Join us in The Writer’s Corner every week! Each session will feature inspiring discussions, interviews on craft, advice on all aspects of getting published, and a safe space for writers to get support and advice. Here’s a look at our next few sessions (check back for additional guests soon!) …
June 22 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Literary Agent Danielle Bukowski for Manuscript to Market
Join us for a candid conversation with literary agent Danielle Bukowski on the querying process, comps, and what actually catches an agent’s attention. Drawing from her Substack Just Reading All Day, she’ll break down what makes a query stand out, how agents think about positioning a book, and what “good comps” really look like in practice. This will be a practical conversation about how books move from manuscript to marketplace, and what writers can do to give themselves the best possible shot.
Danielle Bukowski is a literary agent at Sterling Lord Lit who represents critically acclaimed, award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Recent and forthcoming books include Palaver by Bryan Washington (Finalist for the National Book Award), Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani (Finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize), Alligator Tears: A Memoir-in-Essays by Edgar Gomez, I Leave it Up to You by Jinwoo Chong, and Obstetrix by Hugo, Lodestar and Nebula-award winning Naomi Kritzer.
July 13 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Rheana Murray for What Editors Want in a Personal Essay
In this session, we’ll explore what editors are looking for in personal essays, and why some pieces stand out while others don’t make the cut.
Rheana Murray is the essays editor for Newsweek as well as a freelance features journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, NBC News, ABC News and elsewhere. She's a former reporter and editor for the TODAY Show, where she launched the site’s essays vertical. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.
July 20 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Joni B. Cole for How to Silence your Inner Critic
Join us for a conversation with author and writing instructor Joni B. Cole about how to get out of your own head and back into the flow. Joni has a great, no-nonsense perspective on how to stop over-editing and how to navigate the feedback process without losing confidence in your voice. We’re going to talk about the reality of the messy first draft, how to protect your creative energy, and ways to actually look forward to your writing time again.
Joni B. Cole is the author of seven books, including two guides for writers: GOOD NAKED: HOW TO WRITE MORE, WRITE BETTER, AND BE HAPPIER and TOXIC FEEDBACK: HELPING WRITERS SURVIVE AND THRIVE. Joni is also the author of the essay collection PARTY LIKE IT’S 2044: FINDING THE FUNNY IN LIFE AND DEATH. For twenty-five years she has taught creative writing to adults online and in person at her own writer’s center in Vermont, and at a variety of academic programs and community organizations across the country. A popular presenter, Joni has served as a speaker or workshop facilitator at conferences. Joni also hosts two podcasts: AUTHOR, CAN I ASK YOU? featuring in-depth conversations with well-known authors; and DEAD FROG IN THE DRIVEWAY about celebrating our potential as creative beings. She lives in Vermont and is currently under contract for her third collection of personal essays. For more info: www.jonibcole.com or www.thewriterscenterwrj.com
July 27 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Amy B. Scher for Writing Fiction from Real Life
In this conversation we will talk about what Amy learned crossing over from nonfiction to fiction (why everything she knew about writing almost worked against her) and what fiction can do that nonfiction never could — especially when the story is rooted in real tragedy.
Amy B. Scher is the bestselling author of five books that have been translated into more than 20 languages. Her new book, THE UNEXPECTED AFTERLIFE OF SALON ROSE, comes out in August 2026. Her work is featured in Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, CBS, Cosmopolitan, and more. Amy has an engaged social media and email community of over 40,000 people, where she regularly discusses the topics and themes from her novel -- healing, relationships, grief, identity, and moving forward when it feels like all hope is lost. Amy can be found online at www.amybscher.com and on IG at @amybscher
August 3 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
The Writer’s Session: An Open Exchange
Our monthly session devoted to community members. Join us for The Writer’s Session: An Open Exchange. No guest—just one hour to discuss the stamina of the creative life and craft. Bring a question, a hurdle, or a recent win you’re proud of.
Reminder: Our open discussion sessions are not recorded because we want them to be a safe space for honest conversation.
August 10 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Sarah L. Kaufman for A Craft Conversation
Sarah L. Kaufman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, an award-winning author and a writing teacher. As the Washington Post’s chief dance critic she wrote about the arts, entertainment, and society for 27 years. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Review of Books, among others. Her debut book, The Art of Grace, was a Washington Post Notable Book and won the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award and a Spirituality & Practice Award. Sarah has received journalism fellowships from the Nieman Foundation and the French-American Foundation, and she has taught writing at Harvard, Princeton, American University, the National Critics Institute, and New York's Center for Fiction.
September 14 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Kara Kavensky for A Craft Conversation
Join us for a conversation with author Kara Kavensky on how to spot and write the “record scratch” moments in any story. We’ll also talk about navigating the long road from idea to published book and how to keep your momentum going all the way to the finish line.
