Welcome to The Metaworker Podcast! We’ve published so much great stuff over the years but, as often happens with online magazines, the good stuff can get lost in the shuffle. So we created this podcast to discuss some of our favorite pieces and to delve deeper into the reasons we decided to publish them. (Though who are we kidding? Everything we publish is our favorite.) Our goal is to make the publishing world a little less murky, and to get you inspired to keep writing. We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed creating them!
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The text of each poem/prose piece read in individual episodes is copyright by the respective author(s). The Metaworker Podcast © 2024 by The Metaworker editors is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. This means you may not sell, alter, or transcribe any part of the podcast, but you are free to share or copy the file as long as you retain attribution to The Metaworker and the author(s).
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Kathryn Temple and Matthew Smallwood about unfinished work—those ‘buried’ drafts—and what they do with them. Kathryn reads two unfinished poems, “The Lawyer Reads Yeats” and “Dis: A Dictionary Entry” while Matthew explains why he deletes all of his unfinished and unwanted drafts. The five go on to discuss different approaches to works in progress, the potential of the written “junk pile” vs the value of starting fresh, as well as the role of perfectionism in art. Author Bios: Kathryn D. Temple teaches and writes at Georgetown University. Her latest work has appeared in Streetlight, Fauxmoir, Delmarva Review, and 3Elements, among others. She was a funded finalist for the Lori White Nonfiction Fellowship in 2023. In addition to her creative work, she has published two academic books on law & emotions and many essays in academic journals. Find her on the Chesapeake Bay ...
Episode Description: In Part 2 of our Pushcart Prize Nomination podcast series, we review three pieces: one of poetry, one of creative nonfiction, and one of fiction. Our editors Elena, Mel, and Cerid share their reasons for nominating these pieces, and we hear each author's background and reason for writing, in their own words. Stories here include "Sharh on Sunan an-Nasa'i 736" by Reyzl Grace; "Rubies" by Carol E. Anderson; and "Ashmedai and the Hairdresser" by Allister Nelson. Part 1 can be found here. Featured Authors: Reyzl Grace is a writer, librarian, and translator whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and featured in Room, Rust & Moth, So to Speak, and other periodicals. Currently a poetry editor for Psaltery & Lyre, she lives as an expat in Minneapolis with her novelist girlfriend, arguing over which of them is the better writer. (It’s her girlfriend.) Find more of ...
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid review and discuss three of their nominees for the 2024 Pushcart Prize. Part 1 of this podcast includes readings of "Parteada por el Fuego/Twice Born" by E.N. Diaz, "December Rain" by Subarna Mohanty, and "Heavy" by Shaun Anthony McMichael. You’ll also hear reflections from each author on their piece, their craft, and what drives their creative process. Congrats to each of these three nominees! Featured Authors: E. N. Díaz (México, 1995) es poeta y cuentista. Sus escritos han aparecido en las revistas BULL Magazine, Letralia Tierra de Letras, Babab, The Café Irreal, Clarkesworld Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, y en el blog Jóvenes en la Revista de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. E. N. Díaz (México, 1995) is a bilingual poet and short story writer. Their writings have appeared in BULL Magazine, Letralia Tierra de Letras, The Café Irreal, Clarkesworld ...
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid are back with updates. Elena asks Mel how it feels now that River and Stone is out in the world, Cerid discusses the fun challenge of arranging the order of pieces in her anthology Artificial Sweetener, and the trio discuss the thought and care that goes into book design and illustration. Referenced in this Episode: River and Stone Anthology, edited by Mel Reynolds, is available to purchase! Buy River and Stone in print or Ebook on Amazon Buy River and Stone in print from Barnes & Noble Buy River and Stone Ebook from Barnes & Noble Cerid's project -- Speculative Fiction New Zealand’s anthology, Artificial Sweetener -- will be out later this year! Episode Transcript: Elena L. Perez (00:03):Hello everyone. My name is Elena Perez. I'm the editor-in-chief of The Metaworker. Melissa Reynolds (00:09):And I'm Melissa Reynolds, also an editor at The Metaworker. Cerid ...
