Shows
Plume: A Writer's PodcastWe Plumed a Spell on You: Spooky Poems & StoriesTeam Plume is reanimating, dusting off the last year, and sharing our first podcast in a while. In today’s episode, we bring you a ghosty story circle with writing that taps into the otherworldly… just in time for Halloween and the Samhain season!Featuring writing from (in order of appearance): Danielle Hanson – “Ghosts and Mirrors,” poetry Melanie Unruh – “Altar Me,” poetryDawn Sperber – “Ghost Sisters,” story, with music by HediaSarah Mina Osman – “The Djinn,” story excerpt, originally published in Lunaris, issue 17, 2023Elsa Valmidiano – “Marmarna,” story, originally published in Mythos, Issue #7: Something Spooky, 2022Lisa Chavéz – “The Customary Kiss,”...2023-10-3041 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 3, Episode 5: Revision as Spiritual Practice, A Conversation with Crystal (K.) OdelleIn this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with featured writer, Crystal (K.) Odelle, about flash prose, trans identity, the blurred lines between fiction and nonfiction, liminal spaces, chapbook publishing, RPG writing, and more!Crystal (K.) Odelle (they/she) is a queer trans writer, chapbooks editor at Newfound, and author of the novel Goodnight. Their flash stories have appeared in Gertrude, Passages North, Peach Mag, [PANK], Hobart, ANMLY, and elsewhere. Crystal was a Tin House Scholar and has been nominated for Best of the Net, and they write RPGs at Feverdream Games.Links2022-09-0647 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 3: Episode 4: Plume Story Time—If the River Men Take You by Dawn SperberIn today's mini episode, we offer you a brief reprieve from the hellscape of the news in the form of a magical short story by Plume's own Dawn Sperber. "If the River Men Take You" is a lovely tale from Dawn's debut flash fiction chapbook, Now, That's a Trick, out for pre-order now from Finishing Line Books. Preorder your copy today!We hope you enjoy the reading!Dawn's website:DawnSperber.com2022-06-2514 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 3, Episode 3: Mothers & DaughtersIn this episode, we’ve paired two mother-daughter writing duos to talk about how to support (and take seriously!) young writers and their creative endeavors. Sam hosts a conversation between returning-guest Jenn Ghivan and her 10-year-old daughter, Lina, and Ileisha Saunders and her 10-year-old daughter, Odyssey Miranda Mercado.About Our Guests:Jennifer & Adelina GhivanJennifer has earned fellowships from the NEA and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices, and published eleven books of poetry, fiction, and craft. Her novels have received glowing and starred reviews in Publishers' Weekly, The Washington Po...2022-06-0249 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 3, Episode 2: It’s Okay to Be a Late Bloomer, A Conversation with Jessamine ChanIn this episode, Melanie and Dawn talk with featured writer, Jessamine Chan, about her New York Times bestselling novel The School For Good Mothers, publishing your first novel after 40, writing envy, motherhood, art and social change, “unlikeable” women in fiction, and more!Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Jessamine talks in more detail about her novel (with spoilers!).CW: forced parent child separationJessamine Chan’s short stories have appeared in Tin House and Epoch. A former reviews editor at Pub...2022-05-1631 min
The Reflection PoolThe Reflection Pool 3.2: Interview with Samantha TetangcoThe Reflection Pool is the podcast for UC Merced’s Creative Arts Journal, The Vernal Pool. In this episode, host Cassandra Chase will interview Samantha Tetangco, the Associate Director of UC Merced’s Merritt Writing Program. During this interview, we will learn about Samantha’s academic and writing career as well as some challenges faced and advice for students.
To view recent editions of The Vernal Pool and find instructions on how to submit your writing or visual art visit: https://thevernalpool.ucmerced.edu
Past editions can be found on our eScholarship page: https://escholarship.org/uc/ucm_mwp_t...
