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PODCAST

6-minute Stories

True, personal stories from new voices and experienced writers resonating with the themes of the Personal Essay/Story Publishing Projects: "Bearing Up" (2018) and "Exploring" (2019).

society & culture personal journals

All Episodes

00:07:57

"My First Adventure" by Akira Odani

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/26

– Should I tell my mother what I decided to do?A 5-year-old, less than one meter tall, I slipped through the turnstile without being noticed.Akira Odani lives in the ancient city of St. Augustine, Florida. He belongs to Taste Life Twice Writers and the Florida Writers Association. Born in Tokyo, he had written extensively for the Japanese media. Still, more recently, his interest has turned to writing in English and subjects related to his experiences interacting with the two cultures. Some of his

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00:07:50

"Fool's Hill" by Caroline Kane Kenna

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/23

– We were trying out young adulthood, but there were rules.What I recall is moonlight through a picture window until we heard his door open, Marshall’s deep, slow Tennessee twang.Caroline Kane Kenna lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. A newspaper reporter before the internet. Stay at home Mom to three boys, trailing spouse for a corporate husband. Her family moved to Huntersville in 2005. Her writing has placed in Charlotte Writers Club contests. Poems published in Above the Fold and various

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00:07:57

"Greyhound to Ithaca" by Maureen Ryan Griffin

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/19

– I had a layover in Elmira, New York—six hours long.Warblers, whistlers, and trillers sang. Joe and Maybe Dave knew when not to talk, too, when beauty itself was the conversation.Maureen Ryan Griffin has loved words and stories since her “Cat in the Hat” days and leads writing workshops and retreats (www.WordPlayNow.com). She’s published in numerous literary journals and will soon appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, Angels and Messages from Heaven. Her books include Ten Thousand Cicadas

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00:08:15

"Mountain Panic" by Suzanne Adams

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/16

– I began to pass little crosses made of sticks and string.It was fully dark outside now, a blackness unrelieved by any shaft of human-created light.Suzanne Adams has been an actor, director, teacher, and archenemy of Mountain Pine Beetles in the Rockies. She didn’t take writing semi-seriously until moving to Charlotte, in this “writingest state.” Her stories have won a few prizes in literary contests and have been published in Litmosphere, Main Street Rag, Memoirs Ink, and Minerva Rising. She is an

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00:08:11

"Outgunned" by Jamie Cheshire

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/12

– We had our audience!Fierce when necessary, and sometimes maybe just a little bit witchyFascinated with every big and little thing, Jamie Cheshire has long been an avid student of design and structure. Having worked together with giants, he has had the extreme good fortune to practice his craft for most of the last four decades and has seen his work appear nationally and in several countries on three continents. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with his beloved feral, hippie-chick wife,

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00:08:02

"Time To Live or Die" by Edward von Koenigseck

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/09

– “Quick! Let's get the oars!”.Traveling fast, the tanker’s bow tossed large white-capped waves.Edward von Koenigseck, relocated from Florida, resides in Ticonderoga NY. Having a 40-year career in Technical Publications, he also published two books (Technical Writing for Private Industry and Island Park, a Memoir, and four short stories. He created 92 one-hour lectures on biblical history for presentation to elders, sponsored by the non-profit Florida-based Shepherd Centers organization. He also

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00:07:30

"No Turning Back" by Bruce Spang

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/05

– What was I doing here? I’d been a fool to come.Too much of the past haunted the rooms.Bruce Spang, former Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine, is the author of two novels, The Deception of the Thrush and Those Close Beside Me. His most recent collection of poems, All You’ll Derive: A Caregiver’s Journey, was just published. He is the poetry and fiction editor of the Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine. He teaches courses in fiction and poetry at Great Smokies Writing Program at University of North

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00:07:50

"The Bottle Rocket War" by Richard L. Davis

6-minute Stories ·

2024/10/02

The Bottle Rocket Warby Richard L. Davis, Elk Grove, CA– firecrackers on a stick, launched from tequila bottles!We had no Francis Scott Key to record our glory and legacy.Richard (“Rick”) Davis is a retired Air Force colonel with an extensive professional writing history, including some non-fiction material published over the past 40 years. To transition to fiction, he studied with Amherst Writers & Artists and published his first novella in 2014. “The Bottle Rocket War” marks his third offering

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00:07:15

"When Things Got Crazy (Dingue)" by David Collins

6-minute Stories ·

2024/09/28

– Not what we expectedHell-bound for a summer of adventure in France, we didn’t care.David Collins holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and taught English/Creative Writing for forty years. His work has appeared in numerous journals, reviews, magazines, and newspapers. His first full-length book, Accidental Activists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage Equality in Texas, won the Mayborn Award for Excellence in Nonfiction in 2016, published in 2017 by

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"A Fool in Love" by Terri Kirby Erickson

6-minute Stories ·

2024/09/25

– Is love worth the pain?My belief in immortality for the people I adored did not pan out.Terri Kirby Erickson of Pfafftown, NC, is the author of seven poetry collections, including her latest book, Night Talks: New & Selected Poems (Press 53), a Finalist for the International Book Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared in “American Life in Poetry,” Atlanta Review, Rattle, The SUN, The Writer’s Almanac, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and numerous other publications. Winner of the Joy Harjo Poetry

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00:08:15

"Introduction" to Foolhardy, Season 10 -"6-minute...

