LitCit: Antioch's Literary Citizen Podcast Antioch MFA in Creative Writing Los Angeles

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with guest Shannon C.F. Rogers, winner of the 2024 APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature and author of the debut YA novel, I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom. In this interview, Shannon discusses her upbringing in Albuquerque, her experience as a playwright, her Filipino-American identity, themes of grief and self-discovery in her cinematic writing, and her publishing journey with her first novel. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Jasmine Gipson and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, host Bo Thomas Newman chats with guest Kimberly King Parsons, author of two works including her recent debut novel, We Were The Universe. In this interview, Kimberly shares her journey as a writer, the differences between crafting short-stories and novels, and how motherhood and psychedelia play a central part in We Were the Universe. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Jasmine Gipson and Bo Thomas Newman.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program’s LitCit, Caren McDonald chats with guest Ana Maria Spagna, a writer, teacher, and former backcountry trails worker. They discuss Spagna’s newest book, Pushed: Miners, a Merchant and (Maybe) a Massacre, and the power of reframing narrative and honoring other people’s stories. They also talk about the importance of imagination for nonfiction writers, the benefits of working on multiple projects at once, and the joys of writing the MFA critical paper. This episode was produced by Ian Rodriguez and mastered by Caren McDonald.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program’s LitCit, host Keshia Nash-Johnson engages author Isabel Yap in a discussion about her breakout short story collection Never Have I Ever. Isabel talks about fanfiction as a sandbox for a writer’s growth, the value of cultural mythology in her stories, monsters and the monstrous parts of humanity, death and its weight in her writing, the musicality of prose, and her forthcoming books. This episode was produced by Kenzy El-Mohandes and mastered by Keshia Nash-Johnson.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program’s LitCit, host Thomas Huisking chats with
screenwriter Hanz Wasserburger. Hanz discusses his journey from lawyer (assistant attorney general in the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division) to screenwriter (A Tale of Two Coreys, Second Impression). This interview was conducted shortly after the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike, and was produced and mastered by Jacqueline Rose.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program’s LitCit, host Jessica Chisum chats with guest Gayle Brandeis about her latest book Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, the Body, and Loss (2023). Gayle discusses her favorite childhood authors, why writers are afraid to write about illness, what it means to write a "bonus book," and her new "novel in multiverse" in which Lilith embodies Marilyn Monroe! This episode was produced by Kenzy El-Mohandes and mastered by Elyse Jackson-Williams.