In larger bodies of work, how can we use time and place to develop characters? Whether choosing a setting for a novel or deciding what details of an era to highlight in nonfiction, every detail should drive the story forward. The Inner Loop Author's Corner August spotlight: Zak Salih shares how time and place works on many levels in his latest novel, "Let’s Get Back To The Party." Plus, Courtney, Rachel, and Zak write themselves from different stages of their own timelines.

Time and Space with Zak Salih

In this episode we kick off a new season of The Inner Loop Radio with a discussion of short fiction. Are short stories special, or are they relics of a bygone literary era? Has “flash fiction” replaced the short story? Our Author’s Corner featured writer Andrew Bertaina joins us to talk nuts and bolts, and about his recently published short story collection, One Person Away from You. Andrew sticks around after his interview for some fun and games where we get flashy, flexing our writing skills with one-sentence novels! ***Forgive the audio quality as our hosts find a new recording studio***

Flash It To Me with Andrew Bertaina

When we erase words that have been written, is it destruction or creation? For erasure poems, it can be both. Poet and Poetry Editor of Barrelhouse Magazine, Dan Brady, recreates erasure poetry by adding layers of erasure over his own words, creating texture and depth in the poems of his latest collection, SubTEXTS from Publishing Genius Press and The Inner Loop Author's Corner August spotlight. Plus, Dan, Courtney, and Rachel create an erasure poem from the classic, Moby Dick.

Erasure with Dan Brady

Rachel and Courtney explore the lure and inspiration of mythology and surrealism with Poet Lora Robinson through her poetry collection, An Essential Melancholy, from Akinoga Press and The Inner Loop Author’s Corner May spotlight. Then, Rachel puts Lora and Courtney’s art education to the test with a surrealism matching game!

Myths and Monsters with Lora Robinson

What’s the value in a writing retreat? From concentrated time to write to communing with other writers, writing retreats can serve to jumpstart your writing when you’re stuck in a rut. Abi Newhouse and Aeriel Merillat join Rachel and Courtney to talk about how their latest retreat helped their writing and their writing lives. Plus, the four revisit one of our favorite games… the exquisite corpse!

Why Retreat to Write? with Abi Newhouse and Aeriel Merillat

From the mystical to the fantastical, there's a spectrum of magic within writing. Courtney Sexton and Abi Newhouse sit down with local author, Len Kruger, to discuss the ways adding magic to your writing can create different opportunities for storytelling. Plus, we let tarot cards guide our next writing exercise...

You can buy Len's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9781941551356

Practical Magic with Len Kruger

The Inner Loop board member Leeya Mehta catches up with Kris O'Shee, a professional counselor, choreographer, and writer. The pair talk about ideal times and locations for writing, O'Shee's new writing projects about family and dance, and the joys of her dancing dogs. They ask: what needs to be destroyed so something new can be created? All the metaphors are here to get your creativity going.

Just Checking In with Kris O'Shee

The Inner Loop board member Leeya Mehta catches up with “Carousel Court” author Joe McGinniss for her new sub-series of Just Checking In: Writers in Solariums with Pets. The pair check in with the dogs and another secret pet (!), talk about the difference between the creative process of fiction and nonfiction, and discuss how writing nonfiction can offer a specific sort of peace. Joe says that “the reality is there is no reality,” especially in the thrilling, immersive, and terrifying experience of writing.

Just Checking In with Joe McGinniss

Finding the right point of view can make or break a story, and in nonfiction, the line of experimentation can be blurry. Hosts Abi Newhouse and Courtney Sexton speak with The Inner Loop’s June Author’s Corner spotlight, Danielle Ariano, about innovative points of view in memoir. They cover the empathy, challenges, and breakthroughs a new point of view can inspire, and Danielle reads from her new memoir, The Requirement of Grief. Plus, they all write a memory from someone else’s point of view, and the outcome is full of unexpected nuance.

