Fiction Writer Nicolle Lioncourt, my next Season 13 guest!

This week on Tightwires, Kate and I are speaking to Nicolle Lioncourt, another one of our fiction finalists.

We can’t wait for you to read Nicolle’s story in the anthology, which is now available for purchase here: https://hibatahir.com/purchase-the-tightwires-anthology-here/

Check out our conversation with Nicolle here: https://youtu.be/lVAMaVDaqes

Fiction prize winner Mariya Kurbatova, my next Season 13 guest!

This week on Tightwires, Kate and I speak to Mariya Kurbatova, inaugural fiction prize winner selected by our fiction judge, NYT and Sunday Times Bestselling author Hannah Whitten!

Hannah wrote:

“Do You Believe In Life After Love is atmospheric in a way that swallows you, despite its brief length. The characters were strong and three-dimensional, their struggles and beliefs easily laid out for the reader with an ease that made you know them immediately. The prose is excellent, visceral and immediate, and the twist at the end is done masterfully. It’s truly an excellent short story.”

We can’t wait for you to read Mariya’s story in the anthology, which is now available for purchase here:

Check out our conversation with Mariya here: https://youtu.be/lVAMaVDaqes

What did art & writing offer us in 2025? [Part 2!]

That’s a wrap on an absolutely incredible year of Tightwires! I felt so bad asking this question all year long, but everyone in both parts delivered. So grateful to live and write and be in community with these brilliant and generous souls. It was impossible to condense these any further; it easily could have been much longer. I hope you’ll watch the full interviews!

This one compiles interviews from Seasons 10-12, including Maggie Dewane, Eduardo Martínez-Leyva, Mandy Shunnarah, Hillfolk Shop, Pearl’s Books, Two Friends Books, Marlin Barton, Mariah Rigg, Daniella Toosie-Watson, Jihyun Yun, Carey Salerno, Ayana Gray, and Patrick Joseph Caoile.

Patrick Joseph Caoile, my next Season 12 guest!

Kate and I took a break from working on the inaugural Tightwires anthology to speak to Patrick Joseph Caoile, author of TALES FROM MANILA AVE, the winning selection of Sundress Publications’ 2024 Prose Open Reading Period!

TALES FROM MANILA AVE is already out now from Sundress Publications and can purchased here.

For some reason, YouTube embed links no longer work on WordPress— click through to view the episode on YouTube.

NYT Bestselling author Ayana Gray, my next Season 12 guest!

Just before Halloween, I had the great pleasure of speaking to Ayana Gray, one of my favorite authors and people, about her widely-lauded upcoming book I, MEDUSA!

Some topics of discussion: distinctions between Greek and Roman mythology, the timely and timeless impact of power, factors that contribute to literary age categories, our mutual adoration of doodles, Hiba’s favorite Halloween movies, and Ayana’s favorite Bob’s Burgers’ episodes!

**Plus, a spoilers section at the very end of the interview!**

I, MEDUSA will be released next Tuesday, November 18, and is available for preorder now.