Hear-Tell

Ashley Fantz, From CNN Reporter to Podcaster

In this episode, we talk to Ashley Fantz about her transition from an senior investigative reporter at CNN to writer, reporter and host of two hit podcasts. Ashley graduated with her MFA from UGA in 2024 and has more than 20 years of experience as a reporter, writing and voicing multimedia stories at CNN, where she won two Peabody Awards, an Eppy and numerous other awards.  

 

But in 2021, facing burn-out and a rapidly changing media landscape, she made the jump to podcasting. Her first podcast, "Suspect: Vanished in the Snow," jumped quickly to number one on Apple charts. She followed that, with the multi-episodic podcast, "Body Brokers," whose performance online was equally impressive.  

Here is the link to "Suspect: Vanished in the Snow":  https://wondery.com/shows/true-crime-all-the-time/episode/5632-introducing-suspect-vanished-in-the-snow/  

 

And here is the link to "Body Brokers":  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/body-brokers/id1734449977

 

To learn more about Ashley Fantz: https://www.ashleyfantz.com

Nick Chiles

In this episode, celebrity ghost writer Nick Chiles discusses the process of writing in someone else’s voice.  

Nick, who graduated from UGA with his MFA in 2022, has won nearly 20 major journalism awards, including a 1992 Pulitzer Prize as part of a New York Newsday team.  He is currently writer in residence teaching Feature Writing courses at The University of Georgia.  

Nick is also the author or co-author of 22 books, including three New York Times bestsellers he wrote with R&B icon Bobby Brown, civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton and Dallas pastor, T. D. Jakes.  His most recent book, “Act Like You Got Some Sense,” was co- written with Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx.  

More on Nick Chiles here:  https://nickchiles.com/

Here’s a link to the latest book he co-wrote with Jamie Foxx:  “Act Like You Got Some Sense:”  https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jamie-foxx/act-like-you-got-some-sense/9781538703281/?lens=grand-central-publishing

Emily Strasser

In this episode, Laurie Hertzel, a distinguished professor of practice in the University of Georgia’s MFA Narrative Nonfiction program, interviewed Emily Strasser about her book, “Half-Life of a Secret: Reckoning With a Hidden History.” 

Emily visited Athens in January to speak to our MFA students during their winter residency. In this conversation, she discussed  her 10 years of research and writing about her grandfather’s role in developing the atomic bomb while a scientist in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, home to the top-secret Manhattan Project. She also talked about her growth as a journalist while weaving together family secrets into this propulsive narrative that explores the long-term impact of nuclear weapons.

KaToya Ellis Fleming, "Bigger Than Bravery"

In this episode, Lookout Books editor and writing professor KaToya Ellis Fleming (MFA '18) reflects on the work of editing the award-winning anthology Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic. Bigger Than Bravery was edited by the late Valerie Boyd who founded the MFA in narrative nonfiction program at UGA. Publishers’s Weekly listed Bigger than Bravery among their Big Indie books of fall, Library Journal named it one of the best books of 2022 and Foreword Indies named it the silver winner for Anthologies. It also won the Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Specialty Book category. KaToya talks about the wonder of editing writers she had long admired and the labor of love in completing the project after Boyd passed away before its publication date. Also in this episode, Lolis Eric Elie, a former mentor in our writing program reads from his essay "A Survivor Looks Back" and program mentor and alumna Rosalind Bentley (MFA '17) reads from her essay "Iron and Brass."