Kara Kavensky is a writer and corporate communications strategist. Her podcast RECORD SCRATCH with Kara Kavensky is an extension of what she loves to do: share uplifting stories of others. As a journalist, she has written over one thousand human interest stories. One of those stories altered the trajectory of her life. The result of that pivotal interview made her an author with her memoir, TELL ME ABOUT JOY. Kara is also the creator of the corporate communications masterclass, Remain Relevant. A graduate of Indiana University (where her father accused her of majoring in Caribbean vacationing), Kara is an avid nature photographer and novice birdwatcher, much to her grown children’s amusement. She lives with her husband Adam in Indianapolis, and together they travel whenever they aren’t tackling a remodeling project on their home. TELL ME ABOUT JOY is Kara’s first memoir.
September 21 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Chital Mehta on Reframing Rejection
In this conversation, we’ll talk to Chital about rejections. We’ll discuss why they are precious and need the same treatment as acceptances, how they make us better writers, and how we can learn to embrace them.
Chital Mehta is an award-winning South Asian writer whose stories center around motherhood, family dynamics, and immigration. She won the Boggs Fiction contest for her story, “Damaged Gifts,” and her story “The Weight of Happiness” was a Finalist for The Pinch Literary Awards. Her novel, HAVE YOU SEEN ROMIT? (scheduled for publication October 2026), was the winner of the 2025 James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel, judged by R. O. Kwon. She lives in Delaware with her husband and children.
October 5 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Melissa Gould for A Craft Conversation
Melissa Gould’s memoir, Widowish, is an Amazon best seller and Editor’s Pick for best memoir. It’s also a Goodreads Top Book of 2021, and has been named one of BookAuthority’s Best Grief Books of All Time. Widowish was awarded 2022’s Best New Non-Fiction Book by the International Book Awards. It has also been optioned by Echo Lake Entertainment to develop into a TV series.
Melissa’s essays have been published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Hollywood Reporter, Buzzfeed and more. She is also an award-winning screenwriter whose credits include Bill Nye the Science Guy, Beverly Hills 90210, Party of Five, and Lizzie McGuire to name a few.
Haven’t signed up for The Writer’s Corner yet but want to learn more? Here’s what to expect …
Sometimes, writing can feel lonely. What if it didn’t have to? What if one hour a week you could meet up with other writing friends from anywhere you choose? Think of The Writers’ Corner as a weekly online coffee date where the topic of conversation always centers around the thing we all love—WRITING.
Each session will feature inspiring discussions, guest hosts, interviews on craft, advice on all aspects of getting published, and a safe space for writers to get support and advice.
All you need to do is sign up for a subscription to WISDOM & WORDS and every week via email, you’ll receive a link to join our online meeting.
We can’t wait to see you there!
A Look at Recent Past Sessions …
February 3 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Christie Tate for a Discussion on Craft
Christie Tate is an essayist and author who writes creative nonfiction and memoir. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Group, which was a Reese’s Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. She is also the author of B.F.F.-- A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Her essays have been nominated for Puschcart Prizes, and Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review’s 2019 nonfiction contest. She writes about addiction, eating disorders, friendship, alienation, recovery, and her Grandma’s farm in Forreston, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and now lives in Chicago with her family. She has finally stopped telling people that she graduated first in her law school class. Please don’t hate her because she has no pets.
February 10 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Joanna Rakoff for a Discussion on Craft
Joanna Rakoff is the author of the international bestselling memoir My Salinger Year and the bestselling novel A Fortunate Age, winner of the Goldberg Prize for Fiction and the Elle Readers’ Prize. Rakoff’s books have been translated into twenty languages, and the film adaptation of My Salinger Year opened in theaters worldwide in 2021 and is now streaming. She has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Sewanee, Bread Loaf, Jerome Foundation, Authors’ Guild, PEN, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI/Ledig House, and Saltonstall; and has taught at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Aspen Words. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Porter, and elsewhere, and her new memoir, The Fifth Passenger, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2024.
The film adaptation of My Salinger Year stars Margaret Qualley as Joanna and Sigourney Weaver as her boss. Directed by Oscar-nominee Philippe Falardeau, the film opened in sixty-five countries in 2021, and is available for streaming.
February 17 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Judith Newcomb Stiles on Not Allowing the Writer’s Hustle to Eclipse Creativity
Judith Newcomb Stiles straddles the tightrope between memoir and fiction, weaving together local Cape Cod stories as she blends them into fiction to protect her relatives who are already mad at her. She is a staff writer for the Italian publication Ytali.com, covering all things American, such as “Who is the Boss of Her Body?” Her essays have appeared in the anthology Hemingway Shorts, honorable mention-Kenyon Review, first place award 2024 Room Magazine Creative Non-Fiction, and NY Times Tiny Love Stories.
Stiles earns her living as a potter turning mud into money in the guise of colorful pottery. She figured if she could do that magic trick, she could write the book that was burning inside. HUSH LITTLE FIRE—release May 2025—a Penguin Random House Spring Book Club Pick. HUSH LITTLE FIRE is Cape Cod novel about the naughty people of Wellfleet.
