San Francisco Writers Conference Podcast

The San Francisco Writers Conference Podcast features author Matthew Felix in conversation with fellow writers about craft, commerce, and community. [o] Music credit: Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod; Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkorama; License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Sylvia Plath, Mental Health, & Writing Fiction with Lee Kravetz 01/28/2022

Sylvia Plath, Mental Health, & Writing Fiction with Lee Kravetz * Lee Kravetz is author of the acclaimed nonfiction, Strange Contagion and SuperSurvivors. He has written for print and television, including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, The Daily Beast, The San Francisco Chronicle, and PBS. Lee’s new book is a work of fiction, his novel The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. * The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is told through three unique interwoven narratives that build on one another, reimagining a chapter in the life of the poet and novelist Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic, The Bell Jar. * Lee gave an introduction to Plath, explaining that she was best known as a poet, until The Bell Jar, her semi-autobiographical novel about struggles with mental illness, became a huge posthumous success. * Podcast host Matthew Félix asked Lee about his decision to transition from nonfiction to fiction, including pushback he got initially from his agent—and why he persisted in spite of it. * Matthew and Lee discussed the challenges he faced as a man writing from the perspective of three first-person women narrators, as well as the challenges of effectively weaving together three stories taking place at different times. * One of the novel's main story lines entails a rivalry between a fictional poet and Sylvia Plath. Lee spoke about his decision to build much of the story around that rivalry, as well as the process of creating both characters and the rivalry itself. * Lee, who has a background in psychotherapy, explained the role of mental illness both in Plath's work and his novel. Matthew also asked Lee about the role Sylvia and other poets in the Confessional Poetry moment played in opening society to discussions about mental health. * Lee addressed the commonly held belief that there is a correlation between being "crazy" and creativity. * Lee elaborated on the notion, expressed by one of the characters in the novel, that insight into the past—while often considered essential to resolving mental health issues—can also trap a person there. * Matthew and Lee explored two other recurring themes of the book: the importance of objects and our relationships with them, and the notion that people's lives often come full circle. * Regarding craft, Lee shared his thoughts on and approach to writing suspense, pacing, and more. * The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is out March 8. /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/21908333

Storytelling with "Story Power" Author Kate Farrell 01/14/2022

Storytelling with "Story Power" Author Kate Farrell * A graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies, UC Berkeley, Kate Farrell has been a language arts classroom teacher, an author, a librarian, a university lecturer, and a storyteller since 1966. She founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project, and she has published numerous educational materials on the art of storytelling. Kate edited the anthology, Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother, and co-edited two others: Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the ’60s & 70s and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence. She is past president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association and a presenter for the San Francisco Writers Conference. * Podcast host Matthew Félix asked Kate about the importance of stories. He also asked about the history of oral storytelling, as well as the resurgence it has enjoyed since the 1970s. * Kate explained the difference between telling a story orally and writing it down, highlighting the role that a live audience has as cocreator in the experience. She also discussed how storytelling foments change, both for the audience and the storyteller themselves. * Storytelling is not just for the stage, but also has practical, day-to-day applications, as illustrated by three types of stories: defining, signature, and personal branding, which Matthew and Kate discussed. * Kate explained the benefits of having a repertoire of stories at the ready for different circumstances. * Kate shared ways of gathering stories, as well as how to choose which ones might best be suited to storytelling. * Matthew asked Kate about the features essential to every story, and they reviewed the seven steps to preparing a story to be told—Kate emphasizing that stories should not be memorized. * Kate shared key things to keep in mind while performing, including important aspects of vocalization and the importance of making eye contact with the audience. * Matthew asked Kate about what she referred to as the cutting edge of storytelling: weaving or braiding archetypes with personal narratives. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/21775595

