Literally Podcast

Today we spoke with Valerie Miner, author of numerous fiction, nonfiction, and poetry collections. Once, a decade ago, Miner was kind but instructive with my fledging writing and writing career, and I feel privileged to talk with her about her writing today. Watch and Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jKI8FjXNT2s

Kase Johnstun of the LITerally podcast joined me, Brandon Long of Van Sessions in TanVan to help add some literary flair to this Van Sessions episode featuring local Ogden band, The Snarlin' Yarns. Check out this mash up and enjoy!

Think of this interview with Michael Kasdan, sports and special projects editor at The Good Men Project, like a time capsule from pre-election, pre-vaccine interview. We jump into politics and sports and why athletes should stop being told to “stay in their lane.”

Authors M. Ellen Dash and Ali Meeks talked with the LITerally Podcast about their new book Conquer Your Fear of the Triathlon Swim. As a swimmer and triathlete, I had a great time reading the step-by-step guide to overcoming anxiety in the water. This is a great book (and podcast, of course) for anyone hoping to turn their fear of open-water swimming into confidence in the water.

Adrienne Christian shared poetry from her new book with us on the LITerally Podcast. We laughed a lot that afternoon. She is welcome back anytime to talk about the writing, life, and the crazy world we live. But her new book of poetry! I insist!

Sian Griffiths, writer and sometimes co-host of the LITerally Podcast, joined us in the time of Covid, only a few miles from her house, via Zoom to talk about her new novel, Scrapple. As with everything in this day and age, we cannot avoid talking about life, the world, and our place in the world in it as writers! Thanks, Sian!

It's been a long time coming, but has time really passed over the last few months? Has it really? Here is our fun Literary Death Match Podcast from last year's event. Hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga, five other writers joined us that day, including Laura Stott, Jan Bottiglieri, Jake Alvey, David Lindes, and Kara Van De Graff. It was a serious riot. And Literary Death Match will be returning this year virtually in the fall, so keep an eye out for that announcement!

Sharon Harrigan joined us for the second time for her debut novel Half. It was our first time recording since we last saw each other before shutting it down for Covid. This was a great way for LITerally to jump back in!

Sunni Brown Wilkinson’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Crab Orchard Review, Adirondack Review, Sugar House Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and other journals and anthologies. Sunni is the author of The Marriage of the Moon and the Field (Black Lawrence Press 2019), and her poem “Rodeo” won New Ohio Review’s inaugural NORward Poetry Prize. She teaches at Weber State University and lives in northern Utah with her husband and three young sons. I loved sitting down with Sunni Brown Wilkinson to talk about writing, but to also talk about life. It was so enjoyable. I love her poetry. Please take a listen!

LITerally Podcast Ep. 41 - Laura Stott Poet and friend Laura Stott joined us in the Banyan Studio to read and talk about poems from her new book The Blue Nudes. It’s a great conversation about inspiration and verse and parenting and teaching!

Heather Sappenfield joined us via radio network. She bounced off satellites to join us. Well, she didn't, but I love that we got to talk to her from long distance. Remember when we had to pay to talk long distance. Heather and I don't; we're not old enough for that. We chatted about writing, about the YA business, and about imagining worlds.

Nita Sweeney outran depression, literally, and she shares this journey in her memoir Depression Hates a Moving Target, an inspiring look at how running (for all) can change a life and how our furry friends run right alongside us.

Elizabeth Levinson, poet and friend and teacher, joined the LITerally Podcast in the first ever recording in the camper inside The Monarch Building in the heart of Ogden's Nine Rails Arts District. We talked poetry, life, and, yes, teaching. It was so lovely to hear her read and to find out that her new book of poetry will be out next year! Listen!

Leigh Camacho Rourks' two favorite drinks are a Whiskey Neat and Prosecco with Mango Nectar. Sound like a study in contrasts? Maybe. Her work and her new short story collection, Moon Trees and Other Orphans, is a controlled, beautiful, and powerful study in contrasts. We talk about the St. Lawrence Book Award collection on, you guessed it, the LITerally podcast where Rourks says, a great insight for writers who are pitching their work, "Every book is different to every reader (editor) every day."

In this episode, we flipped the actual stage. At the Utah Arts Festival on the Big Mouth literary stage, we talked to readers and writers to look at where they believe literature, its readers, and the industry sits today. Thanks to Mary Johnstun, Kari Lane, and Allison McLennon for joining us on stage.

Adrian Todd Zuniga (Yes, that famous guy who started Literary Death Match) talked to us on the LITerally Podcast, and we laughed a lot! We talked about his book Collision Theory that came out 2018 after its own 13-year journey to publication. It's a great book that deserved a home and found one with a publisher who believed in it. If you're in the thick of things, this podcast is for you. It's honest and uplifting, and very funny.

Sean Prentiss, author of Finding Abbey and editor of multiple creative books, talked to us for what seemed to be no time at all. We wished we could have talked longer. We delve into creative nonfiction, into crafting narrative, in what it means to be 'true' in you memoir. For those looking for an episode that delves heavily into craft, this one is for you.

Interview with Tessa Fontaine, author of The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts, A New York Times Editors' Choice; A Southern Living Best Book of 2018; An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2018; A Refinery29 Best Book of 2018; A New York Post Most Unforgettable Book of 2018  

Amanda Luzzader schooled us on what it means to build worlds and then tear them apart and start again -- in the book and as the writer at the desk. We talked Among These Bones, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Roxanne Veletzos took us to Romania and back not only in her BESTSELLING Novel The Girl They Left Behind but also in our interview with her. She was such a great guest, teaching us more than we thought we could learn, and the book…the accolades from the media and from readers are so well deserved.