You can buy Danielle's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9798891320840

A New Point of View with Danielle Ariano

Andrew Bertaina, author of “One Person Away From You” and the new essay collection “The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place,” suggests inspiration comes from reading. Andrew takes us through a writing prompt that leads him to fictionalize a meeting with his late grandfather in the afterlife. Try negotiating the speculative realm in your own writing, and if you’re stuck, you know what to do: pick up a book and find a line that reminds you why you started writing in the first place.

Inspiration Takeover: Let the Ideas Carry You with Andrew Bertaina

Abi catches up with freelance journalist and writer for the 730DC newsletter, Serena Zets. They discuss the DC journalism scene, stories Serena's been working on lately, and how writing creative nonfiction can be a great starting point for journalistic stories.

Just Checking in with Serena Zets

Real-world cultures come up all the time in any genre of writing, but it can be difficult to world-build with something so nuanced. Host Abi Newhouse speaks with The Inner Loop's July Author's Corner spotlight, Diana Rojas, about creating stories from our own cultures. 
They cover how time affects culture, how to use specific cultural details to world-build, and they try to untangle ideas about working around cultural generalizations. Plus, they bring a few cultural misconceptions to the table--Abi with Mormonism, and Diana with first-generation Latinos--and discuss how to use those misconceptions to their advantage in their writing.

You can buy Diana's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/101989/9781558859944

World-building Real-Life Cultures with Diana Rojas

Is all writing inherently political? Co-hosts Rachel Coonce and Abi Newhouse talk with August Author's Corner spotlight Paul Jaskunas about balancing political topics in writing with their own political opinions, feeling trepidation about addressing hot button topics, and some examples of heavy-handed and subtle books involving political topics. Plus, they put their high school government and college rhetoric knowledge to the test in a game where they determine whether a political headline is fact or fiction.

Politics and Fiction with Paul Jaskunas

Okezie Nwoka, author of “God of Mercy,” discusses the difference between love and care, and how self love plays a role in creating art. Nwoka takes us through a writing prompt that invokes the wisdom of aphorisms—short expressions that, here, will capture ideas of loving oneself and others. He talks about writing strategies and routines, and how he surrenders himself to the moment of free expression.

Inspiration Takeover: Writing is a Radical Act of Self Love with Okezie Nwoka

The heaviness of summer can bring up those heavy feelings of nostalgia, but when is it time to stop musing and put those feelings on the page? First released in August 2019, J.M. Tyree, author, film critic, and nonfiction editor of the New England Review, joins Rachel and Courtney to discuss just that, as well as how we weave the past and the present into a narrative. Rachel and Courtney delve into their own pasts, Samantha de Trinidad, Stephanie Bento, and LaCole Foots get nostalgic, and Amy Woolard, Paul Fauteux, Whitney Pipkin, Matthew Moniz, and Max Meltzer help us feel that summer rain.

Summer Nostalgia with J.M. Tyree

Today, TIL board member Leeya Mehta focuses on writing a personal essay, inspired by reading James Baldwin’s essay "The New Lost Generation." She talks about the way she is approaching this essay, which she’s calling “The Day After: Searching for Language for Another Lost Generation.” 

Leeya suggests exploring the politics of language as an essay prompt, and asks what you notice about language, and how it is being used in popular culture. How you would like to question that language and soften it? You may disagree, and think language is too soft, that we need to turn up the volume. In her attempt at this essay, she’s reflecting on the topic she has set herself. She asks, what does “the day after” look like?

Inspiration Takeover: Searching for Language for Another Lost Generation with Leeya Mehta

Most writers have experienced feedback from a writer's workshop, a writing group, or from friends and family, and we're told it's a necessary part of writing. But what's the key to figuring out what level of feedback works for you? What qualifies as a "good" workshop? And most of all, what type of feedback will help us actually keep writing? Plus, you can help decide whether the feedback Courtney, Rachel, Dan, and David give each other in realtime is actually beneficial.

Is Feedback Really Useful? With Dan Knowlton and David Pfeferman

In this Just Checking In sub-series, Writers with Pets in Solariums, Leeya Mehta chats with Amanda Newell about balancing writing with life, her latest collection: Postmortem Say, and what horses have to teach us about life.