Join us as Stiles puts on her writer’s hat (takes off her potter’s hat) to talk about how as writer over 70, she wrote a book, found an agent, and landed a publisher in a world that traditionally ignores “older” women.
February 24 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Marion Roach Smith on The Principles of Memoir Writing
Marion Roach Smith is the author of four books, all of which contain a large degree of memoir. Her most recent book is The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing--And Life, (Grand Central, 2011). Under the name Marion Roach, she is the author of The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning and Sexual Power of Red Hair, (Bloomsbury, 2005); co-author with famed forensic pathologist Michael Baden, M.D., of Dead Reckoning (Simon & Schuster, 2001); and author of Another Name for Madness, (Houghton Mifflin, 1985).
A former staff member of The New York Times, she has written for The New York Times Magazine, Prevention, The Daily News, Vogue, Newsday, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living, Discover and The Los Angeles Times. A former commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, until recently she had a talk show on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius/XM 110.
Marion is a sought-after speaker on the power of telling one’s tale and the value of memoir. She is a long-time teacher of memoir and has taught thousands of people to write what they know.
March 3 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Cynthia Weiner on Inspired By: How to Weave Together Real Life and Fiction
Cynthia Weiner has had a long career writing and teaching fiction. Her short stories have been published in Ploughshares, The Sun, and Epiphany, and her story “Boyfriends” was awarded a Pushcart Prize. Recently, her story “A Castle In Outerspace” was republished in Coolest American Stories 2024. She is also the assistant director of The Writers Studio in New York City.
A GORGEOUS EXCITEMENT, her first novel, was inspired by her upbringing on New York’s Upper East Side in the 1980s, and particularly by the infamous “Preppy Murder” of 1986, to which she had a personal connection, having spent many nights drinking with the real-life Preppy Killer and his friends at Dorrian’s (the model for Flanagan’s bar) that summer.
Weiner now lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.
March 10 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Open Discussion
This session will be an open forum for writers to share what’s on their minds. Bring your struggles, questions, and wisdom! Just a reminder that these monthly open sessions are not recorded because we want it to be a safe space for honest conversation.
March 17 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Helen Hill on A Spring Reset for Your Creative Mind
Helen began studying yoga with a cryptic book purchased from a new age store Burlington, VT in 1999. She has used the practice to recover from injuries as an athlete, an outdoor adventurer and childbirth. She is a 200HR RYT (Naturally Yoga), a certified Ayurvedic Home Chef, Master-Level Reiki Certified, has a Children’s Teacher Certificate, a Chair Yoga certificate, has some therapeutics training and works with special needs children. She is eternally grateful to her teachers and mentors.
Having grown up in Belgium and England, she adds cultural influences to her classes and is known for playful classes that amplify the benefits of yoga and ignite the imagination. She also conducts ayurvedic cooking classes and writing/yoga workshops. She sees clients in northern NJ and the lower Hudson Valley, and virtual classes are available wherever you are in the world. You can find Helen online at HelenHillYoga.com.
When she is not busy teaching, Helen writes poetry and is currently working on, Stronger than Ever, a book of poetry and practical tips about healing from a ski accident. She also paints, enjoys time with her kids and plays outside in the great outdoors.
March 24 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Elizabeth Peavey on The Best Truth
In this session, we will discuss a common conundrum for writers: How much should you share with readers (especially when it involves wrestling with hard truths)?
Celebrated Maine author, performer, and educator Elizabeth Peavey has helped people craft and share their stories for over 30 years. In January, she returned to print after an eight-year hiatus with her cover story, “Peavey Presses On,” for The Bollard magazine, where she also launched her new monthly column, “Out There” in February (thebollard.com).
Her one-woman show,My Mother’s Clothes Are Not My Mother, ran for six years and received the Maine Literary Award for Best Drama. She is the author of three books, has appeared in several anthologies, and has written countless print columns and features for publications, including two popular humor columns, which ran for 20 years. She has taught creative nonfiction, personal narrative, humor writing, and public speaking and performance to audiences ranging from undergraduates and MFA candidates to new Mainers, prison inmates, corporate executives, older adults, and middle school boys. She is a frequent keynote and guest lecturer at conferences and schools, and she provides story training to nonprofit and educational organizations – proving we all have a story to tell. TLM:elizabethpeavey.com
March 31 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Amy B. Scher on How to Build a Book Proposal that Stands Out
Amy B. Scher is the bestselling and award-winning author of five books, which have been translated into 20 languages and endorsed by notable authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray Love); Vikas Swarup (Slumdog Millionaire); and Sanjiv Chopra, MD, Harvard Medical School and (Brotherhood with Deepak Chopra).
With over two decade’s experience in publishing and marketing (Harley-Davidson, State Farm, Scripps Howard News, Thrillist)—Amy has created a diverse career by seamlessly combining her skills in multiple mediums. She writes and teaches on the topics of healing, human-ing, and writing. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Thrillist, CBS, CNN, Los Angeles Review of Books, New York Daily News, Good Morning America, National Geographic, Cosmo, Oprah Daily, and more.
