Wild Precious Life

Julie Carrick Dalton’s most recent novel, THE FOREST BECOMES HER, has been described as “a lush, lyrical exploration of sisterhood, rage, and the sacred ties between women and the wild.” In this episode, Julie and Annmarie talk about Transcendentalism, favorite trees, the blessings of mugwort, and how to open our eyes more fully to the beauty of the natural world.

Episode Sponsors:

Porter Square Books: Boston Edition – A welcoming space to gather with neighbors, linger over books, read with kids, chat with booksellers, and feel part of the community. Whether it’s an author series, book club, or regular story hour, we’ll work to make it happen. Shopping with us also supports GrubStreet, one of the nation's leading creative writing centers. Learn more or shop online at portersquarebooks.com.

Belmont Books – An honest to goodness real mom-and-pop brick-and-mortar bookstore in beautiful Belmont, MA. Why would we open a bookstore in the age of Kindles, Kobos, iPads and eBooks? Because: Every town needs one; People still love to browse real books on real shelves; Traditional bookstores provide more help, expertise and personal service than online ones; Small town stores are centers where people come together in the most impromptu fashion and exchange ideas and stories, make new friends, and find support. Plus, real bookstores often come with coffee shops. Stop by or shop online at belmontbooks.com

Titles by Julie Carrick Dalton

Waiting for the Night Song

The Last Beekeeper

The Forest Becomes Her

Titles and Author Discussed in This Episode:

Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward

The Gatepost, by Tim Weed

Westerly, by Susan Donovan Bernhard

Follow Julie Carrick Dalton:

Twitter/X: @JulieCarDalt

Instagram: @juliecdalton

Facebook: @JulieCarrickDalton

Substack: Julie’s Plot Twist

juliecarrickdalton.com

Photo Credit: Sharona Jacobs

**Writing Workshops:

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.

For anyone interested in an August weekday accountability hour, you can sign up here.

For anyone looking for support writing their memoir, Annmarie is teaching a class here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Searles is the best-selling author of the novels Her Last Affair, Help for the Haunted, Strange but True, Boy Still Missing, and his latest, Single Girls, which is out now. In today’s episode, John and Annmarie discuss the joys and risks of the writing life, and the legendary career of Helen Gurley Brown, the most famous and transformative editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Bookstore Spotlights:

Three Lives & Company Booksellers – Three Lives is an anachronism.​ It’s the shop around the corner. A touchstone in a neighborhood. A place with a human face and a cast of characters. 84 Charing Cross Road colored by the time and place. A haven for people who read. We (the store and our customers) have grown up and evolved together. People come here to see and buy what we consider to be some of the best books available today. We thrive on discovering literary books that might otherwise be overlooked, and we are thrilled to give them to our customers. Stop by our West Village shop and learn more at threelives.com.

BookHampton – Situated in the village of East Hampton on Long Island's storied East End, BookHampton provides a vibrant year-round environment for discovering books that intrigue, amuse, educate, and inspire. A dedicated and knowledgeable staff, lively events with fascinating authors, and a warm, welcoming space all combine to create a community for book lovers. Stop by or shop online at bookhampton.com.

Books by John Searles:

Her Last Affair

Help for the Haunted

Strange but True

Boy Still Missing

Single Girls

Additional Authors and Titles Mentioned in This Episode:

The Foursome, by Christina Baker Kline

Take Me with You, by Stephen Rowley

The Amateur, by Chris Bohjalian

Helpless, by Jessica Knoll

Follow John Searles:

Instagram: @johnsearles

Facebook: @JohnSearlesAuthor

john-searles.com

**Writing Workshops:

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.

For anyone interested in an August weekday accountability hour, you can sign up here.

For anyone looking for support writing their memoir, Annmarie is teaching a class here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whitney Vale is the author of two chapbooks, Journey with the Ferry Man, and her latest, Sermon of Swallows, which is out now. Her poetry and prose have been published in Anti-Heroin Chic, Rogue Agent, Black Fork Review, and The Rumpus, among many others. In today’s episode, Whitney and Annmarie discuss the joy of a creative life, the pain of beginning again, and what it might look like if we committed ourselves to filling the world with just a little more beauty.

Bookstore Spotlights:

Newtonville Books – An independent bookstore located at 10 Langley Rd, in Newton, Massachusetts -- in the old stone building at the north corner of the triangle parking lot. Come for the books. Stay for the books. Learn more and shop online at newtonvillebooks.com.

Carmichael's Bookstores – In Louisville, Kentucky. From the very beginning Carmichael’s has been committed to being a community gathering place, open seven days a week and every evening. Our stores are in neighborhoods that hum with activity—walkers, joggers, dogs and children, families and couples—lively streetscapes never darkened by the shadow of a big box store. Carmichael’s is actively committed to Keeping Louisville Weird and spreading the word about the importance of buying from locally-owned businesses. Stop by any of our locations or shop online at carmichaelsbookstore.com

Authors and Titles Mentioned in This Episode:

Journey with the Ferry Man

Sermon of Swallows

Kelli Russell Agodon

Beth Ann Fennelly

Maggie Smith

Ada Limón

Kathleen Driskell

Sarah Freligh

Alison Hurwitz

Kristi Maxwell

Lung Hours, by Jessica Purdy

Diane Seuss

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Joy Harjo

Follow Whitney Vale:

Instagram: @whitneyvale

Facebook: @whitneyvale

whitneyvale.org

**Writing Workshops:

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.

For anyone interested in an August weekday accountability hour, you can sign up here.

For anyone looking for support writing their memoir, Annmarie is teaching a class here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara Lippmann is the author of the novel Lech and the story collections Doll Palace and Jerks. Her fiction has won the Lilith Prize and been honored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and her nonfiction has appeared in The Millions, The Washington Post, The Chicago Review of Books, Lit Hub and elsewhere. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Sara discuss the 80s, the 90s, the joy and pain of writing workshops, and what healing can look like when we must reach deep into the past to find our way forward again.

Bookstore Spotlights:

Narberth Bookshop – At Narberth Bookshop, we’re a community of readers, writers, and lifelong learners, and we look forward to welcoming you to our store. Stop by our Narberth, Pennsylvania store or learn more at narberthbookshop.com.

Powerhouse Arena – A laboratory for creative thought in Brooklyn, New York. Home to world-renowned art book publisher POWERHOUSE BOOKS, the Arena is a gallery, boutique, book store, performance, and events space. The POWERHOUSE ARENA showcases a series of landmark exhibitions, performances, and controlled mayhem fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, film, and television into a glorious whirlwind of captivating spectacle. And they’re opening a new location this summer at the Upper West Side in the Shops at Columbus Circle. Learn more and shop online at powerhousearena.com. 

Titles by Sara Lippmann: 

Hidden River

Lech

Doll Palace

Jerks

Smashing the Tablets, co-edited with Seth Rogoff

Other Titles Mentioned in This Episode:

The Delegation, by Avner Landes 

Consolation, by Deborah Shapiro 

The World Between, by Zeeva Bukai

Everybody Needs Something, by Melanie Pappadis Faranello

Follow Sara Lippmann:

Instagram: @sara.lipp

Twitter/X: @saralippmann

Bluesky: @saralippmann.bsky.social

Facebook: @saralippmann

Threads: @sara.lipp

Substack: @saralippmann

saralippmann.com

**Writing Workshops: 

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below. 

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here. 

For anyone interested in an August weekday accountability hour, you can sign up here. 

For anyone looking for support writing their memoir, Annmarie is teaching a class here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jill Christman is a 2020 NEA Prose Fellow and the author of If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays and two memoirs, Darkroom: A Family Exposure and Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood, and The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir. In today’s episode, Jill and Annmarie discuss healthcare, heartaches, and how to make it through when the thing we fear most comes true. 

Bookstore Spotlights:

Barrett Bookstore – The oldest and largest independent bookstore in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Woman-founded in 1939 and woman-owned today, Barrett booksellers develop relationships with authors (hosting many events like our yearly Ladies of Summer panel), partnerships with local schools and libraries, and friendships with our loyal patrons. Visit Barrett in Darien, CT or at barrettbookstore.com.

Newtonville Books – An independent bookstore located at 10 Langley Rd, in Newton, Massachusetts -- in the old stone building at the north corner of the triangle parking lot. Come for the books. Stay for the books. And learn more and shop online at newtonvillebooks.com.

Titles by Jill Christman: 

If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays 

Darkroom: A Family Exposure

Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood

The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir.

Follow Jill Christman:

Instagram: @jillchristmanwriter 

Bluesky: @jillchristman.bsky.social

Substack: @riverteethjill

jillchristman.com

**Writing Workshops: 

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below. 

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices