WMFA

Writing can be lonely work; WMFA counters that with conversation. It’s a show about creativity and craft, where writer and host Courtney Balestier (that's me) talks shop with some of today’s best writers and examines the issues we face when we do creative work. My mission with WMFA is to explore why we writers do what we do, so that we can do it with more intention, and how we do what we do, so that we can do it better. 

New episodes air every Wednesday and alternate between full-length conversations with writers and single-topic minisodes that focus on the issues we all face in our creative processes, like fear and shame.

I started this show because it was the show I wanted to listen to. Because, after a decade as a journalist, I had just started my first novel and had no idea what I was doing. Talking to other writers has helped me realize that we all deal with the same doubts, worries, and insecurities, in addition to our concerns about character development and structure. I'm so grateful to have these conversations, not just for myself but also for other writers and creatives who can benefit from them. 

WMFA is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work: hosting, recording, producing, distributing, promoting. Patrons help offset both the cost of my time and that of the talented creative entrepreneurs I work with to make the show happen. (Know what feels really awesome? Being able to contribute to the larger creative economy.) 

But even if you just show support with your ears—and maybe an iTunes review?—you're also helping create a community, which I'm so grateful for (see above about lonely work). In fact, one of my goals is to grow WMFA to include an online and IRL creative community where I can interact with listeners and listeners can interact with each other. 

Thank you so much for your support!