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“You and your hosts have a wonderful banter and so much experience. It was a joy listening to you while I was traveling . . . I need to listen a second time to absorb all the wonderful information provided.” — Nicole C., fiction writer & MFA candidate

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Episode 30 (18 December 2025) — We return briefly to the topic of point of view, but move on to discussing the newly re-established literary journal Short Story, the growing interest among writers in fantasy, speculative fiction, and other genres besides (or mixed with) literary, issues of revisionist work as it relates to copyright, reoccurring motifs as a narrative technique, among other topics. The featured short story is “The Fog” by Roseanne Pereira in The Shanghai Literary Review, No. 9. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Bonus Episode 9 (30 November 2025) — Co-host Ted Morrissey encourages writers and poets to send their work to journals and small-press publishers — but warns that the odds of acceptance are long. Everyone is buried in submissions, he points out, and most places only publish a tiny percentage of the work they receive. Therefore, he recommends sending work to multiple places (as long as they accept “simultaneous submissions”). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 29 (23 November 2025) — In large part we discuss point of view in this episode, first-person versus third-person, and even second-person POV. We consider what constitutes a novella as opposed to a long story or a novel. We also discuss when to provide descriptions of characters and settings, etc. Other topics related to writing and publishing are covered as well. The featured short story is “The Last Avocado on Earth” by Tracy Neiman, published in Mississippi Review, 53.1-2. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Bonus Episode 8 (7 November 2025) — Many (most?) writers of short stories find the idea of writing an entire novel rather daunting. In this episode Ted Morrissey discusses why that transition may seem so difficult, and he offers some specific strategies for re-framing the goal of writing a novel so that it seems more manageable. He refers to some well-known novels — like Ulysses, To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre — as well as his own fiction as illustrations. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 28 (30 October 2025) — The episode was recorded before a live audience at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Oct. 30. The house was packed as we discussed Halloween-themed topics, especially the tradition of the vampire in horror writing. It was a shorter episode than usual, and instead of discussing a featured short story we took questions from the audience. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Bonus Episode 7 (27 October 2025) — Brady Harrison interviews Grant Tracey about his new Hayden Fuller Mystery, A Shoeshine Kill, as well as other projects. They didn’t plan for the interview to become available to the public, or to become Bonus Episode 7 of the podcast. But it is filled with fascinating insights about the writing process, and is a genuine behind-the-scenes look at dedicated writers who are always trying to evolve their craft. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Bonus Episode 6 (21 October 2025) — Co-hosts Brady Harrison and Grant Tracey gave readings from their recently released novels A Journey to Al Ramel and A Shoeshine Kill, respectively. Brady read from a section near the beginning of his novel, while Grant read “A Cap for Tom,” one of the bonus Eddie Sands stories in the paperback and Kindle editions, as well as the opening section of A Shoeshine Kill. A 20-minute Q&A with audience members followed their readings. Topics included the inspirations for the novels, the importance of place for their narratives, how to find one’s narrative voice, and the different sensibilities when writing short-form versus long-form fiction. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 27 (16 September 2025) — The discussion includes the challenge of marketing books; systems for keeping track of where submissions have been sent; and other writing-related topics. The featured short story is “To Believe in the Ubiquity of Animation” by Mary Elizabeth Dubois, published in Boulevard (39.1). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 26 (14 August 2025) — Topics include Grant’s new film By the Stars of Saint Matthew; Brady’s new novel A Journey to Al Ramel; the pros and cons of providing explanatory material in a creative work (like footnotes); the advantages of various points of view in narration; as well as other writing-related topics. The featured short story is “When the Rain Comes” by Colleen Mayo, published in The McNeese Review (62). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 25 (21 July 2025) — The co-hosts discuss Brady’s newly published novel, A Journey to Al Ramel; the sources of inspiration for writing fiction; whether or not fiction writers have “agendas”; and other writing-related topics. The featured short story is “Everything Must Go” by Becky Hagenston, published in Washington Square Review (53). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Bonus Episode 5 (2 July 2025) — Podcast co-host Ted Morrissey talks about his recent participation in the 17th International Conference on the Short Story in English, held in Killarney, Ireland, June 17-25, 2025. He discusses some of his takeaways, especially regarding the current state of affairs when it comes to contemporary fiction, particularly the short story. (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 24 (11 June 2025) — Among the writing-related topics are the finer points of shooting and editing a film; whether or not journals seeking “First Rights” is an obsolete relic from an earlier publishing age; and the pros and cons of publishing in better-known versus lesser-known journals. The featured short story is “Next to Cleanliness” by Rose Keating, published in Volume 0 (07). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

Episode 23 (19 May 2025) — We discuss the process of sequencing, especially in terms of film editing and putting together a collection of poems; various aspects of popular fiction; challenging reader expectation; and other writing-related topics. The featured short story is “Marla and Ben, and Anansi and Tiger” by Subraj Singh, published in Michigan Quarterly Review (Spring 2025). (YouTube — Spotify — Apple)

For earlier episodes, see the podcast archive here

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Brady Harrison’s short fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in numerous journals, including Aethlon, High Desert Journal, The Long Story, Short Story, and Twelve Winters Journal.  He is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books, including the novel A Journey to Al Ramel and the collection The Term Between (winner of the High Plains Book Award). He has lived in France and Ireland, as well as in Missoula, Montana. Visit Brady’s webpage.

Ted Morrissey’s novel excerpts, short stories, poems, critical articles, reviews, and translations have appeared in more than 140 publications (Glimmer Train Stories, North American Review, Southern Humanities Review, Bellevue Literary Review). His most recent novels are The Strophes of Job, Crowsong for the Stricken, Mrs Saville, and The Artist Spoke. Delta of Cassiopeia: Collected Stories and Sonnets was released in 2023. His debut poetry collection — Aspiring Child: A Biography of Mary W. Shelley — will be released in 2026. Retired from full-time teaching, he continues to teach creative writing and literature classes online for Lindenwood University and Southern New Hampshire University. He is the publisher of Twelve Winters Press and its various entities. Visit Ted’s webpage.

Grant Tracey is the author of four Hayden Fuller novels — Cheap Amusements, A Fourth Face, Neon Kiss, and A Shoeshine Kill — as well as story collections, including Final Stanzas. His crime noir pieces have appeared in Tough, Groovy Gumshoes, Bang!, FreedomFiction.com, Twelve Winters Journal, and elsewhere. He wrote and directed the film By the Stars of St. Michael, released in 2025. Grant teaches creative writing and film classes at University of Northern Iowa, where he’s been a long-serving editor of North American Review. Visit Grant’s webpage.

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