Episodes — Truer Words

Tirzah Price

In the 48th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Tirzah Price about writing authentic rural teens, historical fiction, and making adaptations of Jane Austen feel fresh.

Tirzah is the author of the upcoming JANE AUSTEN MURDER MYSTERIES, starting with PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION, and has a story in the new RURAL VOICES: 15 AUTHORS CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT SMALL TOWN AMERICA anthology. Tirzah can be found on Instagram @tirzah.price and Twitter @tirzahprice. Her website is TirzahPrice.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Publisher’s Weekly review of RURAL VOICES

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

You’re Wrong About . . .

New York Film Festival

The West Wing

The West Wing reunion

Ted Lasso

4 Reasons Why I Love Hopepunk by Robin Galbraith

The Trial of the Chicago 7

RURAL VOICES: 15 AUTHORS CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT SMALL TOWN AMERICA edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Our episode with Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Agatha Christie

Death Comes to Pemberley

Georgette Heyer

Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen

Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

The Agency series by Y.S. Lee

Dear America

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Writing for Children and Young Adults program at VCFA

Bookriot

Taylor Martindale Kean (Tirzah’s agent!)

Forest App

SelfControl App

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Real Men Knit by Kwame Jackson

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham-Jones

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

Bodyguard on the BBC/Netflix

Designated Survivor

Tirzah’s articles on Book Riot

All the Books Book Riot podcast

Read This Book newsletter for Book Riot

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonOctober 18, 2020

Hayley Chewins

In the 47th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Hayley Chewins about lyrical middle grade, writing and literature in South Africa, and missing coffee shops in a pandemic. Hayley is the author of two middle grade novels, The Turnaway Girls and The Sisters of Straygarden Place. Hayley can be found on Twitter @hayley_chewins. Her website is HayleyChewins.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Common Cause

Sign up to do Election Protection!

Vote Save America

Postcards to Voters

NYC Board of Elections

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

UnREAL on Lifetime

PEN15 on Hulu

That’s So Gay’: How ‘PEN15’ Nailed the Heartbreaking Experience of the Closeted Y2K Middle-Schooler - The Daily Beast

Literally, What Did We Do When We Were 13? - The Cut

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Shelley Tanaka

Noisli

Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Stavely

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonOctober 4, 2020

Samantha Kolber

In the 46th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Samantha Kolber about poetry, motherhood, and indie bookselling in a pandemic. Samantha has received a Ruth Stone Poetry Prize and a Vermont Poetry Society prize, and her manuscript “Jewel Tones” was a semifinalist with the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry’s 2019 First Book Prize. She coordinates author events at Bear Pond Books and is the Poetry Series Editor at Rootstock Publishing. Her chapbook, “Birth of a Daughter,” is availabl now from Kelsay Books. Samantha can be found on Instagram @sampoetmfa and Twitter @Samanthakolber. Her website is SamanthaKolber.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Museum of the City of New York

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Kerry Winfrey

Our episode with Kerry Winfrey

Tweet from R.O. Kwon:

“I've never been more convinced of the absolute necessity of art. Often, the best part of my day has to do with art of some kind, books, photos, music, movies, all of it; often, it's the only good part of my day. It's like my pandemic Popeye spinach & artists, I thank you.”

New Girl

The Complications of Hilma af Klint lecture

The Parent Trap (1998 Lindsay Lohan version)

The Parent Trap (Hayley Mills version)

Bewitched

Julie and the Phantoms

Julie and the Phantoms novel by Micol Ostow

Our episode with Micol Ostow

All the President’s Men

Dick

Dick, the 1999 teen Watergate comedy, captures the enduring weirdness of political scandals by Alissa Wilkinson

The People vs. OJ Simpson

OJ Simpson: Made in America

Veep

Register to vote

What is a Chapbook? from Writer’s Digest

Kelsay Books

Keep This to Yourself by Kerrin McCadden

The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms by Ron Padgett

Fruit Rot by James R. Gapinsky

Hunger Mountain Journal for the Arts

Rootstock Publishing

To the Man in the Red Suit by Christina Fulton

Kirkus Reviews

Bear Pond Books

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi

Libro.fm

Bookshop.org

Poetry Foundation

Poetry 180 ed. by Billy Collins

Best American Poetry 2019 ed. by Major Jackson

Please Excuse This Poem edited by Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick

Ada Limon

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (*I said “East Bay” but it’s about the Golden State Killer)

