The Writing University Podcast

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**The Writing University Podcast**

The Writing University podcast features recordings of illuminative craft talks from the renowned writers, novelists, poets, and essayists who present at the Eleventh Hour Lecture Series during the University of Iowa’s Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 77: Hybrid Writing w/ Elizabeth Robinson May 09, 2016

Show notes

Episode 76: Mysteries of Love and Grief: The Long Way from Impulse to Family Story w/ Sandra Scofield May 04, 2016

Show notes

Episode 75: Ghosts, Battlefields and Hallucinations: Creative Writing from Research w/ Lauren Haldeman May 02, 2016

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Episode 74: Clarity and Depth: Writing between the Lines w/ Venise Berry Apr 26, 2016

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Episode 73: Tim Bascom—As I See It: What Essayists Can Learn from Visual Artists Jul 30, 2015

Show notes

Until the early 20th Century, almost all literary artists, including essayists, felt compelled to picture recognizable figures and images that seemed “factual.” The famous surrealist artist René Magritte began to break down that barrier by putting two unrelated objects in juxtaposition, challenging viewers to see an object differently than how it was originally perceived. We’ll look at images from Magritte and others to see how visual art might be used as inspiration for text on the page, and allow writers to recognize freedoms they may not have fully realized.

Bonus Episode: Beau O’Reilly — Finish the Thing Jul 21, 2015

Show notes

A single lecture compressed from a popular weekend workshop: you have your favorite story, poem, limerick, song, theater piece, and you keep getting close—so close—to completing it. Then the dog gets the measles, you worry that your mom will read it, you get divorced, married, a new job, you take up fantasy football or water polo, you give up smoking, you try to live without the internet and everything grinds to a halt. You never finish the thing. Beau O’Reilly will use his psychic bulk, creative moxie, and his own experiences in playwriting to help you Finish the Thing.

Episode 72: Hope Edelman and Naomi Jackson—Writing Family and Grief Jul 20, 2015

Show notes

In this Eleventh Hour, authors Hope Edelman and Naomi Jackson will engage in an informal conversation about the joys and challenges of writing about family relationships. With many years of experience between them writing about family in both fiction and nonfiction, the Hope and Naomi will address the landmines that many writers face, or attempt to avoid, when writing about family and loss. They will explore the sticky issues of truth and responsibility germane to writing about real people in nonfiction and contrast it against writing fiction inspired by real-life events. This conversation will help writers navigate the rocky terrain of using family content—including ethical concerns—and move you toward completion of your own family-related writing project.

Episode 71: Amber Dermont—The Joke Is Always on Me: A Writer Walks into a Bar (Again) and Other Tales of Repetition, Juxtaposition, Self-Deprecation and the Understated Power of Stealing from Stand-Up Comedy and Deploying Humor to Reveal, Heighten and Distract or Is This Craft Talk Just One Long Practical Joke (Yes, But It’s on Me) Jul 16, 2015

Show notes

Has anyone ever told you, “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you,” only to discover that you are not laughing at all? While some people don’t realize just how much of a joke they are to us, the vast majority of people who consider themselves to be funny are not funny. Amber Dermont is that rare genius and comic wit who is actually funnier than she thinks she is (I know this because I am Amber Dermont). In this craft talk, Amber will offer up a variety of strategies for creating occasions of narrative delight by injecting your writing with unexpected humor.

Episode 70: Ned Stuckey-French—Moving Pictures, Moving Words: The Arrival of the Video Essay Jul 15, 2015

Show notes

New technologies, such as iPhones, free editing software, and YouTube, have made possible a new literary form: the video essay. In this Eleventh Hour, Ned Stuckey-French will screen some video essays and discuss their form, as well as ways to consider how text might be used as interplay with image, and how video essays might be employed across genres, such as in print, film, and documentary. We will review the elements of composing your own essay, including how to develop a script, edit, use animation, sound, incorporate found footage, and chose a strong title. We will also consider how to share your video essays, in classrooms, curated for online magazines, as well as other ideas for pairing visuals with your literary text.

Episode 69: John Dalton—Ten Ways of Thinking about Character Jul 13, 2015

Show notes

All good fiction is built around a writer’s fascination with made-up people. And as practicing writers, we’re well aware that our characters should be more than “talking heads”; they should have depth and range and complexity. But how does this happen? Part of it—the unteachable part—has to do with our own self-awareness. We understand our own flaws, contradictions, and virtues so well that we begin to understand people who are not ourselves. But another part comes down to technique. In this Eleventh Hour, John Dalton presents an array of helpful rules, suggestions, craft examples, and innovative ideas. Some of the ideas are John’s, but others have been harvested from a diverse range of writers: Gustave Flaubert, Emily St. John Mandel, Joyce Carol Oates, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. One example of vivid characterization comes from the life of a Titanic survivor.

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