Podcasts by The Easy Chair with Laura Hurwitz
All episodes
Episode: 230 Mad Libs from 2019-12-31T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Family Mad Libs. From our vacation spot in The Hamptons, we play a spirited game of Mad Libs, World’s Greatest Word Game ™. The story we fill in the blanks on is “...
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Episode 229: Gift of the Magi from 2019-12-24T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s a reprise of “The Gift of the Magi,” the classic short story by O. Henry. This small sweet gem of a tale is generally considered a Christmas story, as well as the ...
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Episode 228: Mightier Than the Sword, Holiday Survival Edition! from 2019-12-17T00:00
This week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, Holiday Survival Edition, with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! Today we tackle the holidays. It’s a time of gift-giving, holiday parties, and mandatory good ch...
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Episode 227: Midnight Morning Update (with Rachael Hurwitz) from 2019-12-10T00:00
Today on The Easy Chair, my guest is my daughter Rachael, and we talk about her indie folk band, Honey Magpie, and their second album, which they recently finished recording. Their single, “Undecid...
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Episode 226: The Point (by Laura Hurwitz) from 2019-12-03T00:00
Today on The Easy Chair, it's chapter one of my novel that’s been in progress (or arrested development) for quite a spell. I’ve been feeling very connected to Nantucket, the island I love, and pron...
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Episode 225: In The Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried (by Amy Hempel) from 2019-11-26T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s the iconic short story writer Amy Hempel’s “The Cemetery When Al Jolson Is Buried.” This poignant story is about bearing witness to the final days of a best friend...
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Episode 224: “How to Become a Writer” (by Lorrie Moore) from 2019-11-19T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I am happy to share the subversively funny, life vs. art, absolutely all-too-true short story “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore. Moore’s tone, that of a classic ...
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Episode 223: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-11-12T00:00
This week, it’s the return of Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Stephanie Spaulding! Between one thing and another, it’s been a while since Steph and I have been able to record tog...
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Episode 222: The Patron Saint of Words from 2019-11-05T00:00
Today’s Easy Chair episode: “The Patron Saint of Words” with guest poet, artist, radio host, and journalist Karen (K.P.) Ponzio. K.P. reads a very cool article she wrote about the Patron Saints of ...
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Episode 221: Popsy (by Stephen King) from 2019-10-29T10:12
Just in time for Halloween, in this episode of The Easy Chair I read “Popsy”, Stephen King’s dark tale of a child abduction in which the tables get terrifyingly turned. Sheridan, a gambling addict,...
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Episode 220: Rape Fantasies (by Margaret Atwood) from 2019-10-21T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read Margaret Atwood’s c. 1975 feminist short story, “Rape Fantasies”. Chatty narrator Estelle describes talking with her co-workers about their rape fantasies and he...
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Episode 219: The Great Automatic Grammatizator (by Roald Dahl) from 2019-10-14T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read a funny and thought-provoking short story by the late Roald Dahl, "The Great Automatic Grammatizator." For anyone who has ever wondered if there is a can’t fail...
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Episode 218: The Fat Girl (by Andre Dubus) Part Two from 2019-10-07T23:00
This week, on The Easy Chair, I read the conclusion of “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus. Louise has graduated college and now weighs less than her goal weight. She has morphed from fat to thin in less...
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Episode 217: The Fat Girl (by Andre Dubus) Part One from 2019-09-30T23:00
Today on The Easy Chair, I read Part One of “The Fat Girl”- a stunning short story by Andre Dubus. Louise has been fat since childhood, furtively secreting away stashes of chocolate candy, which sh...
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Episode 216: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-09-23T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding. We’re both back at work in the classroom, and…drum roll, please…so far, we are DOING A-OKAY. St...
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Episode 215: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Part Two (by Joyce Carol Oates) from 2019-09-16T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s the conclusion of Joyce Carol Oates’s stunner of a short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. Arnold Friend has shown up at fifteen-year-old Connie’s...
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Episode 214: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been (by Joyce Carol Oates) from 2019-09-09T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read the first half of Joyce Carol Oates's brilliant, twisted short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl from a small ...
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Episode 213: Excerpts, Bird by Bird (by Anne Lamott) from 2019-09-02T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read two funny and fabulous essays by author Anne Lamott from her seminal book on writing and life in general, Bird By Bird. Lamott is smart, self-deprecating, witty,...