Recommended by literary agents and publishing pros, Amy is known for building book proposals that sell. From concept to finish line, she helps authors clarify their book’s focus, marketing plan, and more to create a proposal that stands out from the rest.
April 7 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Kelly McMasters for A Craft Conversation
Kelly McMasters is an essayist, professor, mother, and former bookshop owner. She is the author of the Zibby Book Club pick The Leaving Season: A Memoir-in-Essays (WW Norton) and co-editor of the ABA national bestseller Wanting: Women Writing About Desire (Catapult). Her first book, Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town, was listed as one of Oprah's top 5 summer memoirs and is the basis for the documentary film ‘The Atomic States of America,’ a 2012 Sundance selection, and the anthology she co-edited with Margot Kahn, This Is the Place: Women Writing About Home (Seal Press, 2017), was a New York Times Editor’s Choice. Her essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Paris Review Daily, The American Scholar, Literary Hub, Newsday, River Teeth: A Journal of Narrative Nonfiction, Romper, and The Rumpus, among others. She holds a BA from Vassar College and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia's School of the Arts and is the recipient of a Pushcart nomination and an Orion Book Award nomination. Kelly has spoken about creative nonfiction at TEDx, authors@google, and more, and has taught at mediabistro.com, Franklin & Marshall College, and in the undergraduate writing program and Journalism Graduate School at Columbia University, among others. She is currently an Associate Professor of English and Director of Publishing Studies at Hofstra University in NY. Learn more about Kelly’s work at kellymcmasters.com.
April 14 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Tricia Rose Burt on Finding the Courage to Follow the Creative Call
Tricia Rose Burt helps people find and tell their stories. After spending nearly 15 years with some of America’s top business institutions, Tricia made a dramatic shift and enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This bold move led to a decade as a visual artist until the 2008 market crash forced another pivot. She created an award-winning one-woman show — How to Draw a Nekkid Man — about her transformation from executive to artist and her storytelling career took off after performing with The Moth, where she is also part of their corporate storytelling arm, MothWorks. These days, Tricia combines her corporate background and artistic experience, teaching storytelling to executives to help them more clearly share their ideas and initiatives. She also hosts and produces the award-winning podcast “No Time to be Timid,” the centerpiece of the No Time to be Timid movement.
April 28 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Ruthie Ackerman on How to Get Your Writing Out of Your Head and Onto the Page
Ruthie Ackerman’s writing has been published in Vogue, Glamour, O Magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Salon, Slate, and Newsweek. She launched the Ignite Writers Collective in 2019 and has since worked with hundreds of writers to publish their own stories. Her client wins include a USA Today bestseller, book deals with Big 5 publishers, representation by buzzy book agents, and essays in prestigious outlets. Ruthie Ackerman has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
In her new memoir, THE MOTHER CODE: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Myths That Shape Us (Random House; on-sale May 6, 2025), award-winning journalist Ruthie Ackerman takes readers on a bold and deeply personal journey into motherhood in the 21st century.
May 5 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Diana Ventimiglia on Top Tips from a New York Times Bestselling Editor
Diana Ventimiglia is a New York Times bestselling editor with over 17 years’ experience working with authors who speak to the diversity of our lived experiences. She’s drawn to strong voices in spirituality, identity & sexuality, relationships, psychology, mental health, female empowerment, and LGBTQ+ rights. Diana believes that everyone has a story to tell and lessons to share, and the best part of her job is partnering with incredible individuals who are dedicated to starting bigger conversations and inspiring individual and collective healing. She truly couldn’t imagine doing anything else! When she’s not working with authors, you’ll find her working through the 5 plus books on her nightstand and yelling at her cat, Phillip, to stop knocking things off the shelf. But he’s so cute!
May 12 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Rachel Kramer Bussel on The Secrets to Writing Personal Essays that Get Published
Rachel Kramer Bussel is an essayist, journalist, and editor based in New Jersey. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Publishers Weekly, Salon, Slate, TODAY.com, The Village Voice, and many other publications. She's the founder and editor of personal essay magazine Open Secrets and organizer of personal storytelling summit Open Secrets Live. Rachel is the author of How to Write Erotica and Lap Dance Lust and editor of over 70 erotica anthologies. She teaches essay writing workshops online and is working on a nonfiction anthology and a podcast on our relationships with and attachments to our belongings. Find her on Instagram and Bluesky at rachelkramerbussel.
In this session, we will talk to Rachel about what she looks for in selecting essays and how to write revealing material.
May 19 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Domenica Ruta for A Craft Conversation
Domenica Ruta is the NYTimes bestselling author of the memoir With or Without You and the novel Last Day, a 2019 NYT Notable book of the year, as well as co-editor of the anthology We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart and Humor. She's published short fiction and essays in the Iowa Review, the Boston Review, the Indiana Review, Epoch, Ninth Letter, The Cut, and elsewhere, and has been anthologized a handful of times, most notably in Wanting. She publishes personal essays with zero regularity and lots of love for free on her Substack. Her latest novel, All the Mothers, is on sale now everywhere books are sold. To find out if she doing a reading or event in your area, check out her website or follow her on Instagram at @domenicaruta .