Travel, Travel Writing, & 108 Beloved Objects with Jeff Greenwald 11/25/2021

Travel, Travel Writing, & 108 Beloved Objects with Jeff Greenwald * Jeff Greenwald is a photojournalist, author, and stage performer whose experiences in Asia have framed his style of travel writing. His six books include the best-selling Shopping for Buddhas (recently republished in a 25th anniversary edition), The Size of the World (for which he created the first international travel blog), and Snake Lake, a travel memoir set in Kathmandu, Nepal during the 1990 democracy revolution. Jeff’s stories and essays have appeared in print and online publications worldwide, including Smithsonian, Afar, Outside, The New York Times, National Geographic-Adventure and Wired. His critically acclaimed solo stage show, Strange Travel Suggestions, has played to sold-out houses since 2003. * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Jeff talked about travel, including why we do it, how it has changed, and how it might be impacted long-term by the pandemic. * Jeff is co-founder of Ethical Traveler, an international community dedicated to defending human rights and protecting the environment. He talked about the organization, the difference between travel and tourism, and the ethics of getting on a plane today, given the environmental implications. He also shared why he is hopeful about post-pandemic travel. * Matthew asked Jeff about his start in travel writing, as well as the place of the travel writer today, given the preponderance of travel blogs and Instagram. Jeff also shared his thoughts on the challenges of making money as a travel writer. * Jeff recently published "108 Beloved Objects," a book and visual art project centered around the theme of "Letting Go of Stuff, Keeping Our Stories." Jeff explained the project's concept, including the challenges of and what is to be learned from giving up objects that are dear to us. * Readers of the book can write Jeff to request one of the 108 objects. Jeff shared his thoughts on some of the requests he has received to date. * Jeff shared why he published "108 Beloved Objects" independently, and what he learned from the process. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/21287234

The Tarot, Creativity, & Kickstarter with Elisabeth Kauffman 10/29/2021

The Tarot, Creativity, & Kickstarter with Elisabeth Kauffman * Elisabeth Kauffman is the Marketing Director for the San Francisco Writers Conference, as well as an independent editor, an author, and an artist. She edits fiction and memoir for independent clients as well as for publishing companies, and she coaches writers on finding their voices and connecting to the magic in their creative lives. Elisabeth offers workshops for local writing groups on topics such as using tarot in the drafting and revising process and tapping your creative potential through visual arts. * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Elisabeth discussed creativity, including how and why Elisabeth believes it is an act of self-love, tips for getting unstuck creatively, dealing with impostor syndrome, and more. * Elisabeth recently published a tarot deck and book, Lunaria , to help authors and other creatives connect with their creativity. * Elisabeth shared some of the history of the tarot, how she got interested, and why she decided to develop her own deck, in collaboration with visual artist Jennifer Gerhart. * Elisabeth described how she adapted the traditional tarot deck to one tailored to the needs of writers, including replacing the traditional arcana (e.g., Cups became Inkwells), making the deck gender neutral (e.g., Knights became Apprentices), and associating each major arcana card with a famous writer. * Elisabeth explained specific ways in which writers can use the cards for insight and inspiration. * Lunaria was funded by a Kickstarter project. Elisabeth described her experience with Kickstarter, including lessons learned from not funding the first time around and recommendations for other creatives considering using Kickstarter to fund their own initiatives. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links Title The Tarot, Creativity, & Kickstarter with Elisabeth Kauffman Keywords tarot, creativity, kickstarter, funding, writing process /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/20978405

Writing to Survive & Building Worlds with Charlie Jane Anders 10/14/2021

Writing to Survive & Building Worlds with Charlie Jane Anders * Charlie Jane Anders is the author of The City in the Middle of the Night and All the Birds in the Sky. Her fiction and journalism have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney's, Mother Jones, Tor.com, Wired, and elsewhere. Her TED Talk, "Go Ahead, Dream About the Future" got 700,000 views in its first week. Along with Annalee Newitz, she co-hosts the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. Charlie Jane will be a keynote speaker at the 2022 San Francisco Writers Conference. * Charlie Jane talked about two books that she has published recently: the nonfiction "Never Say You Can’t Survive" and the young adult fiction, "Victories Greater than Death." * "Never Say You Can’t Survive" is "a mixture of encouragement, ideas for how to use writing to feel OK in a world that’s not OK, and actual technical advice on stuff like characts, plot, and worldbuilding." * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Charlie Jane discussed many of the topics in the book, including how to strike the right balance between outlining and allowing for spontaneous creativity; the challenge writers sometimes have in giving themselves permission to write; imagination as a form of resistance; and navigating the challenge of representing without appropriating. * Matthew and Charlie Jane talked about impostor syndrome and how to get beyond it. * Charlie Jane talked about the art of worldbuilding (i.e., creating fictional worlds), and how daydreaming, researching the past, and more can help with the process. * She also elaborated on an observation she made in her Tedx talk that “the world ends all the time, and we keep going.” * "Victories Greater than Death" is about a young woman - a clone - who is the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon that is about to activate, making her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars possible. * Charlie Jane explained the challenges of writing a young adult novel, including finding the right pace and voice. She also discussed how she knew this book was just the first in a trilogy, as well as the book's exploration of gender identity. * Charlie Jane talked about the worldbuilding that went into "Victories Greater than Death," the challenges of writing the forthcoming second book in the series, and the possibility of returning to this world for other books. * Charlie Jane shared the future of her popular San Francisco reading series, Writers with Drinks. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/20823170

