About the podcast: the writing life, but make it unfiltered

We didn’t set out to make a podcast. We just couldn’t stop talking about writing, so we hit record.

Somewhere between Instagram, a writing retreat, and a note passed across a table, it started to feel a little too aligned to be accidental. Like the writing gods knew exactly what they were doing. We’re similar in all the ways that matter, and different in all the ways that make it better.

Keep reading. It only gets better from here.

Two women sitting on a couch, one making a muscle, with a microphone on a small table between them, and a laptop on the lap of one woman, in a cozy living room.

Our story didn’t just begin with an idea. It began with a feeling we couldn’t ignore.

We started this because writing can feel a lot heavier than anyone tells you it will. There’s the excitement, sure, but there’s also the doubt, the second-guessing, and the constant question of whether what you’re making is actually any good. And most of the time, those parts get edited out of the conversation. Everything looks polished from the outside, and you’re left wondering if you’re the only one struggling through it on an island.

We knew we weren’t. And we knew there had to be space for the version of writing that isn’t tied up in a bow—the messy, in-progress, figuring-it-out-as-you-go version that most of us are actually living in.

Margs & Manuscripts exists to make that part visible. Not as a lesson or a formula, but as a conversation. We’re not here to hand out rules or pretend there’s one right way to do this. We’re here to talk about what writing, reading, and publishing actually look like when you’re in it—when you’re balancing drafts, feedback, timelines, and your own expectations all at once. Throw in parenthood? Goner.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that most writers aren’t looking for perfect advice. They’re looking for honesty, perspective, and a reminder that they’re not the only ones navigating this. That’s what we’re building here—and what we hope you feel the second you land on this page.

Two women sitting on a white sofa, smiling and posing with their arms raised and crossed. They are wearing black sweatshirts and baseball caps, one pink and one blue, in a bright room with a white wall background.

The meet cute

Margs & Manuscripts started the way most great things do: unexpectedly. We first connected on Instagram, with Cait following along as Jenna was deep in a DIY writing room remodel. Somewhere between paint colors and shelving plans, we started talking. Not in a casual way, but in a wait, you get this too? kind of way.

Not long after, we realized we were both heading to the same writing retreat. We met in person, hit it off immediately, and somewhere in the middle of a session, Cait slid a note over that said, “Wanna start a podcast? Margs & Manuscripts?”

The answer was yes. Clearly.

Everything that followed came together naturally because it was built on conversations we were already having about writing, publishing, and everything in between. Since launching in fall 2025, it has grown into exactly what we hoped it would be. A space for honest conversations, shared experiences, and the kind of connection we were both looking for when we started.

Meet the hosts

A woman with light brown hair wearing a blue sweater with white flowers, smiling and holding a cocktail glass with a yellow drink, sitting on a cream-colored sofa.

Cait Waynelovich

Cait is a writer, cohost of Margs & Manuscripts, and the kind of person who has always known she’d write a book… even if the path there has been anything but straightforward. She holds an MFA from Bay Path University and is currently working toward the publication of her debut novel, Places We’ll Go.

By day, she works in higher education. By night, she’s deep in drafts, edits, and the occasional spiral about whether any of it is actually good. She’s drawn to stories that feel like conversations and brings that same energy to the podcast—asking thoughtful questions, chasing honest answers, and reminding everyone that it’s okay to still be figuring it out.

A woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a pink checkered button-up shirt and a delicate gold necklace, standing against a plain light background.

Jenna G. Judith

Jenna is an author, cohost of Margs & Manuscripts, and the creative force behind everything you see across the brand. Writing under the pen name Jenna G. Judith, she’s currently working on her debut fantasy novel, along with a growing list of other romance-esque projects. She probably opened a new word doc as you read this.

With a background in design, marketing, and PR, Jenna naturally thinks in systems, structure, and storytelling—but writing is where she lets that control loosen, just a bit. She’s known for saying the thing everyone else is thinking (think turning inside thoughts into outside ones), balancing big ideas with sharp execution, and turning creative chaos into something that actually works.

We get into all of it.

The Writing Life

the craft, the chaos, the blank page spirals, and the breakthroughs that make it worth it

Author Stories

honest conversations with writers about the journey behind the book, not just the press tour version

The Publishing World

querying, agents, indie vs. traditional, book deals, and everything nobody tells you until it's too late

Books & Reading

recommendations, reactions, deep dives, and the kind of fangirling that should be illegal

Two women sitting on a round, white, textured ottoman, smiling and holding cocktails, against a plain white wall. Both are wearing matching dark green sweatshirts with pink and white text, light blue jeans, and casual shoes.