Lit Cit explores the multi-faceted life of a writer in today's literary community through insightful interviews with authors, editors, agents, and all of the people who help make writing happen. The podcast is produced and run by members of Antioch Los Angeles' MFA Creative Writing program.
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Writerlife Podcasts
The Spun Today Podcast is a show that is anchored in Writing but unlimited in scope. Join the host Tony Ortiz as he explores various topics and subjects like writing, podcasting, movies, books, TV shows, people, politics, MMA, current events and much more. Give it a whirl.
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Gabriela Lugo chats with Colette Freedman. Freedman is an internationally produced playwright with over 50 produced plays and musicals. Her play Sister Cities has been produced around the country and internationally, including Paris (Une Ville, Une Soeur), Rome (Le Quattro Sorelle), and Australia. She m…
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Bonus: Writing Lessons from Gotham's Underworld (Companion to Ep. 278)
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In this special bonus episode, we return to the shadowy corners of Gotham to unpack The Penguin — the gritty, character-driven follow-up to The Batman. Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot is a study in power, loyalty, and moral decay — and in this breakdown, I explore five key writing lessons from the series: · How ambition reshapes identity · How set…
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#293 – Writing Lessons from Off-Broadway: The Other Americans, NYC Mayoral General Election Pick and GOATs Doing GOAT $hit
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Welcome to episode 293 of the Spun Today Podcast, hosted by Tony Ortiz—the show where writing is the anchor, but the content knows no bounds. In this episode, Tony dives into the creative heart of John Leguizamo's latest Off-Broadway ensemble play, "The Other Americans," unpacking the storytelling, set design, and family dynamics that make the work…
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#292 – Motivation for Writers: Tracking Progress and Learning from Noir Fiction
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Welcome to Episode 292 of the Spun Today Podcast! In this episode, host Tony Ortiz dives deep into the writing life, inviting listeners into another motivating free writing session. Tony shares his latest writing stats and candidly discusses the ups and downs of creative consistency, including the struggles of writer's block and the magic of findin…
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#291 – Crafting Horror and Humanity: Behind the Scenes with The Night Visitor's Blu Topalli and Peter Stass
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On today's episode of Spun Today, host Tony Ortiz sits down with the powerhouse creative duo Blarime 'Blu' Topalli and Peter Stass—veteran writers, filmmakers, and the minds behind the atmospheric new horror podcast, The Night Visitor. Together, they dive deep into the art of collaboration, exploring how blending backgrounds in gothic fiction, come…
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Bonus: Daredevil's Writing Lessons (Companion to Ep. 288)
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Daredevil isn't just a great superhero story — it's also packed with lessons for writers. In this bonus episode, I pull together key takeaways from our Episode 288 breakdown and frame them as quick, standalone insights you can apply to your own creative work. And don't miss the free companion guide that goes along with this episode! The Spun Today …
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#290 – Building the Lucas Literacy Lab: One Writer's Journey from Home Classroom to School Founder
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Welcome back to the Spun Today podcast! In this inspiring episode, host Tony Ortiz sits down with returning guest Amanda Lucas—educator, writer, and now founder of her very own microschool, the Lucas Literacy Lab. Amanda shares her incredible journey of resilience, starting from homeschooling her daughters during the pandemic to navigating the bure…
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#289 – Voices of 9/11: Recounting Stories from New Yorkers (Re-release)
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Welcome to Episode 269 of Spun Today, where we dive deep into personal stories of resilience, reflection, and creativity in the face of one of the most transformative events in modern history—the 9/11 attacks. Today, we are honored to have a plethora of voices sharing their firsthand experiences, each providing a unique lens on that tragic day. Fro…
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Mansi Aneja chats with writer and Antioch nonfiction faculty member, Edgar Gomez. Gomez is a queer NicaRican writer born and raised in Florida. He is the author of the memoir High-Risk Homosexual that was released in 2022 and won the American Book Award, a Stonewall Israel-Fishman Nonfiction Book Honor …
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#288 - Daredevil's Gray Morality and Emotional Hooks: Storytelling Insights for Writers
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Welcome to Episode 288 of the Spun Today Podcast with Tony Ortiz, where creativity takes the spotlight and storytelling is always at the heart of the conversation. In this episode, Tony dives deep into the writing brilliance of the Daredevil TV series, exploring seasons one through four and unearthing valuable insights every writer and creative can…
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#287 – Creative Accountability, AI Tools for Writers, Insights from Ta-Nehisi Coates and More! (Free Writing Session)
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Welcome back to the Spun Today podcast! In this episode, Tony Ortiz dives deep into the creative process, taking you behind the scenes of his own writing journey. This is a special "free writing session" episode, where Tony shares his candid writing stats—celebrating the progress, confronting the setbacks, and reflecting on what it really takes to …
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Alejandra Alexander chats with writer, director, producer, teacher, and esteemed Antioch dramatic writing faculty member, Joy Kecken. Joy's short films, Woman Hollering Creek and Louisville, and her feature documentary, The Biggest Little Farm, have screened at over 30 film festivals. She has also devel…
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#286 - Finding Inspiration Through Loss, Pandemic Reflections and Honoring Pablo
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Welcome to Episode 286 of the Spun Today Podcast, the show anchored in writing but truly unlimited in its scope. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and today we're diving into something both personal and nostalgic: a throwback tribute episode to my good friend and Spun Today alum, the late, great, Pablo Mosquera Jr. In this heartfelt installment, we revisi…
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#285 – Turning Real Life into Art: Writing Takeaways from Standup, Storytelling, and Politics
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Welcome to another episode of the Spun Today Podcast with your host, Tony Ortiz—the show anchored in writing and limitless in scope. In this episode, Tony dives deep into the creative process and storytelling power behind Andrew Schulz's latest Netflix comedy special, "Life." You'll hear how Schulz's masterful blend of vulnerability, humor, and inn…
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Brenda Fantroy-Johnson chats with acclaimed author, essayist, activist, and esteemed Antioch faculty member Anjali Enjeti. Together they discuss in detail her debut novel The Parted Earth, her essay collection, Southbound, what writing as activism means, and exploring family history. This episode was pr…
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#284 - Sinners: Creativity, Symbolism, and Storytelling Insights from Ryan Coogler's Latest Film
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Welcome back to another episode of Spun Today. In this episode, I dive into a creative review and breakdown of the film Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler. I pull out writing insights, character craft, and the power of blending personal history with big genre themes—sharing lessons any writer or creative can use to fuel their own work. B…
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#283 – Cycles of Life, Loss, and Stories: Honoring Friendship and Remembering Pablo Mosquera Jr.
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Welcome to Episode 283 of the Spun Today podcast—the only podcast anchored in writing, but unlimited in scope. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and in this deeply personal and heartfelt episode, I invite you to join me as I honor the memory of my dear friend and Spun Today alumni, Pablo Mosquera Jr., who tragically passed away earlier this year. This epi…
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with author, screenwriter, editor, director, journalist, and professor, Morgan Jerkins. They discuss her multifaceted career as a professor, editor and journalist, the balance between fiction and nonfiction, her past works such as This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersectio…
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Antioch LitCit #60 Cathy Linh Che and Jonathan Chou
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On this episode of Antioch MFA program's LitCit, host Jonathan Chou chats with poet, children's book author, filmmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and the Antioch MFA program's new Core faculty head of Poetry, Cathy Linh Che. Together they go in-depth of Cathy Linh Che's previous poetry collection, Split, and her new collection, Becoming Ghost, in a…
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Jacqueline Rose chats with Los Angeles writer, artist, and publisher, Kai Adia. They discuss Kai's poetry collection, Depths of Anima, the Pushcart nominated Afrofuturist anthology she co-edited, Future Splendor: A Celebration of a New Renaissance, and the press she co-founded, Bee Infinite Publishing. …
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#282 – Journey from Freelance Writing to Teaching: Insights from Amanda Lucas
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Welcome to another episode of the Spun Today podcast! In this captivating session, host Tony Ortiz sits down with Amanda Lucas, a middle school ELA teacher with a rich tapestry of experiences in both education and writing. Amanda shares her journey from being an aspiring writer and journalist to embracing her role as an educator. As an insightful s…
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On this second episode of a two-part episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Caren McDonald chats with guest, Sorcha De Brún, a writer, lecturer, researcher, and Irish translator. They discuss the new wave of Irish language novelists as well as Sorcha De Brun's recent monograph about the intersection of masculinities and the Irish language, f…
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#281 - Crafting Suspense: From Writing Exercise to Short Story
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Welcome back to the Spun Today Podcast with your host, Tony Ortiz. In this special throwback episode, we dive into Episode 281, where Tony revisits one of his earlier works, a riveting short story titled "Ball and Chain." Originally recorded as an audiobook and first shared in Episode 14, this tale explores the unique perspective of a female serial…
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Antioch LitCit #57 Sorcha De Brún part 1
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On this first episode of a two-part episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Caren McDonald chats with Sorcha De Brún, a writer, lecturerer, researcher, and Irish translator. They discuss how friendship can serve as an important tool for learning language, the need for imagination to keep the Irish language alive, and the different theories on transla…
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#280 – From Kendrick Lamar's layered messaging at the Super Bowl to Beast Games: A Creative Journey
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Welcome to another exciting episode of the Spun Today podcast, where creativity knows no bounds. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and in today's episode, we're diving into the artistic brilliance of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime performance. We'll explore how Kendrick stayed true to his unique storytelling approach, weaving a narrative of America,…
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Antioch LitCit #56 Erin Aubry Kaplan
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On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Jacqueline Rose chats with author, journalist, essayist, and esteemed Antioch faculty member, Erin Aubry Kaplan. They discuss a great deal of Kaplan's books: Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, And Walking The Color Line and I Heart Obama, the respect of social justice in writing and observing the world around u…
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On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's Lit Cit, host Lisa Locascio Nighthawk chats with author, memoirist, and critic, Claire Dederer. They discuss her CNF novel, Monsters A Fan's Dillema, the importance of a literary community, separating the art from the artist, preserving your mental health in the current political landscape, and the value of …
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#279 - Charlie Munger's Wisdom and Writing Tips for Aspiring Creatives (Free Writing Session)
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Welcome to another episode of the Spun Today Podcast, where writing is our anchor, but our explorations are limitless. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and I'm thrilled to have you here for our 279th episode, a free writing session that's as much about personal discovery as it is about crafting prose. This week, we dive deep into the art of free writing,…
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#278 – Unveiling Themes and Characters in The Penguin Series and Perfect Days as well as a GOATs doing GOAT $hit Addition
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Welcome to Episode 278 of the Spun Today podcast! I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and if you're into writing, creativity, and uncovering layers of storytelling, then you're in for a real treat. In today's episode, we dive deep into three captivating segments that will both entertain and enlighten you. First off, we're breaking down the fascinating HBO s…
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Welcome to Episode 277 of Spun Today, your creative sanctuary where writing meets inspiration! I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and today's episode is a special year-in-review recap of 2024, packed with reflections, achievements, and lessons learned. We'll revisit some of the most monumental deals in the creative world, like Issa Rae turning down a multi…
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