The Make Meaning Podcast

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Writers figure out what they believe and make sense of the world by putting words on the page.

How authors, writers and those in publishing go from idea to book-length story to published with a sought-after audience is the focus of this podcast!

The Make Meaning Podcast features authors, writers, and those who bring their words to the forefront. Host Lynne Golodner is a former journalist, multi-title author, award-winning marketing strategist and inspirational speaker who knows just how to ask the right questions to yield rich, inspiring responses. She also shares her own writing process and creative pursuits in lively conversations with stunning writers of great books, compelling stories, and life-changing articles.

Since our first episode on July 9, 2018, we have interviewed more than 100 visionaries. Among them…

A celebrated and well-published author and journalist originally from the U.K. and now an advisor to the leader of Kosovo

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And a New York Times-bestselling author whose Modern Love column became a book

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Not to mention a curator of local author events that highlight up-and-coming women’s voices while reinventing how we define community.

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Make Meaning Podcast Episodes

Episode 148 – Woman of Valor – Katie Scott interviews Lynne about her debut novel!

A Super Special Episode: Lynne Golodner discusses her debut novel, Woman of Valor! Writer, Washtenaw County Commissioner, Nurse and Friend Extraordinaire Katie Scott takes the mic on this episode to interview Make Meaning host Lynne Golodner about the release of her ninth book and debut novel, Women of Valor. Lynne and Katie met in a writing course in the 1990s and are more like sisters than friends. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner finds herself on the other side of the interview as Katie asks about the journey behind Woman of Valor, which releases September 26, 2023.  In this episode, Lynne and Katie discuss: Links and Resources:  Find […]

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Episode 147 – Diane Gottlieb – Writing Short & Writing Well

Diane Gottlieb champions midlife women while telling her own provocative, riveting stories for publications like River Teeth, HuffPost, and SmokeLong Quarterly. Winner of the Tiferet 2021 Writing Contest and a finalist in SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2022, Diane has three master’s degrees and serves as editor of Awakenings: Stories of Body and Consciousness and prose/creative nonfiction editor of Emerge Literary Journal. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with Diane about her passion for writing, her dedication to empowering the voices of midlife women and her journey to becoming known in the literary community. In this episode, Lynne and Diane discuss:  Links and Resources:  Find Diane Gottlieb: WebsiteFacebook  Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Blog If you enjoyed this episode, […]

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Episode 146 – Barbara Stark-Nemon – Tracing the Path of Historical Fiction

Barbara Stark-Nemon takes her time writing historical fiction, tracing the paths her characters walked and lived. The author of award-winning novels, Barbara turned to writing after retiring from a successful career. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with Barbara about her passion for writing and her experiences speaking at conferences, literary events, libraries and book clubs. A University of Michigan alumnus, Barbara has two published novels – Even in Darkness and Hard Cider – and is at work on a coming-of-age refugee story set in the aftermath of the Inquisition.  In this episode, Lynne and Barbara discuss:  Links and Resources:  Find Barbara Stark-Nemon: WebsiteTwitter InstagramFacebookLinkedInBlog If you enjoyed […]

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Episode 145 – CL Walters – Young Adult & New Adult Fiction from Hawaii

Building an author career depends on writing book after book after book, which is something CL Walters knows well. From her home base in Hawai’i, she writes and publishes through Mixed Plate Press, the venture she runs with her husband. CL writes Young Adult and New Adult titles, and pens Romances under the name Maci Aurora. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with CL Walters about her author journey, making a living as a writer, maintaining a steady flow of stories, and the resilience required when your first book doesn’t quite take off.  In […]

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Episode 144 – Danny Hankner – Founding Story Unlikely

Danny Hankner is an electrician by trade and a writer at heart as well as the founder of Story Unlikely. This online literary publication showcases incredible stories, focusing on non-fiction memoiristic pieces. As a publisher, Danny is passionate about discovering great authors and beautiful stories, providing a platform and audience to showcase worthy voices. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Danny Hankner about his literary journey. One of Lynne’s favorite of her original nonfiction writings, “The Roads We Travel,” was accepted by Danny not even 24 hours after she submitted it. She says […]

