How I Write

Comparative Literature Professor and Philosopher Richard Rorty discusses how his writing skills developed as a social commentator. (November 9, 2004)

Hilton Obenzinger sits down with Dr. Terry Root, Senior fellow at Woods Institute for the Environment and professor of Biological Sciences to talk about her writing process.

Leonard Susskind studies theoretical physics, particularly the field of string theory and quantum field theory, and he is widely recognized as one of the fathers of the String Theory model of particle physics. (May 2, 2007)

Leonard Susskind studies theoretical physics, particularly the field of string theory and quantum field theory, and he is widely recognized as one of the fathers of the String Theory model of particle physics. (May 2, 2007)

President and Author John Hennessy discusses how his writing skills developed as a Computer Scientist and entrepreneur. Hennessy shares how he has approached diverse writing tasks in the realms of science and business. (April 13, 2004)

Eavan Boland talks about how she writes in her work as a poet.

John Rickford, professor of linguistics and humanities at Stanford University and author of The Story of Black English, shares his perspective on writing.

Hilton Obenzinger talks with Terry Karl, Ph.D about writing in her field of Political Science

Renato Rosaldo shares his perspective on he writing process as a cultural anthropologist.

Shelly Fisher Fishkin, Professor of English and Humanities talks about herself as a writer at Stanford.

Paula Moya talks about her writing process as an Author in the Department of English at Stanford University.

Anne Firth Murray talks about her writing and how she has used it throughout her career.

Irvin Yalom talks about his life as a psychotherapist and how that has influence his writing of both textbooks and novels. (January 30, 2013)

Adam Johnson discusses his writing process specifically regarding his last book "The Orphan's Master's Son" and his experience of writing a story based in North Korea. (October 23, 2012)

Tom Hare talks about what inspires him to write, how he organizes his thoughts and ideas, and what his future projects will entail. (May 14, 2012)

Shelly Fisher Fishkin explains her writing and editing processes, her inspiration from Mark Twain, the benefits of collaboration, and how to make non-fiction prose accessible to readers. (May 12, 2005)

Biology Professor and Primatologist Robert Sapolsky discusses how his writing skills developed while he was doing field work in Africa. Sapolsky recounts specifically how he generates his ideas for articles. (April 3, 2009)

Estelle Freedman talks about what inspires her to write, how she organizes her thoughts and work, and what her future projects will entail. (October 29, 2003)

Hazel Markus, sits down to discuss the work that she has done. She has focused much of her efforts on how gender, ethnicity, religion, social class, or region can influence thought and feeling. (November 8, 2005)

Scotty McLennan discusses his role as a source of religious energy on the Stanford campus and how this affects his writing and writing style. He offers an interesting perspective on thought and writing mentality. (February 26, 2003)