#173: Maggie Andersen — Memoir, Theatre and the Courage To Write

What does it mean to turn a life of art, love, and loss into story? How do we write honestly about the people who shaped us? And what can theater teach us about the art of memoir?In her debut memoir No Stars in Jefferson Park (Northwestern University Press), writer and professor Maggie Andersen tells a Chicago coming-of-age story that alternates between the exhilaration of founding a theater company and the devastating realities of loss, resilience, and rebuilding.In this conversation with Maggie Andersen, we discuss the craft of storytelling at the intersection of theater and memoir, what it means to write through loss, and the risks and revelations of choosing your own story.Resources and Links:No Stars in Jefferson Park About Maggie AndersenMaggie Andersen has published fiction and nonfiction in magazines such as Salt Hill, Blood Orange, the Los Angeles Review, Creative Nonfiction, Grain, Cutbank, and DIAGRAM. She has been a finalist for the Montana Prize for Nonfiction and has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize. She is an Associate Professor of English at Dominican University and an ensemble member at the Gift Theatre. Her debut memoir, No Stars in Jefferson Park, was published by Northwestern University Press in October 2025.   For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

The Diary of a CEO’s Director of Trailers, Anthony Smith, on capturing attention in the first few seconds, building cliffhangers and emotional momentum that keep audiences watching (or reading), and testing hooks and packaging without losing trust or story.You'll learn:Why you only have 3–5 seconds to earn attention, and what that changes about your opening lines and first scenes.How to take the guesswork out of hooks by testing titles and thumbnails to see what audiences actually care about.Ways to pull a more compelling later moment forward and work in reverse when the early material is setup.What makes a cliffhanger work across books and videos, and how to raise the stakes so people feel “gutted” not knowing the answer.How to build an “emotional rollercoaster” so the narrative never flatlines.Why sound and silence can help storytelling work, creating intensity and then giving the audience space to breathe.How to balance intrigue with respect for your audience by offering a “moment of value” instead of holding everything back.Why giving away too much can kill curiosity, and how to protect the reason someone keeps reading or watching.Resources and Links:📄 Interview transcriptMichael Bublé on The Diary of a CEO The Diary of a CEO YouTube ChannelJürgen Klopp on The Diary of a CEOSimon Kernick books Peter James BooksAnnie Jacobsen on The Diary of a CEOCreativity, Inc by Ed Catmull The Chimp Paradox by Steve PetersIncrease Your Productivity! Playlist - The Diary of a CEO CapCut for DesktopAdobe Premiere ProAnthony’s LinkedIn About Anthony SmithAnthony Smith is Director of Trailers at The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, where he leads storytelling through video for one of the world’s most-watched podcasts, and his work spans Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Sky, and Netflix. Through talks and consulting, he helps creators and brands combine narrative craft with human psychology to make emotionally engaging, purposeful content. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Poet, novelist, and broadcaster Salena Godden on turning love, grief, and fury into books and poems, surviving years in the wilderness before publication, and sustaining a boundaryless creative life through performance, early-morning writing, and community.You'll learn:Why you don’t have to be a “starving artist” and how to make powerful work while loving yourself and looking after your health.How to treat your story as uniquely yours, with material that no one else can reproduce.How Salena’s “rule of three” can help you balance meaning, generosity, and income in a creative career.Ways to draft poems and prose from an image or phrase and reshape darker early drafts into a final piece.How to write for “tomorrow you” first, using self-doubt and a critical future self as fuel for deeper revision.What it looks like to carry a memoir from years of rejection to publication without letting the work disappear.How to “compose on the lips” by walking, speaking drafts into your phone, and writing in the space between sleep and waking.Ways to ground yourself after writing emotionally charged work, including nature, slow rituals, and leaning on trusted loved ones.Resources and Links:📑Interview TranscriptSalena’s Books: Mrs Death Misses DeathPessimism is for LightweightsWith Love, Grief and FurySpringfield Road - A Poet's Childhood RevisitedFishing in the AftermathSalena's Instagram Poets, Musicians, and Authors mentioned: Jock ScottShane MacGowanJohn Cooper ClarkeNeneh CherryJoelle TaylorJenni FaganCider with Rosie by Laurie LeeBurning Eye BooksNational Theatre At Home - Medea (Greek Tragedy)Salena’s Roaring 20s Radio Show (Soho Radio)About Salena Godden:Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning novelist, poet, and broadcaster of mixed Jamaican–Irish heritage, and the author of the acclaimed debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death, which won the Indie Book Awards for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Gordon Burn Prize. Her books include the poetry collections Pessimism is for Lightweights – 30 Pieces of Courage and Resistance and With Love, Grief and Fury, and the literary childhood memoir Springfield Road: A Poet’s Childhood Revisited, and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Patron of Hastings Book Festival, and an Honorary Fellow of West Dean, Sussex.    