Podcasts Can Help You DIY Your MFA
Everybody is into DIY for all the things these days, from restoring furniture to making beauty products, so why shouldn’t we be able to DIY an MFA? Considering the high costs of an MFA and the fact that there’s very little guarantee that you’ll ever earn enough money as a creative writer to pay back student loans, a MFA that you piece together on your own can seem very attractive. While there are actual programs that help you DIY your MFA, a writer need only be creative to find low-cost and budget friendly ways to continue their literary education and improve their craft. Enter podcasts. With the right mix of podcast listening, you can get solid writing instruction, inspiring craft talks from successful authors, and suggestions for books you should be reading to sharpen your skills. Plus, many literary podcast hosts have the 411 on the best upcoming conferences, residencies and workshops for writers at any level.
Listen and Learn
Even if you’re not trying to DIY an MFA program, as creative writers, we should always be trying to sharpen our skills and improve our craft as creatives. Or maybe we want to dive into a different form of writing, say nonfiction to fiction, or poetry to essay writing. Finding a good podcast is sometimes all you need to get started. Hearing from someone else who has successfully tread the path you yearn to be on, is always useful, as is hearing a granular discussion about the nuances of the writing life. And, remember, this is free so you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Pro Tip: Be sure to listen to these podcasts with a notebook and pen in hand, just as you would in any classroom. Treat these podcasts as you would any other academic opportunity and take notes so you can refer back to the information when you actually sit down to write. That’s what I do and I now have a notebook full of lessons and tips from my favorite lit podcasts.
My Favorite Lit Podcasts for Writing Instruction and Inspiration
It goes without saying that I’m always looking for literary podcasts hosted by people of color and/or those who feature writers of color on their shows, but I’m open to any podcast with intelligent and encouraging hosts who offer useful and actionable information for writers.
So, here’s my current list of awesome literary podcasts for writers.
Black and Published
Created and Hosted by Nikesha Elise Williams, Black and Published is a book podcast for writers and Neal is an excellent host. She brings on a variety of Black (and occasional other POC) authors to talk not only about their latest books, but about their journey to publication. She starts every interview with the question, “When did you know you were a writer?” And the conversation flows from there. The guest always reads a bit of their work and then there is discussion about the evolution of the book. This show is both inspirational and instructive for writers of every genre and level. I really enjoyed a recent episode with Adiba Nelson, who spoke about her new memoir, Ain’t That a Mother.
Write-Minded
Write-Minded is hosted by two industry professionals, Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo and Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press. Each week they choose a theme to discuss, like “writing with sensuality” and then invite a guest author to share their thoughts on said theme, as well as information about the author’s latest work or work in progress. I love the show because they really do dive into the nuances of writing and the publishing industry, and they have a really great line-up of diverse authors from every genre. And Write-Minded is one of those shows where the hosts are always promoting great opportunities for writers, like classes, conferences and contests.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast is like getting a master class in getting your work out into the world on every episode. On the first half of the show, two working literary agents critique real query letters they’ve been sent and talk about how to make them better. On the second half of the show, South African author and host Bianca Maris interviews well-known authors and gets them to share their honest writing advice, tips and experiences. Hands down my favorite episode, was the one featuring author Brit Bennet. The Shit No One Tells You about Writing has become so popular, they now host their own annual writing conferences and several other courses throughout the year.
The Stacks Podcast
The Stacks Podcast isn’t really a literary podcast, I’d say it’s more of a book review podcast because the show features authors and their latest books being interviewed by host, Traci Thomas. Thomas is not a writer. She’s an unabashed author fan girl, who clearly loves to read and asks really good questions during her interviews. Although the interviews on The Stacks podcast aren’t officially about craft, a writer can lean a lot about the writing life and the publishing industry by listening to these always entertaining book-based conversations.
Two Honorable Mentions
I haven’t had a chance to listen to these two new-ish podcasts, but I will be tuning in ASAP because they are both podcasts that support Black authors!
The Black Writers Studio: A Podcast by the Hurston Wright Foundation
“The Black Writer’s Studio, a podcast dedicated to showcasing Black Writers who are transforming the world today with their literary pen. Host Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman interviews novelists, poets, scholars, screenwriters and more. Guests have included Destiny Birdsong, Tara Betts and Keisha Bush.”
Ursa Short Fiction
“Join authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) for author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive short stories — all celebrating fiction from some of today’s most thrilling writers, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices.”
#GetLit
Remember, there’s no end to a writer’s education. We can always improve our craft or teach ourselves new tricks. There’s always something new to learn. But we don’t have to figure it all out on our own. Just find a few really lit podcasts to listen to and you can keep growing, and learning, and exploring the writing life.
Do you have some favorite literary podcasts that you like to listen to that really move the needle in your work? Feel free to share below. And don’t forget, the last season of the My American Meltingpot podcast was dedicated to talking all about books, and the writing life. We had some excellent author interviews as well with people like Kaitlyn Greenidge and Dr. Yaba Blay. Go have a listen if you haven’t already.
(Featured photo by Christina Morillo)