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark series

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Saving Ruby by Catherine Adel West

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonSeptember 21, 2020

Sarah Mirk

In the 45th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Sarah Mirk about comics journalism, zine-making, and telling the stories of Guantanamo Bay. Sarah is the author of several books, most recently Guantanamo Voices. Sarah can be found on Instagram @sarahmirk and Twitter @sarahmirk. Her website is mirkwork.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

You Do You by Sarah Mirk

Sex from Scratch by Sarah Mirk

Open Earth by Sarah Mirk, illustrated by Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre

March graphic novels

Making the Met exhibit

Making the Met audio tour narrated by Steve Martin

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai

New Girl

What We Do in the Shadows

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

Black Enough anthology edited by Ibi Zoboi

The X-Files

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Nib

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

Pose

The Great

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonSeptember 6, 2020

Kristina Forest

In the 44th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Kristina Forest about classic Hollywood, acting dynasties, and how working at the library prepared her to write for children. Kristina is the author of I Wanna Be Where You Are and Now That I’ve Found You. Kristina can be found on Instagram @kristinaforest_ and Twitter @kristinaforest. Her website is kristinaforest.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood

Matt Sayles / Matt’s instagram

The Black List

The Black List Earmovies archive - Selznick’s Folly (based on a book of the same title) is the Hattie McDaniel biopic. We can’t link to it directly but you can listen or download it on the page; there is also a separate episode featuring an interview with screenwriter Gesha-Marie Bland.

Heidi Joyce’s Stand Up Against Domestic Violence

Randall Craig Fleischer

Youngstown Symphony Orchestra Virtual concert with Randall Craig Fleischer

Brother Jimmy’s

Wet Hot American Summer

What We Do in the Shadows

A French Village

Rick Steves’ Europe

Travel Man

The Trip / The Trip to Italy / The Trip to Greece

The Durrells in Corfu

No Offense by Meg Cabot

Rachel Fershleiser

Jasmine Guillory

Nora Roberts

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

How Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industry. Then She Got Pushed Out - Texas Monthly

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Philadelphia Story

John David Washington

The New School MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults

Our episode with Christina Bryza

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

The Last Dance

Chloe x Halle

The Gift - Beyoncé

Black is King - Beyoncé

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonAugust 23, 2020

Micol Ostow

In the 43rd episode of Truer Words, we speak with Micol Ostow about writing for Riverdale and Archie comics, making your own opportunities, and Sweet Valley High. Micol can be found on Instagram @micolostow and Twitter @micolz. Her website is micolostow.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Mediabistro.com

Save the Cat! Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody

Our episode with Erin Foley Chan

Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Beach Read by Emily Henry

The Turnaway Girls by Hayley Chewins

Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest

Get a portrait from the Sweet Valley High portraitist

Mean Girls movie / Mean Girls novelization by Micol

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Riverdale / Riverdale book series by Micol

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Sarah Rees Brennan

Sabrina the Teenage Witch series with Melissa Joan Hart

Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa by Micol

Alloy

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Feed by M.T. Anderson

ttyl by Lauren Myracle

family by Micol

So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol and illustrated by David Ostow

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Heeb Magazine

The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol and illustrated by David Ostow

David Ostow in The New Yorker

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Alex Segura / Alex on Twitter

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

Sullivan, Who Is Always Too Loud by Micol, illustrated by Brian Biggs

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Worst Bestsellers Big Little Lies podcast episode

The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Patricia Cornwall

Tana French

Marvel Cinematic Universe movies

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Captain America

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonAugust 9, 2020

Kate Pentecost

In the 42nd episode of Truer Words, we speak with Kate Pentecost about Akira Kurosawa, historical research, and keeping up with teenage slang. Kate is the author of the young adult novel Elysium Girls. Kate can be found on Instagram @katepentecost and Twitter @pentecostelle. Her website is katepentecost.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

$279 a Day: Good Luck Finding a Cheap Rental Car in N.Y.C

Slow Novel Lab with Nina LaCour

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Angel

Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast

Angel on Top podcast

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Tirzah Price

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

Beach Read by Emily Henry

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

The Dust Bowl Ken Burns documentary

No Man’s Land Historical Society

Dust Bowl Museum at No Man’s Land

The Great Unknowable End by Kathryn Ormsbee

Truer Words episode with Kathryn Orsmbee

Once Upon a Crime

Unsolved Mysteries

Where the Crawdad Sings by Delia Owens

Studio Ghibli

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonJuly 26, 2020

Anna Birch

In the 41st episode of Truer Words, we speak with Anna Birch about fan fiction, tarot, croissants, and character building. Anna is the author of the debut YA novel, I KISSED ALICE. Anna can be found on Instagram @ab_is_writing and Twitter @almost_anna. Her website is annabirchbooks.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix

The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

Clueless

Babysitters Club style/Claudia’s homage to Clueless

Dick streaming on Showtime

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Beastie Boys

BabySitters Club audiobooks

Caboodles

Rachel Shukert

Glow

Love Me by Rachel Shukert

Starstruck by Rachel Shukert

Smash recaps for Vulture by Rachel Shukert

Kathryn VanArendonk’s review of The Babysitters Club

Babysitters Club graphic novels

Raina Telgemeier

Harry Potter series

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

The Iliad by Homer

The Odyssey by Homer

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by C.S. Lewis

Jessica Dore

The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin

Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck

Art Nouveau tarot deck

Golden Thread tarot deck

Sailor Moon tarot deck

Maggie Stiefvater tarot deck

PitchWars

The Language of Cherries by Jen Marie Hawkins

A Dangerous Year by Kes Trester

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Thank You Books in Crestwood, Alabama

The Emperor’s New Groove

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Grand Designs

Property Brothers

The Restoration Man

Escape to the Country

Escape to the Continent

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonJuly 12, 2020

Ann Dávila Cardinal

In the 40th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Ann Dávila Cardinal about haunted towers, Puerto Rican horror, and the benefits of low-residency MFA programs. Ann is the author of the young adult horror novels FIVE MIDNIGHTS and CATEGORY FIVE, co-author of SISTER CHICAS, as well as the Director of Student Recruitment for Vermont College of Fine Arts. Ann can be found on Instagram @anndavilacardinal and Twitter @anndcardinal. Her website is annhcardinal.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

America to Me on Starz

Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Hope, and Terror During a Pandemic

Vermont College of Fine Arts

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Lucifer

Midsommar by directed Ari Aster

Hereditary directed by Ari Aster

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonJune 28, 2020

Robyn Schneider

In the 39th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Robyn Schneider about the ups and downs of publishing, bioethics, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Robyn is the author of several young adult novels, including YOU DON’T LIVE HERE, which comes out June 2nd. Robyn can be found on Instagram @robynschneider and Twitter @robynschneider. Her website is robynschneider.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Our Black Lives Matter post with lists and links

Our Modern Minstrelsy by Kekla Magoon

Black Book, TV Show, and Movie Recommendations #BlackOutTuesday by Akilah Brown

Kristina Forest Believes Black Girls Deserve Happy Endings Too

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Grey’s Anatomy

The West Wing

See Jane Write: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Chick Lit by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

The Great on Hulu

The Witcher on Netflix

The Favourite

Hayao Miyazaki scores on Spotify

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) original by Billy Joel

Veronica Mars

The OC

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonJune 14, 2020

Black Lives Matter

via blacklivesmatter.com

To our Truer Words listeners:

We at Truer Words support Black Lives Matter. Black stories matter. Black art matters. We know you have already seen a lot of lists and resources going around about how to support Black creatives and Black lives at this time. We want to share our own, related to our interest in the work of making art.

In addition to learning more about the history of oppression (and how to be not just “not racist” but anti-racist, as many non-Black people are doing right now), it’s important to read and watch stories that center Black joy. Treat art by Black creators as art first rather than merely as teachable moments. This Horn Book essay by Kekla Magoon discusses the narratives that majority-white gatekeepers of publishing often impose on Black authors. This interview with Kristina Forest discusses the need for stories about Black girls with happy endings. This blog post by Akilah Brown emphasizes that stories about Black people do not exist to educate non-Black people about racism, and offers suggestions for books, TV, and movies that do not cater to the white gaze or learning experience. We created this list with these ideas in mind. It’s not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a jumping off point to discover more art by Black creatives. And we would be remiss not to include Matt Sayles’s beautiful photography of Black actors, writers, musicians, directors, and more.

