Best Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner (NaNoWriMo Podcasts (2025)

1
Jane Alison and Jeannine Ouellette on Craft and Form 48:50

13h ago48:50

48:50

This week marks the beginning of our August round-ups where we choose our favorite episodes from the prior year as we gear up for our new season. We’re revisiting two of our personal favorite authors and subjects: craft. Tune into Jane Alison and Jeannine Ouellette to glean insight and inspiration about your writing and the structures, forms, playf…

1
John B. King on The Career Memoir 51:54

8d ago51:54

51:54

This week, our final episode of our seventh season, features John B. King Jr., who served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. This is a book about mentors who helped King along the way and how he rose in the ranks of public education to eventually be appointed as Secretary. Brooke and Grant discuss what it …

1
W. Kamau Bell on Creating Conversations in a Complicated, Comedic World 48:23

15d ago48:23

48:23

Join us for a conversation about all the ways our creativity is fueled by our stories—the stories of who we are and what we have to tell. Guest W. Kamau Bell tells stories through so many mediums, and this episode explores his approach to creativity, conversation, and advocacy. We have a couple links we mention in the show that we’re dropping here:…

1
Jeff Hiller on The Celebrity Memoir 48:16

22d ago48:16

48:16

This week Memoir Nation ventures into waters rarely touched except when speaking “about” the topic. Yep, it’s celebrity memoir. Jeff Hiller, author of the new memoir, Actress of a Certain Age, is a celebrity, but only so newly so that we feel he’s an appropriate ambassador of the genre—someone who straddles that otherworldly space and the real worl…

1
Prabal Gurang on Why No Outside Validation Is Needed 47:26

29d ago47:26

47:26

Memoir Nation has a touching episode this week with fashion designer Prabal Gurang, who shares about his relationship with his mother, who, in allowing him to pursue his joy, encouraged him also to pursue his dreams of fashion design. We discuss the power of reading a memoir aloud and the emotions that evokes, and about authenticity on the page whe…

1
Molly Jong-Fast on Opening a Vein on the Page 40:58

1M ago40:58

40:58

Molly Jong-Fast’s new memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, is celebrity memoir meets real literary merit. As fans of Molly’s podcast and political commentary, and also because we had Molly’s mother, Erica Jong, on the show back in 2023, we were eager to connect with Molly to talk about mother-daughter dynamics, the buzz and controversy this book is get…

1
Jennifer Croft on How Illustrations and Photos Inform and Enhance Memoir 45:11

1M ago45:11

45:11

This week Grant and Brooke consider images as enhancements to memoir. Historically publishers have tended to regard images in memoir with reservation, but that’s been changing in recent years. Guest Jennifer Croft’s recent memoir, Homesick, is accompanied by her own Polaroids. When should photos be included, or central? And what are some other memo…

1
Sara Kehaulani Goo on Writing as Kuleana 42:12

2M ago42:12

42:12

This week’s Memoir Nation show is an exploration of Hawai’i, heritage, and land—part of the story told in guest Sara Kehaulani Goo’s new memoir: Kuleana. Kuleana is a word that means “responsibility” in the most broad terms, but as you’ll hear in this interview, Kuleana can be anything that you are safeguarding for the world. As such, you’ll hear a…

1
Victoria Chang on Exploring Silence 43:25

2M ago43:25

43:25

Victoria Chang has been one of the country’s most prolific poet-writers of the past few years, with a series of books exploring universal topics of grief, shame, silence, legacy, and identity. This week Brooke and Grant chose to explore silence and its impact on families, on selfhood, and of course on our writing. Victoria’s insights and disclosure…

1
Elissa Altman on Permission 54:18

2M ago54:18

54:18

All memoirists at some point in the writing process will grapple with what’s theirs to tell. This week's show focuses on this all-important topic of permission. When do you need it? Who gives it to you and when and for what purpose? And do you need permission at all—from anyone but yourself? Centered around topics in guest Elissa Altman’s latest bo…