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Episode 212: Mary (with Saul Fussiner) from 2019-08-26T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair: “Mary”, second of a two-part series by master storyteller Saul Fussiner. Like last week’s “Shane”, “Mary” is set largely in Ireland. A decade has passed, and Saul and...
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Episode 211: Shane (with Saul Fussiner) from 2019-08-19T23:00
This week, I’m joined by writer/storyteller Saul Fussiner. It’s been a minute since Saul has been on the podcast, and the story “Shane” is from Saul’s series of stories connected by times spent in ...
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Episode 210: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-08-12T23:00
This week, it’s a breezy tribute to the joys of summer reading on Mightier Than the Sword! Co-host and fellow educator (yes, that’s right … I’m headed back to the classroom in September, and you’ll...
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Episode 209: The Knowers (by Helen Phillips) from 2019-08-05T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read to you the short story “The Knowers” by Helen Phillips. Imagine a world in which every person can decide to find out the date of their death- but they can’t know...
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Episdoe 208: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-07-29T23:00
This week, it’s another Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. In this episode, we discuss perfectionism, procrastination, and how both behaviors are the downfall of many a good wri...
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Episode 207: The Last Rung on the Ladder (by Stephen King) from 2019-07-22T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read a devastating short story by Stephen King: “The Last Rung on the Ladder.” This is absolutely not your typical Stephen King horror story, and it's a tale that you...
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Episode 206: The Open Window (by Saki, c. 1914) from 2019-07-15T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read a classic short story, which is a tribute to storytelling. “The Open Window” (by Saki, c. 1914) is about Framton Nuttel, a gentleman seeking a place to stay so h...
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Episode 205: New Beginnings (with Michele Tenney) from 2019-07-08T23:00
This week’s episode: “New Beginnings” with returning guest writer Michele Tenney. In addition to being a fine writer, Michele is a personal trainer, nutritionist, and wellness coach (you can find h...
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Episode 204: Mightier Than the Sword (Work/Life Balance) from 2019-07-01T23:00
This week, it’s back to Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding. We’re talking about work/life balance, or work/life integration, as we see it. All work and no play makes...
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Episode 203: When Creative Calling Meets Everyday Life (with Rachael Hurwitz) from 2019-06-24T23:00
This week’s episode: "When Creative Calling Meets Everyday Life" (with Rachael Hurwitz). I’m thrilled and honored to have my talented singer/songwriter daughter Rachael of the indie-folk band Honey...
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Episode 202: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas from 2019-06-17T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Ursula Le Guin’s startling short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. Le Guin was a brilliant storyteller of mostly science fiction with a cautionary twist-...
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Episode 201: Awe, Joy, and Peace from 2019-06-10T23:00
This week on the podcast: "Awe, Joy, and Peace" with guest author Michele Tenney. Michele is an inspiration by virtue of the way she lives as well as in the way she writes, and I’m beyond thrilled ...
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Episode 200: Conversant from 2019-06-03T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I celebrate my 200th episode milestone with an original short story, “Conversant”. Celia is a woman who has been raised by an emotionally abusive mother to believe she’...
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Episode 199: Hall of Small Mammals (by Thomas Pierce) from 2019-05-27T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read aloud another wonderful short story (fitting, as it is officially Short Story Month) by author Thomas Pierce. Pierce gives us a poignant, funny, and illuminating...
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Episode198: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-05-20T23:00
This week’s episode is another Mightier Than the Sword, with my savvy co-host Steph Spaulding. We are still on the topic of book group etiquette and strategies. How to choose a book? How do books t...
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Episode 197: Crazy They Call Me, by Zadie Smith from 2019-05-13T23:00
This week’s episode: I am so excited to read yet another stellar short story by the incomparable Zadie Smith, "Crazy They Call Me." This is a gut-punch of a story, a literary re-imagining of the li...
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Episode 196: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-05-06T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! This week I blindside co-host Steph Spaulding with two things: first, a question about the impetus for our writing, and what we love as re...
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Episode 195: Lamb to the Slaughter (by Roald Dahl) from 2019-04-29T23:00
Today on the podcast, I read Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Like all things Dahl, it is part tongue-in-cheek, part macabre, and 100% snarky. Mary Maloney is pregnant and feeling nothing but ...
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Episode 194: Signs and Symbols (by Vladimir Nabokov) from 2019-04-22T23:00
Today on the podcast, it’s a fabulous short story by one of my favorite authors, Vladimir Nabokov. In “Symbols and Signs” an elderly couple visit their adult son, who they have committed to a psych...
