First Person Present

Hewes House
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Two writers. A home studio. Questions from people who are stuck, spiraling, or just trying to finish the damn thing. Josh Boardman and Dasha Sikmashvili answer real questions about craft, revision, and the writing life. From seventh-draft despair to penny-a-word markets, these conversations feel less like a workshop and more like eavesdropping on two friends who know their way around a manuscript. Expect literary references, puppy videos, and tangents about furniture shopping. Because that's how writers actually talk about writing. Submit your questions: podcast@heweshouse.com

  1. Oct 13

    Deleted Out of Shame: Writing Inspiration, How to Write Women, and Why Writers Should Read Widely

    A nor’easter that wasn’t, a “thanks for the orgasm” postcard, and an art fair squatting in the abandoned CBS News offices. In this episode, Josh and Dasha hit the Spring Break Art Show to talk about finding inspiration in other art forms, the dreaded artist statement, and why true geniuses always sound like dumbasses explaining their own work. Then, Reddit dot com returns with a writer who can’t write women because he only reads men—and the case for stretching your reading taste the way you’d get a toddler to try broccoli. Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links: Spring/Break Art Show Peter Gynd, artist Hyperallergic’s artist statement: “I’m an A*****e”  Fonograf Editions Open Genre Book Prize  Agnes Martin Eraserhead, dir. David Lynch Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, dir. Jane Schoenbrun “Volver, Volver” by Vicente Fernández, mariachi classic Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston The Awakening by Kate Chopin Study: brain health can improve at any age Beach Read by Emily Henry Theme music: “1982” by See Jazz

    Deleted Out of Shame: Writing Inspiration, How to Write Women, and Why Writers Should Read Widely

  2. Sep 8

    Clown School for Writers: AI and Creative Writing, How to Outline a Novel, and the Snowflake Method

    A stolen Margaritaville notepad, a semester spent teaching "Writing After AI" at the oldest writers' conference in the country, and the eternal question of whether you're supposed to outline your novel or just vibe your way through it. Josh and Dasha dig into what a stack of AI-generated writing controversies reveals about the culture wars, then take on a listener's plea for outlining advice (snowflake method, reverse outlining, and Freytag's Pyramid included) with a pit stop at clown school along the way. Call in with questionsVisit our site for full show notes Links: "Clown for Writers," Substack post by Rebecca Van Laer"Shy Girl" AI authorship controversy, reported by the Irish Times"The Serpent in the Grove" Granta/Commonwealth Prize controversy, reported by Literary HubHarper's Bazaar UK's 2026 Short Story Competition winner, "Back and Forth"Irish Times AI-generated op-ed controversy, reported by the Irish NewsSave the Cat (screenwriting method)Lost Highway, dir. David LynchDeb Olin UnferthGustav Freytag's PyramidTheme music: "1982" by See Jazz

    Clown School for Writers: AI and Creative Writing, How to Outline a Novel, and the Snowflake Method

  3. Jun 16

    Peace Gurl Heels: Developing Your Writing Voice, Imitating Other Writers, and Why Your Style Is Already Yours

    Sparkling wine, the New York Knicks, and a pair of heels you absolutely cannot walk in. In this episode, Josh and Dasha get deep into the undefined territory of writer's voice—what's the actual definition, whether you can find it or whether it's already found you, and why trying to write like the writers you love might be the most seductive trap in the craft. Plus, a Reddit post from a self-described edgelord who writes Omegaverse fanfic and can't stop adding flowery language—and why their "problem" might not be a problem at all. Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links: Room to Dream by David Lynch Fragmented narratives are broken, independent, and honest — Lit Hub Omegaverse — Wikipedia "Love Is a Piano Dropped from a Fourth-Story Window" by Dasha Sikmashvili Plantain by Josh Boardman Where I'm Calling From — Dasha's Substack post featuring Baby Bo's Cantina Baby Bo's Cantina on Instagram (RIP) Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison Speedboat by Renata Adler Pastoralia by George Saunders Vices by Giancarlo DiTrapano On the Joyce quote: "A man of genius makes no mistakes" — Oxford University Press Blog Theme music: "1982" by See Jazz

    Peace Gurl Heels: Developing Your Writing Voice, Imitating Other Writers, and Why Your Style Is Already Yours

  4. May 12

    I Don't Want to Talk About My Poems: Finding Your Writing Voice, Novel Length, and How to Revise a Poem

    A bottle of heretical French wine, a five-year taste arc, and a 1,000-page German novel put down out of sheer pettiness. In this episode, Josh and Dasha trace the evolution of a writing sensibility: from angular Hemingway sentences to something velvety and unnecessary, like a Californian Pinot Noir. Then: an anonymous listener asks how you know when a poem is done, and whether every word has to hit. Call in with questions  Visit our site for full show notes Links:  Les Hérétiques wine Spencer Wine, Ann Arbor  Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy  Shout out to Gabe Habash Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, trans. Max Lawton  All Fours by Miranda July  Zona Motel gossip column  How long did it take to write Infinite Jest?  Sylvia Plath's revised Ariel manuscript pages  Virgil's unfinished lines in the Aeneid Theme music: "1982" by See Jazz

    I Don't Want to Talk About My Poems: Finding Your Writing Voice, Novel Length, and How to Revise a Poem

