Podcast
Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley
Hosted by Kate Hanley · EN
Finding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process invites you into the minds of writers and other creatives as they open up about their process, their doubts, and what kinds of changes they’re thinking about making. The questions are mildly invasive, honestly, and the answers are unvarnished…and so refreshing!
Whether your creative work is writing, painting, making music, parenting, or simply living, Finding the Throughline can help you get—and stay—inspired. Invigorated, even.
For detailed show notes on each interview, visit katehanley.substack.com. And if you’d like to hear these interviews in one ad-free episode (as opposed to broken up into three shorter episodes with a few ads sprinkled in to keep the lights on), become a paid subscriber once you’re there.
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54episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
[Cynthia Weiner, what’s coming up]: Tricks for getting in the headspace to write about a different time period Ep 1256
Mar 1300:14:42Tap to summarizeWelcome to the final installment of my interview with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City that was named a best book of 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily and is freshly out in paperback.Cynthia is also the assistant director of the writer's studio in New York City and her short fiction has been published in “Open City,” “Ploughshares,” and “The Sun,” has earned a Pushcart Prize and been anthologized in Coolest American Stories 2024.In this fun episode, we covered:- The 90s soundtrack that’s helping Cynthia get into her next project- The three writers whose examples inspire Cynthia on her own path- Her burning desire to have a house with a yard and, most importantly, a tree- The Max show she’s bingeing, her elaborate daily diet soda ritual, the best day of the week, and the fast food meal she’s cravingConnect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweinerThere are new Finding the Throughline episodes roughly every other week–hit “subscribe” so you know when the next ones drop!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Cynthia Weiner, inner stuff]: Rewriting the subconscious belief that it's bad to draw attention to yourself Ep 1255
Mar 1100:20:37Tap to summarizeWelcome to part two of my interview (a replay) with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” which, since these episodes first aired, has just come out in paperback and was named a best book of the year for 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily.In today's episode, we unpack:- Learning how to tolerate the discomfort of sharing your work- And how to ignore the voice that tells you nobody cares what you have to say- How she came to imagine that inner critical voice as a “shit bird”- Why she could work on one sentence for years- Why she’d rather stay home than travel some place new- How getting older has made her a better writer (and a worse sleeper)- How she’s re-wired the idea that it’s bad to draw attention to yourselfConnect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweinerThere are new Finding the Throughline episodes roughly every other week–hit “subscribe” so you know when the next ones drop!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Cynthia Weiner, practical matters]: Daily rituals, time management tricks, and an approach to life that boost creativity Ep 1254
Mar 900:23:24Tap to summarizeThis week I'm replaying my interview with Cynthia Weiner, whose amazing coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City, “A Gorgeous Excitement,” is just out in paperback.“A Gorgeous Excitement” is inspired by Cynthia's own 80s upbringing on the Upper East Side of New York, as well as the infamous Preppy Killer, a former prep school student who killed a girl in Central Park in the summer of 1986 and who frequented a bar called Dorian's, where Cynthia spent many nights drinking with friends.Cynthia's work has won the Pushcart Prize and been anthologized in the Coolest American Stories. Cynthia is also the assistant director of The Writer's Studio in New York City where, fun fact, I took classes with her in the early 2000s.We covered:- The award she won in second grade that hooked her on the writing life- How she stumbled into teaching writing- Writing as a “weird compulsion”- The plus sides of working on a novel for nearly 10 years- The daily rituals that help her write- The time management technique that helps her get unstuck- Why catching up with a friend helps her write- How living a boring life leaves more space for the workConnect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweinerThere are new Finding the Throughline episodes roughly every other week–hit “subscribe” so you know when the next ones drop!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Lauren Kessler: what’s coming up]: Building and maintaining the stamina needed for a multi-decade writing career Ep 1253
Feb 2700:20:40Tap to summarizeWelcome back to the final portion of my interview with Lauren Kessler an award-winning author of 15 books including her brand new and most personal by far, Everything Changes Everything, which covers how she moved forward after losing her husband and her daughter within eight months of each other by walking 500 miles across Spain on a solo pilgrimage along the famed Camino de Santiago.In addition to being a writer, Lauren is a backyard farmer, a backcountry hiker, a tent-camper, and a quadruple Aries–if you know, you know.Today we get a peek at where Lauren is headed next, as well as what she’s been reading, watching, drinking, and fantasizing about eating.We covered:- Looking for pockets of inspiration amid a sea of upsetting headlines- A suffragist whose story inspires Lauren in her own life- How her current throughline is creating work that helps people move through loss- Starting to ponder the possibility of pursuing a partnership now that she’s five years past losing her beloved husband–or really, how she’s avoiding said pondering but still, the possibility lingers- Thoughts on maintaining the stamina for maintaining a writing career as long as possible- The novella by Norman McLean she reads three times a year, and why- Why, when she drinks alcohol, she drinks tequila (such a sweet story)Connect with Lauren at laurenkessler.com or laurenjkess.substack.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Lauren Kessler, inner stuff]: An inside peek at the book proposal process + cultivating your inner supporter Ep 1252
Feb 2500:24:44Tap to summarizeIn part two of my interview with award-winning author and (semi) fearless immersion reporter Lauren Kessler, who brand-new book "Everything Changes Everything" is getting great reviews for being an affective portrait of moving through the kinds of loss we all hope to avoid but few can avoid.In today’s interview we dive into the interior side of writing–dealing with resistance, doubts, aging, and unhelpful beliefs.We covered:- The part of the writing process she always conducts while sitting on the floor- A really great peek inside the book proposal process- The one question her inner critic asks over and over again- What her inner supporter tells her when she gets stuck in a loop of doubt- Two very insightful reasons why she doesn’t share her age- How she pushes back against the aging process- Making a living as a mid-list writer (i.e., not a mega bestseller)- The “woo woo” disciplines that appeal to herConnect with Lauren at laurenkessler.com or laurenjkess.substack.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Lauren Kessler, practical matters]: A master class on getting through the hard parts of life, and of writing Ep 1251
