WHAT YOU SAID…
Nancy Brier
If I could bottle up self-consciousness and pour it into a voice, that’s what I did when I recorded my story. Then I sent it off to ladies who can say words like “pussy” and “shit” and write FUCK in all caps to a stranger. Wow, I learned so much from you two. I love what you did with my piece, your masterful edits, your super kind discussion and the amazing email you forwarded. You two are charming, skilled, and inspiring. Thanks for working with me. It is truly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a writer.
Writing class radio is changing me and my relationship to my life, in very profound ways. I’m very grateful to all of you, and especially to Andrea and Allison.
--Maxine Poupko
I’m addicted to your podcast. It has given me comfort in the worst of times and has helped me understand myself.
--Michelle Schweitzer
Ken guidroz
I'm a fan of writing class radio and love the banter between Andrea and Allison. When I heard Allison critique Andrea's pieces I thought she was spot on. She hates cliche and boring but loves the emotional and poignant. When I heard this I knew she was the editor for me. And she's exactly as advertised, only a little nicer than I thought she'd be.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been obsessed with your podcast. I heard Andrea announcing it one day as I listened to Modern Love on my way to work. I immediately downloaded the app, and 5 seconds into episode 1, I was hooked!
You've probably heard this before, but one of the things I liked the most about listening to the podcast from the the beginning -when you were still struggling with the audio and production technicalities- is how real and honest it felt. The first episodes sounded more like drafts or prompt responses, raw and unfiltered, like things that come out from the profound need to tell a story (most likely your individual need to create and share). As you keep going, the episodes, as well as the writing, get more crafted, more polished, and you sound more comfortable on your own roles as hosts and storytellers. At the same time the stories have grown more open, more daring and vulnerable. I've really enjoyed witnessing that evolution.
--Zaly
I am a first grade teacher at the International School of Yaounde in Cameroon. I heard an advertisement for your podcast the other day after listening to either Modern Love or Fresh Air. Writing, and especially the teaching of writing, has always been a struggle for me. We use Lucy Caulkins Writers Workshop model, but I don’t always have all of the materials, etc, etc. I started listening to your podcast this weekend and I loved it. I have been writing notes and page starters like crazy. Then this morning, in the shower, I had the idea to try your model of giving a prompt, a time limit and then opportunities to share…just like your class, with my class of first graders. Today I said, “Write about your mom.” And they did…and I did. And they wrote and wrote and everyone shared and then they wrote more and then they went to music class and then they came back and wrote more. I am happy if they write 5 sentences and today most of them wrote 5 pages.
Last year I wrote on a sentence strip “We all have stories to tell” to inspire us to write everyday. I was happy to hear you say, "Everybody has a story to tell - what’s yours?” It is written on my white board. And I really love this and today it proved so true…”There is no better way to know each other than by writing and sharing stories.” I referred to it several times!
I love your podcast.
Thanks for what you do.
—Wendy Perry
Hi Andrea and Allison,
I’m a writer and teacher and I have been listening to The Writing Class Radio podcast for years — and recommending it to my students! Your pilot episode featuring a mother who lost one of her twins to a congenital birth defect hit very close to home. I wrote about my son’s experience with the same condition for The New York Times. I am beyond grateful that unlike that author, our baby’s story has a happy ending.
—Amy Paturel
