What do writers learn from running?

Writers on the Run records conversations with writers who are also runners. The project produces audio interviews that are available as downloadable podcast episodes. Interviews are conducted while running (or jogging or even walking, depending on the author’s preferences). All interviews are the same length — 5 kilometers — because the “5K” is such a classic distance for runners. The duration of episodes varies with the pace at which we want to move. Given that the interview needs to take place at a conversational pace, expect episodes to run between 40 minutes and an hour. The 5K is long enough to reveal some insights into the author’s running and writing life, while also being short enough to keep the conversation focused. 

Poetry shows us how applying constraints to writing projects produces artful diction through compaction of language and surprising comparisons. Think of the interview being conducted on the run as the constraint that makes this series of interviews distinct from other interviews. Expect novel conversational topics.  Expect insights into a side of the writer’s life that is often ignored. Expect to hear some labored breathing. 

Writers on the Run is hosted by Phillip Barron, an award-winning poet and runner in Portland, Oregon.