Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

First Person Present

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by Hewes House

5.0(6 reviews)

15 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

Two writers. A home studio. Questions from people who are stuck, spiraling, or just trying to finish the damn thing. Josh Boardman and Dasha Sikmashvili answer real questions about craft, revision, and the writing life. From seventh-draft despair to penny-a-word markets, these conversations feel less like a workshop and more like eavesdropping on two friends who know their way around a manuscript. Expect literary references, puppy videos, and tangents about furniture shopping. Because that's how writers actually talk about writing. Submit your questions: podcast@heweshouse.com

Language

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Publishing Since

11/10/2025

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Recent Episodes

June 16, 2026

Peace Gurl Heels: Developing Your Writing Voice, Imitating Other Writers, and Why Your Style Is Already Yours

Sparkling wine, the New York Knicks, and a pair of heels you absolutely cannot walk in. In this episode, Josh and Dasha get deep into the undefined territory of writer's voice—what's the actual definition, whether you can find it or whether it's already found you, and why trying to write like the writers you love might be the most seductive trap in the craft. Plus, a Reddit post from a self-described edgelord who writes Omegaverse fanfic and can't stop adding flowery language—and why their "problem" might not be a problem at all.<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/firstpersonpresent">Call in with questions</a><a href="https://heweshouse.com/podcast/s2e10-peace-gurl-heels-developing-your-writing-voice-imitating-other-writers-and-why-your-style-is-already-yours/">Visit our site for full show notes</a>Links:Room to Dream by David LynchFragmented narratives are broken, independent, and honest — Lit HubOmegaverse — Wikipedia"Love Is a Piano Dropped from a Fourth-Story Window" by Dasha SikmashviliPlantain by Josh BoardmanWhere I'm Calling From — Dasha's Substack post featuring Baby Bo's CantinaBaby Bo's Cantina on Instagram (RIP)Why Did I Ever by Mary RobisonSpeedboat by Renata AdlerPastoralia by George SaundersVices by Giancarlo DiTrapanoOn the Joyce quote: "A man of genius makes no mistakes" — Oxford University Press BlogTheme music: "1982" by See Jazz

May 12, 2026

I Don't Want to Talk About My Poems: Finding Your Writing Voice, Novel Length, and How to Revise a Poem

A bottle of heretical French wine, a five-year taste arc, and a 1,000-page German novel put down out of sheer pettiness. In this episode, Josh and Dasha trace the evolution of a writing sensibility: from angular Hemingway sentences to something velvety and unnecessary, like a Californian Pinot Noir. Then: an anonymous listener asks how you know when a poem is done, and whether every word has to hit.<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/firstpersonpresent" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Call in with questions </a><a href="https://heweshouse.com/podcast/s2e9-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-my-poems-finding-your-writing-voice-novel-length-and-how-to-revise-a-poem/ ‎" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Visit our site for full show notes</a> Links: Les Hérétiques wineSpencer Wine, Ann Arbor Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy Shout out to Gabe HabashSchattenfroh by Michael Lentz, trans. Max Lawton All Fours by Miranda July Zona Motel gossip column How long did it take to write Infinite Jest? Sylvia Plath's revised Ariel manuscript pages Virgil's unfinished lines in the AeneidTheme music: <a href="https://seejazz.bandcamp.com/album/is-this-anything" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">"1982" by See Jazz</a>

April 13, 2026

Just Buy the Dress: Research Trips, Writing Residencies, and Why You're Always Going to Be Tired

Banana pudding guilt, a stalker, and a trip back to Michigan that refused to cooperate. In this episode, Josh and Dasha wade into the murky gap between a research trip and a writing residency—and why confusing the two might be the cruelest thing you can do to yourself. Then, the triumphant return of Reddit dot com, where writers explain “why they stop writing (only the truth).” <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/firstpersonpresent" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Call in with questions</a><a href="https://heweshouse.com/podcast/s2e8-just-buy-the-dress-research-trips-writing-residencies-and-why-youre-always-going-to-be-tired/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Visit our site for full show notes</a> Links:The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria RilkeRilke’s complete quote: “Verses are experiences”Nick Drake by Richard Morton JackCosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Trancendence of Alice Coltrane by Andy BetaLorrie Moore’s short story, “How to Become a Writer”“The Goldfinch won a Pulitzer and it sucks,” Reddit thread by /u/edward_radicalThe Dunning-Kruger effect Theme music: <a href="https://seejazz.bandcamp.com/album/is-this-anything" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“1982” by See Jazz</a>

15 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is First Person Present?: Two writers. A home studio. Questions from people who are stuck, spiraling, or just trying to finish the damn thing.

Josh Boardman and Dasha Sikmashvili answer real questions about craft, revision, and the writing life. From seventh-draft despair to penny-a-word markets, these conversations feel less like a workshop and more like eavesdropping on two friends who know their way around a manuscript. Expect literary references, puppy videos, and tangents about furniture shopping. Because that's how writers actually talk about writing.

Submit your questions: podcast@heweshouse.com
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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