1
Vauhini Vara on Where Self Meets Technology 49:31

2M ago49:31

49:31

This week’s show is a fun and fascinating consideration of all the ways we’re shaped by technology and how we are technological beings, more and more with each passing year. Grant and Brooke share their earliest internet, email, and social media interactions, and connect with guest Vauhini Vara, whose new book, Searches, explores our online footpri…

1
Amanda Knox on Reclaiming Your Story on Your Terms 56:00

3M ago56:00

56:00

This week, Amanda Knox granted us a special interview that delves into the power of memoir to reclaim your own narrative. This episode touches upon themes that run through Amanda’s new memoir—about what it means to be free, how we live with the stories that are told about us, and how memoir can be a vehicle to release yourself from the stories othe…

1
Nicole Graev Lipson on Self as a Fictional Character 47:33

3M ago47:33

47:33

On the heels of Mother’s Day, tune into Memoir Nation this week for a conversation about *mother as character*—among many other potential characters any one of us might be on the page. Guest Nicole Graev Lipson explores the idea of where fiction ends and truth begins when you’re a woman through this fascinating conversation prompted by her recent m…

1
Jill Ciment on What It Means to Reconsider a Memoir? 37:57

3M ago37:57

37:57

This week on Memoir Nation, Jill Ciment joins us to talk about what it means to reconsider a previously written memoir, and what that says about the nature of truth. We’re diving into the unreliability of truth, how we see things differently over time, and the nature of memoir as a flawed container for our stories. We’re also two weeks into the reb…

1
Grant Faulkner and Brooke Warner present: Write-Minded Is Now Memoir Nation 22:31

3M ago22:31

22:31

We’ve been waiting a long time to make this announcement, and the day is finally here. Write-minded is rebranding as Memoir Nation—and along with Memoir Nation the podcast comes Memoir Nation the community and website, and an annual event we’ll be kicking off in January called JanYourStory. On this week’s episode, Grant and Brooke share the news, a…

1
How to Read in Public, featuring Jorah LaFleur 46:33

4M ago46:33

46:33

Writers, authors, you do not want to miss these great insights about reading on stage, taking up space, and generally being yourself—only amplified—when you read your work in public. Guest Jorah LaFleur brings a wealth of encouragement and permission, along with some great tips to improve your presence when you perform or read aloud. Learn more abo…

1
Write What You Know, featuring Betsy Lerner 45:46

4M ago45:46

45:46

This week we’re featuring longtime agent and publishing pro Betsy Lerner on her debut novel, Shred Sisters. We talk about being an industry insider and whether that gives you a leg up, as well as the old adage to write what you know. Betsy shares with us how her lived experience shows up in this book, noting that Freud would have a field day—and be…

1
Brooke & Grant on Miranda July’s All Fours 32:42

4M ago32:42

32:42

A few weeks back, Grant suggested Write-minded dedicate a whole episode to All Fours, by Miranda July—and we decided to do it. This week Brooke and Grant explore All Fours as a novel of a generation, and talk about who Miranda July is, why the book has hit such a zeitgeist moment, and whether publishers can anticipate or make these kinds of success…

1
You’re Going to Have Feelings About Publishing, featuring Kate McKean 44:09

4M ago44:09

44:09

Write-minded delves into publishing again in this week’s show, specifically focused on traditional publishing and the feelings that are part of the journey. Brooke and Grant connect with literary Kate McKean about her new book, Write Through It, which really is a roadmap to everything you want to know about how to stay the course on your publishing…

1
Shapeshifting, featuring Lidia Yuknavitch 43:55

4M ago43:55

43:55

This week we invite one of our favorite authors, Lidia Yuknavitch, back to Write-minded to discuss her new book, Reading the Waves, as well as how we can re-envision and reimagine our past experiences through the practice of asking questions and reconsidering what we think we know. “Shapeshifting” is Lidia’s word, and the book (as well as this conv…

