Way-Word Writers Podcast

EPISODE 112: Writing Heart-Led Children’s Biographies with Nancy Churnin

Way-Word Writers hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome award-winning children’s nonfiction author Nancy Churnin, known for inspiring stories about real people who changed the world. Churnin shares how a Dallas Morning News article about deaf baseball player William Hoy led to her first children’s book after a 13-year journey, launching her focus on lesser-known changemakers. She explains how she discovers subjects through curiosity and articles, approaches research differently depending on available sources, and ensures accuracy and cultural sensitivity by working closely with families, communities, and scholars. Churnin discusses finding the “heart” of each story, choosing what to include in picture book narratives, creating student projects tied to each book, lessons in perseverance and humility, and advice to write about someone you love, seek support, and stay focused on meaning over facts. 00:00 Meet Way-Word Writers 00:31 Introducing Nancy Churnin 02:15 Why Biographies 04:01 William Hoy Origin 07:18 Finding Story Subjects 11:16 Research Methods 14:38 Accuracy And Sensitivity 18:48 Choosing What Stays 21:03 Staying Focused On Theme 24:54 Empowerment Themes 26:05 Projects With Every Book 29:11 Biggest Writing Lesson 29:52 Perseverance Through Rejection 32:53 Craft Advice For Nonfiction 36:28 Rapid Fire Questions 40:15 School Visit Joy 42:42 Encouragement And Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com [https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

EPISODE 111: Writing in the Dark: Jeannine Ouellette on Uncertainty, Slow Language, and Writing as a Path of Becoming

Way-Word Writers hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer introduce their mission and welcome guest Janine Ouellette, author of the lyric memoir The Part That Burns and creator of the Substack Writing in the Dark [https://writinginthedark.substack.com/], who teaches writing through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and at the University of Minnesota, with a forthcoming craft book One Word at a Time. Ouellette explains that writing “saved” her life by helping her become herself and transform childhood trauma into something separate and beautiful, echoing André Aciman’s idea that writers create empowering “versions of the past.” She frames writing as a non-dogmatic spiritual practice tied to attention and becoming, describes “Writing in the Dark” as embracing uncertainty and Keats’s “negative capability,” and discusses breaking through the “wall” with tools and community. She contrasts drafting (“morning”) with revision (“afternoon”), defines “sleepy” versus “awake” language via defamiliarization and specificity, and argues for “slow language” and anti-capitalist, process-over-product practice that values playful exercises and creative risk. 00:00 Welcome to Way-Word 00:34 Meet Janine Ouellette 02:40 Writing Saved My Life 06:20 Versions of the Past 07:41 Writing as Becoming 09:51 Uncertainty and Negative Capability 13:16 Breaking Through the Wall 17:01 Waking Up Language 24:45 Story Thinking in Life 33:00 Writing as Transformation 40:22 Slow Language and Play 46:08 Closing and Connect The Part That Burns [https://www.amazon.com/Part-That-Burns-Jeannine-Ouellette/dp/1952897068]by Jeannine Ouellette [https://www.amazon.com/Part-That-Burns-Jeannine-Ouellette/dp/1952897068] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com [https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

EPISODE 110: Inside Today’s Cookbook Market with Agent Sally Ekus

Way-Word Writers cohosts (Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer) welcome senior literary agent Sally Ekus of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency’s Ekus Group to discuss the current cookbook market and how cookbooks remain viable alongside online recipes. Ekus explains how food culture has expanded opportunities for niche, concept- and technique-driven cookbooks, and why success still depends on exceptional, tested, clearly written recipes plus voice, concept, and platform. She addresses myths such as “everyone loves my family recipes” and “it will be easy,” emphasizes choosing the right medium, and suggests beginners study bookstore shelves, acknowledgments, and agents’ query preferences. Ekus outlines a portfolio approach to platform building and shares resources from her free Substack, including proposal guidelines and where-to-begin posts, plus advice on “coffee table cookbook” positioning. 00:00 Welcome to Way-Word 00:32 Why Cookbooks Now 01:08 Meet Agent Sally Ekus 03:07 Cookbook Market Snapshot 05:07 Online Recipes vs Books 06:22 Why We Buy Cookbooks 07:15 Only Three Recipes 09:28 What Makes Success 11:11 Cookbook Myths Busted 12:56 Should You Write One 14:16 Getting Started Research 15:29 Self Publishing Options 16:27 Platform and Pitch Strategy 19:11 Publishing Is A Long Game 19:28 Fiction Platforms And Publisher Risk 20:17 AI Disruption And Human Trust 21:32 Why She Built The Newsletter 23:02 Hyper Mentorship And Skill Sessions 26:12 Cookbook Structure As Story Craft 27:49 Proposal Guidelines And Where To Begin 29:38 Coffee Table Cookbook Myth 31:39 Books That Changed Her Cooking 34:12 Lightning Round And Farewell Find Sally at JVNLA HERE [https://www.jvnla.com/sallyekus] and on Substack at Not So Secret Agent [https://notsosecretagent.substack.com/]! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com [https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

