Author Kalani Pickhart is not only an up-and-coming writer, she’s also the first Spillers After Show podcast guest to give a shout out to the Nile Theater in downtown Mesa, Arizona. After flooring the Spillers № 6 crowd with her short story reading, the ASU MFA candidate joins us in the green room to talk about tackling rejection with help from Sylvia Plath, the pitfalls of naming your cat after a birth control device, and why there’s always something to write about–preferably in the dark of night. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

Poet and author Justin Bigos is a writer who likes highbrow prose and lowbrow beer, and that combo is fine by us. On the heels of his Spillers № 6 reading, Justin sits down to discuss how all eight-year-olds are surrealists, what it takes to place a story with one of the big journals, and why he was honored to be shat upon by a pigeon in Midtown New York. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

Susan DeFreitas may live and write in beautiful Portland, Oregon, but she’s not afraid to hit the road to publicize her debut novel, Hot Season. The writer and editor found time in her touring schedule to chat with us about how she can both support and satirize leftist activism, what it means to live honestly, and why Patreon–the crowd-funding website for creatives–can be a godsend for working writers.

[Originally released on March 28, 2016 as ep. 14.] Leah Newsom’s own writing mixes just fine with any beverage, but her literary magazine Spilled Milk has your morning coffee reading habits squarely in its sights. Fresh off her Spillers № 3 reading that left audience members in a Zen state, Leah tells us why she likes her literature adventurous (not experimental), how would-be writers should trash their Apple employment application, and why her Vespa’s never met a gas station it didn’t pull in to.

[Originally released on Dec. 30, 2015 as ep. 5.] Ryan Myers is a versatile and funny writer, but don’t ask him to be organized. The man who read the wild sci-fi story “Out of Time” at Spillers No. 2 joins Brian & Robert to talk about the difference between performing stand-up comedy and reading prose, what it’s like to write video game storylines, and why there’s a fine line between proper punctuation and homicidal madness.

Author T.M. (Mike) McNally might be a transcendent literary voice, but that doesn’t mean he charges for autographs. After closing out Spillers No. 5 with his must-hear short story, Mike talks about wanting to be Cat Stevens, the terrifying prospect of interviewing John Updike when you’re 18 and wearing brown, soft shoes, and what’s behind his well-earned distrust of electricity.

Author Kathryn Hill is just about the nicest person in the world, but that doesn’t mean her characters can’t twist the proverbial knife. After wowing the crowd with her Spillers No. 5 reading, Kathryn tells us why she’s a huge Flannery O’Connor fan, how reading prose for Hayden’s Ferry Review helps her know what not to write, and why floral-themed footwear doesn’t prohibit her from treading on not-so-rosy territory. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

Award-winning author and creative writing professor Aurelie Sheehan may be secretive by nature, but ply her with cake and she’ll dish with the best of ’em. After making the long haul from Tucson, Arizona to read her Spillers No. 5 short story, Aurelie tells us why the writing process is more about questions than answers, how she’s motivated by the intersection of imagination and memory, and why sometimes the truth simply isn’t good enough.

Author Ed Kearns packs punch into every sentence and creates characters who aren’t afraid to throw down. After his Spillers No. 5 reading, the man for whom writing is the greatest act of empathy expounds on the current state of the American male, why his writing is studied at none other than Cambridge University, and how he transforms his storytellers’ inner monologue into action. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

Author and teacher Anne Heintz likes writing best when it’s a team sport, but she can still produce a powerful short story in solo mode. After opening Spillers No. 5, Anne joins us in the well-appointed greenroom to chat about dialogic pedagogy, Russian authors, and why spending the rest of her days writing love letters disguised as fiction would be just fine by her.