Drat, I’ve Fallen Behind

The holidays. I’ll blame the holidays. The show has been going gangbusters, even if my work in the blog has fallen off. Please tune in an listen to all the recent shows. They  include:

• Vermont Mathematician, Professor and Writer Joseph Mazur, author of What’s Luck Got To Do With It?
• Vermont Poet Pamela Harrison, author of the new collection, Out of Silence.
• New Hampshire Novelist Toby Ball, author of The Vaults.

And today on Write The Book, a conversation with Vermont Writer Kenneth Cadow, author of the popular new picture book, Alfie Runs Away.

Please tune in at 2! Or check out the podcast tomorrow: writethebook.podbean.com and iTunes.

100th Show & First Live Broadcast

Why would we not do a new blog post about the momentous 100th show? Hard to say. Got busy. Doing shows. But here’s an update on the last few weeks:

• On 6/21, the ONE HUNDREDTH EPISODE of Write The Book featured Anne Trooper-Holbrooke, Coleen Kearon, Benjamin Malcolm, and Susan Ritz: four writers working to develop their craft.
• On 6/28, I played a favorite from the archives, a 10/08 conversation with YA Novelist Rita Murphy.
• On 7/5, Write The Book produced its FIRST LIVE BROADCAST!!! A conversation with Novelist Jacob Paul. Definitely worth listening to, and not just to hear how I dealt with the phone ringing and Burlington fire engines screaming past not once but twice during our conversation. Highly entertaining. Thank goodness Jacob is both interesting and forgiving.

Willow Bascom: After Lupus

Writer and illustrator Willow Bascom’s new book, Paisley Pig and Friends: A Multicultural ABC, hit bookstores in April, published by Publishing Works. After being diagnosed with lupus and coming through a period of serious illness, Willow developed her craft in part as therapy. Now her work is receiving wonderful reviews, she speaks in schools, and she’s planning future projects.

I think [my favorite part of creating the book] was realizing that I could do it. There was a point, about half way through the alphabet, where I realized I was doing it. There was no one who wanted me to do it. I didn’t need to do it. I didn’t have to do it. So why was I doing it? I had to really search within and see if I wanted to continue working as hard as it was requiring of me, and I made that internal decision to do it for myself. And after that, it started flowing more easily.

~ Willow Bascom, speaking with Shelagh Shapiro on Write The Book

Gary Clark, Vermont Studio Center

Last week’s show was a rerun from 2008, an interview with Gary Clark, the writing program director at the Vermont Studio Center. I chose to replay the interview because last week was “Vermont Artists’ Week” at the studio center, a time when only Vermonters stay at this retreat and focus on their work.

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.