Mark Meynell has done a lot of thinking about civility and cynicism and the writer's responsibility not just to win arguments, but to tell the truth. In this episode, Jonathan and Mark discuss the practice of generosity involved in both writing and reading, the virtues and vices of rhetoric, and how fiction and nonfiction persuade us in different ways.

Writers who make Mark want to write:
Graham Greene
John LeCarre
Elizabeth Strout

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<a href="https://www.markmeynell.net/">Mark Meynell</a> has done a lot of thinking about civility and cynicism and the writer's responsibility not just to win arguments, but to tell the truth. In this episode, Jonathan and Mark discuss the practice of generosity involved in both writing and reading, the virtues and vices of rhetoric, and how fiction and nonfiction persuade us in different ways.
Writers who make Mark want to write:
<ul>
<li>Graham Greene</li>
<li>John LeCarre</li>
<li>Elizabeth Strout</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://us15.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=78c50b8df93684101cc7deeaf&amp;id=cc4bc8c27c">Subscribe</a> to The Habit Weekly newsletter. <a href="https://thehabit.co">Find out more</a> about The Habit Membership.

Conversations with writers about writing, hosted by Jonathan Rogers.

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Episode 15: Mark Meynell

Marsh Moyle is an interesting man. He’s an Englishman but he grew up in Malta. He and his wife Tuula lived for 17 years in Vienna when the Iron Curtain divided Europe. There they organised book translation and distribution while researching the beliefs, practices, and problems of life under communism. In the post-communist period, they lived in Slovakia for 16 years, establishing publishing houses in seven countries. They also ran a learning community and held seminars with student groups in Central Europe, Russia, and Ukraine, committed to awakening the imagination, encouragng critical thinking, and fostering a deeper practical understanding of biblical ideas. Marsh is the author of Rumours of a Better Country: Searching for Trust and Community in a Time of Moral Outrage. In this episode, Marsh and Jonathan Rogers talk about utopianism, individualism, and the surprising truth that we can only be our true, distinct selves when our selves are shaped by the people around us.

Marsh Moyle is an interesting man. He&rsquo;s an Englishman but he grew up in Malta. He and his wife Tuula lived for 17 years in Vienna when the Iron Curtain divided Europe. There they organised book translation and distribution while researching the beliefs, practices, and problems of life under communism. In the post-communist period, they lived in Slovakia for 16 years, establishing publishing houses in seven countries. They also ran a learning community and held seminars with student groups in Central Europe, Russia, and Ukraine, committed to awakening the imagination, encouragng critical thinking, and fostering a deeper practical understanding of biblical ideas. Marsh is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/rumours-of-a-better-country-searching-for-trust-and-community-in-a-time-of-moral-outrage-marsh-moyle/40184f181d06f686?ean=9781789744675&amp;next=t">Rumours of a Better Country: Searching for Trust and Community in a Time of Moral Outrage</a>. In this episode, Marsh and Jonathan Rogers talk about utopianism, individualism, and the surprising truth that we can only be our true, distinct selves when our selves are shaped by the people around us.

Marsh Moyle Spreads Rumours of a Better Country

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/0c8993f1-189e-4ab5-a47e-b3e5003558aa/transcript

This week's episode is an old favorite from 2024. Leif Enger writes novels about good people living through bad times. His new book, I Cheerfully Refuse, epitomizes what the Los Angeles Tines calls Enger's “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling.” In this episode, Leif Enger and Jonathan Rogers talk about dystopian fiction; courage, literacy, and hope; and the bass guitar.

This week's episode is an old favorite from 2024. Leif Enger writes novels about good people living through bad times. His new book,&nbsp;I Cheerfully Refuse, epitomizes what the Los Angeles Tines calls Enger's &ldquo;musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling.&rdquo; In this episode, Leif Enger and Jonathan Rogers talk about dystopian fiction; courage, literacy, and hope; and the bass guitar.

Leif Enger on I Cheerfully Refuse (from the archives)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/568f7b06-7025-4ba2-b208-b3d7002c86bc/transcript

Joyce McPherson has written ten biographies–as well as several middle-grade novels–in 45 minute increments snatched from a busy life as a mother of nine and as a college instructor. Her most recent book is a biography of Jane Austen. In this episode, Joyce McPherson and Jonathan Rogers talk about how her mother convinced her to start writing for publication when she had two small children. We talk about research for biographies and historical fiction. And we talk about Joyce’s experiences with both traditional publishing and self-publishing.

<a href="https://joyce-mcpherson.blogspot.com/">Joyce McPherson</a> has written ten biographies&ndash;as well as several middle-grade novels&ndash;in 45 minute increments snatched from a busy life as a mother of nine and as a college instructor. Her most recent book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8WK2ZTQ?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100">a biography of Jane Austen</a>. In this episode, Joyce McPherson and Jonathan Rogers talk about how her mother convinced her to start writing for publication when she had two small children. We talk about research for biographies and historical fiction. And we talk about Joyce&rsquo;s experiences with both traditional publishing and self-publishing.

Joyce McPherson Writes Books 45 Minutes at a Time

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/20bb645f-2244-4264-b448-b3d000d6f330/transcript

Episode 15: Mark Meynell

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