Amanda Newell lives on a farm in southern Maryland with a cat named Kit Kat and two horses, Eko and Ed. She's close enough to the Chesapeake to hear the waves breaking against the shore. She grew up riding and showing horses and still finds mucking stalls therapeutic. She also loves the other animals on the farm, including the foxes and deer, who sometimes dine together. 

Newell is the author of Postmortem Say, published in 2024 by Cervena Barva Press. Her chapbook, I Will Pass Even to Acheron, was a 2021 winner of the Rattle Chapbook Prize. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Barrow Street, Bellevue Literary Review, Cimarron Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of fellowships and/or scholarships from Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, The Frost Place, and The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. A graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers, Amanda is currently an associate editor for the contemporary poetry journal Plume. She is currently working on a hybrid memoir about reconstructing her identity in the aftermath of the suicide of her ex-husband, a former prosecutor and judge. Her website is: www.amandanewellpoet.com

Just Checking In with Amanda Newell

We've all ridden the rollercoaster of emotions as writers--the joy when you actually *like* your work, and the despair when you overthink all of it. Co-hosts Rachel Coonce and Abi Newhouse talk with October Author's Corner spotlight, Nick Gardner, about feeling proud, feeling terrified, and how tapping into our childlike selves can actually help us breakthrough emotional turmoil. Nick reads us a part of his new book, Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts, which gave him particular grief while writing, and then they all play a game where they determine whether a piece of writing was written by a novice writer or a prestige one. 

The Highs and Lows of Writing with Nick Gardner

Tyrese Coleman, author of "How to Sit," discusses ways to feel inspired, including going on walks, getting outside, and using if-then writing prompts to tap into your creativity. She's working on creating routine to keep up writing habits, echoing Toni Morrison's routine of getting up early in the haunted hours to write. When is best for you to write? Coleman challenges you to take the time to find out. 

Inspiration Takeover: Speculating with Tyrese Coleman

Writers are nothing if not ambitious, but what does success really look like for a writer? Gwydion Suilebhan, cultural critic, essayist, playwright, and Executive Director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, joins us to discuss the journey, the destination, and the aftermath of what some consider literary success, and he proposes a different way to achieve writerly fulfillment. Plus, writers like to think of themselves as different in kind from other professions, but how different are we? We play a little game called Who Said It? to find out.

Reframing Literary Success with Gwydion Suilebhan

Welcome to the Inner Loop Radio in our latest segment of Just Checking where we bring you our sub-series by Leeya Mehta: Writers with Pets in Solariums.

In this fifth and last edition for the year, Leeya Mehta talks with her friend, non-fiction writer Rashmi Sadana. We are calling this episode: Maybe We Can All be a Little Like Luna: a Conversation with Rashmi Sadana.

Dr. Rashmi Sadana is an urban ethnographer and Berkeley-trained cultural anthropologist who has been writing about the city of Delhi for the last twenty years. Her most recent book is called “The Moving City” and tells the story of Delhi’s new subway system from the perspective of the people who ride it. It’s a story about the radical possibilities and concretized inequalities of the city. It’s also the author’s love letter to the city. Rashmi teaches at George Mason University and is otherwise at the beck and call of a gray tabby called Luna.

References to Books:
Rashmi Sadana, “The Moving City”
Rashmi Sadana, “English Heart, Hindi Heartland: The Political Life of Literature in India” 
Dinaw Mengetsu, “SOMEONE LIKE US”
Yahica Dutt, “Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir”
Isabel Wilkerson, “Caste”
BR Ambedkar, “The Annihilation of Caste”

Just Checking in with Rashmi Sadana

Of the many paths to publication, small press contests hold some fascinating opportunities. Co-hosts Rachel Coonce and Abi Newhouse talk with November Author’s Corner spotlight Luke Sutherland about his memoir winning the 2023 OutWrite Chapbook Competition. They discuss unexpected opportunities small press contests present, how they differ from traditional publishing, and how to maintain your agency in deciding which contest best fits your work. Luke reads from his memoir, Distance Sequence, and then they all pitch a pretend contest with experimental manuscript ideas that break the traditional book mold. 

