Podcast Profile
LiveWriters chats with JW McAteer and Kevin McMahon of the Story Discovery Podcast and Onyx Publications
Photos: JW (left), Kevin (below)
Q: Tell readers about Onyx Publications and the new Etched Onyx magazine (accepting submissions until March 5). What is your mission? Why did you start the venture?
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A: We started Onyx Publications because as aspiring writers ourselves, we understand the challenge of getting your work to a broader audience. We also understand that for the most part, writers just want their stories to be alive, out there in the world. Our mission is to provide an accessible path for writers and poets to showcase their work and broaden their reach, so that readers across the globe can discover new stories. We know that writing is a process that requires continuous investment of time, effort, and experience. The idea is simply to share our experience and invest some of our time, in the hopes that we all become better writers through this endeavor.
Q: How does the Story Discovery Podcast complement the magazine?
A: One of the things we love most about Onyx Publications, besides reading the amazing stories that people tell, is the podcast. There is just something special about hearing your own work, your own words, being read aloud by someone else. Podcasts make storytelling accessible, and can reach anyone in the world with an internet connection. For each podcast, we first narrate the story, so listeners who are just looking for good short stories, poems, or flash fiction, can find them and listen. After the narration, Kevin and I interview the author and talk writing craft a bit, but it’s also a chance to get to know the authors and just have a conversation. The podcast gives an extra dimension to Etched Onyx magazine. You can read the story, or you can hear the story, it’s up to you. And if you want to go deep, you can even get to know the authors a little bit. We think this helps us stand out and provides a larger platform for writers to express their voice.
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Q: What is your favorite part about hosting a podcast? What keeps you excited for each new episode?
A: You never know what you’re going to get! This is the best part about talking with writers and it’s been so much fun. Writers are, well, let’s be honest, characters in and of themselves. We generally talk about the writing craft just to get into the mindset of the writers, but I’d say 100% of the time we veer off into some crazy subject, like bear attacks, or story characters who have befriended their creators, or their favorite emotions (and it’s not what you think!). So, yep, getting excited about each episode is easy, it’s like reading a good book, we don’t know where it’s going to lead or how it’ll turn out, but we know it’ll be a fun ride!
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