260: Reading and Re-Reading Like a Writer - Interview with Mark Mayer

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Mark Mayer to the show.

Mark is an author and has an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he was a Michener-Copernicus Fellow, and holds a PhD from the University of Denver. He was also the Robert P. Dana Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Cornell College’s Center for the Literary Arts from 2012-2014.

His stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, Kenyon Review, Guernica, Colorado Review, and Mid-American Review.

Mark’s debut is a short story collection titled Aerialists, in which classic circus figures become ordinary misfits seeking grandeur in a lonely world. In this collection, Mark examines familiar tropes—like the strongman, the elephant keeper, the clowns—and reinterprets these myths by placing them in everyday contemporary life.

So listen in as Mark and I chat about this amazing book and how to gain a deeper understanding of a story by falling into its world over and over again. 

In this episode Mark and I discuss:

The intimacy of a short story. Creating a unique reading experience in your writing. How to use the theme of your book as a marketing tool the right way. Advice on how to approach short stories of literary fiction as a reader. How to use language and imagery to anchor readers in your story. Plus, Mark’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/260