Litquake! with co-founder Jack Boulware and Home Baked's Alia Volz 10/01/2021

Fact, Fiction, & Finding Napoleon with Historical Fiction Author Margaret Rodenberg 09/17/2021

Magic of Memoir with Memoirist and NAMW President Linda Joy Meyers 09/03/2021

Poetry, Revolution, & Blood on the Fog with SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin 08/20/2021

Poetry, Revolution, & Blood on the Fog with SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin * Tongo Eisen-Martin is San Francisco’s eighth poet laureate. * His curriculum on extrajudicial killing of Black people, We Charge Genocide Again, has been used as an educational and organizing tool throughout the country. His book "Someone's Dead Already" was nominated for a California Book Award. His "Heaven Is All Goodbyes" was published by the City Lights Pocket Poets series, shortlisted for the Griffins Poetry Prize, and won a California Book Award and an American Book Award. * Matthew and Tongo revisited his inauguration as poet laureate - a powerful, inspiring event that has been viewed on YouTube 1500 times - and discussed how Tongo intends to use his new platform. * Tongo discussed his relationship with San Francisco, as well as his upbringing in an environment where he was instilled with a duty to help raise consciousness. * Tongo shared how and why he began writing poetry, what about poetry called to him, and how he gradually embraced his identity as a poet. * Tongo's new poetry collection, Blood on the Fog, is published by City Lights. Tongo shared how this latest book is different from his previous ones, how meditation has affected his process, and what it is like to collaborate with such an esteemed institution as City Lights. * Tongo explained why fixing the system won't work to create lasting social change; instead, he asserts that revolution is essential for humanity to survive. He also underscored the need for prioritizing the collective over the individual as essential to that. * Tongo shared his thoughts on the relationship between the written word and the spoken one, as it applies to poetry. * With Alie Jones, Tongo recently launched Black Frieghter Press. He shared their mission, as well as their recent publications and projects. * Blood on the Fog is out September 21 . Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/20203454

Millennial Angst, Dark Humor, & Not Giving Up with Mona at Sea's Elizabeth Gonzalez James 07/23/2021

Millennial Angst, Dark Humor, & Not Giving Up with Mona at Sea's Elizabeth Gonzalez James Subjects covered Before becoming a writer, Elizabeth Gonzalez James was a waitress, a pollster, an Avon lady, and an opera singer. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, The Rumpus, StorySouth, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Currently she is a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Elizabeth discussed her new book, Mona at Sea, about an overachieving millennial who, despite her potential, finds herself unemployed, living with her parents, and adrift in life and love. Given that the protagonist is a millennial whose prospects are upended by the Great Recession, Elizabeth discussed how and why millennials have gotten a bad rap. Since both Mona, the protagonist, and Elizabeth are half Mexican American and half white, Elizabeth talked about the importance of race, both in the story and as someone who typically passes for white—and whether having only one Mexican American parent gives an author the right to write Mexican characters. Mona's primary coping mechanism is cutting, a form of self-mutilation. Elizabeth shared why she was interested in cutters and what learned about them while researching the novel. Despite Mona’s cynicism and the darkness in the book, it is also very funny. Elizabeth discussed incorporating humor into an otherwise serious book, including how doing so served the story and how she struck the right balance. Elizabeth, who didn't study writing in college, shared how and when she decided to become a writer. She also shared how she made her mark in the literary world without having an MFA and the connections that come with one. Elizabeth shared her journey to publication, which took ten years and included 40 rejections. Elizabeth explained the advantages of working with smaller presses, including the Santa Fe Writers Project, where Mona at Sea eventually found its home. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/19904384