For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Award-winning poet Mary Jean Chan on emotional truth in contemporary poetry, the imagery and juxtaposition that hold big feelings on the page, writing queerness, family and grief with care, and what submissions and prize judging reveal about poems that endure.You'll learn:Why emotional truth sits at the centre of Mary Jean’s work and how you can use it as a compass in your own poems.How to move from a single striking line into a finished poem by working on rhythm, line breaks, and imagery.What juxtaposition and understatement can do for poems about grief and other intense subjects (and how to avoid tipping into melodrama).How to decide whether a memory or idea belongs in a poem, a short story, or another form.Ways to write about queerness, family, and other vulnerable themes while setting boundaries that protect your relationships and your wellbeing.How to approach submissions, rejections, and prize lists so they support a long-term poetry practice rather than define your worth.What reading and judging for major prizes can teach you about sentences, images, and books that stand out in a crowded field.How to sustain a poetry life alongside teaching, study, and care by staying attentive to everyday moments and small pockets of time.Resources and Links:📑Interview TranscriptAdrienne RichPoetry SchoolNight Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong Submit your work to FaberPity by Andrew McMillanBilly-Ray Belcourt National Poetry Competition The Window by Mary Jean Chan Seamus Heaney Mary OliverWestern Lane by Chetna Maroo Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Whereas by Layli Long Soldier Contact page  About Mary Jean ChanMary Jean Chan is the author of the poetry collections Flèche and Bright Fear; Flèche won the Costa Book Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for multiple international prizes, while Bright Fear was a Guardian Best Poetry Book of 2023 and shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Writers’ Prize, and the Dylan Thomas Prize. They co-edited 100 Queer Poems, co-wrote Siblings, teach poetry on the MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, and have judged major awards including the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Bestselling novelist Adele Parks on her writing life, routines and techniques, character work, and creative strategies that have kept her stories fresh and her readership devoted for over two decades.You'll learn:How Adele moved from imitating other writers to trusting her own voice and background.How loss and adversity can shape resilience and urgency in writing.Why Adele treats discipline as a secret weapon and uses daily word targets to deliver a book a year.How to test ideas and use character interviews to build stories.How Adele outlines chapters, tracks point of view balance, and keeps multiple narrators emotionally coherent.The truth about plot in commercial fiction and what to do if you feel like “nothing happens” in your writing.How to handle criticism and reviews while still writing primarily to fulfil yourself.Why Adele writes to connect with readers, what “adding to the sum of happiness” means to her, and how she stays grounded around money and success. Resources and Links:📑 Interview TranscriptAdele in Platinum MagazineRachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes Our Beautiful Mess by Adele ParksPlaying Away by Adele Parks Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks Adele’s Instagram  About Adele ParksAdele Parks is the author of 25 bestselling novels, including the Sunday Times number one hits Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck; over six million English editions of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into 31 languages. She is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency in the UK, and in 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Self-published authors Anne Ditmeyer and Martin Lake share what it really takes to go indie, from choosing platforms and budgeting for editing, design, and ISBNs to redefining success, avoiding scams, and playing the long game of finding readers and building a sustainable writing life.  You'll learn:Why Anne and Martin chose self-publishing over traditional routes and how they framed readers as their gatekeepers.How both authors define success beyond bestseller lists, from “book as business card” to improving the craft across 25 books.The real timelines of an indie career, including slow early sales, backlist effects, and why self-publishing is a marathon, not a sprint.What a realistic budget looks like for editing, design, typesetting, audiobooks, and print on demand, plus where they chose to DIY or outsource.How they use platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Lulu, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, and Shopify, and why most sales still come through Amazon.Practical approaches to marketing that do not require a huge following, including series, mailing lists, events, workshops, and using your existing communities.The role of ISBNs, imprints, metadata, and print on demand for getting into libraries and bookstores, and why in-store placement is harder than it looks.Red flags to watch for with third-party “publishing services” and why due diligence can save you thousands in fees and frustration.   Resources and Links:📑Interview TranscriptMartin Lake’s Author PageOverride by Anne DitmeyerReedsyLulu FiverrBlurb Bookshop.orgIngram SparkAnne Ditmeyer Resources About the panelists:Martin Lake is a historical novelist who discovered his love of history and writing early in life and later combined those interests after careers as a teacher, college lecturer, conference planner, and business owner. He has written 25 novels and several short story collections set from ancient Minoan times to the present day, earning around $275,000 in royalties, most of it from self-published ebooks, and now focuses on writing series fiction, running writing groups, and sharing what he has learned about the indie long game. Anne Ditmeyer is a Paris-based designer turned writer, creative coach, and workshop facilitator who is American by birth and French by “hard work.” She runs global creative workshops such as Write Your Own Rules and Mapping Your Path, is known for her playful “banana mapping” exercises, and in 2024 self-published her first book, Override: What if there was another way? A pocket playbook for possibility, using platforms like Lulu, IngramSpark, and Amazon to distribute a small-format book that doubles as a business card for her workshops and speaking.  For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Anna Davis, novelist, agent, and founder of Curtis Brown Creative, shares how to turn a messy first draft into a strong, market-ready novel through diagnostic editing, practical rewriting tools, and a clear understanding of what agents actually look for.You'll learn:Why every writer’s process is different (and why messy drafts are fine).How to diagnose problems mid-novel and bring a manuscript back to life.The Rewrite Doctor method: creating distance, interrogating your story, and planning the edit.How to stress-test structure, plot, and pacing without relying on rigid templates.Using prompts and “play” to loosen up when you’re stuck.How to choose between competing novel ideas and know which has real legs.What agents are truly looking for and how to make your submission stand out.Common myths about publishing (and what actually happens behind the scenes). Resources and Links:Curtis Brown Creative CoursesCBC Editorial Services Friend Request by Laura Marshall  The Rewrite Doctor CourseEdit and Pitch Your Novel Book a consultation with Curtis Brown CreativeWriters’ Hour  About Anna DavisAnna Davis is the founder and Director of Curtis Brown Creative, a leading UK writing school she launched in 2011. She’s the author of five novels published in twenty languages, a former journalist and Guardian columnist, and previously worked as a literary agent at Curtis Brown and a creative-writing lecturer at the University of Manchester. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Literary agent and author Kate McKean shares how to pitch like a human, read rejection letters usefully, and protect your joy so you can build a durable writing life. You'll learn:How to build a clear 1–2 line pitch others can repeat and sell.How to read rejection letters, spot strong notes, and decide when to revise.Query etiquette and timelines: when to follow up and how resubmissions work.Fixing weak nonfiction proposals with clearer scope, audience, and takeaway.Write for the reader: comp titles, positioning, and a useful synopsis.US vs UK agenting models and what that means for money and process.Why agents don’t steal ideas and why execution is what matters.Self-publishing realities: expectations, track records, and when it helps the book. Resources and Links:📑 Interview TranscriptAgents & Books SubstackMargo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi ThorpeWrite Through It Howard Morhaim Literary Agency  About Kate McKeanKate McKean is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, author of Write Through It, and the writer of the Agents & Books newsletter; she represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction and fields hundreds of queries each month. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Debut novelist Carys Shannon on how to stay true to your voice through submissions and agent feedback, why an editorially led indie press was the right home for her book, and the craft that brought it to life.We discuss:How to decide what your book wants to be and center its emotional life.Submission strategy after competitions: reading agent feedback without losing your vision.Indie presses 101: editorially led models, scale, and alignment.Contracts with a small press: advances, rights splits, and what to expect.Publicity with an indie: bespoke support and realistic reach.Craft choices that unlocked the book: first-person present vs close third, “killing your darlings.”Landscape as character.Redefining success through integrity of voice. Resources and Links:📑Interview TranscriptTruth Like WaterCree Hummingbird by Tristan Hughes Mslexia Indie Press GuideBig Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert  About Carys ShannonCarys Shannon is a Welsh writer whose debut novel Truth Like Water (Parthian Books) was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and the Mslexia Novel Award, shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award, and winner of the Jericho Writers Festival of Writing Prize. Her short fiction has appeared with Honno Press, Parthian Books, and Mslexia Magazine, with work broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She’s originally from North Gower, Swansea, and divides her time between Wales and the Spanish Pyrenees. About Parthian BooksParthian is an independent, editorially led publisher based in Cardigan, Wales. Founded in 1993, it champions debut and regional voices across contemporary fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, and literature in translation.  For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Head of Books at the Madeleine Milburn Agency, Liv Maidment, shares how literary agents read, evaluate, and champion submissions (from pitches and comps to strategy, timelines, and today’s AI-driven market), helping writers pitch their work clearly and confidently.You'll learn:How to build a snappy 1–2 line elevator pitch that helps everyone down the chain sell your book (“the art of summing something up in one or two sentences”).Tips for writing comp titles and using them smartly.Blurbs vs synopses: how the pitch sells your book while the synopsis tells your book.What strong synopses and author bios must include: how much to reveal, and why they matter.Why agent editorial and development with an agent still matter.Today’s submission etiquette: realistic timelines, when to chase, and how resubmissions work.Market and positioning: genres currently on the rise, platform and geography demystified (do you need social media, does location matter).Implications of AI in today's publishing landscape: contracts, transparency, and more.More exclusive insight and advice for writers from an expert on the other side of the publishing industry. Resources and Links:📑Interview TranscriptMadeleine Milburn WebsiteSubmission FAQs About Liv MaidmentLiv Maidment is Head of Books at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, representing a prizewinning list of literary, upmarket, and book club fiction. She previously worked at The Blair Partnership and United Agents and has brokered major UK and North American deals, guiding debut and established authors throughout their careers.  For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!