Podcasts

Still Processing - Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham

The Spectrum Lounge - ReBecca Theodore-Vachon

Thirst Aid Kit - Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins

Dinner for One - Sutanya Dacres

Why Won’t You Date Me - Nicole Byer

25 Black Womxn Podcasters That You Need to Listen to Right Now - curated by @pod.draland

Movies/Documentaries

A Wrinkle in Time - Ava DuVernay

If Beale Street Could Talk - Barry Jenkins

Love and Basketball, Beyond the Lights - Gina Prince-Bythewood

Selah and the Spades - Tayarisha Poe

The Photograph - Stella Meghie

Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Film critic Jourdain Searles’ favorite Black movies

Criterion Lifts Paywall to Stream “Daughters of the Dust” and More Black Films for Free

TV

Black-Ish and Grown-Ish

Shadow and Act’s Top 50 Black TV Shows of the Decade

Books/Authors

Alyssa Cole

Beverly Jenkins

Jasmine Guillory - our episode with Jasmine

Talia Hibbert

Black Romance Novels Matter Too - Carole V. Bell via Shondaland

The Importance of Black Science Fiction - Michelle Mashuro via blackgirlnerds.com

Coe Booth

Kristina Forest (episode coming later this summer!)

Ibi Zoboi

Brandy Colbert

This Is What I Know About Art - Kimberly Rose Drew

Rita Williams-Garcia

The Season of Styx Malone - Kekla Magoon

Jason Reynolds

Varian Johnson

Piecing Me Together - Renee Watson

Elizabeth Acevedo

Claire Kann

45 Black Young Adult Novels to Add to Your TBR - via Afoma Umesi

Black Joy Booklist for Children and Young Adults - Alia Jones, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

The Brown Bookshelf

20 Books by Black Jewish Authors You Should Read - via Emily Burack for Hey Alma

We know that we can do better with our own platform, and we commit to diversifying our guest list by interviewing more Black creatives. - Kathryn & Melissa

Kathryn BensonJune 5, 2020

Jenny Torres Sanchez

In the 38th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Jenny Torres Sanchez about Ray Bradbury, poetry, and magical realism. Jenny is the author of five young adult novels, including WE ARE NOT FROM HERE, which comes out May 19th. Jenny can be found on Instagram @jennytsanchez and Twitter @jetchez. Her website is JennyTorresSanchez.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Slow Novel Lab

Nina LaCour

Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu

Angel on Hulu

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

The Fall of Innocence by Jenny Torres Sanchez

The Half of It on Netflix

Cyrano de Bergerac

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum

Highlights Foundation

Highlights Magazine

Jody Casella

Las Musas

Laurie Halse Anderson

Jerry Spinelli

Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Prophecy Girl

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny

All Summer in One Day by Ray Bradbury

Alex Villasante

Donna Higuera

Those Winter Sundays poem by Robert Hayden

John Green

A.S. King

Lauren Gibaldi

The Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Which Way Home

Disappeared by Francisco Stork

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

The Everything I Have Lost by Sylvia Zeleny

Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonMay 17, 2020

Jules Thomson

In the 37th episode of Truer Words, we speak with Jules Thomson about her musical influences, recording her first album, and writing fantasy novels. Jules can be found on Instagram @conjure_shrubs. Her album can be streamed on Bandcamp: Independence Day - Jules Thomson Effect.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Angel

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

Elaine Stritch singing “I’m Still Here” at Sondheim’s 80th Birthday Gala

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

A Parks and Recreation Social Distancing Special

Never Have I Ever

Mindy Kaling

Buffering the Vampire Slayer

Slayerfest ‘98

The Stories We Tell by Kristen Lepionka

Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

The Ripped Bodice

Joule-Thomson Effect

Florence and the Machine

Eleventh Hour Lecture Series: Iowa Writers Workshop

Mary Allen: Writing and the Power of Now

Writing Excuses

Write-Minded

Writers Aloud

How Fiction Works by James Wood

By Cunning and Craft by Peter Selgin

Virginia Woolf

Vladimir Nabakov

The Bonnie Road by Suzanne d’Coursey

Little Women by Greta Gerwig

Portrait of A Lady on Fire

Plants and People in Ancient Scotland

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre miniseries

You’re Wrong About

Queery by Cameron Esposito

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonMay 3, 2020

Nicole Kronzer

In the 36th episode of Truer Words, we speak with UNSCRIPTED author Nicole Kronzer about improv, gender in comedy, and A Streetcar Named Desire. Nicole can be found on Twitter @nicolekronzer and Instagram @nicolekronzer. Her website is nicolekronzer.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Christina Bryza