Feb 2300:23:30Tap to summarizeMy guest today is Lauren Kessler, a multi-award-winning author of eleven works of narrative nonfiction, three biographies, an oral history, and four books on writing and reporting.A gutsy immersion journalist, Lauren has explored life inside a maximum-security prison, the grueling world of professional ballet, the anti-aging movement, and the hidden world of Alzheimer’s sufferers. Her brand new book, "Everything Changes Everything" is her most personal by far, detailing how she processed the loss of both her husband and her daughter by setting out alone to walk the Camino de Santiago across Spain.We covered:- How she landed on narrative nonfiction as her genre of choice, even though she had a degree in journalism- The woman Lauren wrote her first feature story about, who died by suicide shortly after the story came out, and the effect that had on Lauren- How writing feels in her body- The work she’s had to do to accept that writing is a business as well as an art- The part of the writing process that makes her brain sweat- How she taught full time, wrote a deeply researched book every three years, and raised three kids–and how she’s been able to move away from working that hard, that consistently- The breakthrough that helped her work smarter, not harder- Her hack for making writing a little less sedentary- A genius trick for making it easier to get your writing brain going in the morningConnect with Lauren at laurenkessler.com or laurenjkess.substack.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Elizabeth Gonzalez James, what’s coming up]: Tending to your mental health during a stressful timeline (and NOT talking about aliens) Ep 1250
Feb 1300:16:40Tap to summarizeLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Elizabeth Gonzalez James, inner stuff]: When you would rather do absolutely anything other than actually write Ep 1249
Feb 1100:19:00Tap to summarizeWelcome back to part two of my interview with Elizabeth Gonzalez-James, screenwriter and bestselling author of the novels, “The Bullet Swallower” and “Mona at Sea,” as well as the chapbook, “Five Conversations About Peter Sellers.” Elizabeth was featured on the MSNBC documentary, “My Generation,” representing the millennials. And she has taught fiction writing at Grub Street, Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop, Story Studio and elsewhere.In today's interview, we're diving into the mindset side of writing, dealing with resistance and doubts, the passage of time–all things that might make this episode sound like a bummer, but things we all face. So let's talk about how to work with them so that we can feel better about them.We talked about:- The many ways she avoids doing the actual writing- The type of feedback that motivates her to get writing (sneak preview: it’s not the positive kind of feedback)- Making the transition from debut author to “established writer”- Acknowledging and working through her resistance to the act of writing- Being a geriatric millennial- How giving fewer Fs has eased her judgement of other people- Unlearning the things she was taught as a kid from her immigrant dad about how you can never trust other people or ask for helpConnect with Elizabeth on Instagram @unefemmejames.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Crystal King: what’s next]: The Italian novel everyone should read + the power of weird mash-ups Ep 1247
Feb 1100:17:12Tap to summarizeWelcome back to the final installment of my interview with Crystal King, bestselling author of In the Garden of Monsters, Feast of Sorrow, The Chef's Secret, and the brand new The Happiness Collector. Crystal's writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. So if you're ever looking to take a mental escape to another culture, a delicious one and a fascinating one at that, definitely check out her books.Today we get a peek at what's currently inspiring Crystal and I'll ask her my fast final five questions about what she's been reading, watching, listening to, drinking and eating lately.We cover:- Her new novel, which combines Nathaniel Hawthorne and the punk scene in Rome in the early 80s- The book by an Italian author she wants everyone to read- The authors who inspire her- Why her husband doesn’t read her books until they’re published- Why she’s applying for Italian citizenship- Her very specific vision of where she’s headed that involves being in a room with 5,000 copies of her book- Two novels by other authors coming out this spring we should all be on the lookout for- The Italian singer-songwriter and rapper whose social media posts make her happyVisit Crystal at crystalking.com or on Substack @crystalking.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →[Elizabeth Gonzalez James, practical matters]: On getting encouragement to give writing a try from a random stranger Ep 1248
Feb 900:26:12Tap to summarizeThis week's guest is Elizabeth Gonzales James, screenwriter and bestselling author of the novels, “The Bullet Swallower” and “Mona at Sea,” as well as the chapbook, “Five Conversations About Peter Sellers.”“The Bullet Swallower” is based on mostly true events from her own family lore, a magical realism Western that was named a best book of 2024 by NPR and Esquire.“Mona at Sea,” is a darkly funny coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Great Recession that was inspired by her own experience of long-term unemployment.And “Five Conversations About Peter Sellers” is the result of Elizabeth attempting to sit down and write a reported piece on how the actor Peter Sellers derailed the production of a 1960s movie, “Casino Royale.” That’s when the book spins into its own chaos as five different narrators share their point of view about what the original essay is really about.We covered:- How she went from MBA graduate prepping for a career in finance to an unemployed stay at home mom living in her in-law’s basement- The one, unfleshed-out idea for a short story that set her on the writing path (with a nudge from the creator of The Perfect Push-up, a made for TV fitness product)- How writing books is like dating- A detailed accounting of the financials for each of her book–and how she knew “The Bullet Swallower” would be her “put-my-kids-through-college” book- Making the jump from writing books to writing screenplays- Why, sometimes, all the tips in the world can’t help you write more–and how to give yourself grace during those times- Knowing when to push and be disciplined, and when to back off- Her current productivity hack that involves handicraftsConnect with Elizabeth on Instagram @unefemmejames.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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