The Metaworker Podcast

Dec 13 2024 22 ep. 51 mins

The Metaworker Podcast artwork

The Metaworker Podcast is brought to you by the staff of The Metaworker Literary Magazine. We publish new and established writers, and look for work that surprises or that doesn’t fit anywhere else. We've published so much great stuff over the years but, as often happens with online magazines, the good stuff can get lost in the shuffle. So we created this podcast to discuss some of our favorite pieces and to delve deeper into the reasons we decided to publish them. Our goal is to make the publishing world a little less murky, and to get you inspired to keep writing. We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed creating them! | THE METAWORKER STAFF: Elena Lucia Perez, Editor in Chief; Melissa Reynolds, Editor; Cerid Jones, Editor | FIND US ONLINE: www.themetaworker.com | www.patreon.com/metaworker | @TheMetaworker on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

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022 | Creating Anthologies, Part 3

Dec 13 2024 58 mins

Elena, Mel, and Cerid are back with updates. Elena asks Mel how it feels now that River and Stone is out in the world, Cerid discusses the fun challenge of arranging the order of pieces in her anthology Artificial Sweetener, and the trio discuss the thought and care that goes into book design and illustration. Mel’s anthology, River and Stone, is now available for purchase as an

021 | Creating Anthologies, Part 2

Oct 11 2024 42 mins

Elena, Mel, and Cerid get technical and discuss the software Mel used to create her books, plus the benefit of hiring a professional book designer, and fostering a community of new and seasoned writers and editors who can learn from each other. Mel and Cerid also share their marketing plans, as well as their hopes and projections for the projects once they are released into the wor

020 | Creating Anthologies, Part 1

Oct 04 2024 67 mins

Episode Description: Elena talks with Mel and Cerid about their upcoming anthology projects outside of The Metaworker. They discuss how the projects got started, how they chose pieces to publish, and the process of editing those pieces into a book. They also discuss editor/author dynamics and the joys of creating the anthologies for their communities. Referenced in this episode: Ri

019 | Pushcart Prize Nominees, Part 2

May 08 2024 42 mins

Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Chris Cooper, Frank Njugi, and Linda Lacey. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we chose to nomin

018 | Pushcart Prize Nominees, Part 1

May 01 2024 43 mins

Episode Description: In this two-part series, we celebrate our Pushcart Prize nominees. This episode features Amita Basu, Daniel Brennan, and Marie-Louise McGuinness. We asked each author to read an excerpt from their poetry or prose and to share some insights about their piece and themselves as writers. Elena, Mel, and Cerid also discuss what we loved about each piece and why we c

017 | A Writer’s Life For Me: Catchup with Matthew Maichen, Part 2

Dec 01 2023 53 mins

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about writing rituals, how they create characters, and the benefits and drawbacks of writing with or without a plan. They discuss the importance of respecting readers and doing research when writing about vulnerable topics, then Matthew shares an excerpt (rated NC-17) from one of

016 | A Writer’s Life For Me: Catchup with Matthew Maichen, Part 1

Nov 08 2023 40 mins

Episode Description: Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about his writing and publishing journey since he stepped away from leading the magazine. They discuss writing query letters, the challenges of marketing a novel and finding stories you didn’t know you were looking for. They also discuss what goes on behind the scenes in the slu

015 | The Borderland Furies by Oisín Breen

Mar 13 2023 53 mins

Episode Description: Matthew, Elena, and Mel talk with Oisín Breen about his poem “The Borderland Furies” and about his new book of poetry, Lillies on the Deathbed of Étaín, published by Beir Bua Press. We discuss how to approach reading poems that we don’t understand on a first read, a reader’s interpretation of a poem vs. the author’s intention, and looking at the wo

014 | In the Willow Garden by Isabel O’Hara Walsh

Feb 24 2023 74 mins

Episode Description: Matthew, Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with Isabel O’Hara Walsh about her short fiction piece “In the Willow Garden”. Content Warning: We discuss victims of trauma and abuse reclaiming their narratives, the process of writing dark and difficult stories, and the need to take care of one’s mental health while doing so. We also discuss different perspectives

013 | Ink Runs In Our Veins: Editors Chat Part 3

Aug 17 2022 35 mins

Episode Description: In this final episode of the editors chat, Matthew, Elena, Mel and Cerid get personal. They talk about their own writing projects and how they approach their craft, they share what they get up to outside of their fiction lives and finally wrap things up by providing a list of great books from the recent reads they loved. Referenced in this episode: Mermaids Mon