How to Write a Novel That Actually Gets Published

In this episode, Dr. Benjamin Gaddis discusses communication strategies for a world that seemingly wants to avoid having difficult conversations. In topics ranging from toxic workplaces to relationship advice to the effects of screens and the state of education today, he and Tony do what most people should do, but too often avoid– they talk about it. Gaddis is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the University of Florida's Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies, where he teaches courses in sport communication, interpersonal communication, and rhetoric and popular culture.

"Don't be cleverer than your reader," says stand-up comic and writer Amy Silverberg– meaning, always try surprising yourself when creating your art! In this amusing and intelligent conversation, Tony and Amy discuss the short story and stand-up forms in tandem. Silverberg's stories have been published in The Best American Short Stories series, Paris Review, Granta, among other top journals; her stand-up can be viewed here and on Comedy Central, Hulu, NPR, and Amazon Prime.   

In this conversation, first-time novelist Jennifer Mandula gets frank about the joys and challenges – the adventure, really – of not just writing but selling a novel. She and Tony (an aspiring novelist himself) debate everything from hosting Feedback Dinner Parties to mapping outlines to using elementary technology to type, and much more! Bottom line: writing is one thing; finding a massive audience through navigating the "book business" is another. Mandula's fantasy novel, The Geomagician, can be ordered here.

Why does the fear of public speaking feel like the fear of death? In this conversation, Dustin Hall answers that and more. Despite public speaking's many challenges, young people today actually crave the civic engagement that public speaking affords; they want to develop empathy in live situations removed from their phones and their echo chambers. Public speaking, says Dustin, is always a "dialogue," even when speaking solo. How can we get better at it? This convo explains how.  Dustin Hall is the Assistant Public Speaking Lab Coordinator at UF's Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies, as well as adjunct faculty for the Department of Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies and a writing tutor at the University Writing Studio. To date, he's taught public speaking courses for six years and counting. Hall has a BA in Religious Studies (minor in Linguistics) from Youngstown State University and an MA in Hindu Traditions from UF. 

In this conversation, Dr. Jamie Loizzo makes a strong pitch for all scientists to communicate to the public in a variety of mediums: podcasts, photo essays, virtual reality tours, and more. Scientists have a social responsibility to strengthen public understanding and trust. Among other topics, she and Tony discuss her background in radio/TV; the critical importance in being understandable to middle schoolers; what makes for a terrific science podcast; and the importance of not just 'scaring' people but offering 'solutions.' Loizzo is an associate professor in the University of Florida's Department of Agricultural Education and Communication; her project, Streaming Science, disseminates research to the broader public alongside her students.

In this conversation, Tony is joined by Albertine Clarke, whose first novel, The Body Builders, is being published by Bloomsbury Press in February 2026. In addition to exploring the mind-bendingly original novel itself, Albertine and Tony discuss what makes the science fiction genre so special and unique; how reading and writing go hand-in-hand; tips on overcoming challenges of writing a massive project over months and years; and why writing fiction and receiving feedback is just so darn personal. Clarke is graduating from the University of Florida's MFA program in Spring 2025.

In this episode, Cydney Alexis and Tony have a wide-ranging conversation about tackling writer's block, the ways our material surroundings help define our writing processes, and how to approach chatbot use in universities today. Alexis is an Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University and has authored the following texts, among others:  –Cydney Alexis and Hannah Rule, Ed., The Material Culture of Writing, Utah State University Press, Fall 2022 –Cydney Alexis and Eric Leake, "The Stylized Portrayal of the Writing Life in Spike Jonze's Her." Style and the Future of Composition Studies, Edited by Star Vanguri, Brian Ray, and Paul Butler. Utah State University Press, Nov. 2020. –Cydney Alexis, "Creative Writing is a Unique Category." Bad Ideas about Writing. Ed. Drew M. Loewe and Cheryl E. Ball. Morgantown: West Virginia University Digital Publishing Institute (2017). This essay was published in Inside Higher Education (1/3/16) and reprinted in Slate (1/6/17)  

Tony interviews Amy Blue about the University of Florida's innovative "Putting Families First," a unique program that gathers first-year students across the health professions together to assist families (with the goal of improving the students' interpersonal skills). Blue is the associate vice president for interprofessional education in the UF Health Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs. She is also a clinical professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions' Department of Environmental and Global Health.   

In this episode, Dr. Shannon Butts (Senior Learning Designer at Elsevier) explains the fascinating science behind Elsevier's Shadow Health simulations– an interactive learning experience for nurses. Tony and Shannon cover a range of topics within a dense conversation, as Shannon elucidates why "knowing how to communicate and understanding how language works" is critical in "making tools work that help move us forward."

Tony interviews Pulitzer-winning historian Jack E. Davis (author of W.W. Norton's The Gulf, The Bald Eagle, and others). They discuss the creative process behind composing academic scholarship: how using a varied vocabulary and sentence structure is essential; why researching and writing simultaneously is useful; and how, in Davis's words, letting nature "tell me how it wants to be written" is a pleasure. Davis is a distinguished professor of history at the University of Florida.