Why We Write

Writing with unflinching honesty, Dr. Matthew E. Henry's debut poetry collection, "Teaching While Black,"  confronts racism in the classroom. Read our profile of Dr. HenryDr. Matthew E. Henry's websiteWhy We Write homepage

Candice Iloh draws from her own upbringing for "Every Body Looking," her debut YA novel written in verse. The story, which has been longlisted for the 2020 National Book Awards, follows Ada, a Nigerian-American teen struggling with her sexuality, her father's faith, and finding her place in college.Candice Iloh's websitePick up "Every Body Looking"The 2020 National Book Awards Longlist: Young People’s LiteratureFind all our episodes, show notes, and transcripts.

We wrap up our second season with a reflection on Lesley University's three-decades old literary magazine.Check out the full archives of Commonthought Magazine.For more information on our guests, Professor Anne Pluto and Senior Lecturer Chris Clark, visit our episode page.

Mariama Lockington's debut middle grade novel, For Black Girls Like Me, incorporates poetry and prose into a story about a transracial adoptee who deals with racism, mental health and growing up.Mariama talks about her own experiences growing up black with white parents, how her educational experience formed her book, and the 10-year process of writing and rewriting her novel.For more information on Mariama, the podcast and our other episodes, visit our podcast page.

What's the hardest part about writing? Sitting down and doing it. Today's guests, Emily Lee and Cassie Stossel are recent MFA grads and the founders of the newsletter Sit Down and Write, in which published authors share their writing habits and talk about their new books.In this episode, we talk about the effect that the coronavirus is having on the writing process and for authors with new books coming out, as well as Emily and Cassie's favorite writing tips.Sign up for Sit Down and Write (it's free!)For more information, visit our episode page.

Best-selling young adult author Jason Reynolds dissects some of his favorite passages to uncover the keys to writing a powerful narrative.Works discussed in this episode:Long Way Down  by Jason ReynoldsLook Both Ways by Jason ReynoldsStamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. KendiBeloved by Toni MorrisonNickel Boys by Colson WhiteheadI saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store by Eve L. EwingWhen You Learn the Alphabet by Kendra AllenGirl by Jamaica KincaidFences (2016) [film]Black Enough by Jason ReynoldsRead more about Jason Reynolds, listen to our interview with him and more on our episode page.

In her debut, physician and author Lisa Gruenberg writes a lyrical memoir about her family, pieced together from her father's letters, research, and reconstructing the lost histories of a family torn apart by the Holocaust.Learn more about Gruenberg, Lesley University's low-residency creative writing program and our other episodes at lesley.edu/podcast.  

"There's no willy-nilly in writing," says acclaimed author A.J. Verdelle (The Good Negress) and that means mastering scenes. In this workshop, held at Lesley University, A.J. talks about what goes into writing scene for all genres and why it's a necessary skill for any aspiring author.Find the story arc and books mentioned in this episode on our podcast page.

Jasmine Warga's first middle grade novel, "Other Words for Home," is making tons of 2019 book lists and for good reason. The timely, emotional and hopeful novel in verse follows a Syrian sixth grader as she adjusts to her new home in Cincinnati even as she experiences uncertainty and fear.Visit our episode page for more information on Jasmine.

Note: This episode discusses sexual abuse.Tracy Strauss's debut memoir, "I Just Haven't Met You Yet," explores her process of healing as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and the pursuit of love in the 21st century. A graduate of Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program, Tracy has written extensively on love and dating and her essays have been published in Glamour, New York Magazine, Oprah Magazine, The Millions, Ms. Magazine, The Huffington Post, Salon, Publishers Weekly, Ploughshares, The Rumpus, and other publications."I Just Haven't Met You Yet" was named a hardcover bestseller by Harvard Bookstore and Diesel Bookstore, an Audio File Magazine  2019 Earphones Award Winner, and was selected for Books on the T.For more information on Tracy, visit our episode page. 

Laurie Foos is the author of seven novels and novellas. In her own words, Laurie's books “push the limits of reality, to make things seem absurd and grotesque in order for the reader to see things in a new way.” For example, in Ex Utero a woman loses her uterus in a shopping mall. In The Blue Girl, the lives of three sets of mothers and daughters are overshadowed by the appearance of a blue girl, to whom the mothers feed moon pies in secret.Her work has been categorized as fabulist and magical realism while addressing issues of family, suburban malaise, and the role of women. She's also delving into realistic fiction with Toast, a novella about a child with autism and his sister, insipred by her own family.Laurie teaches in the Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing program and speaks with Georgia Sparling in this interview.Learn more about this podcast and our creative writing program on our episode page.

