writing class radio
writing class radio

writing class radio

andrea askowitz and allison langer

Overview
Episodes

Details

Writing Class Radio is for people who love true, personal stories and want to learn how to write their own stories. There's no better way to understand ourselves and each other than by writing and telling our stories. Everyone has a story. What's yours?

Recent Episodes

202: When Anxiety is a Superpower
FEB 5, 2025
202: When Anxiety is a Superpower
Today we bring you another story told live on stage at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. This story is by Emma Lathrop and is about her anxiety. This quality she thought was hindering her turned out to be something she now values.  Two years ago, we were hired by Dr. Jane Marks and Dr. Bruce Hungate, two famous ecologists from ECOSS at Northern Arizona University. They heard our podcast and then started taking our classes which led to the idea that their students would benefit from taking our classes. So we’ve been doing online workshops and in-person workshops to help these scientists personalize their stories. The stories are amazing. I have learned so much about science through their stories in a way that brings me in.  This is our second year collaborating with the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University. The scientists are so smart and they are trying to save our planet and we get to help them reach more people by personalizing their message. Today’s storyteller, Emma Lathrop, is a PhD candidate in ECOSS at Northern Arizona University.  A transcript of this episode is available on our network site. If you're looking for a writing coach to help your student with college application essays, contact Allison Langer. Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aiden Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Justina Shandler. There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com. Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link. Starting in 2025, a new episode will drop the first WEDNESDAY of the month. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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18 MIN
201: What Can You Learn by Watching How Trees Recover from Fire?
JAN 8, 2025
201: What Can You Learn by Watching How Trees Recover from Fire?
Today we bring you a story told live at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in September 2024. We’re talking about making a connection from your personal life to what we study. We’re also talking about being vulnerable. Because everyone will love you more. We promise.  This is our second year collaborating with the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University. Two years ago, we were hired by Dr. Jane Marks and Dr. Bruce Hungate, two famous ecologists from ECOSS at Northern Arizona University. They heard our podcast and then started taking our classes which led to the idea that their students would benefit from taking our classes. So we’ve been doing online workshops and in-person workshops to help these scientists personalize their stories. The stories are amazing. I have learned so much about science through their stories in a way that brings me in. Well, you’ll see.  Today’s story is by Megan Quinn, a master’s degree student in the biology department at NAU. Megan’s essay reveals her eating disorder and how she’s been healing from that…much like burned trees heal from high intensity wild fires.  A Transcription of this episode can be found on our network page here. If you're looking for a writing coach to help your student with college application essays, contact Allison Langer. Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aiden Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Justina Shandler. There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com. Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link. A new episode will drop the first WEDNESDAY of the month. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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20 MIN
200: When is a Gift More than a Gift?
DEC 25, 2024
200: When is a Gift More than a Gift?
Today on our show, we are re-running a story by Emily Henderson titled After Our Son Died, My Husband Gave Me The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Of My Life. Emily workshopped this essay in our Final Draft class and then the Huffington Post published it on December 25, 2021. This story is an excellent example of using an object to convey emotion, details, and telling in addition to showing. Emily tells us how she’s feeling the entire story which intensifies vulnerability. To hear another of Emily’s stories, listen to Episode 103: Writing the Same Story Over and Over and Episode 160: Cliches Saved My Life Emily Henderson is a runner and writer living in Santa Barbara, California. Her essays have appeared in Scary Mommy, the Santa Barbara Independent, Huffington Post, and Writing Class Radio. Emily is currently writing a memoir about processing the loss of her son while running every street in her city. You can follow her on Instagram at @emilykathleenwrites or visit https://substack.com/@emilyhenderson A Transcript of this episode can be found on our network page. If you're looking for a writing coach to help your student with college application essays, contact Allison Langer. Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aidan Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Justina Shandler. There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com. Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link. Starting in 2025, a new episode will drop the first WEDNESDAY of the month. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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20 MIN
199: The Passing of Sorrow
DEC 11, 2024
199: The Passing of Sorrow
Today on our show, we bring you a story by Dana Shavin, who submitted her essay to the podcast. When it came in, we were blown away. The writing is so smart and well-crafted. In this episode, we talk about the difference between situation and story and we also discuss why callbacks are effective. Dana Shavin is an award-winning humor columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and the author of a memoir, The Body Tourist and the collection of essays, Finding the World: Thoughts on Life, Love, Home and Dogs. Dana’s essays and articles have appeared in The Sun, Oxford American, Garden and Gun, Travel + Leisure, Alaska Quarterly Review, Fourth Genre, Today.com, Appalachian Review, Psychology Today, Bark, The Writer, and others. You can find more at Danashavin.com, and follow her on Facebook at Dana Shavin Writes.  A Transcript of this episode can be found on our network page. If you're looking for a writing coach to help your student with college application essays, contact Allison Langer. Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aiden Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Justina Shandler. There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com. Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link. A new episode will drop every other WEDNESDAY.  There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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20 MIN
198: Why Do We Love Stories That Remind Us of Ourselves?
NOV 27, 2024
198: Why Do We Love Stories That Remind Us of Ourselves?
Today on our show, we bring you a story by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Her story was so relatable, that we realized sometimes we choose stories so we can just talk about ourselves. And that’s just what we do in this episode. We also talk about the narrator’s brilliance in drawing us in with just the right details. Rachel’s story is titled, The Craving That Killed My Veganism Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) is an essayist and freelance writer specializing in books, culture, relationships, mental health, and feminism. She is the editor of Open Secrets Magazine (opensecretsmag.substack.com) and over 70 anthologies, and is the author of How to Write Erotica and Lap Dance Lust. Rachel's writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, The Village Voice, and other publications. She teaches essay writing classes online and is currently editing an anthology about our attachments to your belongings. If you're looking for a writing coach to help your student with college application essays, contact Allison Langer. Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aiden Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Justina Shandler. There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.  If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com. Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link. A new episode will drop every other WEDNESDAY.  There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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19 MIN