Uncorking a Story

About Sandra Butler: Sandra is the author of several books, each designed to identify something unspoken and move those issues into the public conversation. Over the past three decades, Sandra has written dozens of articles, reviews, and essays that have appeared in a range of periodicals and anthologies. She has facilitated workshops for community activist social workers and psychologists on viol...

About Anastasia Zadeik is an author, editor, and narrative nonfiction storyteller. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her practicing yoga, hiking, biking, swimming, or hanging out with her husband and her empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie. She’s here today to talk about Blurred Fates, her first novel.  Connect with Anastasia Amazon: https://amzn.to/39SQkpb Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.o...

Eleanor Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters and The Light of Paris, and the editor of the anthology, A Paris All Your Own.  She holds an M.A. in Literature and teaches writing workshops at writing conferences and centers nationwide Her latest book is entitled Any Other Family and is available wherever books are sold. Why is it important to write with the door closed...

Dr. Carl Marci is a leader in the fields of social and consumer neuroscience and serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Cava Capital. Formerly the Chief Neuroscientist at the Nielsen Company, he’s also on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and is a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He and I recently sat down to talk about his new book, Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital...

About David Winkler: David comes from Hollywood royalty and is a very successful film producer. His work includes the films Creed, Rocky Balboa, and The Mechanic. He joins us today to talk about his memoir, The Arrangement, a Love story, in which he depicts the time he spent being a sugar daddy. If that’s not a term that’s familiar to you, that will change in the next few minutes. In this episode,...

Robert Harris (JR) has been exploring and backpacking long distance for more than 60 years in some of the most remote and inhospitable wilderness areas in the world, unsupported and mostly alone, and he has written numerous articles about his experiences, as well as a book entitled, “Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker.”  How did a kid from the concrete jungle of New York City fall i...

As the president of Paperback Expert, Michael DeLon helps business owners publish a book that positions them as the expert in their field. He recently joined me to talk about how and why he became an expert in credibility marketing. What role did his father’s death play in his career path? Why did he return to the Church after being away for a while? What role does his faith play in his approach t...

May Cobb earned her MA in literature from San Francisco State University, and her essays and interviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the Rumpus, Edible Austin, and Austin Monthly. She recently joined me to talk about her latest novel, My Summer Darlings, which has been called a  potent cocktail of desire and deceit. Listen in to hear all about her career, new book, and our mutual admirati...

Fabian is a comic book writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of Marvel's Deadpool and for his work on titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable, and Thunderbolts. He is the author of Suburban Dicks, a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. He recently joined me to talk about his latest novel, The Self Made Widow, which has been called a di...

About Eileen Brill: Eileen is a painter, writer, and Sign Language Interpreter who grew up outside of Philadelphia and graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a B.S. in Economics. She has written professionally for the restaurant, hotel, and commercial real estate industries. A Letter in the Wall is her first novel, Eileen’s short story “Christmas Angel” appeared in the international literary magazine...

Elissa Grossel Dickey is a former journalist who now works in higher education communications. She has shared her journey of living with multiple sclerosis through blog posts for the National MS Society and is the author of The Speed of Light. Her latest release is Iris in the Dark, which she recently joined me to talk about. Buy Iris in the Dark Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AINkGL Bookshop.org: https...

Rochelle Weinstein is the USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of emotionally driven women’s fiction, including This Is Not How It Ends, Somebody’s Daughter, Where We Fall, The Mourning After, and What We Leave Behind. Her latest book is entitled When We Let Go, and is chock-full of warmth, heartache, and hope. She joined me to talk about her latest release as well as her path to becoming an au...

Jade Beer is an award-winning editor, journalist, and novelist who has worked across the UK national press for more than twenty years. Most recently, she was the editor-in-chief of Condé Nast's Brides. She also writes for other leading titles including The Sunday Times Style, The Mail on Sunday's YOU magazine, The Telegraph, the Tatler Weddings Guide, Glamour, Stella magazine, and is one of The Ma...

Sandra Feder is a graduate of Stanford University and is an MFA candidate in the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a black belt in Taekwondo, likes to paint, and has a sweet tooth — particularly for dark chocolate. She is the author of two picture books and three early chapter books. She joins me today to talk about Angry Me, her sixth book. ...

About Allison Raskin: Allison is a New York Times best-selling author. She is also the co-host of the popular podcast, Just Between Us and co-creator of a YouTube channel of the same name. Allison has written and developed multiple TV shows and created the original scripted podcast, Gossip. A vocal mental health advocate, Allison also runs the mental health-focused Instagram account Emotional Supp...

Kelly Leonard is the Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation at The Second City. He began his Second City career in 1988, eventually becoming producer of Second City in 1992 and Executive Vice President through 2015. He has produced hundreds of original revues with talent such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Keegan Michael Key, Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler. His book, "Yes, And," rece...

E Lockhart is the author of We Were Liars, Genuine Fraud, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and a number of other novels. She joins me today to talk about her latest book, Family of Liars. What is the importance of community when it comes to writing a book? Why do authors seek institutional validation of talent? What advice would she give her younger self? Listen in to uncover the a...

Polly was in the second wave of women ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. Her book, American Blues, is available wherever books are sold.  Why did she become a priest? What obstacles did she have to climb on her path to ordination? What moved her to write American Blues? Tune into the deep episode of Uncorking a Story to learn the answers to these questions and uncover how American Blues is,...

About As the director of educational outreach at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center for twenty-six years, Merle Saferstein worked closely with hundreds of Holocaust survivors helping them pass along their Legacy of Remembrance to hundreds of thousands of students and teachers. She joins me today to talk about her life and her book Living and Leaving My Legacy: Volume 1. Connect with...

About Marilyn Simon Rothstein: Marilyn is the author of Lift and Separate and Husbands and Other Sharp Objects. She is the winner of the Star Award presented by the Women’s Fiction Writers Association for Outstanding Debut. She joins me today to talk about her third novel, Crazy to Leave You. She graduated from New York University with a degree in Journalism, began her writing career at Seventeen...

About Kristan Higgins has sold 4.5 million books worldwide, scored nine New York Times bestsellers, and is published in more than two dozen languages. Her novels have received rave reviews from the New York Times and NPR and regularly receive national media attention from People, Entertainment Weekly, Woman’s World and more. Her latest book. OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY, is a story of betrayal, reven...

About Shaun Phillips is a Christian author, speaker, coach, and pioneer. His first book, Flappy and Whiskers go to the Park, was published August 2021, ten after writing it for his two young daughters. Through the experience of getting that book published, Shaun has uncovered a passion for helping others unlock their untold stories and share them with the world through books, videos, podcasts and...

About P. David Ebersole: He is an award-winning independent filmmaker and television director working in both narrative and documentary.  His credits include the documentary HIT SO HARD (2012) about drummer Patty Schemel of the seminal grunge band Hole. Along with his husband and business partner Todd Hughes, he is Executive Producer and Director of several documentaries including the new, MY NAME...

About Kurt and Ellie: Kurt and Ellie are a father daughter combo team who have authored the book The Barrens: A novel of love and death in the canadian arctic.   In this episode, Mike, Kurt, and Ellie discuss:  Ellie's trip in subarctic Canada and how it inspired the book How they made the story come alive as being so real on the page What it's like working with your father in writing a story Lear...

About Farhoud: Farhoud is an award-winning writer, director, and executive producer focused on storytelling projects that inspire mass culture change.   In this episode, Mike and Farhoud discuss:  Near death experiences Not wanting to disappoint your parents Knowing what you stand for Detaching yourself from the outcomes Finding meaning in the work you do   Key Takeaways:  A near-death experience...