EPISODE 109: Grammar as a Craft Choice with Patty McGee

Hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome nationally recognized grammar expert Patty McGee, author of “Feedback That Moves Writers Forward” and “Not Your Granny’s Grammar,” to discuss grammar as a tool for clarity, intention, and voice rather than rigid rules. McGee explains why grammar feels scary due to shame-based schooling and “grammar police” culture, and emphasizes learning key sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) to shape rhythm and meaning. She advises that grammar focus during drafting depends on a writer’s fluency, highlights comma splices as a common issue, downplays strict comma-before-conjunction rules, and encourages intentional rule-breaking—especially in dialogue—based on audience and purpose. The group discusses distractions like repetitive punctuation errors, AI’s conflicting guidance, knowing oneself before critique, and trusting candid readers and copy editors, then closes with a lightning round on Oxford commas, fragments, adverbs, and starting sentences with conjunctions. 00:00 Welcome to Way-Word 00:32 Meet Patty McGee 01:38 Why Grammar Feels Scary 03:58 Rules vs Voice 06:22 Four Sentence Types08:30 Drafting or Revising 09:48 Comma Splices and Commas 15:00 Grammar as Paintbrush 16:38 Authors vs Copy Editors 18:41 Grammar Distractions in Queries 21:50 Where Rules Came From 23:52 AI Grammar Anxiety 25:00 Know the Basics 26:00 Writing Voice Choices 26:57 Audience and Genre Rules 29:01 When to Let Go 31:04 Lightning Round Grammar 36:08 Professional vs Personal 36:55 Where to Find Patty 37:22 Final Thanks and Outro Go to Patty McGee’s website here! [https://pattymcgee.org/services/grammar-instruction/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com [https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

EPISODE 108: The Art of Line Editing: Elevating Character and Plot with Author Jennifer Gennari

In this episode of Wayward Writers, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome author Jennifer Gennari to discuss the intricacies of line editing and its importance in the writing process. Jennifer talks about her journey as a writer and editor, shares her approach to character-driven dialogue, and offers practical advice for strengthening sentences. The conversation also delves into common issues faced by writers and teaching strategies to improve one’s manuscript. Guest recommendations for craft books and personal anecdotes round out this educational and inspirational episode. If you’d like to read Heather’s deep dive article on this episode, you can find it here: EPISODE 104 DEEP DIVE: The Art of Line Editing, A Guide to Polishing Your Prose [https://waywordwriters.substack.com/p/3ac9174f-13d1-462c-b555-ce89e15e386e?postPreview=free&updated=2026-01-26T23%3A46%3A24.888Z&audience=only_paid&free_preview=true&freemail=true] 00:00 Introduction to Wayward Writers 00:32 Meet Jennifer Gennari 01:33 Jennifer’s Writing Journey 02:48 Books Jennifer Recommends 04:23 The Importance of Line Editing 06:27 Line Editing Techniques 08:18 Character Development Through Line Editing 12:35 Character-Driven Analogies 17:17 Avoiding Over-Polishing in Writing 18:06 The Power of Reading Aloud 19:31 Using Beta Readers Effectively 21:20 Common Issues in Student Manuscripts 23:04 Recognizing Generic Sentences 25:11 Polishing Dialogue for Emotional Resonance 27:23 Advice for Middle Grade Authors 28:54 Recommended Craft Books 30:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Find Out MORE: Jennifer Gennari’s Website [https://www.jengennari.com/] and Links to https://www.jengennari.com/books.htmlMuffled [https://www.jengennari.com/books.html]and [https://www.jengennari.com/books.html]Stifled. [https://www.jengennari.com/books.html] The Art of Description: World Into Word [https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/art-description] by Mark Doty [https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/art-description] The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat [https://soontornvat.com/books/the-last-mapmaker/] Kekla Magoon, Author [https://keklamagoon.com/] Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell [https://www.mattbell.com/refuse-to-be-done] Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/self-editing-for-fiction-writers-second-edition-renni-brownedave-king?variant=32116614889506] by Renni Browne [https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/renni-browne-1229] & Dave King [https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/dave-king-25968] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com [https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]