Episodes - Page 3 | writing class radio

June 28, 2023

157: I’m the Black Crayon Nobody Wants

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Corey Devon Arthur. Corey has served 25 years on a life sentence for robbery and murder and is currently housed at Otisville Correctional Institution in New York. Corey is an artist and writer who has been published on Writing Class Radio and The Marshall …

June 14, 2023

156: Outsourcing My Orgasm

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Jenny Powers. Jenny is a New York-based freelance reporter. She writes for HuffPost, The Cut, Business Insider, Fortune, and more. She is working on a memoir called, "Smooth Operator: Confessions of an Accidental Phone Sex Vixen." You can see more of her w…

May 31, 2023

155: Every Word Matters

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Laurie Eynon. This story is a behind-the-scenes Jeopardy! audition revealed and a good lesson in how every word matters. And the voice of the narrator is amazing. So good!!! Laurie takes us through her one chance at becoming a Jeopardy! champion and what h…

May 17, 2023

154: Are Thin People Allowed To Write About Weight?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sari Botton. Sari’s story is a great example of how to tell a story that encompasses your whole life. It is also a great example of how to end a story while you are still living with a situation.

May 3, 2023

153: Want To Get Published in HuffPost? Editor Noah Michelson Tells You How

Today’s episode features a story by one of our favorite students, Margery Berger . She has been taking classes with us since way before the pandemic. Margery has told stories on our podcast twice before. Episode 46: An Object...

April 5, 2023

152: How Music Inspires Storytelling

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Danielle Huggins. Danielle has been featured twice before on WCR. In Episode 105: Teach Us Something We Don’t Know where she shared her experience with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Danielle was also featured in Episode 139: This Is What Mania Looks Lik…

March 22, 2023

151: Follow the Story Spine to Get Published

This episode showcases the effectiveness of using the story spine structure. The story spine is a story structure as old as time. It’s the model every fairytale follows. It works really well for all stories because it’s intuitive. It’s in our collective unconscious. You will hear three prompt res…

March 8, 2023

150: In Transition: How to Write a Story About an Ongoing Situation

Today on our show, we’re talking about how to write about a situation that is ongoing. Typically, at the end of an essay, the narrator writes about what they learned or how they changed. But what if transition IS the change? What happens if there is no happy (or sad) ending…yet? On this episode, …

Feb. 22, 2023

149: How to Make Your Writing More Personal (in any Field)

On this episode, we bring you a story written by Dr. Jane Marks, a conservation ecologist and professor of Aquatic Ecology at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Jane came to Writing Class Radio with the goal of making her academic writing more personal. What she didn’t realize is that writing cla…

Feb. 8, 2023

148: How to Plan a Threesome

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Pamela Druckerman that has voice, laugh outloud humor, and self knowing, which makes for a reliable narrator. The best part is the narrator doesn’t wait until the end to give a status report. We feel like we are on the adventure with her.

Jan. 25, 2023

147: How to Write a Story about Abuse Without Using the Word

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sally Quon called Finding Home.

Jan. 11, 2023

146: How to Write a Winning Pitch

Today, we bring you a story by Terry Barr with a secret he’s kept most of his life. This story highlights the importance of telling the truth and letting go of shame, in this case, about sexual assault. You’ll also hear Terry’s pitch when he submitted his essay to the podcast. AND, we discuss struc…

Dec. 28, 2022

145: A New Year's Nightmare

On today’s episode, we’re bringing you an old episode that’s still relevant and awesome, in case you missed it back in season one. You’ll meet a bunch of students from season 1: Frenchie, Tobi Ash, Cynthia Castillo, Bo, and Nicki Post. You’ll also hear a brief interview with each and the epic tale…

Dec. 14, 2022

144: When Is a Gift More than a Gift?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Emily Henderson titled After Our Son Died, My Husband Gave Me The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Of My Life. Emily workshopped this essay in our Final Draft class and then the Huffington Post published it on December 25, 2021.

Nov. 30, 2022

143: Cutting Needless Words

Today on our show, we’re sharing another story by Corey Devon Arthur. Corey’s stories have been aired on Episode 120: My Pen Uncovers the Real Me and Episode 128: My New Manifesto. Corey Devon Arthur has served 25 years on a ...

Nov. 16, 2022

142: Beginnings and Endings

Today on our show, we’re talking about beginnings and endings. What is an effective way to begin a story and a satisfying way to end? The story we bring you on this episode is an amazing example of how to start with appropriate grounding and how to land/end the essay like a gymnast. The narrator is…

Nov. 2, 2022

141: Where Does Your Mind Go When You're Given a Writing Prompt?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by one of Allison’s 7th grade students. She spent two months teaching English to 7th and 8th graders at a private school in Miami, and because she’s her, she assigned personal essay after personal essay. She learned about their parents, what they eat for dinn…

Oct. 19, 2022

140: One Man's Abortion Story

Today on our show, we bring you the story we’ve been searching for since June 24, 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. We put a call out for men’s abortion stories and waited months.

Oct. 5, 2022

139: This Is What Mania Looks Like

Today’s episode showcases a story by student Danielle Huggins. Danielle’s story shows what happened when she got off her medication for bipolar disorder. This story is the best example of show and tell EVER! We ask you, why do you read and listen to stories: to be taken into another world or to fin…

Sept. 21, 2022

138: There Is Always More to the Story

Today’s episode revisits the subject of abortion but is about much more. We put a call-out for men’s abortion stories and received several abortion stories by women and very few (only three) by men. We are grateful to the men who submitted, but none was quite right for Writing Class Radio. We will …

Sept. 7, 2022

137: How to Fight with Your Co-Host and Win a Writing Contest

Today on our show we share a story by our own Allison Langer. Her essay is called Writing Class Helped Me Break Down My Fascade. You will hear about the fight hosts Allison and Andrea had that prompted this episode. We’ll talk about trying to make money as a writer, revisiting the same theme, and h…

Aug. 24, 2022

136: What Makes You Weird in the World?

Today on our show, author and overall cool woman, Allison Landa reads an excerpt from her new memoir coming out October 4, 2022 called Bearded Lady (Woodhall Press). Pre-order today from our favorite Indy, Books & Books, or w...

Aug. 10, 2022

135: In Praise of Complaining

Today on our show we share a story by Cheryl E. Klein, author of the soon to be released memoir Crybaby. Cheryl takes an unusual subject, complaining, and makes a case for it. She even goes so far as to say complaining is noble. Her wit and humor make this episode another must listen!!

July 27, 2022

134: #MedicalGaslighting: Writing as a Service

Today on our show we share a story by Pamela McBride, a student in our First Draft and Second Draft writing group about her near fatal experience being dismissed by her doctor. This story is far too common for Black women and Pamela wants to re-write that story. She is tired of worrying about being…