Bad Book Deals, Getting a Good One, & Writing Memoir with Negative Space's Lilly Dancyger 07/09/2021

Bad Book Deals, Getting a Good One, & Writing Memoir with Negative Space's Lilly Dancyger Lilly Dancyger is the author of Negative Space, a reported and illustrated memoir selected by Carmen Maria Machado as a winner of the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards. Lilly is also the editor of Burn It Down, a critically acclaimed anthology of essays on women's anger. Her writing has been published by Guernica, Lit Hub, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and more. Podcast host Matthew Felix invited Lilly to be on the show as soon as he finished reading her Electric Literature essay called, “Canceling My Book Deal Was the Best Career Move I’ve Ever Made: A contract that doesn't suit your needs or expectations could be worse than no book deal at all." Lilly shared with Matthew her journey from getting her first book deal, to realizing it wasn't the right one, to the agonizing decision to get out of it. She then shared what she did after canceling her deal, including how she applied the lessons learned, eventually resulting in her getting a deal that was right for her and her book. Red flags with Lilly's first book deal included: no distribution, no help with marketing and publicity, and no round of edits with the publisher. Lilly discussed criteria she used to find a small press that would work for her, including ones with national distribution, a robust social media presence, and ones that had published books she was familiar with. Matthew and Lilly discussed her memoir, NEGATIVE SPACE, which explores her grief, anger, and artistic inheritance as she sets out to illuminate the darkness her father—an artist and heroin addict—hid from her, as well as her own. Lilly talked about what she initially thought the book was about, and how her conception of it quickly evolved into something more personal as the project progressed. Matthew and Lilly discussed addiction, a central theme throughout the book, including some common misconceptions. Lilly explained how she did (or did not) reconcile the father she idolized with the man she learned more about—including some things she might have preferred not to discover—while researching the book. Negative Space is out now. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/19757735

Process, Language, & Queer Writing with Bestiary's K-Ming Chang 06/24/2021

Writing Community: Why It's Important & How to Find It, with Laurie Doyle & Ryan Sloan 06/11/2021

Murder and Craft with Red Riviera's David Downie 05/28/2021

Making Money & the Author Mindset with NYTimes Bestseller Joanna Penn 05/14/2021

Kirstin Valdez Quade on The Five Wounds & Writing into Uncertainty 04/29/2021

Natalie Baszile on We Are Each Other's Harvest & Making the Creative Jump 04/15/2021

Natalie Baszile on We Are Each Other's Harvest & Making the Creative Jump Natalie Baszile is the author of the novel, Queen Sugar, which was not only nominated for an NAACP Image Award but also made into a television series produced and directed by Ava DuVernay for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Natalie’s new book is We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy. The book brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine Black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. Black farms had declined by as much as 98 percent by the end of the twentieth century, and it is estimated that Black farmers cultivate less than half of one percent of the country’s farmland today. Black families have lost over 1.5 million acres of land because of racism in America, and it was recently calculated that since 1910 Black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Natalie discussed in detail some of the major themes of the book, including the importance of remembering to Black farmers, the importance of the land itself, some of the primary obstacles that have been put between Blacks and land ownership, and the importance of legacy. Natalie shared about what was involved, from a craft perspective, in putting the anthology together. Matthew asked Natalie about her writing journey, including how and when she made the jump, her creative process—including the role faith plays in it—and what it was like to see her own work, Queen Sugar, transformed by someone else when it was turned into a television series. Natalie presented her Black Harvest Fund initiative, which distributes grants to certified non-profits that advance the work of Black farmers and farmers of color. We Are Each Other's Harvest is out now. Listen here or on: | | | | | | | Watch on Links /episode/index/show/sfwriters/id/18738014