The Courtneys with Courtney Zoffness and Courtney Maum

For the final episode of Season Five, Courtney Harler speaks with two Courtneys, Courtney Zoffness and Courtney Maum. Maum is, of course, a returning guest, and Zoffness is new to the podcast.

Courtney Zoffness is the author of the debut memoir in essays called Spilt Milk, out in 2021 from McSweeney’s. As a fiction writer, Zoffness was the second-ever woman to win the Sunday Times Short Story Award in 2018, the world’s richest prize for a single short story. She’s taught for many institutions and currently directs the creative writing program at Drew University.

Courtney Maum is the author of several novels, and most recently the memoir called The Year of the Horses, out in 2022 from Tin House. She’s also helped countless writers navigate the publication process with her craft guide, Before and After the Book Deal. Courtney Maum is a writing coach and executive director of the nonprofit learning collaborative called The Cabins.

Today we talk about the humble beginnings and early invisible work of writers, vulnerability, publication and promotion in the digital age, distractibility, reading recommendations, and more.

PWN's Debut Review is hosted by Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio. Learn more at projectwritenow.org.