June 2 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Laura Munson on Finding Your Writing Voice
Laura is the New York Times, USA Today, and international best selling author of the novel Willa’s Grove and the memoir This Is Not The Story You Think It Is. She has been published in nine countries and has been featured in Vanity Fair, Elle, Redbook, Time, Newsweek, Washington Post, Publisher’s Weekly and published in the New York Times ‘Modern Love’ Column, the New York Times Magazine ‘Lives’ Column, O. Magazine, and many others. Her new book is The Wild Why: Stories and Teachings to Uncover Your Wonder.
Laura is the founder of the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats, speaks at women’s conferences and literary events, and has appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, NPR, and media outlets across the globe. She lives in Montana.
June 9 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Megan Febuary on Trauma-Informed Writing
Megan Febuary is a trauma-informed writing coach and the founder of the global storytelling platform and literary magazine For Women Who Roar. Called a leading expert in creative recovery, Megan received her MA from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, where she focused her research on the body as a storyteller. She is also the Author of BRAVE THE PAGE: How Writing Our Hard Stories Brings Healing and Wholeness and the For Women Who Roar poetry collection.
June 16 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Mark Jason Williams on The Quest for the Modern Love Essay
It’s every essayist’s dream placement. If you’re writer, chances are you are very familiar with the New York Times Modern Love column! Join us for a deep dive into how Mark got the coveted spot. We’ll hear about his experience (and also talk about other outlets to try if your piece is rejected). Read his essay HERE!
Mark Jason Williams is an award-winning playwright, essayist, and travel writer who has explored 55 countries across all seven continents. He is the co-author of Out in the World, National Geographic’s first LGBTQ+ travel book, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, HuffPost, Wired, Salon, and more. A lifelong New Yorker, Mark holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He lives with his husband and their two senior rescue dogs. Visit him at markjasonwilliams.com.
June 23 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Michele Filgate on What Makes a Strong Personal Essay
Michele Filgate is the editor of What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About and What My Father and I Don’t Talk About. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, Poets & Writers, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Gulf Coast, Oprah Daily, and many other publications. She received her MFA in Fiction from NYU, where she was the recipient of the Stein Fellowship. She teaches at The New School.
July 28 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Catherine Newman for A Craft Conversation
Catherine Newman is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs Catastrophic Happiness and Waiting for Birdy, the middle-grade novel One Mixed-Up Night, the kids’ craft book Stitch Camp (co-authored with Nicole Blum), the best-selling how-to books for kids How to Be a Person and What Can I Say? and the novels We All Want Impossible Things, Sandwich, and Wreck (forthcoming October 2025). She writes the Substack newsletter
Catherine Newman
and has been a regular contributor to the New York Times, Real Simple, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cup of Jo, and many other publications. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
September 8 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Lisa See for A Craft Conversation
Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.
September 15 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Karen Dukess for A Craft Conversation
Karen Dukess is the author of The Last Book Party (Henry Holt 2019), which was an IndieNext and Discover New Writers pick. Her new novel, Welcome to Murder Week, will be published on June 10, 2025 by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Karen is also the host of The Castle Hill Author Talks, a series of virtual and in-person interviews with some of today’s most exciting authors. Karen has been a tour guide in the former Soviet Union, a newspaper reporter in Florida, a magazine publisher in Russia and a speechwriter on gender equality for the United Nations. She has a degree in Russian Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University. She lives with her family near New York City and spends as much time as possible in Truro on Cape Cod.
September 22 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Open Discussion
This session will be an open forum for writers to share what’s on their minds. Bring your struggles, questions, and wisdom! Just a reminder that these sessions are not recorded because we want them to be a safe space for honest conversation. Hope to see you there!
October 6 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Adriana Trigiani for a Craft Conversation
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her “dazzling” novels, (USA Today) Adriana Trigiani is The New York Times bestselling author of twenty books in fiction and nonfiction. She has been published in 38 countries around the world. The New York Times calls her “a comedy writer with a heart of gold,” her books “tiramisu for the soul.” She wrote the blockbuster The Shoemaker’s Wife, the Big Stone Gap series, the Valentine trilogy and Lucia, Lucia. Trigiani’s themes of love and work, emphasis upon craftsmanship and family life have brought her legions of fans around the world. Their devotion has made Adriana one of “the reigning queens of women’s fiction” (USA Today). Adriana is host of the hit podcast, You Are What You Read, where she interviews the luminaries of our time about the books that built their souls. Adriana’s latest novel, The View from Lake Como. Publisher’s Weekly’s “Best Book of Summer 2025”, this is the story of Jess Capodimonte Baratta, a recently divorced, dutiful daughter, living in her parents’ basement. When an unexpected loss sends her to her ancestral home of Carrara, Italy where Jess learns to rebuild her life and the house that goes with it.
