Write The Book: Conversations on Craft

Write The Book ran for over 770 episodes, and the archive reads like a who's who of American literary fiction. Shelagh Shapiro, a Vermont-based writer and MFA graduate from Vermont College of Fine Arts, interviewed authors, poets, illustrators, agents, and editors in hour-long conversations that consistently went deeper than the usual podcast interview. The guest list is extraordinary. Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, Jennifer Egan, Kate Atkinson, Colum McCann, Steve Almond — hundreds of established and emerging writers sat down with Shapiro over the show's long run. Writer's Digest Magazine twice named it one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers, and the show earned a perfect 5.0 rating from 24 reviews on Apple Podcasts. Shapiro's approach was distinctive. She established an easy rapport that let conversations flow naturally while still covering substantive craft territory. Every episode ended with a writing prompt, often suggested by the guest, which gave listeners something concrete to walk away with. The show originally aired as a radio program on WBTV-LP in Burlington, Vermont, before being distributed as a podcast. The show concluded in March 2023 — Shapiro has since launched a Substack and is working on a novel. So like a few entries on this list, you're looking at a finished body of work rather than an ongoing show. But with 770-plus episodes of thoughtful literary interviews, the archive alone is a remarkable resource. If you love hearing serious writers talk honestly about their process, you could spend months working through these conversations and never feel like you're wasting time.