May Swenson on the Sad Men Podcast

Sad Men Podcast ImageThe third episode of the Sad Men Podcast is up, exploring the Great Depression writings of the great poet, May Swenson.

Swenson worked for the Federal Writers Project, a radical piece of New Deal legislation that put hundreds of unemployed writers back to work creating city guidebooks, cultural essays, and oral histories in the mid 1930s.

Swenson joined the folklore unit of the Federal Writers Project, interviewing a series of department store workers, immigrants and factory employees at the National Biscuit Company.

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The Legend of Euchre

cardsThis summer, I wrote about the card game of euchre at The Awl.

Follow this link to read “The People’s Card Game.” Here’s an excerpt:

“These days, most Americans don’t even recognize the word “euchre,” but it has been kept alive by loyal bands of Midwestern card players who live in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, a geographical body dubbed the ‘Euchre Belt.’”

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Best Writing Music of 2016

1d422b21f86f0e43e7983b833d1489f7What’s your favorite writing music from 2016?

Over at Spotify, I rounded up my annual list of the best music that helped me write this year. That’s 21 hours of inspiring instrumental music for your writing pleasure…

During my days as the editor of GalleyCat, I created a collection of other Spotify playlists from some of my favorite writers. I’ve linked to them below…

Haruki Murakami Spotify Playlist
My playlist the Japanese novelist included songs mentioned in Murakami’s novels South of the Border, West of the Sun, Norwegian Wood, and 1Q84.

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Writer’s Guide to Patreon

patreon_logoAre you struggling to find a way to support a long-term creative project?

Over at GalleyCat, I wrote an essay to help creators use Patreon to fund ongoing writing projects.

It’s called “What Writers Need To Know About Patreon.”  Here’s an excerpt:

“Patreon helps creators of everything from web videos to novels to comics raise a “sustainable income” for their work, building a community of fans who provide monthly support. Horror novelist Aaron Mahnke has 2,204 patrons on his Patreon page, earning a total of $11,167 per month to make his popular podcast about scary stories throughout history.”

Delmore Schwartz on the Sad Men Podcast

Sad Men Podcast ImageThe fourth episode of the Sad Men Podcast is up, looking at the poetry and prose of Delmore Schwartz.

Poet and author Craig Morgan Teicher joined us, talking about how the Great Depression reshaped the life and work of the poet.

You can read Schwartz’s work in the brand new collection, “Once and For All: The Best of Delmore Schwartz.” Our episode focused on Schwartz’s great poem, “Tired and Unhappy, You Think of Houses.”