October 27 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Sherry Sidoti on Memoir + Mending Relations: Putting Our People on the Page
Every memoirist contends with the same conundrum: How do we write our story without risking the possibility of harming the people we care about? Human nature and relationships are what makes a memoir intriguing. But, let’s face it, relationships are complicated, and writing about our relatives, friends, and colleagues, even more so! Join Sherry for this rich conversation and craft exploration. You may find that putting your people on the page is not only worth the risk, but comes with many unexpected rewards.
Sherry Sidoti is an award-winning author and a steward of memoir writing experiences, and believes that writing is a spiritual, sacred, and brave practice of self-awakening with great potential for healing. She hosts weekly online writing series and leads in-person yoga + writing retreats globally. Her debut memoir, A Smoke and a Song (She Writes Press/Simon & Schuster) received 2024 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Non-Fiction/Inspirational, 2023 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal for Inspirational Memoir, 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize Winner Honorable Mention and Finalist for the da Vinci Eye Prize, and 2024 Finalist for National Indie Excellence Award. She lives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, cats, chickens, and adult children (when they decide to pop home for a visit).
November 3 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Marjan Kamali for A Craft Conversation
Marjan Kamali is the award-winning author of The Lion Women of Tehran, an instant national bestseller, The Stationery Shop, a national and international bestseller, and Together Tea, a Massachusetts Book Award finalist.
Marjan’s novels are published in translation in more than 30 languages. She is a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship.
Marjan holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University, and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from New York University. Her essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Literary Hub, and The Los Angeles Review of Books.
November 17 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Nancy Aronie for Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay
Author of The Seven Secrets to Writing the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write and Writing From the Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice, Memoir as Medicine, she teaches at Kripalu and Esalen. She has taught writing for 25 years, most recently with Robert Coles at Harvard University. Nancy has had a monthly column in McCalls magazine, was a visiting writer at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and was writer in residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She is the recipient of an honorary Phi Beta Kappa alumni award for special recognition from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia.
December 1 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Darcey Gohring on Polish & Precision: A Line-Editing Craft Session
Sharpen your sentences and elevate your prose. Join me for a craft session for writers ready to refine their work at the line level. A relaxed, hands-on look at how small edits can make a big difference. In this line-editing session, we’ll dig into the rhythm of a sentence and talk about the subtle choices that give your writing clarity, intention, and that extra bit of shine. Full of practical takeaways you can use right away!
December 8 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Emily McCombs on Crafting Personal Essays That Get Picked Up
HuffPost personal is one of the top destinations for personal essays. Their pieces often reach millions of readers. It’s also highly competitive. In this session, we’ll explore what their editors look for, and why certain essays rise above the rest while others fall flat.
Emily McCombs is the Deputy Editor of HuffPost personal. She has been writing and editing first-person essays for nearly 20 years in all topic areas including identity (race, gender, sexuality, etc.), love and relationships, addiction and mental health, family and more. She was previously the Editorial Director of the parenting section at HuffPost and wrote a parenting advice column for Slate. From 2011 to 2015, she helped launch and served as Executive Editor for xojane.com.
December 15 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Sarah Gormley on Publishing and Promoting Your Book Independently
Gallerist and author Sarah Gormley spent most of her life trying to outrun the persistent self-loathing that plagued her from childhood, convinced that self-worth was something she had to earn by doing rather than being. When she returned to Salt Creek Farm at age forty-five, Gormley had no idea that detaching from the success she believed defined her, untangling the complicated relationship with her mother, and continuing the hard work of therapy would lead to a wildly transformed life. She opened Sarah Gormley Gallery in Columbus, Ohio in 2019 and published her memoir The Order of Things in 2024.
January 12 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Ronit Plank for A Craft Conversation
Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and elsewhere, and has earned Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Kirkus Reviews calls her memoir When She Comes Back, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation”. Her short story collection Home Is a Made-Up Place won Hidden River Arts’ Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Fiction. Ronit teaches memoir writing at writing conferences and programs both domestically and abroad and hosts the podcast and Substack Let’s Talk Memoirfeaturing interviews with memoirists about their writing process and creative life.
January 26 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Jemimah Wei for A Craft Conversation
Jemimah Wei is the author of THE ORIGINAL DAUGHTER, a Good Morning America Book Club pick, a New York Times Editors’ Pick, and an IndieNext pick. She is a National Book Foundation 5 under 35 Honouree, William Van Dyke Short Story Prize winner, and was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and Felipe P. De Alba Fellow at Columbia University. A recipient of awards and fellowships from Singapore’s National Arts Council, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and Writers in Paradise, Jemimah’s writing has appeared in Joyland, Guernica, and Narrative, amongst others. Say hi at @jemmawei on socials, or jemmawei.com.
February 2 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Lisa McCarty on Viral to Lasting: Writing Articles & Essays That Carry Weight
In this session, we will be joined by journalist Lisa McCarty to talk about the craft behind viral personal essays, the emotional cost of telling your story, and how a single essay can grow into a book-length work.