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Episode 193: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-04-15T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding! Steph is back from a two-week trip to Marrakech, Morocco. Her stay at a riad was definitely interesting. So ...
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Episode 192: I Stand Here Ironing (by Tillie Olsen) from 2019-04-08T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I am reading Tillie Olsen’s beautifully poignant short story “I Stand Here Ironing”. I am endlessly grateful that I got to hear Tillie Olsen speak at a writing conferen...
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Episode 191: Honey Magpie (Part 2) from 2019-04-01T23:00
This week, it’s Honey Magpie II! First, a gorgeous, heartbreaking song about love's devastating disappointment by Pippa Hoover, followed by Pippa’s fascinating explication of her lyrics. Next up: R...
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Episode 190: Honey Magpie (Part 1) from 2019-03-25T23:00
Welcome to a two part introduction to the indie folk band Honey Magpie! Rachael Hurwitz, Kati Moore and Pippa Hoover are three talented singer/musicians/songwriters from North Carolina, and in thes...
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Episode 189: Heart to Heart from 2019-03-18T23:00
Co-host Jane Gross and I get together again after a too-long break for Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls (though really, for all listeners)! It’s been a while, and for Jane, life ha...
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Episode 188: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-03-11T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s a triumphant return to Mightier than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding! I’ve been out of town and Steph’s been both hard at work and under the w...
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Episode 187: Ghosts and Empties by Lauren Groff from 2019-03-05T00:00
This week, I read Lauren Groff’s suburban nightmare/dreamscape story “Ghosts and Empties”. A young mother who has become “a woman who screams” walks every night in her eclectic old Florida neighbor...
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Episode186: Orientation from 2019-02-26T00:00
This week on the podcast, I read my short story, “Orientation”. One memory that stands out for virtually everyone who has experienced going away to college is meeting your freshman year roommate fo...
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Episode 185: Schoolgirl from 2019-02-19T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, “Schoolgirl”, an original short story by yours truly. It’s 1977, the summer of the infamous Model Wars between Eileen Ford and John Casablancas, the heads of the two mo...
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Episode 184: Strawberry Spring (by Stephen King) from 2019-02-12T00:00
Today on The Easy Chair, I read a spine-tingling scary story perfect for the thick of winter: “Strawberry Spring” by Stephen King. A serial killer stalks the campus of a small New England college, ...
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Episode 183: School and Five Short Stories from 2019-02-05T00:00
Today on the podcast, I read Donald Barthelme’s hilariously morbid short story “School” along with “Five Short Stories”, an unconventional collection of short shorts by Lydia Davis. Hopefully these...
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Epsode 182: Roy Spivey from 2019-01-29T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I read Miranda July’s brilliant, quirky short story “Roy Spivey”. It’s about an uncertain young woman who through being “a pushover” finds herself with a first-class up...
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Episode 181: Aquaponcs 101 (with Hannah Hurwitz) from 2019-01-22T00:00
Aquaponics 101 (with Hannah Hurwitz). Climate change is a true national and global crisis, and one solution to the devastating environmental impact caused by our current way of producing food is aq...
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Episode 180: Mightier Than the Sword from 2019-01-15T00:00
This week, on Mightier Than the Sword, Steph and I talk about New Year’s resolutions…and why, this year, we’ve decided against them. We are taking a different approach to 2019- a fresh start, for s...
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Episode 179: Sisterhood of the Porcelain God from 2019-01-08T00:01
This week on The Easy Chair, I read the first chapter of my YA novel under consideration (working title, Sisterhood of the Porcelain God). Sophie is 18, a senior in high school, and her life should...
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Episode 178: The Lochyille Horror from 2019-01-01T00:00
A progressive scary/funny story by the entire Hurwitz clan.
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Episode 177: Mightier Than the Sword- Gift Giving from 2018-12-25T00:00
This week’s episode: Gift Giving, on Mightier Than the Sword! Co-host Steph and I give each other gifts that are unconstrained by budget or actual attainability. The expression “it’s the thought th...
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Episode 176: Seasonal Work (Part Two) from 2018-12-18T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair: Part Two of Seasonal Work, by Laura Lippman. This is the continuation and conclusion of Lippman’s poignant/painful short story told by Kyle, the 14 year-old stepdaughte...
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Episode 175: Seasonal Work (Part One) from 2018-12-11T00:00
This week on The Easy Chair: Part One of an anti-holiday holiday short story: "Seasonal Work" by Laura Lippman. Grifter Gary and his four kids- three biological, one his step-daughter- take part in...