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Episode 143 – Annie Cathryn – Dreams Come True: The Friendship Breakup

Annie Cathryn transitioned from a career in marketing for a Fortune 500 company to her own consulting agency inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat Pray Love” to pursue her dream of writing fiction. She recently released her debut book, The Friendship Breakup, and is a self-proclaimed book nerd who has expanded her love for literature by becoming a Bookstagrammer and starting the Soulful Series Video podcast. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Annie Cathryn about her debut novel, creative process, publishing journey, and why we should read our book’s reviews.  In this episode, Lynne […]

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Episode 142 – Announcing Scotia Road Books

Welcome to a special episode of the Make Meaning Podcast!  As a full-time author, writing coach, and host of this podcast, Lynne Golodner never thought starting another business would be part of her plan. However, her passion for storytelling and a gap in the marketplace led Lynne to create Scotia Road Books, a new publishing imprint dedicated to providing a platform for women over 40 with strong voices that need to be heard. With a focus on contemporary, historical, and literary fiction, as well as narrative memoirs and essay collections, Scotia Road Books seeks to make a meaningful impact in […]

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Tom Sleigh

Episode 141 – Tom Sleigh– A Lifetime of Poetry

The award-winning author of 11 books, Tom Sleigh is the latest author to be a guest on the Make Meaning Podcast. In this episode, Tom talks with host Lynne Golodner about how his love of language traces back to childhood, when his mother, an English teacher, first read Thoreau aloud.  That journey continued through decades when he was a war correspondent on the front lines in Lebanon and Syria to his archeologist days in southern Mexico and finally, to the resonance of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which turned us all into isolated individuals yearning for the connection that language brings. […]

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Minda Zetlin

Episode 140 – Minda Zetlin – On ASJA, Leadership & Writing for Inc.

Minda Zetlin has written columns for Inc. Magazine for more than a decade, and out of that research, reporting and curiosity grew the material and focus for her latest book, CAREER SELF-CARE. The latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast, Minda Zetlin talks with host Lynne Golodner about how crucial membership in the American Society of Journalists and Authors has been for her career, how self-doubt and self-belief have been her biggest challenges, and how important it is to not just build a career, but build a life you’re happy to live. In this episode, Lynne […]

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Desiree Cooper

Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”

Desiree Cooper was once a Detroit Free Press columnist, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, a Kresge Artist Fellow, an attorney and now she’s a children’s book author – which explains why she considers herself “genre agnostic.” The latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast, Desiree started writing professionally before social media was a thing, and readers regularly sent her letters and pictures in response to her columns. Her children’s book NOTHING SPECIAL was three years in the making – and it might be her best creation yet. In this episode, host Lynne Golodner interviews Desiree Cooper about […]

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Sara Bennett Wealer

Episode 138 – Sara Bennett Wealer – Connecting with YA Readers

When your mother is an English teacher and your favorite TV show is Masterpiece Theater on PBS, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll take to writing creative, compelling, fantastical stories that captivate readers. “Writing was something I knew I could do,” says Sara Bennett Wealer, the latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast. In this episode, host Lynne Golodner interviews Sara Bennett Wealer about how to make a living as a writer, how to earn money writing books and how they are not often the same thing. Sara discusses the importance of the author hustle to keep […]

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Christopher P. Locke

Episode 137 – Christopher P. Locke – Breathtaking Essays & Stories

The key to great writing, says Christopher P. Locke, is to be vulnerable. Don’t worry about what people will think. Don’t censor yourself. Just share your realness and that will help others feel less alone. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Christopher P. Locke about his writing journey, their shared memories in the MFA program at Goddard College, the importance of great mentors and taking yourself seriously as a writer. In this episode, Lynne and Chris discuss:  Links and Resources:  Find Christopher P. Locke: Website  Facebook Instagram  Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, […]

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