ink & peat

George Plawski has lived a life brimming with adventure -- in the sky, before the stage, and with his beloved wife, Rita. His memoir Never a Dull Moment; Memoirs of Canadian Naval Aviation, Firebombing and Theatre , captures on the page a collection of stories, and lively anecdotes. In ink & peat episode 24, George recounts the choices he’s made, his writing process, the role of luck, and find...

Liamy Mac Nally talks with us in ink and peat episode 23 about the Irish “sense of place”. A native of Westport, County Mayo, Liamy’s rich sense of place is built upon tradition, local stories, the Irish language, and walking the familiar landscape of his childhood. He was a featured BBC Three Counties Radio and Mayo West radio personality, is a regular columnist with the Mayo News, co-founded a b...

Carmen Kissel-Verrier grew up on a ranch in Alberta, tagged by her schoolmates the Butcher Shop Girl. In her striking memoir, Carmen talks about ranch life, working in her mom’s slaughterhouse, and striking out on her own to follow the allure of big money -- first in the oil fields and then as an exotic entertainer. In ink and peat episode 22, Carmen shares how writing her memoir helped her heal a...

Mike Arseneault believes beauty is all around us and has stories to tell -- if we choose to see it. Mike uses his gift for bringing stories to life through marketing, musical theater, photography, foodie groups, and community organizing -- wherever he lands. From working successfully as a major creative in global sportswear giant Nike, to building community through food celebrations and restoring...

The path to becoming co-founder and CEO of FoodCorps led Curt Ellis through his father’s tomato patch, the streets of Brooklyn with a pickup bed full of soil, the commons of a prestigious university not known for its ag program, Iowa cornfields, and documentary film cutting room floors. Through these experiences and his boundless enthusiasm for food issues, Curt was well suited to find himself in...

Kim Stafford is a writer in Oregon who uses writing as a means to raise the human spirit. He has done so through the creation of a vast collection of poems, books, classes, workshops, and readings around Oregon and the globe. The Northwest Writing Institute and Fishtrap Writers Gathering were inspired by and created through Kim's commitment to the craft of writing as an essential part of huma...

Dr. Quinton Morris, master violinist, tireless teacher, and advocate for underserved youth, talks with us in ink & peat episode 18 about listening to his inner voice. Through hard work, resilience, and unwavering perseverance, Dr. Morris overcame extraordinary odds to become a world-renowned violinist.  He has performed three sold-out solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, has been featured with full...

William Kenower is a prolific writer, a writer's writer. Author of two books for writers, novelist, essayist, writer's life coach, teacher, editor-in-chief of Author Magazine, podcast host of Author to Author, Bill has lived and examined all sides of the writer's life. In his thoughtful book Fearless Writing, Bill explains to both beginning writers and seasoned pros the benefits of-...

As a young boy, Niall De Burca heard stories told by an elder Irishman and knew at that moment he was meant to be a traditional Irish storyteller. Later, as a young Irish emigrant in New Zealand, his vision began to take shape ~ upon the urging of his friends, Niall took his storytelling to the stage and has never looked back. In ink & peat Episode 16, we talk with Niall about the power of sto...

Sharing stories can shorten the social distance between humans, no matter how far apart. Listening to writers read their work before the hearth in Cottage 4 calls us to the Memoir Tours retreat as much as anything. Think Open-Mic with a peat fire ablaze, cup of tea or glass of wine in hand, listening to stories. Stories of how we got here, what we learned along the way, and maybe what we left behi...

Storyteller Marianne McShane chats with us on ink & peat episode 14, and gives us a taste of remembering what it was to be a wee child. A native of Bangor, County Down on the northeast coast of Ireland, Marianne developed an appreciation for stories early on. She fondly remembers many evenings before the hearth listening to her Granda fill her imagination with stories, wonder tales, and legend...

In this episode, we talk with author and teacher Marion Roach Smith about her approach to writing memoir. Author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text For Writing & Life , Marion has developed a formula for writing memoir that opens the writer to take a deep dive into the waters of self-examination. Writing with intent is the goal she sets for herself and her students as th...

Our guest on this episode of ink & peat is Barbara O’Neil , teacher, writer, facilitator, and -- perhaps the most coveted title of all -- a former elementary school librarian. Barbara teaches mixed-age groups in the Boston area helping students develop their writing voices. In addition, twice a month she writes with elders, a practice that brings her great pleasure. She also holds an annual re...

Author, teacher, mentor and writing muse, Drew Lamm inspires writers to mine their life's stories. For over twenty years, students in Drew's Taste Life Twice Writing course have found their voices and their stories through her gentle and effective writing instruction. Her students call her teaching technique 'enchanting, affirming, supportive, on target, brilliant.' We talk wit...

Una Morris chats with us on this ink & peat episode about how the pursuit of art has shaped her life, both as a creative outlet and as a vehicle or an opportunity to extract meaning from memory ~ real or imagined.

Our chat on this episode of ink & peat is with Ingrid Kincaid, a writer, teacher, wise counselor who lives fully and freely, following ancient wisdom as offered through the reading of runes, through silence, through questioning and through living flat out. Ingrid teaches writing as a means of tapping into one’s creativity and urges those she teaches to step into the center of their lives and e...

Erin Donley talks about how her ghostwriting career evolved through years of reviewing books, how she loves the collaborative book writing process, and how memoir can be viewed as a legacy. Erin is the author of Don’t Tell Me to Calm Down -- Face Your Power and Find Your Peace;  she speaks passionately and with authority about book writing and publishing. 

In this episode of ink & peat ~ which we refer to as a session for reasons that will become clear ~ we have a chat with Andrew Gillespie, box player, singer, folk music advocate, consummate musician, and generous soul. Andrew is a leading figure in the Killala Bay Folk Club and music scene. He joins us for a chat about playing the box, what makes for a memorable session, and how traditional mu...

Denis Quinn is our guest on this ink & peat episode. A Failte Ireland-approved local marine and countryside guide, Denis is the founder of Wild Atlantic Cultural Tours. He holds an Honours degree in Heritage Studies; that he received the Award for Academic Excellence comes as no surprise. Denis is a walking guidebook for natural and built heritage, folklore, flora & fauna, and archaeology....

Many aspects of writing demand courage -- overcoming resistance and feelings of inadequacy are two that top my list. Add to these the vulnerability we often subject ourselves to, especially when writing memoir, and we can find ourselves paralyzed, staring into an abyss of unstarted or unfinished projects, or both. Projects, when shared, can be transformative for both writer and reader...meaning, t...

Kate Kerrigan, New York Times bestselling author, is second-generation Irishwoman, born and raised in London, who returned to her beloved Irish family roots in the 90’s, settling in Killala to be near her Mother and their family home in Ballina, a short distance away.  Kate prides herself on being a Writing Evangelist ~ she teaches writing at the National University Ireland Galway. With at least 1...

This episode features a conversation with Carol Raphael, writer, editor and ghostwriter. Carol talks about writing, memoir, what mentoring/ghostwriting memoir means to her, and the value of making time to bring a fresh perspective to one's life.

Psychotherapist and dream advocate, Kathleen Duffy. Kathleen is the author of Awaken to the Wisdom of Your Dreams: Mirrors in the River . Kathleen is an expert on dreams and how they can be used to inform our waking hours. Listening to her is inspiring and helps us mine the psyche for great insights, which in turn is useful for bringing context to writing.