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Episode 174: Give the Lady What She Wants from 2018-12-03T23:58
This week's episode: “Give the Lady What She Wants”, a winsome, heartbreaking short story by Leslie Pietrzyk. It’s longer than my typical Easy Chair offerings, but trust me, you will love this tal...
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Episode: 173 Sissy from 2018-11-26T23:59
Today on The Easy Chair: Sit back and listen to “Sissy” a charming short story by author/playwright Kathy Anderson. It’s about the reunion of two sisters in their 70s. One, the narrator, is a faile...
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Episode 172: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-11-19T23:58
Today’s episode: It’s time to head back to Mightier Than the Sword with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! This week, we are talking GRATITUDE. After all, it’s Thanksgiving, and family, friends, and bein...
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Episode 171: Home Again Hannah from 2018-11-12T23:58
This week on The Easy Chair, my guest is daughter Hannah, just back from a solo adventure to Southeast Asia. She has some cool tales to tell about her three weeks in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, La...
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Episode 170: Reflections on the Eve of Tomorrow from 2018-11-05T23:58
Today on The Easy Chair, I read two essays about what I believe is our ongoing moral imperative to remember the past and learn from it, and to the safeguard the health and richness of our collectiv...
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Episode 169: The Return of Cemetery House from 2018-10-29T23:00
Cemetery House by my Mightier Than the Sword co-host Steph Spaulding felt like the perfect story to share for Halloween. Not that it is scary; more because it reveals, to me, the sweet unbroken lin...
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Episode 168: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-10-22T22:58
This week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I discuss the role humor has in the societal processing of challenging events. Here's a special treat: to underscore this theory, I offer “Kegtapp...
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Episode 167: Mother-Daughter Catch Up (with Hannah Hurwitz!) from 2018-10-15T23:00
Mother-Daughter Catch Up (with Hannah Hurwitz!) Hannah has moved on from Shoulda Swiped Left; she has had quite an eventful year, and in this episode, I have fun catching up with her. She left one ...
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Episode 166: Where There is Love, I'll Be There (with Michele Tenney) from 2018-10-08T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, I got to interview personal trainer, nutritionist, and wellness coach extraordinaire, Michele Tenney. In the spirit of the podcast, Michele is a also an excellent writ...
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Episode 165: Mightier than the Sword from 2018-10-01T23:00
This week, it’s back to Mightier Than the Sword, and Steph and I are coming at you with two very interesting book reviews. This has been a particularly unsettling week for our country, and sometime...
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Episode 164: Meet Sam! from 2018-09-24T23:00
Today on The Easy Chair: Meet Sam! This is the episode you’ve all been waiting for. Sam Hurwitz is my spouse, devoted father to our six kids, a brilliant tax lawyer, and a devotee of mysteries/poli...
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Episode 163: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-09-17T23:00
It’s a lively return to Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding! We talk about waiting for Hurricane Florence to hit the east coast, and how natural disaster is fodder for the 24 hour...
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Episode 162: The Man in the Black Suit Part 2 from 2018-09-10T22:58
Today on The Easy Chair, the conclusion of Stephen King’s brilliant horror story, “The Man in the Black Suit.” On a summer morning fishing trip, Young Gary meets the devil, a.k.a. The Man in the Bl...
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Episode 161: The Man in the Black Suit Part 1 from 2018-09-03T22:58
Today on The Easy Chair, part one of Stephen King’s brilliant and terrifying short story, “The Man in the Black Suit.” It’s been less than a year since nine-year-old Gary lost his brother due to an...
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Episode 160: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-08-27T23:03
Today on The Easy Chair, it’s a very special episode of Mightier Than the Sword. Steph and I recorded this on Steph’s actual 40th birthday. Because it is such a landmark occasion, I agreed to let h...
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Epidoe159: What's Next from 2018-08-20T22:57
Today on The Easy Chair: It’s a reprise of last summer’s “What’s Next,” a cryptic progressive tale brimming with intrigue and hilarity. After their beloved cat Ringo turns up decapitated on their f...
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Episode 158: Mightier than the Sword from 2018-08-13T22:55:43
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s a relaxed return to Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. This week Steph and I share our reading list summer picks. Here’s the context: the weath...
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Episode 157: Heart to Heart from 2018-08-05T22:58
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Heart to Heart, with my wonderful and wise co-host Jane Gross. This week we take on a difficult subject: heartbreak. It’s something most of us go must through, and...
