Passion and Practicality: A Liberal Arts Podcast
Wireside Chat
Episodes

Nov 1, 2024
Wireside Chat Featuring Peter Stenson
Nov 1, 2024
Nov 1, 2024
59 min
In which Instructor Peter Stenson joins Wireside Chat to talk about commas, writing while parenting, the joys of teaching, and how he got an agent despite himself.

Oct 18, 2024
Wireside Chat Featuring Dr. Courtney Watson
Oct 18, 2024
Oct 18, 2024
59 min
In which Wireside Chat is joined by instructor Dr. Courtney Watson, an award-winning fiction writer and scholar of literary travel and tourism. Learn from Courtney how to combine your passions for travel and writing to become a globe-trotting frequent-flier!

Sep 20, 2024
Sep 20, 2024
1hr 2 min
Wireside Chat welcomes Online MFA instructor Tiffany Trent! Tiffany is the author of eight dark YA fantasy novels, including the award-winning The Unnaturalists duology (Simon & Schuster/Saga) and the Hallowmere series (Wizards of the Coast/Mirrorstone). Join us as Tiffany shares her publishing journey from traditional to indie to launching her own small press!

Aug 9, 2024
Wireside Chat: Patricia Lillie
Aug 9, 2024
Aug 9, 2024
59 min
Hosts Melissa Hart and Paul Witcover welcome Online MFA instructor Patricia Lillie to this month's Wireside Chat! As Patricia Lillie, she writes quiet horror and weird fiction. Her story collection, “The Cuckoo Girls,” was a 2020 Bram Stoker Award® finalist. As Kay Charles, her much nicer alter-ego, she writes cozy-ish mysteries with ghosts. Join us as we discuss Patricia's writing journey, her "nicer alter-ego," and haunted houses and ghosts in literature and real life!

Apr 19, 2024
Wireside Chat: Jason Morgan
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
1hr 12 sec
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.

Mar 22, 2024
Wireside Chat: Heather Hepler
Mar 22, 2024
Mar 22, 2024
1hr 1 min
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.

Mar 8, 2024
Mar 8, 2024
1hr 3 sec
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!

Jan 19, 2024
Wireside Chat: Thomas Deady
Jan 19, 2024
Jan 19, 2024
1hr 3 min
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.

Dec 8, 2023
Wireside Chat: Joseph Chianakas
Dec 8, 2023
Dec 8, 2023
57 min
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.

Oct 27, 2023
Wireside Chat: Melissa Hart
Oct 27, 2023
Oct 27, 2023
54 min
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!