Lisa McCarty is a freelance writer and journalist with over two decades of writing and editing experience. She’s published dozens of articles and essays in commercial publications to include: The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Slate, TODAY Show, The Guardian, Women’s Health Magazine, SELF magazine, PopSugar, Newsweek and more. A few examples of her top articles and essays that have gone viral and garnered high visibility in commercial outlets.
She leads an engaging social media community, using writing and videos to normalize conversations about mental and physical health, grief, trauma, caregiving, self-care and more.
Lisa is currently working on a reported narrative nonfiction book that builds off of her recent essay in New York Magazine’s The Cut, about becoming a caregiver to her mother at age 13, when she suffered a traumatic brain injury at work.
February 9 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Jeffrey Yamaguchi
Jeffrey Yamaguchi is a writer, published author, and book marketing expert who explores innovative ways to creatively market publishing projects. He works directly with authors and publishers to successfully launch their books and build publishing programs. Jeffrey has led campaigns for some of the most celebrated, bestselling authors in the world, as well as writers launching their careers and publishing their first books. He has also run marketing and publicity departments at publishers large and small, including Knopf Doubleday (Penguin Random House), HarperCollins, Abrams Books, The New Press, and Blackstone Publishing. Yamaguchi is the author of several books, including 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity and Working for the Man, both published by Perigee/Penguin Random House, and his poetry, stories, collages, short films, and photography have been published by Black Bough Poetry, The Storms, The Hyacinth Review, Kissing Dynamite, Feral Journal, Boats Against the Current, and the Atticus Review, among many other literary journals.
March 2 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Courtney Maum for A Craft Conversation
Courtney is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking publishing guide that Vanity Fair recently named one of the ten best books for writers, BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL and the memoir THE YEAR OF THE HORSES, chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A writing coach, director of the writing workshop “Turning Points,” and educator, Courtney’s mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. Widely published in such outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and Interview Magazine, she sits on the advisory council of the Authors Guild where she helps protect working writers’ rights. On Substack, Courtney runs a bestselling newsletter about publishing that you can sign up for at CourtneyMaum.com where you’ll also find her online classes. Her latest novel, “Alan Opts Out” is forthcoming in both the US and the UK in the summer of 2026.
March 9 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Nicole Graev Lipson for A Craft Conversation
Nicole Graev Lipson the author of the memoir-in-essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, a USA Today national bestseller. Her writing has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, selected for The Best American Essays anthology, and shortlisted for a National Magazine Award. Her work has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Gettysburg Review, River Teeth, Alaska Quarterly Review, LA Review of Books, The Millions, Nylon, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among other publications.
Nicole holds a BA from Cornell University and an MFA from Emerson College. Originally from New York City, she lives outside of Boston with her family.
March 16 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Sari Botton for A Craft Conversation
Sari Botton is a bestselling author, editor, and teacher with decades of experience. She is the author of the memoir in essays, And You May Find Yourself…Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo, which was chosen by Poets & Writers Magazine for the 2022 edition of its annual “5 Over 50” feature. An essay from it received notable mention in The Best American Essays 2023, edited by Vivian Gornick. For five years she served as the Essays Editor for Longreads. She edited the bestselling anthologies Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving NewYork and Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for New York. She publishes Oldster Magazine, Memoir Monday, and Adventures in Journalism. She was the Writer-in-Residence in the creative writing program at SUNY New Paltz for the spring of 2023. She teaches creative nonfiction in various places, including online through her own Kingston Writers’ Studio. She is also available for private consultations including developmental editing, editorial coaching, and individualized advisement.
March 23 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Kristin Bair for A Craft Conversation
Kristin Bair writes about pissed-off women—some navigating (peri)menopause, some feeling their way through marriage and motherhood, almost all pushing back on the patriarchy. She is also the author of the novels Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything (a People magazine Best New Book), The Art of Floating, and Thirsty, as well as essays on topics ranging from China and bears to expats gone rogue.
When she isn’t hunkered down in her tiny writing space, Kristin teaches in the MA in Writing Program at Johns Hopkins University and at the Yale Writers’ Workshop. She also works privately with writers, offering developmental editing, writerly coaching, and well-timed kicks in the arse. Learn more about Kristin’s work at kristinbair.com.
April 6 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Christine Pride for A Craft Conversation
Christine Pride is a writer, editor and long-time publishing veteran where she held editorial posts at various Big Five imprints and published many bestselling and critically acclaimed novels and memoirs over her twenty-year career. She is also the author of three novels: two with Jo Piazza: We Are Not Like Them (a Good Morning America Book Club Pick) and You Were Always Mine, as well as her solo debut, All The Men I’ve Loved Again which was an instant USA Today bestseller. In addition to writing, she does select editorial work, proposal/content development, and teaching and coaching. You can learn more at her website: www.christinepride.com, or on Instagram, @cpride.
April 13 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Melissa Garner-Lee for Writing from the Wound vs. Writing from the Scar
In this conversation we will explore:
• The difference between processing trauma (messy, private, therapeutic) and when it is processed enough to craft it for publication (artistic, focusing on the reader, requires distance).