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Episode 156: The Necklace from 2018-07-30T23:00
Today on The Easy Chair, just sit back and let me read you a classic short story: “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. When the wife of a lowly clerk is invited to a fancy ball, she complains that ...
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Episode 155: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-07-23T22:54
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I talk about “Nanette”- the Netflix comedy special by Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby. If you haven’t seen it, OMG DO, and als...
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Episode 154: Heart to Heart from 2018-07-16T22:54
This week on The Easy Chair: It's “Heart to Heart” with co-host Jane Gross. This is an incisive and, okay, radical conversation about what made Donald Trump Donald Trump. Jane, who knows her stuff ...
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Episode 153: The Telltale Heart from 2018-07-09T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair: “The Telltale Heart,” the classic twisted Victorian psychological thriller by Edgar Allen Poe. This story has been scaring the wits out of readers since it was first p...
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Episode 152: Heart to Heart from 2018-07-02T22:58
This week on The Easy Chair: another episode of Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls, with co-host, artist, licensed therapist, and dear friend Jane Gross. Sometimes we are unwitting r...
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Episode151: Mightier than the Sword from 2018-06-25T23:01
This week, it’s another clear and honest episode of Mightier Than the Sword, the advice podcast for writers, readers, and people who may just be wondering what me and co-host Steph Spaulding have o...
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Episode 150: Heart to Heart from 2018-06-18T22:59
This week, it’s Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for the creative soul, with co-host Jane Gross. Today’s episode has many things to offer: an exploration of arguably what we humans crave more than an...
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Episode 149: Gift of the Magi from 2018-06-11T22:56
This week: “The Gift of the Magi” is a classic short story by O Henry. This small gem is generally considered a Christmas story as well as an iconic example of comic irony. I would challenge the li...
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Episode 148: Bad Neighbor Part 2 from 2018-06-04T23:10:46
The week's episode: Bad Neighbor, Part 2, by author Deborah Zervas. This culmination of Deborah’s story is intense and provocative. This fiction is a cautionary tale about how the power people livi...
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Episode 147: Bad Neighbor Part 1 from 2018-05-28T22:57
This week on The Easy Chair: I welcome back returning guest author Deborah Zervas for part one of her two-part story, Bad Neighbor. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? Perhaps a more relevant ...
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Episode146: Relevant Bits from I Like You by Amy Sedaris from 2018-05-22T01:16:56
I have been a long time planning the wedding for my daughter, Rachael. Guess what? The wedding is THIS WEEKEND. Yay, and YIKES. I needed something funny and light to read, since I didn't have time ...
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Episode 145: Telling from 2018-05-13T22:59
This week, Steph and I are back with Mightier Than the Sword. Our topic: the difference between writing and storytelling. I step out of my comfortable narrative distance to tell a very difficult tr...
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Episode 144: Hills Like White Elephants from 2018-05-07T22:54
This week's episode: "Hills Like White Elephants." This classic short story by Earnest Hemingway is widely considered most striking for everything that is revealed in the things are left unsaid. A ...
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Episode 143: Writing: A Life Sentence from 2018-04-30T23:04
It’s a return to the old format, only instead of fiction I’m reading a witty social commentary by the inimitable humorist/social critic Fran Lebowitz. Lebowitz, author of Metropolitan Life and Soci...
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Episode 142: Heart to Heart from 2018-04-23T23:00
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for all of us humans, with co-host Jane Gross. This week Jane takes on the topic of asking for and accepting support from trusted so...
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Episode 141: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-04-16T22:39
This week, another fabulous episode of Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I stay on last time's topic: travel writing. Steph reads her succinct, distinctly humorous reflection on her recent trip to...
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Episode 140: In the Field (with Deborah Zervas) from 2018-04-09T23:09:59
This week: “In the Field." Returning guest author Deborah Zervas reads three vignettes about time spent in remote places. Her experience of the wild's simultaneous profound connectivity and separat...
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Episode 139: Mightier Than the Sword, Travel Edition from 2018-04-02T23:00
It’s Mightier Than the Sword, Travel Edition! Steph and I are back from trips to Europe- Paris for Steph, and Bergen, Norway for me. We share snippets from our journeys, plus advice about travel wr...
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Episode 138: Heart to Heart from 2018-03-26T23:04:33
This week on The Easy Chair: it’s another enlightening episode of Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls and, well, everyone. This week my co-host Jane Gross joins me to talk about takin...
