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Writers Who Read

Author: Gary Alan McBride

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Gary Alan McBride founded the Boulder, Colorado-based Writers Who Read novel study group in May of 2018. Since then he and other local writers have been analyzing 10 novels per year within 12-18 months of their publication. Gary is also the author of the WwR reference guide, Literary Forensics: How Reading Can Make You a Better Writer, available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook in bookstores and at online retailers worldwide. More information here: https://LiteraryForensicsBook.com.


WwR is focused 100% on today's fiction, mostly in advance of academic scholarship, so we live on the cutting edge of contemporary analysis. And that's how we like it. Our goal is to read like a writer and not wait for someone else to tell us what to think. That means we read with intent--to become better at noticing what the author is doing to manage our emotions and manipulate our point of view. And so it doesn't matter whether what we read is critically acclaimed or academically vetted, because we can learn the same lessons from bad writing as from highly polished prose. We use our own reactions to the text to discover where to dig, and we use Literary Forensics techniques to sift through the layers. Our goal is to uncover the author's intent and to identify the tools they used to create their story so we can use them in our own writing.


On our monthly podcast Gary is joined by Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and sometimes others guest readers. We discuss our own textual discoveries as well as insights gleaned from our group discussion, because as much as we can learn on our own, we can learn so much more about how to read and write when we listen to others' viewpoints.


And that's where you come in, dear listener. We invite you to join us each month, 10 months a year, for a new episode when we discuss the latest literary techniques and publishing trends so that you can try out these techniques for yourself and maybe add your voice to ours.


We are Writers Who Read.


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54 Episodes
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Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, which is Writers Who Read book number 74. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing. We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Rachel Dempsey, and Gary McBride talk about All Fours by Miranda July, which is Writers Who Read book number 73. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing. We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Real Americans by Rachel Khong, which is Writers Who Read book number 72. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing. We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Season 3 - Preview

Season 3 - Preview

2025-09-2801:52

Gary introduces the titles of the first 4 novels in Season 3 of Writers Who Read:72: Real Americans - Rachel Khong (USA, 2024)73: All Fours - Miranda July (USA, 2024)74: The God of the Woods - Liz Moore (USA, 2024)75: We Solve Murders - Richard Osman (UK, 2024) For a complete list of all novels discussed, registration information for our live meetings, and our newsletter, please visit https://WritersWhoRead.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, which is Writers Who Read book number 71. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing. We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rachel Dempsey joins Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride to talk about Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates, which is Writers Who Read book number 70. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion and Gary McBride talk about Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux, which is Writers Who Read book number 69. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about James by Percival Everett, which is Writers Who Read book number 68. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, Chelsea Pennington, and Gary McBride talk about Good Material by Dolly Alderton, which is Writers Who Read book number 67. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, which is Writers Who Read book number 66. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward, which is Writers Who Read book number 65. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Holly by Stephen King, which is Writers Who Read book number 64. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, which is Writers Who Read book number 63. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chelsea Pennington, Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which is Writers Who Read book number 62. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Jackson Hole Writers Conference in Jackson Hole, WY, this November 1-3. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently spoke with Jackson Hole Executive Director Matt Daly and faculty member author Dan Sheehan.More info at: https://JHwriters.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An interview of the three of us, Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride, conducted by Mark Stevens, host of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers podcast, back in March of 2024. Thanks to Mark Stevens and the RMFW for allowing us to rebroadcast that interview, which first aired on March 14 of this year. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Maryland Writers Association's 2024 Conference, in Baltimore, MA, this October 19 & 20. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently spoke with MWA Conference Chair Flo McCahonMore info at: https://MarylandWriters.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chelsea Pennington, Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright, which is Writers Who Read book number 61. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Here’s a brief update on another 2024 writer’s conference: the Pacific Northwest Writers Alliance's 2024 Fall Conference, in Seattle, WA, this September 19-22. Mira Landry and Gary McBride recently spoke with PNWA President Pam Binder.More info at: https://pnwa.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Whitney Pinion, Mira Landry, and Gary McBride talk about Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang, which is Writers Who Read book number 60. Discussion slides for this novel and all novels discussed are available at WritersWhoRead.com. More information about Literary Forensics is available here and here.In every episode we analyze and discuss one novel that has been published within the past 18-24 months. We do this because we are writers who read with intent–we read to study content and form and to uncover techniques that we can apply to our own writing.We read like writers, turning our favorite authors into our writing teachers.We do this through Literary Forensics, a set of tools that allow us to look beyond the surface of plot points, down into the tapestry of themes, contexts, and symbols that hold the very intentions of the author.We uncover why they wrote this novel and how they did it.If you'd like to join our LIVE! meetings in person, find upcoming novel titles and event registration information here and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.Writers Who Read has been meeting in Boulder, Colorado, since 2018, and we are affiliated with the Boulder Writers Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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