This week’s special episode is an interview between Write-Minded host Brooke Warner and the writer Rachel Cusk, who’s been hailed for “reinventing” the novel. Brooke asks Rachel about form, and how she approached this reinvention, whether she could have done it without the insights she had through writing her memoir, and what it means to call oneself—or be called—a feminist, or “post-feminist,” writer. In this clear-eyed and thought-provoking interview, Rachel gives insight into why she thought the novel needed to be re-thought in the first place, and why the pursuit of truth lies at the heart of everything she writes.

In this week’s episode, Brooke and Grant meander through the topic of stillness with Pico Iyer, “arguably the world’s greatest living travel writer,” according to Outside. In an “on-demand” world that demands productivity, especially from writers, Iyer suggests ways to steal little moments, even just pockets of time, to help writers stay fresher, more centered, more intimate. Join us for this treat of an episode to see how you might bring even just a little more stillness into your mind and into your writing.

In today’s episode, guest Dani Shapiro talks about her recent New York Times best-selling memoir, Inheritance, and how she’s been circling around family secrets for her entire life. She reveals how the secret she never knew, until recently—that the father who raised her was not her biological father—is likely the thing that made her a writer. In this deep conversation with co-hosts Brooke and Grant, Dani delves into the “unthought known,” the impact of those things we withhold, and how the particular family secret of parents not revealing a child’s identity to them is nearly an obsolete idea due to genetic testing sites like 23andMe.

Do you remember the first writing advice book you ever read? Or the writing advice book that moved you and made you rethink your writing life? In this episode, James Scott Bell, author of more than 20 writing advice books, talks about his circuitous path to becoming a writer—and shares best and worst writing advice, blunders writers should avoid, tips for becoming a more prolific writer, and so much more. Tune in to hear Brooke and Grant’s best and worst writing advice, as well as the first writing advice books that moved them and why.

This week’s episode features an onstage interview with Tayari Jones, author of the New York Times best-seller, An American Marriage. Brooke and Tayari sat down at the Bay Area Book Festival in early May—and we’re thrilled to be able to share what transpired on Write-Minded. Tayari is forthcoming and funny. We gain insight into her motivations to write, her perseverance as a novelist, and how, in her words, novelists tend to tell on themselves through their fiction. What we learn about Tayari and her worldview through this telling is a gift—so enjoy!

In today’s episode Brooke Warner interviews Bobi Gentry Goodwin, author of the novel, Revelation, which is forthcoming on the She Writes Press list this November. Bobi is the winner of the She Writes Equality in Publishing scholarship. We’re excited to introduce you to Bobi and her novel, and also to hear about what led her to take this leap of faith, to submit her work—and what it’s mean to her to win. She Writes Press and SparkPress currently have submissions open for this year’s STEP contest. Submissions are due by July 1st, so spread the word, and/or take your own leap of faith!

In today’s episode Brooke and Grant unpack with Brooke Axtell, author of the recently released Beautiful Justice, the ways in which writing can be a salve, an instrument for change, a way to give voice to that which seems unspoken. Brooke Axtell talks about her journey from poetry to prose, her work around gender-based violence, and how writing saved her. A powerful episode to share with anyone who’s looking for the courage to share, to speak up, to be heard.

SUBSCRIBE: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | EMAIL DOWNLOAD Brooke and Grant explore with Abigail Thomas her non-linear writing process, and why it’s important to her to throw away the rulebook when she writes. Abigail’s refreshing take on ageing and embracing the...

In today’s episode, Grant and Brooke talk with Daniel José Older about why writing “the other” comes with great responsibility, and how we’re likely to “jack it up,” and also why it’s both simple and not simple. This is an important and nuanced topic in the world of book publishing, with layers of power and privilege that all writers would do well to understand. Older is an eloquent messenger, and he shares with us a few of his favorite fundamentals on writing “the other.”