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Episode 137: The Red Shoes from 2018-03-19T23:03:41
Today on The Easy Chair, “The Red Shoes.” This folk story was one I read obsessively when I was young. I was fascinated by it, though the morality lesson it imparts (that vanity is a cardinal sin, ...
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Episode 136: Stories from the Road, with guest author Shawn Anderson from 2018-03-12T22:03
This week on The Easy Chair, Steph and I host a Mightier Than the Sword that will turn you around. Dynamic guest motivational author, Shawn Anderson, has inspired people all over the world with his...
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Episode 135: Heart to Heart from 2018-03-06T00:48:39
Today on The Easy Chair, it’s another episode of Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls, with my co-host, Jane Gross. Jane, who is by trade(s) an artist and a healer, addresses a subject...
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Episode 134: Mightier Than the Sword from 2018-02-27T00:56:40
This week’s episode has me and Steph once again joining writerly forces on Mightier Than the Sword, where we discuss beginnings. Steph savors them. I belabor them. We talk about ways for writers to...
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Episode 133: “The Child Who Loved Roads” from 2018-02-20T00:03:12
Today on The Easy Chair: “The Child Who Loved Roads” by Norwegian author Cora Sandel. Physiology dictates that all mortals must age, but is it possible to not grow old? I believe it is, and so does...
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Episode 132: Before and After (with Deborah Zervas) from 2018-02-13T00:00
Today, on The Easy Chair: “Before and After,” by returning guest author Deborah Zervas, who shares her artfully crafted essay about the calling into being of her New Haven home. For years Deb and h...
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Episode 131: Mightier than the Sword from 2018-02-06T00:55:48
This week on The Easy Chair: It’s Mightier Than the Sword, and Steph and I take things Writing Advice 101 with A LIST OF USEFUL, PRACTICAL TIPS FOR WORKING WRITERS. If you are a professional feelin...
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Episode 130: Heart to Heart Number 5 from 2018-01-30T01:16:24
On the podcast: Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls. Are you feeling as unsettled/anxious as we are? Today, Jane Gross and I explore this existential phenomenon. Pervasive un-ease see...
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Episode129: Mightier than the Sword from 2018-01-23T00:57:48
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s yet another fabulous Mightier Than the Sword with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! This week, we’re talking about the flu epidemic, specifically that thoughtless jerk ...
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Episode 128: Family (with Deborah Zervas) from 2018-01-15T22:18:55
Today on The Easy Chair: “Family” with guest writer Deborah Zervas. Deb recently launched her bi-monthly e magazine, Muse (https://muse.deborahzervas.com ) and here, she reads two moving pieces fr...
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Episode127: Snow Day Story from 2018-01-08T23:37:44
Today on The Easy Chair, “The Composition,” a short story by Chilean author Antonio Skarmeta. The story begins on one sunny spring day, when Pedro’s thoughts are on getting to school on time for on...
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Episode 126: How to Survive the Storm, Part 2 (with Lucy Gellman) from 2018-01-01T21:58:22
On today’s episode of The Easy Chair, part two of “How to Survive the Storm” with my guest Lucy Gellman. This is the second half of a podcast dedicated to journalism, social justice, and the import...
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Episode 125, Mightier Than the Sword #22, Holiday Edition (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-12-26T23:14:27
Today’s episode: It’s Mightier Than the Sword, Holiday Edition! Sit back and snuggle up to me and Steph exuding warm, cozy holiday spirit. We share with you our favorite holiday memories, books, an...
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Episode124: How to Survive the Storm Part 1 (with Lucy Gellman) from 2017-12-19T00:39:51
Today on The Easy Chair, “How to Survive the Storm.” I am joined by local vibrant and super brilliant reporter/radio show host/social activist Lucy Gellman. Lucy takes listeners to Varick Memorial ...
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Episode 123: Heart to Heart #4 from 2017-12-12T00:52:43
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Heart to Heart, the podcast offering healing wisdom for creative souls, with wonderful and wise co-host Jane Gross! At holiday time, things tend to get busy. Along...
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Episode 122: Mightier Than the Sword #19 from 2017-12-05T00:23
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s a fabulous new episode of Mightier Than the Sword! Steph Spaulding and I are talking poetry. What are the differences between writing prose and writing poetry? Ste...
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Episode 121: Heart to Heart (with Co-host Jane Gross ) from 2017-11-28T01:10:05
Today's episode: It's Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for the creative soul! Co-host Jane Gross and I discuss the world of difference between what feeds the ego and what nourishes the soul. Awarenes...