Our episode with Christina Bryza

Brene Brown on “Comparative Suffering”

Our episode with Erin Foley Chan

Rumble Boxing on Instagram

Down Dog Yoga

Mary Horne Yoga / Mary’s YouTube channel

Gluten-Free Matzo recipe

Cottage Cheese Dill Bread

All-of-A-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

Hart of Dixie

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Roseanne Rosannadanna

The Sleepover sketch from the first season of SNL episode hosted by Madeline Kahn (transcript) / tribute video

The Gap Girls on SNL

Gene Luen Yang

American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

David Levithan

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Sara Crowe

Our episode with Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Monty Python

The Three Stooges

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

Some Like It Hot

Alison McGhee

Holly McGhee

Books narrated by Julia Whelan

Julia Whelan on Twitter

Orphan Black

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams / movie

My Fair Lady

Kiss Me, Kate

The Taming of the Shrew

Nickolas Butler

Historic Charleston app

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Jenae Marks

A Breath Too Late by Rocky Callen

Our episode with Rocky Callen

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

The Alex Award

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Nicola Yoon

The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

His Girl Friday

What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee

Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Maurene Goo

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Taherah Mafi

Knives Out

Monty Don’s Big Dreams Small Spaces

The Repair Shop

Agnes Varda

Ydessa, the Bears, etc. teddy bear documentary

Little Women by Greta Gerwig

Frances Gabe’s (inventor of the self-cleaning house) obituary in the New York Times

All That Heaven Allows

CatStronauts by Drew Brockington

Maureen Johnson

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonApril 19, 2020

Rocky Callen

In the 35th episode of Truer Words, we speak with A BREATH TOO LATE author Rocky Callen about mental health, embracing who you are, and writing about challenging subjects responsibly for teenagers. Rocky can be found on Twitter @rocky_writes and Instagram @rockywrites. Her website is rockycallen.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Jandy Nelson

Melissa’s friend Dr. Rachel Shively on CNN

PJ Library seder plate activity

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Emma. directed by Autumn de Wilde

Georgette Heyer

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Babylon Berlin

The Great Pottery Throwdown

Big Dreams, Small Spaces

Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonsen

Hope Nation

Jenny Torres Sanchez

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale tv show on Hulu

Embrace Your Weird by Felicia Day

Masterclass

RuPaul’s Masterclass

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonApril 5, 2020

Social Distancing with Kristy Everington and Marianne Murphy

Kristy is the author of Isobel Adds It Up, which will be released from Random House in fall 2021. She can be found on Twitter @kmeverington. Marianne is a teaching artist, poet, performer, animator and modern day da Vinci (per Melissa). Her classes are available at The Writing Center. Marianne can be found on Twitter @flamingoboots, Instagram @flamingoboots, and her website is flamingoboots.com. You can also buy her prints at Society6.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Mary Horne yoga on YouTube

Mary’s instagram has more info on online classes

Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Cate Berry

Our episode with Cate Berry

The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Marianne’s first episode with us discussing The Artist’s Way

Quarantine Art Club by Carson Ellis

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Outbreak

Contagion

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Gumroad

Little Fires Everywhere based on the book by Celeste Ng

Dare Me based on the book by Megan Abbott

Cheer

Pop Culture Happy Hour episode about Cheer and Dare Me

The Plot Against America based on the book by Philip Roth

How to pronounce Turturro

Babylon Berlin

New York Times Crossword

Wordscapes

Everything’s Going to Be Okay

Please Like Me

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens

The Great Pottery Throwdown

Terrace House

The Bachelorette

The Real World

Emma. directed by Autumn de Wilde

The Invisible Man directed by Leigh Whannell

Headspace

MNDFL Meditation on Instagram

Shannon_Esti on Instagram

Outlander based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonMarch 23, 2020

Nora Shalaway Carpenter

In the 33rd episode of Truer Words, we speak with author Nora Shalaway Carpenter about editing an anthology, depicting rural voices in young adult literature, and comforting murder mysteries.

