CLICK the titles to listen now!
The WRITERSREAD PODCAST, hosted by founder Ed McCann, presents three stories from our Live Shows and adds a segment we call “Between The Lines”— short, personal meditations about any and all aspects of the writing life from those who live it.
To receive the PODCAST directly to your phone or smart speaker, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts. Spotify, Amazon, Audible, or iHeartRadio.
November 22, 2022
A holiday offers a break in our routine, prompting a three-day weekend in the sun—or a three-hour snow delay at the airport. Some holidays are lightweight and fun—watermelon and fireworks—while others set the stage for a delicious meal or a family drama. This episode has some of them all. A five-year-old girl holds a gun at a Thanksgiving turkey shoot; a seven-year-old boy drinks beers at a family gathering; and a stand-up comic works a challenging New Year's Eve gig...in Alaska. Plus we go "Between The Lines" with Paul Hostovsky.
Angela Derecas Taylor John Pielmeier Jennifer Rawlings Paul Hostovsky
October 26, 2022
Halloween has been around for more than a thousand years, and its origins can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival during which it was believed that the souls of the dead returned to their homes. In this episode we present true stories of premonitions, superstitions, and apparitions plus, go “Between the Lines” with David Masello.
Corinne O’Shaughnessy Sharon Forman Ed McCann David Masello
October 5, 2022
There simply is no other place in the world like New York. Its architecture, culture, and general buzz combine to make New York the greatest city in the world. But New York is also a collection of unique neighborhoods, people. and stories, and we've selected three of those stories—a child wonders if she’s Catholic, Jewish or both; a young man takes a job managing old ones in an S.R.O. hotel; and a native New Yorker shares advice for newcomers. Plus, go “Between the Lines” with Ann Levin.
Eileen Palma-Moskowitz John Gredler Vivian Manning-Shaffel Ann Levin
September 20, 2022
You never forget your first puppy, your first car, or your first love. Some firsts are mundane, (first olive), while others are unforgettable (first high dive). A first can be a solemn rite of passage or a dream come true, and some firsts supply practical knowledge (like, for example, why you should avoid games involving dice and money, or why tequila shots are actually a very bad idea). This episode features three rich personal “First Time” stories, plus, we go “Between the Lines” with Reyna Gentin on a writer’s power to create entire worlds.
Cari Pattison David Masello Ed McCann Reyna Gentin
September 7, 2022
Bus rides and best friends. Marching band and mean girls. Homeroom and home grown. Whether high school was the site of your fondest memories or the scene of the crime, the stories we've selected from a live show might just transport you to that not-so-distant world of nerds, jocks, and stoners. Plus, we go “Between the Lines” with Sarah Bracey White.
Annabel Monaghan Art Bell Julie Trelstad Sarah Bracey White
August 23, 2022
It’s not about fame. Or about money. Or dinner at Per Se. Gratitude is the key to happiness, and in this episode, we serve up three original stories of gratitude. Jamie Bernstein has journeyed along the familiar human landscape of ups and downs, arriving at a surprising moment of grace. Malachy McCourt reflects on life's gifts now that he's reached the stage of his life that he describes as "the departure lounge." Mihai Grunfeld asked his mother to share a story of Auschwitz. And she did, exactly once. And on this edition of "Between the Lines," writer, teacher, and mentor Steven Lewis discusses the value and virtues of a terrible first draft.
Jamie Bernstein Malachy McCourt Mihai Grunfeld Steven Lewis
August 10, 2022
Poets and singers and writers of all types have been writing about love for millennia. In this century, the novelist and essayist Ursula LeGuin wrote, "Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new." For this show, we've selected three stories from our "Love and Marriage" event that we presented on stage at Sarah Lawrence College in New York's Westchester County. Plus, Marie Proeller Hueston goes “Between the Lines.”
Honor Finnegan Margarita Meyendorff Kathy Curto Marie Proeller Hueston
July 27, 2022
Ah, summer—a break from school and a time to sleep in and hang out with friends. Or maybe instead it's a time to catch the bus, clock in, and put on your nametag. We've assembled a trio of summer job stories from talented writers who recall those summer days all too well. Plus go "Between The Lines" with David Masello.
Jennifer Rawlings Sarah Bracey White Annabel Monaghan David Masello
July 13, 2022
This episode focuses on bonds in Jewish life with personal stories about cousins who connect only after a family death; a Jewish/Christian family unexpectedly united by food, and a connection between two Holocaust victims and an elderly, ebullient survivor. Plus we go "Between the Lines" wondering if writing is a calling or work like any other.
Marilyn Oguz Katz Lynn Edelson David Masello Ann Levin
June 15, 2022
You save it to spend it. You crave it, you lend it. Does anyone ever really have enough time? It's a precious resource, and our days and our lives are often shaped and guided by the clock. This episode explores time from a college student’s race against a curfew, the sixty-second increments of an imprisoned man’s days, and an older gay man’s nostalgia for times past. Plus on "Between the Lines", how does a mother find time to write?