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Episode 120: Mightier Than the Sword #18 from 2017-11-21T00:28:42
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. For all of you writers out there, Steph tells about her experience self-publishing, and offers advice and in...
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Episode 119: Lost in the Woods (with Philip Bennett) from 2017-11-14T00:30:05
Lost in the Woods. Yes, like The Easy Chair theme song, guest writer Philip Bennett was lost in the woods, specifically the Adirondacks, though not, as it turned out, for long. This is the story of...
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Episode 118: Heart to Heart from 2017-11-07T01:19:08
Grab a cup of tea, pull up a comfy chair, and tune in to the very first episode of Heart to Heart on The Easy Chair! This monthly feature is an ongoing unfolding conversation between my truest self...
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Episode 117: Mightier Than the Sword #17 from 2017-10-30T23:03:06
Today, on The Easy Chair: Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. Steph and I are all about #metoo. We have much to discuss, from first-hand harassment, the strange paralysis of the ...
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Episode 116: Margot, Sheila, and Fat Barbie (featuring Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-10-23T23:46:45
This week on The Easy Chair: With fall upon us, get cozy and take a listen to this tale full of hilariously histrionic domestic confusion. “Margot, Sheila, and Fat Barbie” by Mightier Than the Swor...
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Episode 115: Mightier Than the Sword #16 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-10-17T04:16:46
This week, on Mightier Than the Sword, Steph and I talk about letters. Letters have a long and newly relevant (we’ve got a letter story that resonates with a modern political scandal) history, as S...
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Episode 114: True to Your Heart (featuring Jane Gross) from 2017-10-09T22:30:08
Today on The Easy Chair: “True To Your Heart” with my very special guest Jane Gross. Jane is an artist, writer, and practitioner of heart-healing. Jane’s approach to all she does aligns with her es...
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Episode 113: Mightier Than the Sword #15 (with Stephanie Spaulding ) from 2017-10-03T00:20:16
This week, on Mightier Than the Sword: co-host Steph Spaulding drops by crazy early on a Saturday morning to talk about the novels we just finished reading. Commonalities: we are both wearing pajam...
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Episode 112: Mightier Than the Sword #14 (with Stephanie Spaulding and Deborah Zervas) from 2017-09-25T23:32:08
This week on The Easy Chair: It’s another epic episode of Mightier Than the Sword, the advice podcast for writers! Co-host Stephanie Spaulding and I welcome returning fellow writer Deborah Zervas, ...
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Episode 111: Shoulda Swiped Left #21 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-09-18T23:58:31
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. This is their final SSL podcast. For the last time on The Easy Chair they discuss Hannah’s on-line and current old-schoo...
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Episode 110: Mightier Than the Sword #13 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-09-12T00:29
Today on The Easy Chair, it’s another awesome episode of Mightier Than the Sword with co-host Steph Spaulding. This week Steph picked our topic: side hustles. From gigs like editing to being a writ...
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Episode 109: Mightier Than the Sword #12 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-09-04T21:11:16
This week, on Mightier Than the Sword I blindsided co-host Stephanie Spaulding with Elmore Leonard’s list of ten writing tips. Steph and I are both list-lovers, and the late Mr. Leonard has some po...
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Episode 108: Mightier Than the Sword #11 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-08-29T00:03:21
It’s Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! Today we talk about one big writerly conundrum: when to abandon a writing project, when to push through and finish it, and when to pu...
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Episode 107: Shoulda Swiped Left Episode 20 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-08-22T00:38:48
Today on The Easy Chair: It’s another candid episode of Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. It’s always a complete surprise to me what makes it onto the podcast, and this episode is no except...
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Episode106: What's Next from 2017-08-15T00:18:56
Today on The Easy Chair: “What’s Next,” a cryptic progressive tale brimming with intrigue and hilarity. After their beloved cat Ringo turns up decapitated on their front porch, Allison and Nick fle...
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Episode 105: Mightier Than the Sword #10 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-08-07T22:25:32
Steph Spaulding and I are back with another episode of the podcast for writers, Mightier Than the Sword! We discuss the disciplined practice of writing. Is it a labor of love, or more like pure lab...
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Episode104: Shoulda Swiped Left #20 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-07-31T23:45:08
This week on The Easy Chair: Shoulda Swiped Left Episode 20. That’s right, 20 episodes, and still, after all that time, Hannah and Jake never fail to surprise me. They share the same strange phobia...