Small Press Contests with Luke Sutherland

Chet'la Sebree, author of "Field Study" and "Mistress," discusses how to feel inspired when the world unfolds in surprising or disappointing ways. She speaks of her students at George Washington University, and how she's focused on reminding them that art matters especially in a time of tumult. To keep creating, she makes room for free writing, processing, and most of all, community. Her prompt asks you to see a different community through the lens of "we." 

Inspiration Takeover: Art is What We Turn To with Chet'la Sebree

Introducing The Inner Loop Radio with Rachel Coonce and Courtney Sexton, providing you with local literature from Washington, DC, including readings, interviews, and discussions about the writing life! Episode 1 coming October 17th!

The Inner Loop Radio: Coming Soon!

This month, we celebrate immigrants, minorities, and the LGBTQ community with compelling readings and discussions about gentrification in DC, the election last year and how it has affected DC writers, and how writers can contribute to their communities. Plus, we interview writer and community organizer, Danielle Evennou, and hear one of her steamiest poems!

The Trump Edition

The December edition of The Inner Loop Radio is all about family! With the upcoming holidays, our minds tend toward family, whether you're going home or staying home this Christmas season. Rachel and Courtney go in depth on mothers, fathers, big brothers, and big sisters, and how they influence our writing and our lives. Chelsea Horne joins us with her flash piece entitled "Goldfish Mother" and an interview on her inspiration.

Season's Readings!

How many rejections does it take to get one acceptance? Author David Ebenbach discusses the competitive world of publishing short stories in both magazines and as collections. We get to hear him read a story about artistic jealousy. Plus, we hear Lisa Sewell's poems inspired by her favorite books.

Writerly Resolutions with David Ebenbach

Our February episode focuses on animal muses and character development -- we speak to Michael Collier about writing your way into any mind, and hear him read live from new works. Plus... find out what happens when a cat knows no limits, or in a world filled with wasps, or whether goldfish really die.

Animal Muses with Michael Collier

This month we talk to Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Vijay Seshadri, about how to turn a moment of inspiration into a polished piece and how to turn several pieces into a collection. We are treated to moving insights, pregnant pauses, and poignant readings from his collection, 3 Sections. Plus, we celebrate the up-and-coming work of our amazing interns!

Micro to Macro with Vijay Seshadri

Love is in the air, and everyone wants to write about it. Love may be a powerful motivator for writing, but it's also one of the most difficult things to write about. How do you convey love without being cliché or melodramatic? Rachel reads some of her teenage poetry, Courtney talks about bleeding hearts, Peyman Allahverdizade loves loving, Alis Sandosharaj struggles to love her dark skin, and Taylor Johnson makes love universal. Plus, we hear from DC writers Timothy DeLizza, Stephanie Kline, Sam Mahone, and Don Illich.

What is love? with Peyman Allahverdizade, Alis Sandosharaj, and Taylor Johnson

E. Ethelbert Miller - writer, activist, and The Inner Loop Board Member - calms our worried spirits and helps us reconnect with nature through jazz-inspired haiku, a chance for literary meditation in these weeks of solitude. So grab your favorite pen, turn on some Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and tune in to this week’s episode of our Quarantine Inspiration Series: weekly mini-episodes that offer writing tips, inspiration, and a writing prompt so writers can keep writing through difficult times.

Jazz Haiku With E. Ethelbert Miller

Fiction writer Rion Amilcar Scott offers us a moment of peacefulness amidst the chaos with the power of metaphor, his music and television inspirations, a flash fiction prompt, and several deep breaths in this week’s episode of our Quarantine Inspiration Series: weekly mini-episodes that offer writing tips, inspiration, and a writing prompt so writers can keep writing through difficult times.

Make It Tangible With Rion Amilcar Scott

Rachel Coonce and Courtney Sexton bring you creative writing inspiration, literature and craft discussions, and commiseration on the writing life with interviews, inspiration takeovers, and chats with poets and authors of fiction and nonfiction.

The Inner Loop Radio: A Creative Writing Podcast

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