In this episode, Laurie Hertzel, a distinguished professor of practice in the University of Georgia’s MFA Narrative Nonfiction program, interviewed Emily Strasser about her book, “Half-Life of a Secret: Reckoning With a Hidden History.”  Emily visited Athens in January to speak to our MFA students during their winter residency. In this conversation, she discussed  her 10 years of research and writing about her grandfather’s role in developing the atomic bomb while a scientist in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, home to the top-secret Manhattan Project. She also talked about her growth as a jour ..read more

In this episode, Lookout Books editor and writing professor KaToya Ellis Fleming (MFA '18) reflects on the work of editing the award-winning anthology Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic. Bigger Than Bravery was edited by the late Valerie Boyd who founded the MFA in narrative nonfiction program at UGA. Publishers’s Weekly listed Bigger than Bravery among their Big Indie books of fall, Library Journal named it one of the best books of 2022 and Foreword Indies named it the silver winner for Anthologies. It also won the Georgia Author of the ..read more

Samantha Bresnahan, a 2018 MFA graduate, reads a chapter from her book “In the Blood, Flowers Bloom,” which is currently seeking a publisher. The story follows American and Japanese veterans of Iwo Jima during World War II and how the keepsakes that soldiers took from enemies kept the battle alive long after the fighting stopped. Bresnahan’s story concerns the trauma of war, but is ultimately about the necessity of reconciliation and forgiveness, no matter how long that takes. Bresnahan is a senior writer and copy editor at CNN in the international features division, where she has worked for m ..read more

Mark Shavin reads a selection from his book-length manuscript “Unforgettable: Marriage, Memory and Madness in a Small Southern Town,” which is currently seeking a publisher.  The story follows Harold Riley, who lost his memory following brain surgery in 1971, and his wife, Elaine, as she tries to help Harold relearn how to live in the world. A veteran reporter and TV broadcaster, Shavin lives in Atlanta and teaches journalism at Georgia State University. He is a 2018 graduate of the Grady Nonfiction MFA program. In this episode, Shavin discusses his decades-long research into the Rileys ..read more

In this episode, poet, educator and environmental writer James Murdock (MFA ‘21) discusses how using poetry, place and the natural world around him informed the reporting and writing of “Orange is the New Peach.” The piece was recently featured in Food Stories: Writing That Stirs the Pot, an anthology published by The Bitter Southerner. James says good writing is built on the fine art of paying close attention and this article is no exception. Here is the link James’ story, “Orange is the New Peach:” https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2021/orange-is-the-new-peach Here are a few of the poets ..read more

Moni Basu reads her story, "In Search of Spirits in Cassadaga," originally published in Flamingo Magazine.  Basu, a member of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction faculty, travels to the quiet Floridian community of Cassadaga, known as the psychic capital of the world and home, since 1894, to followers of Spiritualism, a faith that believes that we never truly die. Instead, we leave our bodies and become another form of matter and our spirit selves can still interact with the living.  Over the years, a mysterious shroud surrounded Cassadaga. It's known as a mecca for mystics ..read more

In this episode, Shannon McCaffrey (MFA ‘23) and Distinguished Professor of practice Jan Winburn discuss the challenges Shannon ran into while reporting and writing, “Sanctuary,” the love story between a woman named Carol and an elephant named Tarra and their 50- year bond that was published earlier this year in Atavist Magazine. Shannon’s article was described as “lyrical” by Sunday Longform, in part, because of the many beautifully constructed scenes contained in the narrative, as well as the emotion she was able to evoke from her main character.   Shannon has worked as a journalis ..read more

In this episode, Distinguished Professor of practice John T. Edge interviews author Paul Kix about his latest book You Have to Be Prepared To Die Before You Can Begin to Live, which chronicles 10 critical weeks of the Civil Rights Movement. From nuts and bolts questions on how to keep a story moving forward, and how to humanize grandiose questions like how to change the world through narrative this conversation gets to the core of why we write. Paul's weekly newsletter This Week Paul Likes offers practical writing advice and inspirati ..read more

Mississippi writer and poet Beth Ann Fennelly, author of the genre-bending Heating and Cooling, spoke at the nonfiction program’s residency in January 2023. She asked students to explore the art of micro-memoir. "What should we do when we can’t figure out how or where to start our story?" she asked. The answer? Start small. Precisely because they are so small, hummingbirds can do things other birds can’t do. In this episode of Hear-Tell, we delve into the art of writing short. You’ll hear Fennelly, Grady's new MFA program director, Moni Basu and two MFA students, Beth Burch and Colin Dono ..read more

Martin Padgett reads an essay titled “Underneath the Sweet Gum Tree,” originally published by the Oxford American, and adapted from his book, “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head: Drag, Drugs, Disco, and Atlanta’s Gay Revolution” (W.W. Norton, 2021). The story follows Frank Powell, an architect of Atlanta’s queer nightlife from the 1960s until his death in 1996. One of Powell’s many nightclubs, the Sweet Gum Head, offered gay Atlantans a safe space to be themselves long before queer culture became popular culture. Padgett’s story details the progress made in the South and the United S ..read more