  5. Apr 13

    Just Buy the Dress: Research Trips, Writing Residencies, and Why You're Always Going to Be Tired

    Banana pudding guilt, a stalker, and a trip back to Michigan that refused to cooperate. In this episode, Josh and Dasha wade into the murky gap between a research trip and a writing residency—and why confusing the two might be the cruelest thing you can do to yourself. Then, the triumphant return of Reddit dot com, where writers explain “why they stop writing (only the truth).” Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links: The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke Rilke’s complete quote: “Verses are experiences” Nick Drake by Richard Morton Jack Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Trancendence of Alice Coltrane by Andy Beta Lorrie Moore’s short story, “How to Become a Writer” “The Goldfinch won a Pulitzer and it sucks,” Reddit thread by /u/edward_radical The Dunning-Kruger effect Theme music: “1982” by See Jazz

    Just Buy the Dress: Research Trips, Writing Residencies, and Why You're Always Going to Be Tired

  6. Mar 17

    The AWP Edition (feat. Pamela Gullard)

    Recorded live on the busiest day of AWP 26 in Baltimore, Josh and Dasha drag a microphone onto the conference floor—ambient noise, raised voices, a missing scarf, and all—for the first of two episodes from the convention. In between the chaos, a conversation about what AWP actually feels like from the inside: the surprising generosity of writers in person versus online, the live blog Josh has been writing from the hotel room between days on the floor, and the way even a conference vlog can become an exercise in the real problems of life writing. Then the main event: a conversation with short story writer and educator Pamela Gullard, whose collection Lake Crescent and Other Spirits just landed her a finalist spot in the Foreword Reviews short fiction contest.  Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links: Pam Gullard’s Lake Crescent and Other Spirits Barrett Warner’s Galileo Press Brad Listi’s otherppl and DeepDive Edgar Allen Poe’s “exhalation of the spirit” Theme music: “1982” by See Jazz

    The AWP Edition (feat. Pamela Gullard)

  7. Mar 2

    Night Moves (Part 2)

    Crowded trains, rolled manuscripts, and ten stolen minutes with a sleeping baby—Part 2 of First Person Present’s special Night Moves episode opens with an honest look at what a writing practice actually looks like when life refuses to cooperate. Dasha reports from the trenches of a major draft milestone, describing the particular satisfaction of physically wrestling with a printed manuscript on a standing-room-only subway car, and what it means when your writing window closes the moment you zip your bag. Josh reflects on the difference between long designated chunks and the daily incremental habit he's trying to reclaim. Together they push back on the romance of the four-hour writing session and the Paris Review mythology of artists with endless leisure—and make the case that accumulation, not marathon output, is what actually finishes books. Then, a caller question about the hardest thing writers face when working close to home: writing about real people. Josh and Dasha dig into the Art Monster controversy, Knausgaard's My Struggle and the uncle who sued, the way people find themselves in fiction that was never about them, and why the person you least expect is almost always the one who ends up upset. They argue for removing every barrier when the work is being made (you can always not publish) while being clear-eyed that fallout is probably coming, and that the antidote to it is complication over thesis, nuance over score-settling. Also: Walter the dog has been depicted beautifully throughout, and he doesn't know how good he has it. Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links: Who Is the Bad Art Friend? - New York Times Knausgaard’s Ruthless Freedom - Public Books A take on Czesław Miłosz’s family quote by Julian Barnes - New Statesman The Paris Review Interviews Archive Sincerity, Irony, Autofiction - by Christian Lorentzen Theme music: “1982” by See Jazz

    Night Moves (Part 2)

  8. Feb 16

    Night Moves (Part 1)

    Can subtlety be taught, or is it something a writer either has or doesn't? In this late-night edition of First Person Present, Josh and Dasha crack open a bottle of wine, announce a shift to biweekly episodes ahead of AWP, and wrestle with the question every writer dreads—what if the kind of writing you most admire isn't the kind you're built to produce? Dasha reveals her revision roadmap and an ambitious one-month timeline that Josh calls unreasonable. They revisit the old advice about protecting your writing time and find, now with a baby and a dog-cat war in the background, that it holds up more than ever—even if it means living with a dirty house. Then a Reddit question about Kazuo Ishiguro sends them into a real disagreement about subtlety, voice, and whether revising toward grace just produces murkiness. Joan Didion makes her official podcast debut, a mysterious book arrives in the mail the day after being wished for, and the wine does its job. Call in with questions Visit our site for full show notes Links:  Levin’s Mowing Scene Kirkus on Never Let Me Go — "With perfect pacing and infinite subtlety"  Never Let Me Go at 20 Joan Didion, "Why I Write" Notes to John by Joan Didion  Theme music: "1982" by See Jazz

    Night Moves (Part 1)
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About

Two writers. A home studio. Questions from people who are stuck, spiraling, or just trying to finish the damn thing. Josh Boardman and Dasha Sikmashvili answer real questions about craft, revision, and the writing life. From seventh-draft despair to penny-a-word markets, these conversations feel less like a workshop and more like eavesdropping on two friends who know their way around a manuscript. Expect literary references, puppy videos, and tangents about furniture shopping. Because that's how writers actually talk about writing. Submit your questions: podcast@heweshouse.com

Information

  • Creator
    Hewes House
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Hewes House
  • Show Website
    First Person Present