Writing in the Dark

About Writing in the Dark

Julia F. Green and Ralph Walker explore getting lost in the writing process, finding their way through rich storytelling, and the importance of creative community. writingisjoy.substack.com (https://writingisjoy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Julia F. Green & Ralph Walker

Category

arts · fiction

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Apr 2023

Latest episode

30 May 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 May 2026

   Season 4, Episode 3: This Story Breaks All the Rules

   In this episode, Julia F. Green and Ralph Walker welcome novelist, professor, and 5am Writers Club stalwart Penny Zang for a heated discussion about Tobias Wolff’s rule-breaking short story, “Bullet in the Brain.” Reading: Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/09/25/bullet-in-the-brain) Their conversation explores the delicate art of an unlikable protagonist, the controversial choice to delay backstory till the end of a piece, and whether or not this MFA classic is really a story at all. Guest Bio: Penny Zang (https://www.pennyzang.com/) is from Maryland and graduated with an MFA in Fiction from West Virginia University. Her work has appeared in the Potomac Review, Louisville Review, and South 85, among others. She is the 2024 Elizabeth Boatwright Coker fiction fellow via the South Carolina Academy of Authors. She lives in South Carolina, where she teaches English. She is the author of Doll Parts (https://bookshop.org/p/books/doll-parts-penny-zang/e4ef59128136aa91?ean=9781464228148&next=t) and Accidents Never Happen (https://bookshop.org/p/books/accidents-never-happen-penny-zang/da96bafc3260de76?ean=9781464228179&next=t). You can find Writing in the Dark (http://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast) on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/writing-in-the-dark/id1722684889) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3psr6qkpWrD9MXiR7F57oN) and subscribing is a great way to support this work. Thanks, as always, for listening. Listen to previous episodes (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast). Writing in the Dark is co-hosted by Julia F. Green (Substack (http://writingisjoy.substack.com), website (http://www.writingisjoy.com)) and Ralph Walker (Twitter (http://twitter.com/RW_Igloo), website (http://www.ralphwalkerauthor.com)) and edited by Aaron Fyler, with cover art by Jarmusch. Get full access to Writing is Joy at writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   24 Apr 2026

   Season 4, Episode 2: In Search of a Hero

   In this episode, Julia and Ralph are joined by award-winning novelist and Army veteran Nancy Stroer to dissect a short story by Benjamin Inks in which Jack Fleming, a fictional character invented as a joke, becomes a larger than life hero who inspires both American soldiers and Afghan citizens. Reading: “Jack Fleming Lives!” by Benjamin Inks (https://www.wrath-bearingtree.com/2022/06/06/new-fiction-from-benjamin-inks-jack-fleming-lives/) They explore how the story’s choices about pacing, world building, and humor create an engrossing narrative with an almost unbelievable and yet totally convincing ending. Their discussion also touches on Tim O’Brien (author of The Things They Carried) and how sometimes fiction is the only way to tell the truth. Nancy’s first novel, Playing Army (https://bookshop.org/p/books/playing-army-nancy-stroer/65ec67666081d674?ean=9798888243701&next=t), shares some of these themes; in it Lieutenant Minerva Mills struggles with the constraints of military life as she tries to avoid deployment to Bosnia, hoping instead to reconnect with her father who disappeared in Vietnam. Guest Bio Nancy Stroer (https://nancystroer.com/contact/) holds degrees from Cornell and Boston University and served as an Army maintenance officer in the beer-soaked trenches of post-Cold War Germany. Her work has appeared in Stars and Stripes, Soldiers magazine, Hallaren Lit Mag, the Wrath-Bearing Tree, Consequence Forum and Things We Carry Still, an anthology of military writing from Middle West Press. In addition to writing, Nancy is a teacher and trainer, and an adjunct faculty member of the Ellyn Satter Institute, a 503(c) not-for-profit organization that helps individuals and families develop a more joyful relationship to food and their bodies. Her debut novel, Playing Army (https://bookshop.org/p/books/playing-army-nancy-stroer/65ec67666081d674?ean=9798888243701&next=t), was a 2025 Military Writers Society of America bronze medalist for literary fiction. You can find Writing in the Dark (http://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast) on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/writing-in-the-dark/id1722684889) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3psr6qkpWrD9MXiR7F57oN) and subscribing is a great way to support this work. Thanks, as always, for listening. Listen to previous episodes (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast). Writing in the Dark is co-hosted by Julia F. Green (Substack (http://writingisjoy.substack.com), website (http://www.writingisjoy.com)) and Ralph Walker (Twitter (http://twitter.com/RW_Igloo), website (http://www.ralphwalkerauthor.com)) and edited by Aaron Fyler, with cover art by Jarmusch. Get full access to Writing is Joy at writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   16 Mar 2026

   Season 4, Episode 1: A Fairy Tale Flipped

   Writing in the Dark is back! To kick off Season 4, Julia F. Green and Ralph Walker welcome Betsy Ellor to discuss The Daughter Cells, a short story by Daniel M. Lavery from the collection Merry Spinster (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-merry-spinster-tales-of-everyday-horror-daniel-m-lavery/d3841e1e3ba2e7bc?ean=9781250113429&next=t). Reading: The Daughter Cells (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1deY8Z1a2sNHonyZ1hUp0kCObff1o_Gew/view?usp=sharing) They explore how the author turns Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of self-sacrifice into one of agency, complete with body horror, funny and biting critique of human culture, and a reimagined plot with a triumphant, if dark finale. They also discuss Betsy’s new book, Hera, Kingdom of Lies (https://bookshop.org/p/books/hera-kingdom-of-lies-betsy-ellor/abbc0ab50ce6e267?ean=9798274299466&next=t), and how she created a story that centers Hera’s experience, drawing parallels between the immortal goddess’s experience and today’s overwhelmed working moms, both of whom struggle to maintain order amid chaos and patriarchy. This conversation highlights the staying power of our oldest stories, why we come back to them again and again, and inspiring new interpretations that make these stories more relevant than ever. Guest Bio Betsy Ellor lives near the beach in a house filled with color and chaos. When not at her desk, she’s usually hiking, hunting for shells, or annoying her teenage son. She’s the editor for the anthology Heroic Care: 35 Writers & Artists Show What It Means to Care, and author of Sara Crew and My Dog is NOT A Scientist. Her latest novel, Hera: Kingdom of Lies (https://bookshop.org/p/books/hera-kingdom-of-lies-betsy-ellor/abbc0ab50ce6e267?ean=9798274299466&next=t), is a Circe meets Scandal reimagining in a way every working woman will relate to. Her writing has been published in Spine Magazine, 5 Minute Lit, and The Creative Collective. Find her on Instagram (http://instagram.com/betsyellor), Substack (https://betsyellor.substack.com/), and Threads (https://www.threads.com/@betsyellor). You can find Writing in the Dark (http://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast) on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/writing-in-the-dark/id1722684889) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3psr6qkpWrD9MXiR7F57oN) and subscribing is a great way to support this work. Thanks, as always, for listening. Listen to previous episodes (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/podcast). Writing in the Dark is co-hosted by Julia F. Green (Substack (http://writingisjoy.substack.com), website (http://www.writingisjoy.com)) and Ralph Walker (Twitter (http://twitter.com/RW_Igloo), website (http://www.ralphwalkerauthor.com)) and edited by Aaron Fyler, with cover art by Jarmusch. Get full access to Writing is Joy at writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe (https://writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

36

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

Contact Writing in the Dark

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.