
Midwest Writers Room
Podcast from the Wisconsin Writers Association. We discuss all things writerly, with an emphasis on the unique flavor of works that originate in the Midwest.
Episodes
69 episodes
Chapter Break with Denise Forsythe
BIO:Denise Forsythe found writing success with several mystery, horror, and science fiction short stories published in Mystery Magazine, Kings River Life, and Blood Moon Rising as well as several anthologies, including Determined ...
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17:34

Bonus Episode: Lakefly Writers Conference with Ruth Percey
BIO:Ruth is a dedicated professional, holding a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in library science. Her experience spans various roles in the literary and library fields, including positions at a daily newspaper...
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21:01

Chapter Break with Dave Greschner
BIO:Dave grew up on a dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin, and went on to earn a degree in journalism at UW-Eau Claire. He worked at the Rice Lake (WI) newspaper for more than 40 years as sports/outdoors editor, earning 20 first-pla...
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18:59

Chapter Break with Larissa Antonioni
BIO:Larissa is a fantasy romance who recently released her debut, A Realm of Lies and Power. When she isn’t in the trenches of being a mom, she can be found in the library–dreaming up new realms and brooding-anti heroes. ...
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17:59

Season 3, Ep. 7 - Steven Strackbein, April 2025
BIO:Steven W. Strackbein began writing in his early thirties, during his military training amid the final days of the Iraq War. That time marked the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of storytelling, one that’s driven by a deep inte...
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34:23

Chapter Break with Frank Joseph
BIO: Frank S Joseph's award-winning “Chicago Trilogy” novels -- TO DO JUSTICE, TO WALK HUMBLY and TO LOVE MERCY -- tell a story of lives forever changed by racial turmoil that marked and marred Chicago at mid century, a great...
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20:23

Chapter Break with Sara Hefty
BIO:Born in 1981, at the hospital in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, Sara Hefty (she/her) grew up on a family farm near Pine City, Minnesota, studied at multiple colleges and universities in the Midwest, and later established a home in Eau...
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26:53

Chapter Break with Lee Trotta
BIO:Trotta released his first cheese-based children's book in 2016 titled “Florida Cheese” then his second children's book “Wisconsin Cheese” in 2017, and his third book “California Cheese” in 2019, before unveiling “Minnesota Che...
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15:52

Chapter Break with James Salimes
BIO:Writing under the pen name J. Ellis Blaise (blaze), James Salimes has served as Chaplain, Pastor, and Spiritual Counselor for two decades. At an early age, he descended into dungeons with pen and paper in hand. Enchanted by sp...
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21:19

Chapter Break with Kelly Nelson
BIO:Kelly is a children’s book author from the Fox Valley of Wisconsin, who has had a keen interest in true animal stories from the time she was a little girl. She credits her years working as a preschool director, the...
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26:58

Chapter Break with Carol Paur
BIO:Carol has an MA in Communication. She freelanced for newspapers and magazines. She did stand-up comedy and wrote and produced children’s plays. Orange Blossom Publishing released her YA Mystery, Early Summer, in 2022....
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22:24

Season 3, Ep. 6 - Sam Jacquest (Blue House Books), March 2025
BIO:Today we are interviewing Samantha Jacquest (jay-quest), owner of Blue House Books in Kenosha WI. Sam grew up in Kenosha, graduating from the Communications Academy from Indian Trail, and went to college at UW-Whitewater...
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33:17

Chapter Break with Peggy Joque Williams
BIO: Author Peggy Joque Williams is a retired elementary school teacher. A Yooper by birth, Peggy grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; but having raised her family in Madison, Wisconsin, she considers herself a Cheesehead b...
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22:41

Chapter Break with Steven Salmon
BIO:Steven has severe cerebral palsy. Morse code is how he writes using his head since he is unable to use his hands. Steven has a Bachelor of Science with a writing minor from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a Liber...
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24:02

Chapter Break with Malcolm McDowell Woods
BIO:Malcolm McDowell Woods was born in Scotland to Irish parents and spent his childhood on the move, living in Derry, Northern Ireland, before emigrating to Canada and, ultimately, the United States. He is a freelance editor and ...
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22:59

Chapter Break with Rita Williams Atkinson
BIO:Born and raised in Wisconsin, the author developed her passion for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a first-year teacher’s creative writing assignment. The assignment was to write and illustrate a children’s book. The assig...
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17:06

Season 3, Ep. 5 - Jennie Goloboy, March 2025
BIO:Jennie Goloboy joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2017, after six years at a Twin Cities-based literary agency. She has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard, and published a book based on her diss...
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39:48

Season 3, Ep. 4 - Diana Peterson & Jodi Kiffmeyer
BIOS:Jodi Kiffmeyer - Jodi is a native of northwestern Wisconsin who grew up begging her grandma for old family stories. That interest in family history eventually led her to the fascinating world of local history. Now she’...
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38:08

Chapter Break with Mary T Wagner
BIO:Mary Wagner is a Wisconsin writer living in Sheboygan, and an award-winning essayist and children’s book author. She has been playfully compared to “Erma Bombeck…but in sexier shoes,” and described as “the Midwest’s answer to ...
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28:10

Chapter Break with G. Anthony
BIO:G. Anthony is a poet, writer, and creator of Nobody’s Words, a poetic memoir that reflects his journey of healing, transformation, and self-discovery. A Midwest native, G’s philosophy centers on stripping away imposed...
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24:31

Chapter Break with Sally Collins
BIO:Since graduating with a BA in Writing from Winona State University, Sally Collins’ work has appeared regularly in the Peninsula Pulse newspaper and Door County Living magazine.A semifinalist for the 20...
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20:49

Chapter Break with Brian Reisinger
BIO:Brian Reisinger is an award-winning writer who grew up working with his dad on their family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin. He lives to tell the hidden stories of rural America and has been published by USA Today,
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26:01

Season 3, Ep. 3 - John Krause, February 2025
BIO:John Krause is the author of the Pudge Amazon series for middle-grade readers. A big fan of words, books, and libraries, John is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a member of the Wis...
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41:27

Season 3, Ep. 2 - Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong, January 2025
BIO:Today we are interviewing Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong. Cathie is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency with nearly nine years experience in the business. A life-long lover of books, Cathie has vivid memories of the exact d...
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41:57