Nora is the author of The Edge of Anything, which will be released on March 24th, 2020, the Rural Voices anthology (to be released October 13, 2020) and the picture book Yoga Frog. She can be found on Twitter @norawritesbooks and Instagram @noracarpenterwrites. Her website is noracarpenterwrites.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Sleepless in Seattle

Meg Cabot

Stacy Abrams / Selena Montgomery

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Mary-Winn Heider

Tirzah Price

Victoria Wells-Arms

Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Sanditon

Emma directed by Autumn de Wilde

Little Women directed by Greta Gerwig

Murdoch Mysteries

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

Miss Fisher’s Mysteries

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonMarch 8, 2020

Emmy Potter

Photo Credit @villagecatproductions on Instagram

In the 32nd episode of Truer Words, we speak with writer and actor Emmy Potter about subverting stereotypes, good and bad voiceover, and how acting led to her writing career. Emmy has written for publications like Bright Wall/Dark Room, the Belladonna, CultureSonar, and more! Emmy can be found on Twitter @emmylanepotter and Instagram @emmylanepotter.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Light in the Piazza

I’m Not at All In Love

Great American Songbook

My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall

The Souvenir

Nick Nadal

Ray Bradbury short stories

Truman Capote short stories

Walking as Creative Fuel - Brainpickings

Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Matt Weiner on what he learned working on The Sopranos

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Girl, Interrupted directed by James Mangold

See Jane Write by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs

Ready Player One (movie) by Steven Spielberg

Ready Player One (book) by Ernest Cline

Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese

End of the F***ing World on Netflix

Life Isn’t Everything: Mike Nichols, as remembered by 150 of his closest friends by Ash Carter and Sam Kashner

Fleabag on Amazon Prime

Call My Agent! aka Dix Pour Cent on Netflix

The Good Place

Heartburn (movie) directed by Mike Nichols, written by Nora Ephron

Heartburn (book) by Nora Ephron

Postcards from the Edge (movie) directed by Mike Nichols, written by Carrie Fisher

Postcards from the Edge (book) by Carrie Fisher

Schitt’s Creek

Clueless

Succession

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Angels cover by Jessica Simpson

Angels by Robbie Williams

Miss Americana Taylor Swift documentary on Netflix

Gaga: Five Foot Two Lady Gaga documentary on Netflix

Coal Miner’s Daughter

Loretta Lynn

On Becoming a God in Central Florida on Showtime

Dolly Parton

Bright Wall/Dark Room

A League of Their Own

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonFebruary 18, 2020

Juleah del Rosario

In the 31st episode of Truer Words, we speak with author Juleah Del Rosario about verse novels, writing retreats, and librarianship. Juleah is the author of YA novels 500 Words or Less and the upcoming Turtle Under Ice. Juleah can be found on Twitter @juleahwrites, Instagram @juleah.delrosario, and her website is Juleahdelrosario.com.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Nova Ren Suma

Our episode with Nova Ren Suma

Djerassi

A.M. (Amanda) Jenkins

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

Ghost pottery scene

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

“The Unexpected Pleasure of Being Mediocre” by Laura Lippmann

Seth Rogen’s pottery

Art gifts made by writer David Rakoff

Jami Attenberg

Adrienne Kisner

Our episode with Adrienne

Abigail Hing Wen

Our episode with Abigail Hing Wen

Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonFebruary 2, 2020

Tracy Sayre

In the 30th episode of Truer Words, we talk to Tracy Sayre about her evolution from painter to writer/director! Tracy and the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge can be found on Twitter @WWfilmchallenge, Instagram @womensweekendfilmchallenge, and at womensweekendfilmchallenge.com.

Content warning: Melissa and Tracy briefly discuss rape and sexual assault around the 58 minute mark of this episode.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Little Women by Greta Gerwig

Atlantics by Mati Diop

The Farewell by Lulu Wang

Hustlers by Lorene Scafaria

You Have to Fail A Little (Melissa’s piece on Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola for Bright Wall/Dark Room)

Wendy Wasserstein

The Heidi Chronicles

Uncommon Women and Others

Women’s Weekend Film Challenge

Katrina Medoff (Tracy’s co-founder of Women’s Weekend Film Challenge)

Lily + Mara - Tracy’s short film co-directed by Caroline Roberts

Our episode with Christina Bryza

Agnès Varda

Leslie Schultz BRIC Entertainment

Kathryn O’Kane

Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix

Lightbulb Grip & Electric

Transformers

Avengers

Gotham Sound

Museum of the Moving Image

Queens Council of the Arts

Olivia Wilde Talking About a Gender-Swapped Reading of American Pie

It’s A Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman

Harvey Weinstein article

The HeSo project

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Succession on HBO

Girls on HBO

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Kathryn BensonJanuary 19, 2020