Michelle Knudsen is the author of more than 45 books for young readers, ranging from children’s picture books to young adult novels. She also teaches in the Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing program and is a freelance children’s book editor and writing coach. Her latest novel, published in August, is the completion of Evil Librarian series, Revenge of the Evil Librarian. In this episode, Why We Write producer Georgia Sparling talks with Michelle about how she got into the publishing world, creating a demon world, and more! Learn more about Michelle and the Why We Write podcast here.

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan is a New York-based journalist and author of Sarong Party Girls (William Morrow, 2016) as well as A Tiger In The Kitchen: A Memoir of Food & Family (Hyperion, 2011). She was a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal, In Style magazine and the Baltimore Sun. Her stories have also appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, The Washington Post, Bon Appetit, among other places. In this episode, she talks about the glitzy and morally complicated world of Singapore's Sarong Party Girls as well as her career in journalism and how she's learned to appreciate her culture. This episode was recorded at Lesley University during Cheryl's guest author visit for the 2019 summer MFA in Creative Writing residency. Faculty and fellow author Tony Eprile speaks with Cheryl. For more information, visit our episode page.

Tracey Baptiste concludes her popular 'Jumbies' series, talks about diversity in publishing, and discusses her New York Times opinion on mermaids with Lesley University Professor and poet Danielle Legros Georges.Learn more about Tracey, Danielle, and our low-residency creative writing program at lesley.edu/podcast, where we've also got a link to her NYT piece, Mermaids Have Always Been Black.

A story about the legendary, but little-known African-American ice skater Mabel Fairbanks is a natural debut for professional skater turned author Rose Viña.Her new picture book, Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating, tells the story of the first African-American woman inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Born in 1915, Fairbanks skated professionally despite racism that prevented her from entering competitions. She went on to champion diversity in ice skating, coaching the likes of Kristi Yamaguchi and Scott Hamilton.Learn more about Rose Viña, see a video of her skating, and more on our episode page.

Sheila Alexander lives in Massachusetts with her husband, son, dog, and parrot. She holds a master’s degree in education and a minor in fine art from Lesley University. By day, she works as a teacher, where she shares her love of comic books with her students. She believes that books have the power to change people’s lives, so she wrote her first book, IF: A Memoir of Infertility, in hopes that it will help other people going through infertility treatment. In this interview, Sheila sits down with Tim Finn, a professor at the Lesley College of Art and Design and owner of Hub Comics in Somerville, Massachusetts. Check out sketchs from Sheila's journal-turned-book on the episode page.

Jane Brox’s fifth book, Silence, was published in January 2019 and explores the nuances of quiet - both forced and voluntary. Her previous book, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, was named one of the top ten nonfiction books of 2010 by Time magazine. She is also the author of Clearing Land: Legacies of the American Farm; Five Thousand Days Like This One, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction; and Here and Nowhere Else, which won the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award. She has received the New England Book Award for nonfiction, and her essays have appeared in many anthologies including Best American Essays, The Norton Book of Nature Writing, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. She is currently on the faculty of Lesley University’s low-residency MFA Program. In this interview, she speaks with Georgia Sparling. Find essays by Jane and more information on our episode page.

Axie Oh is a first generation Korean American, born in NYC and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California – San Diego and holds an MFA from Lesley University in Writing for Young People. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.In today's interview, she speaks with Sara Farizan, author of If You Could Be Mine, Here to Stay, and Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel.For more information on Axie and Sara (including our interview with her) and a transcript of this episode, check out the episode page.

A graduate of Lesley University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, Lyz Lenz’s writing has appeared in the Huffington Post, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Pacific Standard, and others. God Land, published through Indiana University Press, is her first book. Lyz lives in Iowa with her two kids and two cats and is a contributing writer to the Columbia Journalism Review. God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America is her first book.See photos from Lyz's time on the road, check out her website and more on our episode page.

It's our season finale, and we've got recent graduate and thrice published author Nicole Mello. Nicole talks about how hard it is to actually call yourself a writer, the freedom of self-publishing, and of course, ghost hunting lesbians. Chris Clark, one of Nicole's former teachers at Lesley University, conducts the interview. BIO Nicole Mello is a fiction author who has been writing since before her memory was a functional thing. She has three published works: Venus (2017), The Modern Prometheus (2018), and Phantasmagoria (2018). She has her B.A. in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts with her partner and two best friends. She daylights as a museum educator and loves to talk about history, space, movies, dogs, cryptids, true crime, and human rights. Check out our whole season and extra content, on our podcast page at lesley.edu/podcast.