6-minute Stories ·

2024/09/21

Forty-five writers share their personal stories of courage and daring, rashness and folly, incited by intention, imprudence, or circumstances. These are tales provoked by reasoned confidence or aggravated by recklessness, some pivoting on inattention to what could go wrong. We choose what to do next, how to live, based on what we think we know and believe will happen. What we don’t get right we might get wrong for many reasons, but in every case, we get a story to tell.Through 45 short stories, you

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00:08:01

"What If?" by Landis Wade

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/31

– to risk failure as a writerIt takes courage to write, to accept feedback, to write to completion.Landis Wade writes light-hearted legal thrillers, mysteries, and essays. He is a recovering trial lawyer and host of Charlotte Readers Podcast where he has conducted more than 500 author interviews. His recent novel–Deadly Declarations–has won ten awards, including Winner in the 2022 American Fiction Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards in the mystery categories. In 2023, he released The

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00:07:56

"Do I Dare? by Suzanne Cottrell

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/27

– I’ve got to get around it.As I swerve left, I cringe and bite my lip. More gas, more gas.Suzanne Cottrell, a member of the Taste Life Twice Writers and NC Writers’ Network, lives with her husband in Granville County, NC. An outdoor enthusiast and retired teacher, she enjoys reading, writing, knitting, hiking, and Pilates. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including the Personal Story Publishing Project, Inwood Indiana Press, Quillkeepers Press,andParks and Points.She’s

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00:08:03

"The Storm Upstream" by Bill Donohue

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/24

– to the palace and take the hill; Helen Keller on fireWhen will it be too late to make their difference heard?Bill Donohue is a retired Dean of Students from Winston Salem, North Carolina, who shares a lifelong advocacy for people with disabilities. This story chronicles that passion with his own present-day battle with Cancer.

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00:07:32

"Lifeguard" by Susan W. Harris

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/21

– I hesitated. I had never done a real rescue.Benny hated rejection and held a grudge.Susan W. Harris lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she is a member of the Island Writers Network, (IWN). Her mother, a writer, encouraged her to write. Professionally she wrote grants and proposals for nonprofits. Poems and stories were published in the IWN anthology’s recent two books. Currently, she is writing a novel inspired by the life of her grandmother and mother.

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00:07:42

"One by One--Defying the Nevers" by Emily Rosen

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/17

– Oh, the lagging path between words and actions!For me, the motion of the bike was just the right pace.Emily Rosen, 97, lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where for over 20 years and until her 95th birthday, she instructed classes in memoir writing, publishing two anthologies of stories from her classes, and the book, Who Am I? For two decades until the local weekly newspaper folded in 2021, she wrote her column, “Everything's Coming Up Rosen.” Her travel and feature articles have appeared nationwide

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00:07:06

"Bobby Got His Butt Kicked" by Randell Jones -...

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/13

- fighting for respectRandell Jones lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author of several award-winning history books, including In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone, and two videos. Since 2007, he has served as an invited member of the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau of the North Carolina Humanities Council. He writes, speaks, and publishes as Daniel Boone Footsteps at www.DanielBooneFootsteps.com or www.RandellJones.com.

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00:07:50

"A Real Doozy" by Tonya Penrose

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/10

– revenge of the 6-year-oldA wronged child welcomes home the prodigal parents with a flood of retribution.As an author, Tonya is moved by the effect humor and narratives have on readers. She is enthusiastic about crafting stories with beguiling characters, adding dashes of humor, and engaging dialogue that leaves her fingerprint on each page. She is published in anthologies, e-magazines, local press, and literary magazines. She is a member of Poets and Writers. Her books include Old Mountain Cassie:

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00:07:45

"Precious Treasure" by Martha Rowe Vaughn

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/06

– Never was the real answer. I left disappointed and broken-hearted.Mother started me on an adventure and took me into a mystery.Martha Rowe Vaughn lives in Mount Airy, North Carolina and is a member of a local writers group that has been meeting for over 15 years. During that time, she has published two books:Grandma’s Trunk(non-fiction)andCrossroads(fiction).An interest in genealogy and family history prompted her to write both books. She graduated from The University of Kentucky with a degree in

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00:08:04

"Where Angels Fear" by Cherie Cox

6-minute Stories ·

2024/07/03

– “I could have died happily in Florence.”“I’ll mind the kids. You take the trip. I’ve seen all the world I need to see.”A published news journalist and a practiced lawyer, Cherie Cox calls North Carolina home. Awards include the Charlotte Writers’ Club first place in poetry. Published short stories, essays, professional legal articles and poetry vary her credentials. These include Personal Story Publishing Project anthologies, Kakalak, and The Christmas Wreath. She enjoys people who give their best

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174 results

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