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Episode 103: Mightier Than the Sword #9 from 2017-07-25T01:05:23
This week: It’s a new episode of “Mightier Than the Sword” and Steph Spaulding and I process both the details and the aftermath of our DIY edit swap. Personally, it was a huge challenge to bring my...
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Episode 102: Matricidal Maniac from 2017-07-17T22:58:41
This week on The Easy Chair: “Matricidal Maniac” by none other than Mightier Than the Sword co-host and gifted, ever-popular writer Stephanie Spaulding. In this tale, which we want you to note is 1...
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Episode 101: Mightier Than the Sword #8 from 2017-07-10T22:21:37
This week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword. Co-host Steph Spaulding and I show by example the leap of faith and specific intentions of editing in general, and peer editing in particular. We have swapp...
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Episode100: Shoulda Swiped Left #19 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-07-03T21:26:15
This week, It's The Easy Chair episode 100!!! To mark this momentous podcasting milestone: Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. Of course there’s dating talk but also career talk, house talk, ...
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Episode 99: Mightier Than the Sword #7 from 2017-06-26T22:54:40
On The Easy Chair this week: Mightier Than the Sword is back, and Steph and I talk D.I.Y. writing retreats. Summer is the perfect season for writers both professional and aspiring to snag some time...
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Episode 98: P.R . Story by Deborah Z from 2017-06-19T22:48:42
This week on The Easy Chair: “P.R. Story” by Deborah Zervas. Yes, P.R. may be the acronym for Public Relations, but in this case the initials are for the island of Deborah’s grandparents’ birth, Pu...
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Episode 97: Mightier Than the Sword #6 from 2017-06-12T22:51:15
This week: Mightier Than the Sword is back! Stephanie Spaulding and I discuss our post-teaching summer plans, which for me includes following my agent’s directive and revising two manuscripts. I ad...
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Episode 96: Sook's Karaoke Palace from 2017-06-05T23:04:29
This week's episode: “Sook’s Karaoke Palace” an as-told-to-me synthesis of real-life, real-person anecdotes. I’m excited to finally emerge from my post-Trump creativity slump, plus, I really love h...
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Episode 95: Mightier Than the Sword from 2017-05-29T22:05:14
This week marks the return of "Mightier Than the Sword," the advice podcast for writers. Co-host Stephanie Spaulding and I field a great question from Eric, an astrophysicist/aspiring writer Stepha...
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Episode 94: Shoulda Swiped Left 18 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-05-22T23:59:31
This week’s episode: Shoulda Swiped Left, with Hannah and Jake. It has been a busy month in lots of ways and believe me when I tell you Hannah’s got stuff to talk about. The news is not all bad, bu...
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Episode 93: Safe in the Black Sand (with Danny Stone) from 2017-05-15T22:57:57
This week, I pass the microphone to Stephanie Spaulding, who guest hosts “Safe in the Black Sand,” by author Danny Stone. (Actually, I wind up taking the mic back because Danny’s story and the conv...
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E[isode 92: Mightier Than Sword #4 (With Guest Cameron Gearen) from 2017-05-08T23:25:27
This week, Stephanie Spaulding and I are back with Mightier Than the Sword, the bi-monthly advice podcast for writers. In this episode we welcome our first guest: author, essayist, and poet Cameron...
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Episode 91: Blog Jam from 2017-05-01T22:57:58
This week’s episode: Blog Jam. I picked some of my favorite posts from my nearly eight-year-old blog, Lolliblog, ranging from funny to reflective. My blog isn’t thematic or even consistent, just th...
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Episode 90: Mightier Than the Sword #3 (with Stephanie Spaulding) from 2017-04-24T23:51:18
This week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword #3! Co-host Stephanie Spaulding and I have a question from a new writer about blogging. Does vetting- something artists in every form turn to, before launchi...
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Episode 89: Shoulda Swiped Left #17 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz) from 2017-04-17T23:12:16
It’s Shoulda Swiped Left #17, and it’s totally THE BEST. So much gets discussed: the virtues and rewards of being your true self. Breaking up, both badly and less so. Guilt. Ghosting. An earnest em...
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Episode 88: Learning to Dress My Mother (featuring Rosemary Jones) from 2017-04-11T00:01:52
This week’s episode: “Learning to Dress My Mother” by Australian writer Rosemary Jones. Rosemary has written a moving micro-memoir about the shift in roles between her mother- a former word-loving ...
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