and other literary workshops. Visit his author website.Find the transcript and more on our episode page.

It's the final week of our National Poetry Month series, and we're joined by Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet Kevin Prufer who reads and discusses 'The Translator,'  a poem from his most recent collection The Art of Fiction.Kevin is a member of Lesley University's low residency MFA in Creative Writing program.  Among his many awards are four Pushcart prizes. His poems have appeared in Best American Poetry multiple times. Kevin has written a number of poetry collections, including How He Loved Them, which was long-listed for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and today he’s sharing a poem from his latest book, The Art of Fiction, which was released earlier this year.  Read more about Kevin Prufer.Check out the other poems in the series:'As for the Heart' by Erin BelieuLydia Leclerc on cowboys and trauma'We Be Womxn' by U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo

For National Poetry Month, we've invited one poet from our community to share a poem and a little about their process. This week, acclaimed poet Erin Belieu reads her poem "As for the Heart," written during the pandemic and published in her latest collection, Come Hither, Honeycomb. Erin Belieu is the author of Infanta, chosen by Hayden Carruth for the National Poetry Series; One Above & One Below, winner of the Midland Authors Prize and Ohioana Poetry Award; Black Box, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist; Slant Six, a New York Times favorite book of 2014; and Come-Hither Honeycomb (2020), all published by Copper Canyon Press. Her poems have appeared in places such as The Best American Poetry, The New Yorker, Poetry, The New York Times, The Atlantic, AGNI, Tin House, and The American Poetry Review. She currently teaches in the Lesley University low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program.Read The New Yorker review of Come Hither, Honeycomb. 

It's National Poetry Month and we're doing things a little differently this month. Each week in April, we're inviting one poet from the Lesley community to share some of their verses and talk about their work. Zimbabwean-American poet U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo shares two poems, her Cyrano de Bergerac beginnings, and more.U-Meleni is a graduate of our master's in education program. Check out our episode page where you'll find more on U-Meleni, a transcript of this episode, links to our programs and more poetry-themed episodes.

It's National Poetry Month and we're doing things a little differently. Each week in April, we're inviting one poet from the Lesley community to share a poem and share their inspiration. Our first guest is Lydia Leclerc, a current student in the poetry track of our MFA in Creative Writing program, who shares "Cowboys Will Come Up with New Terms for Psychological Conditions" and the backstory.Find our show notes and transcript on our episode page.

Katya Zinn's debut book of poetry "human versus" explores the multiverse, mental health, trauma, loss, and healing. In our interview, she talks about the double entendres in her book, putting herself on the page, and her multidimensional view of poetry (literally)!"human verses" is out now from Finishing Line Press.Read more about Katya and links to her book and our profile of her on our episode page.

With all the extra time at home during the pandemic, it seems like we all should have written multiple books and launched amazing creative projects….but that's probably not reality.Author and writing mentor Tracey Baptiste has some advice for writing under pressure and during the pandemic, starting with some wisdom we really love: take naps and stay hydrated.Tracey Baptiste is the author of the popular middle-grade Jumbies novels and a faculty member in Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing low-residency program.Links from this episode:Tracey recommends: The Creative Habit by Twyla TharpTracey's video series: Creating Under PressureHear more from Tracey on Episode 29: Caribbean mermaids and evil spirits with Tracey Baptiste

In her debut, My Captain America: A Granddaughter's Memoir of a Legendary Comic Book Artist, Megan Margulies writes about coming of age in New York and her beloved “Daddy Joe,” aka her grandfather Joe Simon, a cartoonist and co-creator of Captain America.In this episode, Megan discusses her relationship with her grandfather, writing as a mother of young kids, getting the perfect cover for her book, and having her mom read her work.Fellow memoirist and Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing faculty Rachel Manley interviews Megan, a graduate of the program.Learn more about Megan.

Professor Steven Cramer is the founder of our MFA in Creative Writing program and the author of multiple books of poetry, including Clangings and Listen. Steven’s work has appeared in publications such as The Paris Review, Ploughshares, Slate, The Atlantic Monthly, and many others.In this episode, Patty is interviewed by alumna Andrea Read.For the transcript and more podcast info, visit our episode page.

Patty O'Connell Pearson's latest book "Conspiracy: Nixon, Watergate, and Democracy's Defenders" is a middle-grade nonfiction book that explains the inner workings of the Watergate Scandal. In this episode, Patty, talks about how she came to love history, the importance of defending democracy, and how her book relates to current events.Check out our episode page for more information and the transcript. 

Graphic novelist and illustrator Sophie Goldstein talks about her latest book "An Embarrassment of Witches," collaborating with her coauthor Jenn Jordan, Patreon, and more!Sophie Goldstein is a faculty member in Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program's new graphic novel track. Find out more about Sophie and our program on our episode page.

Karin Cecile Davidson talks about her debut Sybelia Drive, a coming of age novel told from multiple perspectives and set in Florida during the turbulent Vietnam Era. At its heart, the book is about friendship, loss, grief, and hope.In this episode, Karin talks about turning short stories into a novel, her ties to the Gulf Coast, and the research she did to properly honor those who fought in the Vietnam war.Find the transcript for this episode, links mentioned and more on the episode page.

Julia Denos's new book Starcrossed features two socially distanced friends. One lives on earth, one in the stars. Julia, talks about the origins of the story, mindfulness for children, painting, and why we need new creators. Lesley Assistant Director for Social Media Emily Earle conducts the interview. About the guestJulia Denos is an author and illustrator of books for children. Sometimes she writes the books, sometimes she illustrates them, and sometimes she does both. Julia's books include Starcrossed, Here and Now, Swatch and Windows. She is a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley (now the Lesley University College of Art and Design). You can find Julia on Instagram at @juliadenos. Pro tip: Check out her Instastories!

Jennifer LeBlanc speaks about her debut book Descent, which employs imagination and myth to create deeply immersive poems.Jennifer is interviewed by former Boston Poet Laureate and Lesley University Professor Danielle Legros Georges.For more information, visit our episode page.