Brandon P. Fleming, ”MisEducated”

In this episode, renowned speaker, nationally acclaimed educator and former debate coach at Harvard University, Brandon P. Fleming discusses his memoir,  “MisEducated,” (Hachette, 2021). Brandon, who earned his MFA in 2021 and worked primarily with the program’s mentor Pat Thomas, shares the inspirational story of his transformation from a delinquent, drug-dealing dropout to an award-winning Harvard educator  – all by the age of 27. In this show, Brandon talks about how and why it’s so important to tell the truth when writing a memoir, as well as navigating family members who not only question why you’re sharing the story but also may not appear in the best light. More on Brandon here:  https://bpfleming.com/about-me/

Here’s a link to MisEducated: 

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brandon-p-fleming/miseducated/9780306925139/?lens=hachette-books

James Murdock, ”Orange is the New Peach”

In this episode, poet, educator and environmental writer James Murdock (MFA ‘21) discusses how using poetry, place and the natural world around him informed the reporting and writing of “Orange is the New Peach.” The piece was recently featured in Food Stories: Writing That Stirs the Pot, an anthology published by The Bitter Southerner.

James says good writing is built on the fine art of paying close attention and this article is no exception. Here is the link James’ story, “Orange is the New Peach:” https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2021/orange-is-the-new-peach

Here are a few of the poets and writers who inspire James that he mentioned during our discussion:    

How to Be a Poet, Wendell Berry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHpU3O63eMg

Matsuo Bashō https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuo_Bash%C5%8D

Wallace Stegner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stegner

Janisse Ray https://janisseray.com/

Moni Basu, ”In Search of Spirits in Cassadaga”

Moni Basu reads her story, "In Search of Spirits in Cassadaga," originally published in Flamingo Magazine. 

Basu, a member of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction faculty, travels to the quiet Floridian community of Cassadaga, known as the psychic capital of the world and home, since 1894, to followers of Spiritualism, a faith that believes that we never truly die. Instead, we leave our bodies and become another form of matter and our spirit selves can still interact with the living. 

Over the years, a mysterious shroud surrounded Cassadaga. It's known as a mecca for mystics, a haunted corner of a swampy state. Basu headed to Cassadaga to investigate these mysteries and found herself asking personal questions about the afterlife. 

In addition to her work as an MFA Mentor, Basu, a veteran journalist with CNN, teaches as the Michael and Linda Connelly Lecturer for Narrative Nonfiction at the University of Florida.

Shannon McCaffrey and Jan Winburn, ”Sanctuary”

In this episode, Shannon McCaffrey (MFA ‘23) and Distinguished Professor of practice Jan Winburn discuss the challenges Shannon ran into while reporting and writing, “Sanctuary,” the love story between a woman named Carol and an elephant named Tarra and their 50- year bond that was published earlier this year in Atavist Magazine. Shannon’s article was described as “lyrical” by Sunday Longform, in part, because of the many beautifully constructed scenes contained in the narrative, as well as the emotion she was able to evoke from her main character.  

Shannon has worked as a journalist for over 20 years and currently is senior editor at The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Jan Winburn has spent more than four decades at local, national and global news outlets, working as a narrative editor, writing coach and investigative editor. 

Paul Kix and John T. Edge

In this episode, Distinguished Professor of practice John T. Edge interviews author Paul Kix about his latest book You Have to Be Prepared To Die Before You Can Begin to Live, which chronicles 10 critical weeks of the Civil Rights Movement. From nuts and bolts questions on how to keep a story moving forward, and how to humanize grandiose questions like how to change the world through narrative this conversation gets to the core of why we write. Paul's weekly newsletter This Week Paul Likes offers practical writing advice and inspiration.

The Art of Micro-Memoir: Imagine Writing Hummingbirds

Mississippi writer and poet Beth Ann Fennelly, author of the genre-bending Heating and Cooling, spoke at the nonfiction program’s residency in January 2023. She asked students to explore the art of micro-memoir. "What should we do when we can’t figure out how or where to start our story?" she asked. The answer? Start small. Precisely because they are so small, hummingbirds can do things other birds can’t do. In this episode of Hear-Tell, we delve into the art of writing short. You’ll hear Fennelly, Grady's new MFA program director, Moni Basu and two MFA students, Beth Burch and Colin Donohue read the micro-memoirs that evolved from a writing session led by Fennelly. In the second half of the show, Basu, who took over the program after the death of her best friend and former program director, Valerie Boyd, discusses how starting small can help us to think big.