Passion and Practicality: A Liberal Arts Podcast
Wireside Chat
Episodes

Friday Apr 19, 2024
Wireside Chat: Jason Morgan
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Join host Paul Witcover as Wireside Chat welcomes longtime MFA instructor Jason Morgan! Writing as J. Lloyd Morgan, he is the bestselling author of Going Down the Far Well and the fantasy trilogy The Bariwon Chronicles, among other novels. We'll discuss Jason's writing journey and the importance of theme in his work and in fiction generally.

Friday Mar 22, 2024
Wireside Chat: Heather Hepler
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Friday Mar 22, 2024
In which hosts Melissa Hart and Paul Witcover are joined by MFA instructor and award-winning author Heather Hepler to discuss how to build a career in Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction. How do these genres differ? Where do they overlap? Heather draws on her experience writing in both genres to shed light on what can be a confusing literary landscape.

Friday Mar 08, 2024
Friday Mar 08, 2024
In which Paul Witcover, Associate Dean of the Online MFA, is joined by Jacob Powers, Associate Dean of the online BA and MA Creative Writing programs at SNHU, and Derrick Craigie, Senior Associate Dean overseeing all online Creative Writing programs at SNHU, for a Q&A. A must-listen for anyone considering a graduate degree in creative writing at SNHU!

Friday Jan 19, 2024
Wireside Chat: Thomas Deady
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
In which hosts Melissa Hart and Paul Witcover welcome SNHU instructor and Bram Stoker Award-winning writer Thomas Deady, author of, most recently, the novel Eternal Darkness. Join us as we talk about his writing journey and all things Horror.

Friday Dec 08, 2023
Wireside Chat: Joseph Chianakas
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
In which hosts Melissa Hart and Paul Witcover are joined by SNHU instructor Joseph Chianakas, whose new YA novel, Singlets and Secrets, recently debuted as Amazon's #1 new release in teen and YA LGBTQ fiction. Listen in as we talk to Joe about his writing journey, why themes of diversity and inclusion are so central to his work, and how he is always thinking a few steps ahead in planning his career.

Friday Oct 27, 2023
Wireside Chat: Melissa Hart
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
In which MFA instructor Melissa Hart joins Dean Paul Witcover to share her methods for leveraging short fiction and nonfiction for magazines and newspapers to build a platform and audience for her novels! This behind-the-curtains peek into the working life of a successful professional writer is full of practical advice and hard-earned knowledge about the challenges every freelance writer faces . . . and how to meet them!

Friday Oct 13, 2023
Wireside Chat: Joann Stout
Friday Oct 13, 2023
Friday Oct 13, 2023
In which hosts Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart welcome MFA instructor Jo Stout, the author of more than twenty romance novels, including contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and erotic romance under the pen names Joelle Nichole and Rachell Nichole. Join us as we discuss Romance, erotica, pseudonyms, genre-blends . . . and more!

Friday Sep 29, 2023
Wireside Chat: Kelly Ann Jacobson
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Friday Sep 29, 2023
In which hosts Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart welcome instructor Kelly Ann Jacobson, whose new novel, Robin and Her Misfits, is a Queer retelling of Robin Hood. Join us as we discuss the enduring power of fairy tales and folk tales in fiction!

Friday Sep 01, 2023
Wireside Chat: Stephanie Wytovich
Friday Sep 01, 2023
Friday Sep 01, 2023
In which MFA instructor Stephanie Wytovich joins Dean Paul Witcover to discuss poetry and the fantastic, and the importance of poetry in a fiction writer's creative life. Wytovich's horror-themed poetry has won her praise and award nominations—most recently for her book Writing Poetry in the Dark, a Stoker Award finalist for Superior Achievement in Non-fiction.

Friday Jul 21, 2023
Wireside Chat: Gabino Iglesias
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
In which writer and Online MFA instructor Gabino Iglesias, whose breakout 2022 novel The Devil Takes You Home was a finalist for the Edgar and Stoker awards for Best Novel, joins Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart to talk about how sudden success can impact a writer's career trajectory and inner compass.