Craft Talk Book Club
Craft Talk Book Club is a podcast for writers who want to improve their craft by reading great books. Each month, Nicole Breit (Spark Your Story Lab creator and Best American Essays notable essayist) and Mary Adkins (The Book Incubator founder and HarperCollins novelist) choose a recently published novel or memoir to unpack the craft choices made by the author—which they discuss over four weekly episodes. Together, we’ll read and learn from some of the best writers publishing today.
Episodes
Monday Dec 26, 2022
”Solito” by Javier Zamora, part 3: The perfect title...
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Nicole and Mary unpack the possibilities of what "solito" means as a title that encapsulates this harrowing story about love and yearning, risk and danger, fear and hope...
Monday Dec 19, 2022
”Solito” by Javier Zamora, part 2: World building in memoir
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Can "world building" apply to memoir if a story revisits a world the author no longer inhabits? Mary + Nicole discuss how Zamora creates a full immersion experience in Solito.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
”Solito” by Javier Zamora, part 1: Voice, tense and POV
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Ever wondered how to re-capture the voice of childhood in your memoir? Nicole + Mary recount the ways Zamora invites us into the mind and heart of his 9-year-old self.
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
From waves to Magic Eye, this novel is full of recurring images and metaphors. In this final episode discussing Zevin's novel, Mary and Nicole identify these motifs and how she uses them to deepen our reading experience.
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Writing a story within a story is tricky (Mary knows, she did it in her first novel When You Read This), but Gabrielle Zevin not only writes about gamers, she creates truly genius game concepts inside her story. In this episode, the hosts unpack how she does it so well.
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
When Nicole and Mary met up to record this episode, they were both wiping away tears from having just re-read this one chapter. The death scene of Marx is a masterpiece. Why? Why does it work so well? They discuss.
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
"Is this an omniscient point of view?" Nicole asks Mary at the top of this episode. What a journey in point of view this novel was! Mary and Nicole dissect Zevin's point of view choices and admire her bold moves.
Monday Nov 07, 2022
”Lost & Found” craft talk, part 4: All about allusions
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Who doesn't love a book that entertains AND makes you feel smarter? One of the things Mary and Nicole enjoyed most about Lost & Found is its glimpse into the author's scholarly mind, from her interest in the ideas of William James to the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop. Whose writings would you reference to add depth and texture to your memoir?
Monday Oct 31, 2022
”Lost & Found” craft talk, part 3: When to hold back
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Think in order to write memoir you have to spill your secrets? Think again! Nicole and Mary identify the ways Schulz is in full control of her story, choosing what to reveal—and when—for maximum impact. Tune in to learn how to create delight for your reader while maintaining boundaries around your privacy.
Monday Oct 24, 2022
”Lost & Found” craft talk, part 2: Let’s talk structure
Monday Oct 24, 2022
Monday Oct 24, 2022
One of the biggest challenges for memoir writers is figuring out what to cut and what to keep. In part 2 of our discussion of Lost & Found, Nicole and Mary highlight how Schulz uses structure to narrow her scope and shape the story she wants to tell.