The Writer's Voice: Novelists, Poets, Memoirists & Editors Share Their Stories

The Writer's Voice: Novelists, Poets, Memoirists & Editors Share Their Stories

Author: Creative Process Original Series December 13, 2025 Duration: 14:12

How do writers develop their voice, showing us what is important in life?

ADA LIMÓN (24th U.S. Poet Laureate, Startlement, The Carrying) explains that her poetry begins with a bodily sensation or curiosity, not an idea. She values the space and breath poetry offers for unknowing and mystery, finding solace in the making and the mess, not in answers. She discusses being free on the page to be her whole, authentic, complicated self.

JAY PARINI (Author, Filmmaker, Borges and Me) calls poetry the prince of literary arts—language refined to its apex of memorability. He recounts how his road trip with Borges around Scotland restored him from depression and anxiety following the Vietnam War death of his friend.

JERICHO BROWN (Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet, The Tradition, How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill) discusses the rhythm of black vernacular and capturing "symphonic complexity of black life". He shares how he’s found a way not to think about personal risk as he’s writing.

ADAM MOSS (Fmr. Editor, New York Magazine; Author, The Work of Art) relates David Simon’s concept of the bounce, in which creativity gains momentum as it is passed between people.

VIET THANH NGUYEN (Pulitzer Prize-winning Author, The Sympathizer; To Save and to Destroy) discusses his path to expansive solidarity and capacious grief and how it works against the state's power to divide and conquer. He emphasizes that literature is crucial because authoritarian regimes abuse language; a commitment to the beauty of language is a commitment to truth, and fear is often an indicator of a truth that needs to be spoken.

To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.

Episode Website

www.creativeprocess.info/pod

Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast


Within the broader collection of The Creative Process, this curated series focuses specifically on the vital intersection of creativity and social change. Social Justice & Activism brings forward voices often working at the grassroots: organizers from environmental movements, representatives of Indigenous groups, and artists and writers whose work is inseparable from advocacy. These conversations, part of the Creative Process Original Series, move beyond abstract theory to explore the lived experiences of people who have devoted their lives to making a tangible difference. We hear directly about their motivations, their artistic or strategic practices, and how they navigate challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The discussions delve into personal history and professional work, revealing how creative thinking fuels activism and how the drive for justice shapes art and literature. Guests include acclaimed figures from various fields-winners of honors like the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer-who use their platform for impact, alongside frontline activists whose stories are equally compelling. This podcast provides a space for deep, thoughtful dialogue that connects the personal with the political, the artistic with the actionable. It’s for anyone interested in how change is imagined, built, and sustained through a blend of conviction and creativity. Each episode offers a unique perspective on the ongoing struggle for a more equitable world, highlighting the human stories behind the headlines.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Social Justice & Activism - The Creative Process - Activists, Environmental, Indigenous Groups, Artists and Writers Talk Diversity, Equity and inclusion
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