Joel Salcido may run in some fast poetry circles, but he’s no stranger to producing top-notch prose, either. After kicking Spillers No. 4 off in high style, the Arizona State University MFA candidate talks to us about the social dynamics facing writers of color, the importance of having an Angeleno drive you around Los Angeles, and why he views pigeons as more than messengers. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

Patrick Michael Finn is a writer’s writer who has a ton to say about the writing life. After closing out Spillers No. 3 in style, Patrick tells us about following in David Foster Wallace’s MFA footsteps, how a little generosity from fellow writers can go a long way, and why a trip on the light rail with your six-year-old son is a perfect opportunity to contemplate truly awful things.

David Nicol knows his tea clipper ships, and he’s not afraid to tell you when there’s a picture of one on the wall. After his appearance at Spillers No. 3, the author and Scotsman sits across the table from us to ruminate on the finer points of Scottish cuisine, writing zombie screenplays, and craic. (Note: this episode is for mature audiences, only.)

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 No. 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 into.