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid get technical and discuss the software Mel used to create her books, plus the benefit of hiring a professional book designer, and fostering a community of new and seasoned writers and editors who can learn from each other. Mel and Cerid also share their marketing plans, as well as their hopes and projections for the projects once they are released into the world. Referenced in this Episode: River and Stone Anthology, edited by Mel Reynolds, is available to purchase! Buy River and Stone in print or Ebook on Amazon Buy River and Stone in print from Barnes & Noble Buy River and Stone Ebook from Barnes & Noble Cerid's project -- Speculative Fiction New Zealand’s anthology, Artificial Sweetener -- will be out later this year! Episode Transcript: Elena L. Perez (00:04):Hello, everyone. My name is Elena Perez. I am the editor-in-chief of The Metaworker ...
Episode Description: Elena talks with Mel and Cerid about their upcoming anthology projects outside of The Metaworker. They discuss how the projects got started, how they chose pieces to publish, and the process of editing those pieces into a book. They also discuss editor/author dynamics and the joys of creating the anthologies for their communities. Referenced in this Episode: River and Stone Anthology, edited by Mel Reynolds, is available to purchase! Buy River and Stone in print or Ebook on Amazon Buy River and Stone in print from Barnes & Noble Buy River and Stone Ebook from Barnes & Noble Cerid's project -- Speculative Fiction New Zealand’s anthology, Artificial Sweetener -- will be out later this year! Episode Transcript: Elena L. Perez (00:00:03):Hello, everyone. My name is Elena Perez. I am the editor-in-chief of The Metaworker. Melissa Reynolds (00:00:10):And I'm Melissa Reynolds, also an editor with The Metaworker. Cerid Jones ...
Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Chris Cooper, Frank Njugi, and Linda Lacey. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we chose to nominate it. Featured Authors: Chris Cooper is a fiction author from New Jersey; his short story “Bleed” was listed among the “Best Summer Reads” for 2021 at Hash Journal; his 2020 short story "Finn Almost Buys a Goldfish" won the 'Emerging Writer’s Award' at Spank the Carp Magazine; and his short story “The Swim” was recognized as the Best in Fiction for 2019 at Across the Margin. Chris' work has also been featured in Expat Press, Bookends Review, and elsewhere. Nominated fiction: Thirst by Chris Cooper ...
Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Amita Basu, Daniel Brennan, and Marie-Louise McGuinness. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we chose to nominate it. Featured Authors: Amita Basu's fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in over sixty magazines and anthologies including The Penn Review, Bamboo Ridge, Another Chicago Magazine, The Dalhousie Review, and Funicular. She’s a reader at The Metaworker, sustainability columnist and interviews editor at Mean Pepper Vine, and submissions editor at Fairfield Scribes Microfiction. She lives in Bangalore, uses her cognitive science PhD to work on sustainable behaviour, and blogs at http://amitabasu.com/ Nominated fiction: Retreat by Amita Basu on The Metaworker website Daniel Brennan (he/him) is ...
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about writing rituals, how they create characters, and the benefits and drawbacks of writing with or without a plan. They discuss the importance of respecting readers and doing research when writing about vulnerable topics, then Matthew shares an excerpt (rated NC-17) from one of his published stories and encourages any writers listening to join The Metaworker’s weekly Discord writing group. Author Bio: Matthew Maichen typically writes as Johnathon Heart, and is the former editor-in-chief of The Metaworker. He is dedicated to writing stories for anyone who thinks that Halloween is better than Christmas, that love is worth believing in, and that all the best love stories are at least a little bit sad. Clearly enough people think this for him to get published. He has appeared in a variety of anthologies and is slated to ...
Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about his writing and publishing journey since he stepped away from leading the magazine. They discuss writing query letters, the challenges of marketing a novel and finding stories you didn’t know you were looking for. They also discuss what goes on behind the scenes in the slush piles, and Matthew shares what motivates him to continue slogging through those query trenches. Author Bio: Matthew Maichen typically writes as Johnathon Heart, and is the former editor-in-chief of The Metaworker. He is dedicated to writing stories for anyone who thinks that Halloween is better than Christmas, that love is worth believing in, and that all the best love stories are at least a little bit sad. Clearly enough people think this for him to get published. He has appeared in a variety of anthologies and is slated ...