• When/how to do so without reopening the wound.
• Understanding public “validation” won’t fix the internal pain (don’t publish expecting it to).
• How to maintain boundaries within your writing (aka - it’s okay to draw lines and make decisions on how deep you want to go).
• Signs You’re Not Ready to Publish (how to know when a wound is too fresh to be editing/critiqued/shared publicly).
Melissa Garner-Lee, LMFT, is a trauma therapist, writer and mindfulness guide. Her work centers on helping women heal from trauma. Trained under Gabor Maté and Bessel van der Kolk, she works with clients using EMDR and leads mindfulness retreats in Yosemite. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek and US News. She is writing her first novel THE GLEANER.
April 27 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Sarah Braunstein for A Craft Conversation
Sarah Braunstein’s new novel, Bad Animals, was published by W. W. Norton in March 2024 and described by Claire Luchette in the New York Times Book Review as “...a red-hot poker that skewers the limits of the white imagination…[A] sharp-witted, ravishing novel.” Sarah is also the author of The Sweet Relief of Missing Children (W. W. Norton), winner of the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Fiction. The novel was a finalist for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize from the Center for Fiction and was an Oprah Magazine Top Ten Pick of the Month. Bitchmagazine said it’s a novel “akin to the film Magnolia (if Saul Bellow had written the novelization).”
Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, The Harvard Review, The Cincinnati Review, AGNI, Ploughshares, The Sun, Nylon Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, and in other publications. She co-wrote a play, String Theory: Three Greek Myths Woven Together, with Michael Barakiva and Amy Boyce Holtcamp.
Sarah has been the recipient of a “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award. For several years she served on the National Selection Panel of the National YoungArts Foundation. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. She is associate professor of English and creative writing at Colby College.
May 4 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Christina Baker Kline for A Craft Conversation
Christina Baker Kline is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including Orphan Train, The Exiles, Please Don’t Lie (co-authored with Anne Burt), and the forthcoming The Foursome (May 2026), Christina Baker Kline is published in more than 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
Kline was born in Cambridge, England, and raised there as well as in the American South and Maine. She is a graduate of Yale, Cambridge, and the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing. She has taught at Yale, NYU, UVA, Drew, and Fordham, where she served as Writer-in-Residence. The author or editor of five nonfiction books, she is a recipient of numerous Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Writer-in-Residence Fellowships. A resident of New York City and Southwest Harbor, Maine, Kline is married to David Kline and has three sons: Hayden, Will, and Eli.
May 18 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Liz Alterman for A Craft Conversation
Liz Alterman is the author of the award-winning memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, several suspense novels, and the romcom Claire Casey’s Had Enough. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and other outlets. Subscribe to her Substack where she shares the ups and downs of the writing life (and cat photos).
June 1 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Christie Tate for Rejection, Persistence, and the Writing Life
Rejection is part of the writing life but that doesn’t make it any less brutal. In this conversation, best-selling author Christie Tate will join us to talk about how to survive the nos, the near misses, and the moments when giving up starts to sound better than sticking with it. We’ll talk about persistence, pivots, publication uncertainty, and how to stay connected to the work even when the path forward feels uncertain.
Christie Tate is an essayist and author who writes creative nonfiction and memoir. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Group, which was a Reese’s Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. She is also the author of B.F.F.-- A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Her essays have been nominated for Puschcart Prizes, and Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review’s 2019 nonfiction contest. She writes about addiction, eating disorders, friendship, alienation, recovery, and her Grandma’s farm in Forreston, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and now lives in Chicago with her family. She has finally stopped telling people that she graduated first in her law school class. Please don’t hate her because she has no pets.
June 8 - NO ONLINE SESSION
Maine Writing Retreat
We will be traveling back from our spring writing retreat in Maine so there will be no online session. Stay tuned for details on the next retreat soon!
June 15 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
A Book Club Conversation: Good Writing
Join Kathy Curto and me for a “book club” conversation on Good Writing by Anne Lamott and Neil Allen. We’ll chat about the principles from the book that resonated most with us, the writing advice we actually return to in our own work, and other craft books that continue to shape us as writers years later.
Kathy Curto teaches at Sarah Lawrence College/The Writing Institute and Montclair State University as well as several nonprofit organizations and writing centers in the metropolitan area. She is the author of Not for Nothing-Glimpses into a Jersey Girlhood. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, on NPR, and in the anthologies And There Were Red Geraniums Everywhere (released in both Italian and English) and Listen to Your Mother: What She Said Then, What We’re Saying Now. She has also published widely in a variety of literary journals and magazines. Kathy’s piece, “Still Cooking Side by Side” considered a “Modern Love in miniature” by The New York Times, was included in The Best of Tiny Love Stories in August 2021. She is co-founder of Key to the Castle Workshop and serves on the board of the Italian American Writers Association. Kathy lives with her family in the Hudson Valley.
i cannot wait to read hush little fires!