American writers Archives – A Way with Words

Low Sick

Posted by Grant Barrett on July 10, 2021 · Add Comment

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Pilgramage to Willa Cather’s Home

Posted by Grant Barrett on March 22, 2021 · Add Comment

Paula in Cheyenne, Wyoming, calls with the story of a moving pilgrimage to the home of Willa Cather in Red Cloud, Nebraska, and shares a favorite passage from Cather’s My Antonia (Bookshop|Amazon). This is part of a complete episode.
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Picoult Writing Advice

Posted by Grant Barrett on March 6, 2021 · Add Comment

Novelist Jodi Picoult has some no-nonsense advice for writers who just can’t seem to get started. This is part of a complete episode.
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What the Blazes? (episode #1562)

Posted by Grant Barrett on February 8, 2021 · Add Comment

What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are … dictionaries! A number of volunteer organizations gather and distribute used dictionaries to help inmates with reading, writing, and schoolwork. Plus: For some low-tech family fun, how about egg-tapping? Traditionally [...]
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A Trade-Last Expects a Compliment in Return

Posted by Grant Barrett on January 23, 2021 · Add Comment

Debbie from Memphis, Tennessee, grew up in Arkansas, where she learned the term trade-last, which refers to “a quoted compliment offered in return for the recipient first offering one to the speaker.” Although those from the American South may remember this practice as a sweet, harmless interaction, writer Nora Ephron, in her book I Remember [...]
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“The End of Everything,” by Katie Mack

Posted by Grant Barrett on December 5, 2020 · Add Comment

Martha recommends The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) (Bookshop|Amazon) by Katie Mack, an assistant professor of physics at North Carolina State University. It’s a challenging read, but accessible enough to lay readers to provide a mind-stretching perspective on life, the universe, and everything. (Check out Mack’s moving poem and video “Disorientation.”) Grant passes along a [...]
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