Best Writingtips Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 469: John O'Connor on the Meaning of Bigfoot 1:06:12

1h ago1:06:12

1:06:12

"I don't feel envy. I don't think. Maybe in some deeper and maybe even more troubling psychological level. I do feel competition with with people, competition over resources, trying to claim certain ideas, stake a claim to certain ideas before other people can, especially when you're working with the subject that's in the public sphere. You don't h…

1
Episode 468: Local Journalism and the Folly of Fame with Maggie Messitt 1:20:28

3d ago1:20:28

1:20:28

"I genuinely feel that those of us writing books need to remember that we are writing them simply because we feel the desperate need to write that particular thing. And unless I feel that way, I shouldn't be writing it because it's not for the financial benefit. It is not because it gives me more time to do things with other people. It doesn't matt…

1
Episode 467: How to Bounce Back from 'Viscerally Negative' Feedback with Will Bardenwerper 1:22:38

10d ago1:22:38

1:22:38

Will Bardenwerper grew up playing baseball and even was a member of his college team at Princeton. As a result, he has a great perspective to write about baseball as he does in Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America (Doubleday). That soul, in this book, is partially under attack from private equity firms gobbling up an…

1
Episode 466: Katie Goh on Issues of Identity and the Trappings of Mythology 1:13:24

10d ago1:13:24

1:13:24

"Mythology can be really a dangerous thing, because mythology feels like it can't be changed, or it's always been something," says Katie Goh, author of Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange (Tin House Books). Katie Goh is a writer and editor based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s also the author of the slim book “The End: Surviving the W…

1
Episode 465: Miranda Green Searches for the Harm 1:20:06

18d ago1:20:06

1:20:06

"You want to be able to nab the details, but then you also want to be able to tell the story of why this matters and who's harmed by this, and finding the harm is oftentimes the hardest part of investigative reporting," Miranda Green, an investigative reporter. Her latest piece is for The Atavist Magazine titled "All That Glitters" about the seedy …

1
Episode 464: John Glionna is a Clown Who Makes Balloons That Kids Don't Like 58:09

27d ago58:09

58:09

"We're sadistic motherf*ckers," says John Glionna, @johnglionna on the Instagrams. John is a longtime journalist and author of No Friday Night Lights (Bison Books). He made a name for himself at the Los Angeles Times pursuing what would be called "Glionna stories," stories about invisible people who have rich lives all their own. In this episode we…

1
Episode 463: Leah Sottile on Building Scenes, Sagging Middles, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age 1:03:19

1M ago1:03:19

1:03:19

"It's kind of a mix of reporting to the very last minute to put off writing, and then when I have to write, having a panic attack, and then, like, booking a hotel room for a week and not leaving that room. This is the thing I have done until I figure it out," says Leah Sottile, in a live event at Gratitude Brewing. She is the author of Blazing Eye …

1
Episode 462: On Podcasting and Gardens with Debbie Millman 57:27

1M ago57:27

57:27

"I'm much more interested in how a person achieves something than in what they specifically achieved," says Debbie Millman, the "Pod Mother" and OG podcaster, twenty years in for Design Matters. She's also the author of the new book Love Letter to a Garden (Timber Press). In this episode, we talk about: The 20 year arc of Design Matters What people…

1
Episode 461: For Nick Davidson, Stories Hunt the Storyteller 1:19:38

2M ago1:19:38

1:19:38

Nick Davidson, @nickgdavidson on IG, says, "We usually think of hunting stories and looking for ideas, but I feel like it's the other way around: stories hunt the storyteller, and I'm just prey." Nick's latest piece is for The Atavist Magazine titled "The Balloon That Fell From the Sky." His work has appeared in Outside, VICE Sports, Garden & Gun, …

1
#282 – Journey from Freelance Writing to Teaching: Insights from Amanda Lucas 1:48:44

2M ago1:48:44

1:48:44

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…

1
Episode 460:Pulitzer Prize-Winning Biographer Megan Marshall Takes on Personal Essays in 'After Lives' 1:03:47

2M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

Megan Marshall is the author of After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart (Mariner Books), a new collection of essays. Megan won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for Margaret Fuller: A New American Life. Podcast Specific Substack at creativenonfictionpodcast.substrack.com. Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sponsor: The Power of …

1
Episode 459: Cassidy Randall Talks Forgotten Histories, Sticky Notes, and the Power of Listening 51:31

2M ago51:31

51:31

“I could suddenly see — and this is how I know when I'm supposed to start writing — is that words start putting themselves together in my head, and I just have to get them out, right? Which doesn't happen all the time, but it did for this," says Cassidy Randall, author of Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All Women's Ascent …