Music...2022-04-0132 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 3, Episode 1: A Novel in Progress, A Conversation with Melanie UnruhTo kick off Season 3, Plumesters Sam and Dawn are turning the tables on their fellow co-host, Melanie Unruh, and talking to her about writing novels, sticking with large projects, and the founding of Plume.We're so excited to share this new season with you all!CW: grief and abortionMelanie Unruh has an MFA in fiction from the University of New Mexico. Her writing has appeared in and is forthcoming in The Meadow, Two Hawks Quarterly, The Boiler, New Ohio Review, Post Road, Sixfold, Philadelphia Stories, and Cutthroat, among others. She co-founded Plume...2022-04-0135 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 14: A Plume Collage of VoicesWe can’t believe we’ve just completed the second season of our podcast. We have enjoyed this beautiful, encouraging, supportive ride, and are excited to offer up our season 2 finale.In this episode, we’ll break from our usual roundtable format. We thought, what better way is there to end the year than to include in this final episode as many voices from our Plume community as possible? The result is a beautiful range of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from 15 of this season’s featured writers, roundtable participants, and members of our Plume community. This time of...2021-11-231h 01Plume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 13: Can You Work on It for Five Minutes?, A Conversation with Kendra TuthillIn this episode, Melanie and Dawn talk with November featured writer, Kendra Tuthill, about self-publishing; writing through grief; setting small, timed writing goals, and more. Plus, Kendra reads her thought-provoking letter of encouragement, which explores the effects of writers losing their attention spans in the age of social media.Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Kendra talks in more detail about the excerpt from her novel Stitches. You'll also receive a copy of November's Digital Plume, which includes both Kendra's letter and her...2021-11-0936 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 12: Witchy Writers, a Roundtable Discussion with Jenn Givhan, Britt Ashley, and Dawn SperberIn this episode, we talk with three writers who identify with Pagan traditions or as witches. We focus on how magic influences their writing, how they move through the world with this belief system and identity, how to ethically incorporate magic and spirituality into writing, and more.CW: child loss, sexual assault, and religious intoleranceJenn's websiteBritt's websiteDawn's website2021-10-2554 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 11: Writing in Small Bites, A Conversation with Nari KirkIn this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with October featured writer, Nari Kirk, about her writing process, poetic influences on her prose, MFA reflections, writing about grief, and more. Plus, Nari reads her engaging letter of encouragement, which explores the ways in which we often try to force writing into a work ethic.Join our Patreon at the $5 Prickly Pear level for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Nari talks about her trajectory as a writer. You'll also receive a copy of October's Digital Plume, which includes both Nari's letter and a...2021-10-1238 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 10: Literary Magazines, a Roundtable Discussion with Brenna Gomez, Rhea Ramakrishnan, Samantha Tetangco, Dawn Sperber, and Melanie UnruhIn this episode, we’ve pulled back the curtain on what happens behind the scenes of a literary magazine. It’s a great one for those of you who’ve never worked on a literary magazine before or perhaps you are just starting to submit your work for the same time as it offers some advice for what to do, some insight into what editors look for, and some sense of the labor involved in putting out a literary magazine to the public.Blue Mesa Review (open for fall submissions until 9/30/21!)Electric LiteratureBoulev...2021-09-2858 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 9: You Don't Have to Write Anything, A Conversation with Paula Treick DeBoardIn this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with September featured writer, Paula Treick DeBoard, about low residency MFA programs, balancing writing and teaching, publishing industry labels for writing by women, and more! Plus, Paula reads her compelling letter of encouragement. Join our Patreon for access to an upcoming bonus segment from this episode, in which Paula talks about her riveting novel excerpt, featured in this month's Digital Plume. Paula Treick DeBoard is a fiction writer in Northern California, with roots throughout the Midwest. She is the author of four novels, including Here We...2021-09-1447 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 8: Writing Real People, a Roundtable Discussion with Jameela F. Dallis, Cynthia Patton, and Cassie McClureWe asked and you answered! By popular vote, our Patreon community members chose this roundtable topic. In this discussion, Sam, Melanie, Dawn, and guests Jameela F. Dallis, Cynthia Patton, and Cassie McClure talk about the tricky nature of writing about real people, others’ reactions to their work, writing through grief, deciding who owns a story, and more.TW// Intimate partner violence and Coronavirus deaths, Learn more about our multi-talented panelists!Jameela’s website Cynthia’s website Cassie’s website Follow us on social media!Plume on InstagramPl...2021-08-241h 05Plume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2, Episode 7: Art Is Us, A Conversation with Lisa D. ChavézIn this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with August featured writer, Lisa D. Chavéz , about poetry, creative nonfiction, writing through trauma, MFA programs, and more!CW: sexual assault, trauma, and PTSDLisa D. Chavéz has published two books of poetry, Destruction Bay and In An Angry Season, and had poems anthologized in Floricanto Si!: U.S. Latina Poets, Camino del Sol: Fifteen Years of Latina and Latino Writing, and elsewhere. Her essays have appeared in Arts and Letters, The Fourth Genre and other magazines, and in anthologies including The Other Latin@: Writ...2021-08-1039 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2 Episode 6: Feminist Writers: A Roundtable Discussion with Casandra López, Erin Adair-Hodges, & Suzanne RichardsonIn this roundtable discussion, Sam, Melanie, and guests Casandra López, Erin Adair-Hodges, and Suzanne Richardson talk about the role of feminism in writing today, living and writing intersectional feminist lives, writing the body, writing as an act of reclamation, and more.TW// Physical assault, sexual assault, violence against women, disordered eating, gun violence, genocide, & colonialismCasandra's websiteErin's websiteSuzanne's websiteRecommended Books & Writers Living a Feminist Life by...2021-07-2754 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2 Ep. 5: Writing Has Saved My Life, A Conversation with Cynthia SylvesterIn this episode, Sam and Melanie talk with July featured writer, Cynthia Sylvester, about writing dialogue, finding and defending your voice, the confluence of music and storytelling, writing about the southwest from a Diné perspective, compiling her new cross-genre collection, and more.Cynthia Sylvester recently completed a collection of short stories and poems, The Half-White Album. Work from this debut book has appeared in ABQ in Print, Leon Literary Review, Lunch Ticket, As Us Journal, and Bosque – the Magazine. In 2012 she received the Native Writer Award at the Taos Writers Conference. She liv...2021-07-1339 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2 Ep. 4: LGBTQ+ Writers: A Roundtable Discussion with Marlena Chertock, Belinda Kremer, and Summer WoodIn this roundtable discussion, Sam and guests Marlena Chertock, Belinda Kremer, and Summer Wood talk about what it means to be a queer writer, navigating the publishing industry and workshops designed by and for straight white men, using their voices to uplift communities and shed light on oppression, the genealogy of queerness, and so much more.CW// forced sterilization Summer's websiteMarlena's websiteOutWriteBelinda's summer poetry classConfrontation Magazine2021-06-211h 12Plume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2 Ep. 3: Naming the Aswang, a Conversation with Elsa ValmidianoIn this episode, Melanie and Sam chat with June featured writer Elsa Valmidiano about writing Filipino heritage. They talk about her story "Down the Rabbit Hole", the inadequacy of labels, and the role of forgotten shamans. Elsa reads her letter of encouragement and shares some dazzling writers we should be reading now.Elsa's websiteWe Are No Longer BabaylanElsa on InstagramWriters to ReadAdrienne OliverTrinidad EscobarJanice Lobo SapigaoAnna Vangala Jones CW: Miscarriage2021-06-0852 minPlume: A Writer's PodcastSeason 2 Ep. 2: Writing Moms: A Roundtable Discussion with Julia Halprin Jackson, Christina Socorro Yovovich, and Jennifer Jordán SchallerIn Plume's first roundtable discussion, Melanie chats with writers and moms, Julia Halprin Jackson, Christina Socorro Yovovich, and Jennifer Jordán Schaller. They discuss dual identities, juggling writing and parenting in the midst of the pandemic, writing about and for their children, current projects, and more.Julia's websitePlay on Words Christina's recent essays: "Taking Time" and "Mom Talk: Choosing Third Grade"Jennifer's websiteGregory Martin's Treadmill Journal2021-05-2553 min