About this episode
Last year, I compiled my first-ever “Best Of the Year” show. It was such fun to make, and received such a great response from listeners, that I decided to make it an annual tradition. While I could only include a handful of authors from the past year, this episode provies a fun Whitman’s Sampler of the kinds of conversations available in our archives.Listen as Adam Johnson, Wally Lamb, and Chris Whitaker tell us where their stories come from. Laila Lalami teaches us to read like a writer. Amy Bloom and Bruce Holsinger offer their thoughts on revision. Patrick Ryan (via Ann Patchett) shares his insights about how to write war scenes with authority, and Richard Russo talks about the moral dilemma of using the people in our lives for material. Authors in this episode include Jess Walter (So Far Gone), Wally Lamb (The River is Waiting), Richard Russo (Life and Art), Amy Bloom (I’ll Be Right Here), Laila Lalami (The Dream Hotel), Joan Silber (Mercy), Chris Whitaker (All the Colors of the Dark), Adam Johnson (The Wayfinder), Patrick Ryan (Buckeye), Bruce Holsinger (Culpability), Eric Puchner (Dream State) and Colum McCann (Twist).The Jane Smiley essay that Laila Lalami refers to can be found