1
Writing to Save Your Life, featuring Samina Ali 41:27

5M ago41:27

41:27

This week’s episode tells the story of a dramatic and traumatic story, and how writing played a central role in recovery and changing the outcome of one author’s life. This week’s episode is an epic tale as much as it is interview, and it will change the way you think of the power of writing to charge your neurons and heal your mind—not to mention …

1
Hard-Won Wisdom, featuring Sari Botton 46:28

5M ago46:28

46:28

If part of why you write is because you have some things to share from a life well- or hard- or fully lived, then you’re in good company. Personal writing is about connection, and making sense of our experience, and this week’s guest, Sari Botton, knows a thing or two about what brings writers to the page. She is a champion of personal writing and …

1
The Suburban Novel, featuring Tom Perrotta 51:28

5M ago51:28

51:28

There’s a caveat out the gate here, which is that in this week’s interview, Tom Perrotta stipulates that he writes about people and communities and the dramas that unfold—in places that just happen to be the suburbs. That said, we’re bringing you a great and often funny conversation with Perrotta about his decades of work, how his character Tracy F…

1
Infusing Mystery into Literary Fiction, featuring Jean Kwok 43:46

5M ago43:46

43:46

This week's guest is Jean Kwok, a writer known for writing literary thrillers, which is the blending of literary writing and mystery, resulting in tension-filled books with exciting twists. Jean brings fantastic insights into complex literary structures and the importance of knowing what you’re doing. A fun listen for anyone who loves their mysteri…

1
How to Submit, featuring Dennis James Sweeney 48:30

6M ago48:30

48:30

This week, Grant and Brooke talk with Dennis James Sweeney about his new book, How to Submit. If you've ever felt intimidated by the submissions process; wondered what some of the common pitfalls are when it comes to submitting, or if you need a reframe about how to think about submitting, this show is for you. Dennis has an encouraging and helpful…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Brooke Warner And Grant Faulkner (NaNoWriMo Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Memoir Nation

Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner

1
Jane Alison and Jeannine Ouellette on Craft and Form 48:50

1
John B. King on The Career Memoir 51:54

1
W. Kamau Bell on Creating Conversations in a Complicated, Comedic World 48:23

1
Jeff Hiller on The Celebrity Memoir 48:16

1
Prabal Gurang on Why No Outside Validation Is Needed 47:26

1
Molly Jong-Fast on Opening a Vein on the Page 40:58

1
Jennifer Croft on How Illustrations and Photos Inform and Enhance Memoir 45:11

1
Sara Kehaulani Goo on Writing as Kuleana 42:12

1
Victoria Chang on Exploring Silence 43:25

1
Elissa Altman on Permission 54:18

1
Vauhini Vara on Where Self Meets Technology 49:31

1
Amanda Knox on Reclaiming Your Story on Your Terms 56:00

1
Nicole Graev Lipson on Self as a Fictional Character 47:33

1
Jill Ciment on What It Means to Reconsider a Memoir? 37:57

1
Grant Faulkner and Brooke Warner present: Write-Minded Is Now Memoir Nation 22:31

1
How to Read in Public, featuring Jorah LaFleur 46:33

1
Write What You Know, featuring Betsy Lerner 45:46

1
Brooke & Grant on Miranda July’s All Fours 32:42

1
You’re Going to Have Feelings About Publishing, featuring Kate McKean 44:09

1
Shapeshifting, featuring Lidia Yuknavitch 43:55

1
Writing to Save Your Life, featuring Samina Ali 41:27

1
Hard-Won Wisdom, featuring Sari Botton 46:28

1
The Suburban Novel, featuring Tom Perrotta 51:28

1
Infusing Mystery into Literary Fiction, featuring Jean Kwok 43:46

1
How to Submit, featuring Dennis James Sweeney 48:30

Quick Reference Guide