Interview on "In Her Room" Podcast

I'm on a podcast!

Did you know that the word "podcast" comes from iPod + broadcast?!

Yeah, I know it's kind of obvious, but I swear I just realized this connection a few months ago. I always knew the "pod" part was from iPod, but somehow I didn't realize that "podcast" rhymes with "broadcast" and is like a radio broadcast without the radio part! (I sound really old right now, don't I?)

(For an artist who trades is words, a.k.a. a writer, I can be embarrassingly charmingly dense about colloquialisms, idioms, and such wordplay thingamajigs. Ask me sometime what I thought was meant by the prhase: "It's as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.")

But now, not only do I understand the term podcast, I'm on a real, live podcast! (Well, it's not live, because it's recorded, but the recording was made of a live conversation. Again with the semantics.) 

So, about this podcast I'm on: "In Her Room" is a listener-supported podcast featuring meaningful conversation with women writers from around the world, hosted by Sara Blackthorne. I had the pleasure of talking with Sara for episode #21. 

We chat about a lot of things, including how writing helps us make sense of the world on multiple levels, and why graduate school was a good fit for my writing path when I shifted my mindset from "I'm not good enough" to "How can I get better?"

I also talk a wee bit about my newest (and most exciting) online project yet: an online writing community called The Word Cellar Writing Guild. (The Guild has been a long time in the making, and you'll be hearing much more about it in the coming weeks! I'll be using all the exclamation marks for this one!!!) 

You can listen to "In Her Room" on its website, or find it on Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, and iTunes. I'm delighted to be in such good company with other women writers who have been interviewed for the show, including Sue William Silverman, Liz Lamoreux, Maya Stein, Alisha Somer, Esme Weijun Wang, and so many more.  

(Also, can I just tell you how much I love to combine podcasts & housework these days? I use a set of wireless headphones so I can listen as I wash dishes, do laundry, or sort the mail. I love podcasts in general, but I used to find it difficult to sit down and listen to one if I wasn't in the car. I felt antsy, as though I were wasting time somehow, even though I don't feel that way when I sit down to read, and great podcasts are just as soul-nourishing as books. Housework also can feel like a waste of time: a necessary task, but shouldn't I be reading or writing instead? So the podcast + housework combo allows me to restore order to my little domestic universe and feed my mind and creative spirit at the same time. I know I'm not the only one who does this, but it felt like a revelation when I finally got on board. As you can see, I'm good for having obvious revelations and everyday epiphanies. It keeps daily life interesting.)

Please join Sara and me over on In Her Room.