Sarah Bracey White Ann Casapini David Masello Kathryn Rice.
June 1, 2022
James Taylor surprises the audience by joining Yo Yo Ma onstage; The enduring resonance of John Coltrane; Leading an elementary school band—via Zoom. This selection of personal stories are all linked by music, and were part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope Festival. Plus go “Between the Lines” with Jeremiah Horrigan on one writer’s process to shape—and tell—a story.
Lynn Edelson Julie Evans Leanne Sowul Jeremiah Horrigan
May 18, 2022
Its architecture, culture, and general buzz combine to make New York the greatest city in the world. But New York is also a collection of unique neighborhoods, people, and stories. In this episode, stories of a childhood in an ethnic enclave, dining in a private club and escaping to surburbia.
David Masello Dan Zevin Marie Proeller Hueston Lisa E. Davis
May 3, 2022
For most of us, our mother is our first love. For a time, she is our entire world, serving as our protector, nurturer, and teacher. Our relationships with our mothers is simple and elemental, while at times being the most fraught and complicated relationship we’ll ever know. And if you ARE a mother, you know it is at once the most rewarding and toughest job there is.
Kate Mayer Sarah Bracey White Jennifer Rawlings Lucy Iscaro
April 20, 2022
When our Executive Editor and Founder, Ed McCann, was a kid, his family took summer camping vacations in the Adirondacks. They drove five hours north from New York City to a paradise of trees, lakes, and more stars than he'd ever seen. Night time conversations around a crackling fire enriched his life and influenced its direction. Not all writers had the same idyllic experience however!
Anna Paret Ann Levin Marilyn Ogus Katz Steven Lewis
April 6, 2022
National Library Week is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries promote library use and support. Since 1958, National Library Week's been sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April. Learn more at the American Library Association website, ALA.org. We celebrated with gripping personal stories of resilience, passion, and commitment and then, went “Between the Lines” with David Masello.
Cindy Clement Carlson Krystia Basil Sarah Bracey White David Masello
March 9, 2022
The St. Patrick's Day holiday is often larded with a kind of “shamrockery” or “paddywhackery” that makes some of us cringe a bit. You know—the mugs of green beer and those big "Kiss Me I'm Irish" buttons and t-shirts. Instead of overcooked corned beef and cabbage, we acknowledge the holiday with four rich personal stories reflecting the lived experiences of Irish and Irish-American writers.
Anthony Murphy Malachy McCourt Edward McCann Colin Broderick
February 23, 2022
For most of us, birthdays are mile markers in our lives—and in the lives of our children, parents, grandparents—the people we matter to, and who often matter most to us. On this episode, Sharon Forman recalls a milestone birthday linked to profound events in her young life, Jeanne-Marie Fleming reflects on her son's birth and the relationship they share, and Leah Moore grapples with developmental milestones at her daughter's first birthday party. Plus, on "Between the Lines," writer Ann Levin recalls her family's tradition of writing the (dreaded) birthday poem.
Sharon Forman Jeanne-Marie Fleming Leah Moore Ann Levin
January 26, 2022
This podcast was part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope Festival, examining the life-affirming power of music and the arts during times of crisis. How we respond to stressful or even appalling circumstances determines our path and shapes our life. This episode features three personal stories of resilience, recovery, and renewal. Plus, we go “Between the Lines” with Chicago Tribune columnist Sally Schwartz and learn the one thing she really needs in order to write.
Marshall Karp Jennifer Rawlings Ann Levin Sally Schwarz
January 12, 2022
Real learning begins when we enter the world, our lives a cinematic fast forward from first steps to algebra tests, to falling in and out of love—the whole gamut of lived human experiences. They are rites of passage, or life lessons, and that’s the theme of this episode. Plus we go "Between the Lines" with writer Leanne Sowul on the sometimes unlikely origins of creativity.
Annabel Monaghan Cari Pattison Edward McCann Leanne Sowul
December 22, 2021
One awkward Christmas Eve, a newlywed finds herself at a family gathering with her husband and her former (and first!) lover; another woman insists her husband adhere to a strict holiday decorating aesthetic; and a third woman reflects on establishing her own unique holiday riturals. Hear it all on “‘Tis the Season,” plus, go “Between the Lines” with Robert Moulthrop.
Kathryn Mayer Lynn Edelson Ann Levin Robert Moulthrop
November 10, 2021
Our brothers and sisters know us better than perhaps anyone and—love them or not—our relationships with our siblings are likely to be longer than the ones we'll have with our parents or spouses or best friends — the longest relationships we'll have with anyone, ever. In this episode we feature true sibling stories from Mary Catherine Bolster, Betty MacDonald, and Edward McCann. Plus, we go “Between the Lines” with Steven Lewis.
Mary Catherine Bolster Betty MacDonald Edward McCann Steven Lewis