Scott Russell Sanders

Tomorrow on Write The Book, the first half of an interview with Scott Russell Sanders, author of the new book, A Conservationist Manifesto.

What is the ark … metaphorically? [It’s] a vessel, a container, that holds that which must not perish. That which we need to preserve so that we can restore or we can bring human communities and we can bring the earth itself back to a state of health. … Books are arks. Libraries are arks. … Public access radio stations, I would argue, are arks. That is, they hold a possibility, they preserve a possibility. It’s through times when those possibilities are under assault. So for example, the possibility of non-commercial public conversation—conversation which doesn’t require pandering to big corporations in order to be on the air—that’s vital to the health of a democracy and the health of a vibrant culture.

– Scott Russell Sanders, speaking on Write The Book about his essay, Building Arks

When Your Computer Crashes

Very scary moment today. I was interviewing the poet Charles Harper Webb about his new book, Shadow Ball.  Had, in fact, been interviewing him via my Skype setup for over 50 minutes, when the computer crashed. (Not a Mac, FYI.) Needless to say, our conversation was cut short. And in the minutes that seemed like hours while I waited for a new login prompt, I had no idea if our conversation had actually been saved.

Those were a few very scary minutes. Not because an hour of inconvenience is earth-shaking (an apt metaphor, if you ever see the cover of Shadow Ball), but it’s no fun to call someone else and announce that their hour has been wasted. To his credit, Charles was cool under fire. He said he’d make time to do the interview again if need be.

BUT all was well. When the laptop finally revived, our conversation had been saved. Thanks and kudos to the designers of Powergramo, the software I use to record Skype conversations! Saved the day. Phew. What software almost ruined the day? Here’s a hint: In The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews states, “When God Closes a Door, Somewhere He Opens a [BLANK].“

To hear our conversation, tune in on 11/30 at 2 pm, 105.9 fm in Burlington, Vermont (WOMM-LP “The Radiator”) or at theradiator.org As of 12/1, you’ll find it on iTunes or at writethebook.podbean.com

In the meantime, listen in on 11/23 for a fascinating conversation with Scott Russell Sanders, author of the new book, A Conservationist Manifesto.

Elaine Sopchak

Next on Write The Book, an interview with Elaine Sopchak, founder of Vermont Voices Marketing Services Firm and former owner, along with her husband Stephen Sopchak, of the popular book store, The Book Rack and Children’s Pages.

“There’s a process that you think about: how many people are going to come in, how many copies of this book am I going to sell, and how many copies of this book do I have to sell to break even? As an author, you have to be prepared to talk the booksellers’ language. Tell them, My book is available through “X” distributor. Or, I will sell you this book myself out of my car—which happens all the time and booksellers deal with that all the time—and be willing to negotiate with them on discounts. I’ve taught classes on this before. Authors—people who aspire to publish—have been shocked that booksellers want a discount off the book. And the thing is, every book a bookseller buys from a publisher comes in at a forty-percent-or-better discount. So they get to keep that forty percent when the book is purchased by a customer. And then they divide that up amongst their rent and their electricity and their payroll and paying back the publisher. The self-published authors who walk in the door are a piece of that puzzle; they’re just a very small vendor. And they also have to understand that they need to charge a discounted rate for the store.”

- Elaine Sopchak

Updates, Updates!

First off, I must apologize; I’ve been terrible about keeping up with my blog! Just to update you on the shows that have been posted since I last wrote, they are:

#71 (10/26/09) Thea Lewis
#70 (10/19/09) Christopher Noel
#69 (10/12/09) Tanya Lee Stone
#68 (10/05/09) Philip Graham
#67 (9/28/09) Robert Cohen
#66 (9/14/09) Rowan Jacobsen
#65 (9/7/09) Doug Wilhelm
#64 (8/31/09) Vivian Dorsel
#63 (8/24/09) Arnold Kozak
#62 (8/7/09) Richard Russo
#61 (8/3/09) Natasha Saje
#60 (7/27/09) Mary McGarry Morris
#59 (7/13/09) Clare Rossini

To listen to any one of those great shows, just click on my guest’s name (above). I hope you enjoy each of them. Stay tuned for information on the show for Monday, November 9th, an interview with Vermont publicist and former bookstore owner Elaine Sopchak.

Sue William Silverman: Fearless Confessions

What about yourself would you rather not talk about? Either because it feels shameful, or implicates someone you care about, or because other people might not understand. The latest Write The Book features an interview with Sue William Silverman, who overcame her painful past and the resulting anorexia and sex addiction, in large part, through writing. Her new book is Fearless Confessions: A Guide To Writing Memoir. And the interview was great fun, despite what might sound like a very intense description. You can find the podcast here.

Yesterday’s Interview With Sarah Dillard

Sarah Dillard, featured guest on yesterday’s show, is a writer and illustrator, author of the recently published Perfectly Arugula! In keeping with the theme of her book (perfection), I offered the following prompt at the end of the show: As you work this week, try not to be perfect. Try not to be tidy. Aim for mess, clutter and fabulous chaos. For more about the show, or to listen, go to http://writethebook.podbean.com or find Write The Book on iTunes.

Jim DeFilippi, Writing For The Joy of It

Jim DeFilippi knows success in publishing. And he knows the hard work of it, even after that first novel hits the store shelves. Fed up with the publishing runaround, he decided to write just for the joy of it. He’s made all of his novels available as free downloads at jimdefilippi.com   My interview with Jim is likewise available at writethebook.podbean.com and on iTunes. Enjoy!

Why always at the worst times?

Ever wonder why you get those ideas for your writing when you’re unable to write them down? You’re taking a shower or taking a run, driving a car on a lovely warm day with the radio on, when suddenly the solution to your latest writing problem comes to you in a flash. Why? Why then? Well, the writer Jonah Lehrer writes in a recent Real Simple Magazine article: Studies show that moments of insight often arrive when you’re not aware that you’re thinking of the problem, such as during a warm shower or a long stroll. This is because insights are typically generated by a rush of high-frequency gamma-band neural activity in the brain’s right hemisphere, and a mind is better able to tune in to that hemisphere when it is stress-free. Which might mean that, when you’ve got writer’s block, you really do need to just let go and not rush it. Don’t sit idle, waiting for inspiration. Keep writing, always write. But try not to stress.

Robin Hemley, Do-Over!

I broadcast the interview with Robin Hemley yesterday. Really fun conversation. Robin is the director of the nonfiction writing program at the University of Iowa. As his book jacket proclaims, he is a 48-year-old father of three, and he undertook a project we can all, perhaps, relate to: he went back to the scenes of various childhood embarrassments and relived them. Literally. He went back to kindergarten for a week. And summer camp. Sixth grade. Eigth grade. He went back to the prom! And he even managed to find the owner of a home he’d lived in as a teenager, who was willing to let him move in for a week. A few new embarrassing moments here, but also many strides forward in understanding who he was as a child, and how his life shaped him into the man he is today. Hoping you’ll take a moment to listen…  writethebook.podbean.com

Laurel Neme, Animal Investigators

Did you know that there are only five thousand tigers in the wild, but over ten thousand tigers are kept as pets in the world? And many of those are in the U.S. Well, I didn’t either. This week on Write The Book, Laurel Neme, author of the book Animal Investigators, talks about the world’s first wildlife forensics lab and her work writing their story. The podcast is available on iTunes and at writethebook.podbean.com

Also, Laurel has a very helpful and interesting website: laurelneme.com