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

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.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program’s LitCit host Thomas Huisking talks to screenwriter Ross Brown about his journey from second assistant director to television writer to executive producer and creator of three different network shows. If you remember Webster, The Facts of Life, and Step By Step, among others, you’re in for a treat! This interview was conducted shortly before the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Thomas Huisking.

On this episode of Antioch MFA Program's LitCit, Ian Rodriguez chats with guest Iwalani Kim an associate agent at Sanford J. Greenberger Associates. They discuss what makes a story moving and Iwalani's pathway from slam poetry to becoming an agent, giving her fresh insights. They also talk about how works have literary value with evocative characters and bring words from two of Iwalani's favorite books, Luster by Raven Leilani and T Kira Madden's Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls. This episode was produced by Michael Sedillo and mastered by Ian Rodriguez.