Today, we bring you a story by Terry Barr with a secret he’s kept most of his life. This story highlights the importance of telling the truth and letting go of shame, in this case, about sexual assault. You’ll also hear Terry’s pitch when he submitted his essay to the podcast. AND, we discuss structure. Terry’s structure is exactly what Allison loves. If you want to hear your own stories on Writing Class Radio, this is a great episode to hear. This episode will help you understand what we look for and how to land a story on our show.

Terry Barr writes about music and culture at medium.com/@terrybarr. His most recent essay collection, The American Crisis Playlist was nominated for a 2022 Pushcart Prize. His work can also be found at Tell Your Story, storySouth, and Under the Sun. He lives in Greenville, SC, with his family.

Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski and Aiden Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Emia.

There’s more writing class on our website, writing class radio dot com including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon.

For $35/month you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison, Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Zorina Frey Wednesdays 7-8pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re looking to take your writing to the next level, for $145/mth you’ll get First Draft and Second Draft. In Second Draft, each week, three people bring a second draft for feedback.

Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and most importantly, the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.patreon.com/writingclassradio.

A new episode will drop every other WEDNESDAY.

There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?