1
#281 - Crafting Suspense: From Writing Exercise to Short Story 52:54

2M ago52:54

52:54

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…

1
Episode 458: Jaydra Johnson Had to Get Weird 58:09

2M ago58:09

58:09

"And then this person said, 'Hey, you know, this needs to be, like, more weird or less weird, but it's in this kind of odd place that isn't working.' And I was like, she's so, right," says Jaydra Johnson, @jaydranicole, and author of Low: Notes on Art & Trash (Fonograf). Lots of good stuff in this episode. We talk about: Luck Growing up poor Dialin…

1
Episode 457: Poynter's Neil Brown Says Editing Isn't Discussed Enough 1:00:53

2M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

"What I was fortunate enough to get exposed to very early in my career, and I really believe is now the way to go, which is the nature of editing as thinking," says Poynter Institute president Neil Brown. Neil has spent more than forty years as a reporter and editor, and he just wrapped up his tenure on the Pulitzer Prize Board. He's one of the mor…

1
Episode 456: Neko Case Wrote her Memoir in Bed 41:56

3M ago41:56

41:56

Neko Case is best known for her career as a musical performing artist and as a founding member of The New Pornographers, but her debut memoir The Harder I Fight the More I Love You (Grand Central) is all the evidence we need to see that she's got the chops for narrative. Podcast Specific Substack Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sponsor: The …

1
Episode 455: Will McGrath's Season on the Sidelines for The Believer 57:32

3M ago57:32

57:32

Will McGrath often thinks he's a phony, a fake writer, a fake journalist. But he isn't. He's very much real, and his piece for The Believer, "American Boys," chronicles the season and the lives of a group of young basketball players. It harkens back to Darcy Frey's brilliant book The Last Shot. Podcast Specific Substack: https://substack.com/@creat…

1
Episode 454: Allegra Rosenberg's Tale of Love on Ice for The Atavist 58:39

3M ago58:39

58:39

Allegra Rosenberg became obsessed with polar exploration narratives during the pandemic. She soon came across the journals of Harry Pennell and learned of his love for Edward Atkinson. Set amongst the backdrop of the South Pole and the looming possibility of WWI, Allegra weaves a brilliant and tragic story. Pre-order The Front Runner Promotional Sp…

1
Episode 453: Chandlor Henderson, Live at Gratitude Brewing, Says 'Focus on the Skill' 45:23

3M ago45:23

45:23

Chandlor Henderson is the very definition of a multi-hypenate: a writer, editor, comic book writer, filmmaker, and podcaster. This conversation was recorded live at Gratitude Brewing as part of a quarterly series between the Oregon Writers Colony and The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. In this conversation we talk about his journey to Oregon from the …

1
#280 – From Kendrick Lamar’s layered messaging at the Super Bowl to Beast Games: A Creative Journey 46:18

3M ago46:18

46:18

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,…

1
Episode 452: lamb of god's Randy Blythe's Search for Perspective in 'Just Beyond the Light' 57:35

3M ago57:35

57:35

If Randy Blythe's first book, Dark Days, was about accountability, his second book, Just Beyond the Light, is about perspective. In essays ranging from the premature death of a young fan to surfing waves to revering his beloved grandmother, Randy talks about art and music and the messiness of being a creative person. Visit randyblythe.com to learn …

1
Episode 451: When Beach Read Meets a System with Lindsay Jill Roth 59:08

3M ago59:08

59:08

Lindsay Jill Roth was told by a tutor at a young age that she'd become a writer one day. At the time she laughed, but it came to be. Lindsay is the author of the novel What Pretty Girls Are Made Of and her latest is Romances & Practicalities: A Love Story (Maybe Yours) in 250 Questions. Lindsay talks about the writing of the book, structuring it, a…

1
Episode 450: Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, John Eisenberg Chronicles the Long Journey of the Black Quarterback 1:06:26

4M ago1:06:26

1:06:26

John Eisenberg grew up surrounded by books. It was no surprise then that he wanted to write them one day. He has written eleven, his latest being Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 15% discount. Newsletter: Rage Agains…

1
#279 - Charlie Munger's Wisdom and Writing Tips for Aspiring Creatives (Free Writing Session) 36:09

3M ago36:09

36:09

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,…

1
Episode 449: Drew Philp Wants to Make Spanakopita Out of Spinach News 1:14:12

4M ago1:14:12

1:14:12

Drew Philp went to Ethiopia to report on the front lines of what was likely a genocide that largely went ignored. His story, "There Will Be No Mercy," is for The Atavist Magazine. Pre-order The Front Runner Sponsor: The Power of Narrative Conference. Use CNF15 at checkout for a 15% discount. Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm Show notes: brenda…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Writingtips Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen