Midwest Writers Room

Luella and Ken
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Books

Podcast from the Wisconsin Writers Association. We discuss all things writerly, with an emphasis on the unique flavor of works that originate in the Midwest.

  1. 1d ago

    Chapter Break with Ryan T Pozzi

    BIO: Ryan T. Pozzi is a Council Bluffs, Iowa-based nonfiction author whose debut, The Mess That Made Them: How History’s Greatest Artists Failed, Floundered, and Made Something Brilliant Anyway, is published by Bloomsbury. After two decades as a working artist and nonprofit executive, Pozzi left nonprofit leadership and eventually turned to writing. His work explores creativity, failure, persistence, reputation, and the complicated lives behind famous accomplishments. He writes the newsletter Life on the Midlist and is touring the Midwest with The Mess That Made Them in 2026.  SYNOPSIS: A painter on the run for murder. A novelist fighting to keep her mind and her work intact. A composer writing under a dictatorship. Artists rejected, exiled, silenced, rewritten, and nearly forgotten. The Mess That Made Them goes behind the mythology surrounding twenty-four legendary creative lives to uncover what brilliance looked like before anyone knew it would last. The book traces failure, pressure, obsession, reinvention, and the stubborn human impulse to keep making something when success, recognition, and even survival are far from guaranteed. LINKS: ryantpozzi.com @ryantpozzi

  2. 6d ago

    Season 4, Ep. 15 - Martha Engber, August 2026

    BIO: Martha’s most recent book, SCATTERED LIGHT, just won an IPPY Silver Medal for Great Lakes Fiction.  The book is the sequel to WINTER LIGHT, an IPPY Gold Medal Winner for YA. She’s currently at work on the last book in the trilogy. Her other fiction includes THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD, a historical novel, and THE WIND THIEF. Her nonfiction includes BLISS ROAD, a memoir about her neurodiverse family, and GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers. A workshop facilitator and speaker, she’s had a full-length play produced in Hollywood and fiction published in a variety of literary journals. LINKS: marthaengber.com

  3. Aug 28

    Chapter Break with Patrick O'Donnell

    BIO:  Patrick O'Donnell proves there's life after retirement. Raised in Chicago by Irish immigrant parents, he later earned a sociology degree from UW-Whitewater, then spent 25 years with the Milwaukee Police Department as a street cop and sergeant during one of the city's most violent eras, handling thousands of crime scenes and major investigations. Since retiring in 2020, he's become an Amazon bestselling author of eleven books, host of the top-2% ranked Cops and Writers Podcast, and founder of an 8,500-member crime writers' community featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Wisconsin and when he isn’t riding his Harley, or smoking cigars while solving world problems with other cops, he is with his family and dog named Clark. SYNOPSIS: Police Stories: The Rookie Years is O'Donnell's unfiltered memoir of his early career on Milwaukee's streets during the city's 1990s crack wars. Book One in the Police Stories series, it strips away the polish of TV procedurals and takes readers straight into the 2 a.m. calls most people never hear about. A Thanksgiving stabbing (using the carving knife), a sweet little old lady with a cocked .38 aimed at his back, a mother duct-taped to a chair, a teenager executed for his sneakers, and a near-miss with friendly fire. It's a raw look at the dark humor, the partnerships, the losses, and the personal toll of a job most people only see from the outside. LINKS: copsandwriters.com

  4. Aug 17

    Season 4, Ep. 14 - Hannah Larrew, August 2026

    BIO: Hannah Larrew is the founder of Spellbound PR, a boutique public relations agency built for authors, artists, and creative people with stories worth telling. She specializes in thoughtful publicity campaigns, media relations, and strategic storytelling that connect meaningful work with the right audiences.  Hannah believes great PR starts with curiosity: finding the unexpected angle, the human story, or the bigger conversation that makes people stop, listen, and feel a little bit spellbound. LINKS: spellboundpublicrelations.com

    Season 4, Ep. 14 - Hannah Larrew, August 2026

  5. Aug 3

    Season 4, Ep. 13 - Evelyn Rainey, August 2026

    BIO: Evelyn is an ordained minister, author, and publisher whose scholarship and ministry bridge Protestant, Celtic/Coptic Catholic, and Jewish traditions. As CEO of ShelteringTree.Earth, LLC, she leads a traditional publishing house and its hybrid publishing imprint August Isley Books. She is the author of numerous works—including eight ChristLit Book Award winners—and a pioneer of dyslexia-friendly editions. LINKS: EvelynRainey.com ShelteringTreeMedia.com AugustIsleyBooks.com saintbrigidswell.com

  6. Jun 15

    Season 4, Ep. 12 - Jamie Wolf, June 2026

    BIO: Jamie is a Wisconsin author, speaker, and community advocate. Her work is mostly non-fiction, focusing on emotional strength and healing. In 2024, she published her memoir Putting Myself Back Together: From Broken to Healed After Abuse, chronicling her journey through domestic violence and turning her life around after. One of her works has been recognized with an Honorable Mention in the Humor category for the 2025 Reader’s Digest Short Story Competition. In addition to writing, Jamie is a mother, an accountant, and an aspiring law school student. She most recently founded Chapters & Beyond, an inclusive literary convention dedicated to connecting readers, writers, and her local community. She believes that everyone has a story to tell, and every story can inspire change.  LINKS: www.jamie-lockwood.com  Chaptersandbeyond.com

  7. Jun 1

    Season 4, Ep. 11 - Steven Strackbein, June 2026

    BIO: After navigating the challenges of independently publishing his own speculative fiction, including The Change Paradox, Alexandria’s Genesis and Digital Landscape, Steven founded Sisyphus Triumphant Publishing to guide fellow writers through the production process. The company offers tailored, honest partnership for those seeking to transform their manuscripts into professionally finished books, providing structure for those stuck or transitioning away from traditional publishing. LINKS: sisyphustriumphant.com The Change Paradox (The Catalyst Series Book 1) Alexandria's Genesis Digital Landscape Mourning of Lost Magics

  8. May 19

    Chapter Break with Julie Jacob

    BIO:  When Julie A. Jacob was a child, she decided she wanted to be a writer, and she’s been writing ever since. Her professional career has focused on health care communications, but through the years she has kept on writing creatively in her spare time. Her creative non-fiction essays have been published in Midwest Prairie Review, On Wisconsin, Open, Under the Sun, and several editions of the TallGrass Writers Guild annual anthology. Bicentennial Eve is her first novel.  SYNOPSIS: Bicentennial Eve is a gentle, slice-of-life tale of a Wisconsin family gathering for the fireworks on the eve of Independence Day in 1976. As the cast of characters go about their day, each of them struggles with their own dilemma. From Grandma Kitty's quest for some adventure to young Skylar's search for a taste of first love, each member of the family is looking for a little independence of their own against the backdrop of a changing country. LINKS: https://www.julieajacobwriter.ink

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5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Podcast from the Wisconsin Writers Association. We discuss all things writerly, with an emphasis on the unique flavor of works that originate in the Midwest.

Information

  • Creator
    Luella and Ken
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midwest Writers Room
  • Show Website
    Midwest Writers Room