Episode 159: Rash Decisions

Today on our show, we bring you a story by student Kim Costigan. Kim wrote this story while on our December 2022 writing retreat in Key Largo. This story crushed us and made us love Kim even more. What I want you to listen for is the anecdote at the end. This is one of our favorite ways to end a story. It shows how the narrator has been impacted by the situation in real time. 

Kim has been writing with us for a few years now, and Kim is the perfect example of someone who started green and practiced her way to perfection. Her writing and her vulnerability has come further than almost any student we’ve had. Some people think you can’t teach vulnerability, what we call heart, but we know you can.

Kim Costigan is a writer in Winthrop, pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing at Emerson College. She’s also a star at Karaoke. 

This story may not be appropriate for children or those sensitive to child abuse. 

Full transcript of the episode is available. Click on the Blog/Show Notes tab in the tool bar.

 

Episode 158: My Dead Mother Brings My Sister and Me Together Once a Year

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Maxine Poupko. Maxine’s story is a great example of character development, showing the tiny details in a complex relationship, and bringing the reader into a different world. 

Maxine wrote this story for the Writing Class Radio retreat in February 2023. The story was workshopped and refined with feedback and encouragement from the group. If you have a strained relationship with a member of your family, this episode is for you!

Maxine Poupko is a writer, a registered nurse, and a health advocate. She teaches writing workshops at the International Women’s Writing Guild summer conferences. Her stories have been published in The Sun and the book, A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind, by Jan Phillips. Maxine is a student of Writing Class Radio, which she says is her favorite thing to do.

Full transcript of the episode is available. Click on the Blog/Show Notes tab in the tool bar.

 

Episode 157: I’m the Broken Crayon Nobody Wants

The story on this episode was written by Corey Devon Arthur and is a great example of metaphor. Writing a full essay using metaphor is not easy to pull off, and Corey nails it.

Corey has served 25 years on a life sentence for robbery and murder and is currently housed at Otisville Correctional Institution in New York. Corey’s stories have aired on Episode 120: My Pen Uncovers the Real Me, Episode 128: My New Manifesto, and Episode 143: Cutting Needless Words. 

Corey Devon Arthur is an artist and writer who has been published on Writing Class Radio and The Marshall Project, among others. He pulled off a Brooklyn art show from prison withe the help of Emily Nonko of Empowerment Avenue. He earned an associate degree from Nayak College, was Inmate Liaison Committee Chair, became a Quaker, and was given the Bronze Award for his artwork which toured with the Capitalizing on Justice Exhibition.

Full transcript of the episode is available. Click on the Blog/Show Notes tab in the tool bar.

 

Episode 156: Outsourcing My Orgasm

Welcome to the vulnerable and honest world of Jenny Powers.

Jenny’s essay originally appeared in The Cut and is titled “Outsourcing My Orgasm.” We trimmed just slightly for the podcast. We love so many things about Jenny’s essay, and we talk about that in detail on this episode. She expertly turns a unique situation into a universal story about weight, sex, and marriage.

Jenny Powers is a New York-based freelance reporter. She writes for HuffPost, The Cut, Business Insider, Fortune, and more. She is working on a memoir called, "Smooth Operator: Confessions of an Accidental Phone Sex Vixen." You can see more of her work at https://www.clippings.me/jpowers.

 

Episode 155: Every Word Matters

On this episode, you’ll hear a story by Laurie Eynon. This story is a behind-the-scenes Jeopardy! audition and a good lesson in how every word matters.

The voice of the narrator is amazing. So good!!! Laurie takes us through her one chance at becoming a Jeopardy! champion and what happened.

Laurie Eynon is a hospital and hospice chaplain in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a regular contributor to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Sunday section, wrote a play that was produced off-off Broadway, and has been published in the HuffPost and Christian Science Monitor. Laurie Eynon watches Jeopardy! every night.

 

Episode 154: Are Thin People Allowed To Write About Weight?

Today on our show, we bring you a story by Sari Botton. Sari’s story is a great example of how to tell a story that encompasses your whole life. It is also a great example of how to end a story while you are still living with a situation.

Sari has been featured before on WCR. Check out Episode 80: You Have Permission to Write or Not Write.

Sari Botton (sounds like Larry Cotton) is the author of the memoir in essays, And You May Find Yourself…Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo. A different version of the story you’re about to hear appears in that book. Sari publishes Oldster Magazine, Memoir Monday, and Adventures in Journalism. 

 

Episode 153: Want To Get Published in HuffPost? Editor Noah Michelson Tells You How.

On this episode you’ll hear a story by one of our favorite students, Margery Berger. She has been taking classes with us since way before the pandemic. Margery has told a story on our podcast twice before. Episode 46: An Object Is not Just an Object aired in 2018 and was a really compelling story about Margery’s obsession with her scale. Two years ago, on Episode 95: What Did It Take to Finally Get Published? Margery told a story about the time her boyfriend said she has ugly hands. That episode is great because we talked to Margery about what holds her back. 

Margery submitted this story to the Huffington Post and editor Noah Michelson picked it up. Her story is called, I Hated My Breasts and Was Afraid to Show them to Dates. Here’s What Happened When I Did.

We also have an  interview with Noah Michelson of Huffington Post. Noah gave Margery this note: “What would someone who didn’t have your experience learn from reading your story?” Because of Noah Michelson, we’re thinking about stories in a new way. Maybe you will too. 

Margery Berger is the mother of two grown children. She lives in Miami with her two poorly behaved dogs and David. She has written for Home Miami Magazine, Lip Service, Next Tribe and for the Writing Class Radio podcast. Find her on IG:@wherestulipnow

 
 

Season 16 theme music is by Marnino Toussaint.