Uncorking a Story

Allen Mendenhall is a lawyer and university administrator in Alabama who edited Southern Literary Review for over a decade. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his latest book, A Glooming Peace this Morning. Key Themes Allen’s experiences writing both fiction and non-fiction (and why non-fiction takes longer). The overlap between storytelling in the courtroom and storytelling on the page....

Writer, actor and storyteller, Don Futterman has written for a variety of publications including the Daily Beast, The San Francisco Chronicle and the Haaretz, Israel’s newspaper of record. A graduate of Brown University, Futterman is a co-host of TLV1’s The Promised Podcast, has a performance podcast of moving and hysterically funny autobiographical monologues called Futterman’s One-Man Show, and...

Florence Reiss Kraut is a native New Yorker, raised and educated in New York City. She holds a BA in English and a Master’s in Social Work and worked for thirty years as a clinician, a family therapist, and CEO of a family service agency while writing stories and essays for publication. Florence has published personal essays for the New York Times and her fiction has appeared in journals such as T...

Joan Meyerson is an award-winning writer/director/producer of documentaries and television programs for which she won two Writers Guild of America awards. The dramatic accounts she wrote about vets and military families reconfirmed her belief that the best stories come from real life, a belief she has followed in writing. Having told the stories of others, she now tells one of her own. Her first n...

Richard Deming is an award-winning poet and critic, whose work explores the intersections of literature, philosophy, and visual culture. He’s the author of five books, including Day for Night and Art of the Ordinary. Richard teaches at Yale University where he is the Director of Creative Writing and joins me today on Uncorking a Story to discuss his latest book THIS EXQUISITE LONELINESS: What Lone...

Peggy Townsend is an award-winning journalist who has panhandled with street kids, taken to the skies with pararescuers, and once chased an escaped murderer through a graveyard at midnight. Her first mystery, "See Her Run," was listed as one of "13 Thrillers to Keep You Up at Night" by Kirkus Reviews. Her second book "The Thin Edge," was called "an outstanding" novel by The Associated Press. She j...

Shelley Fraser Mickle is an award-winning author who has published over a dozen books, which, along with her commitment to literacy and the power of story, led to her being nominated to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014. Her books have been New York Times Notables, Library Journal’s Best Adult Books and her nonfiction book, Barbaro: America’s Horse (2007) won a Bank Street Award. She joined...

Justin Woodbury was raised on a small farm out in the country on the west side of Ann Arbor, Michigan. A child survivor of church abuse, Justin began advocating for victims of abuse after he held his son in his arms for the first time and realized the weight of responsibility he would have as a father. Since then, Justin has made it his life's mission to speak out against abuse in all forms and to...

Chrissy Holm is a writer, editor, and project manager and is the host of the podcast Stirred By Words, where she talks about words, writing, and wellness. Her writing has been featured on Everyday Health, National Council on Aging, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, and more. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest book Finding Sunlight: A Coming-of-Age Memoir about Love within the Wreckage...

Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California, where he played basketball in high school and junior college. In 1969, he entered the Air Force but subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his latest book, "The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Ri...

Natasha Daniels is an anxiety and OCD child therapist and has published multiple books including How to Parent your Anxious Toddler, Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide, Social Skills Activities for Kids and It is Brave to Be Kind. She also hosts the AT Parenting Survival Podcast and has a Youtube channel, Ask the Child Therapist. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest book,...

Ginger Pinholster’s first novel, “City in a Forest,” won a Gold Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. She is a volunteer member of Florida’s Volusia Turtle Patrol and resident of Ponce Inlet, near Daytona Beach. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest book, Snakes of St. Augustine. Key Takeaways Conflict Drives Story: She learned about the impo...

Lynne Golodner is the author of eight books and thousands of articles as well as a marketing entrepreneur, writing coach and host of the Make Meaning Podcast. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her first novel, Woman of Valor.  Key Takeaways Lynne's journey as a writer: Lynne shares her passion for writing, which began at a young age with journals and evolved into freelancing during...

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Horseman, Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest novel, Good Girls Don’t Die. Key Takeaways Be the exception. Christina didn’t have an agent represent...

Ellen Yashinsky Chute is a clinical social worker, consultant and educator who has dedicated her life to helping individuals, families and teams unlock their potential. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest book, What Drives You?: How Our Family Dynamics Shape the People We Become. Key Takeaways Self-reflection and understanding: Ellen emphasizes the importance of recognizing...

Audrey Gale long dreamed of being a writer, but never anticipated the circuitous road she’d take to get there. After twenty-plus years in the banking industry, she grew tired of corporate gamesmanship and pursued her master’s in fiction writing at the University of Southern California. She joined me on Uncorking a story to discuss her second novel,The Human Trial, which is the first book in a medi...

Diane Danvers Simmons is a born-and-raised Brit who moved to America in her late twenties for business and success. After an accomplished career as a senior vice president at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and then Omnicom Media in London, New York, and LA, she became a mother. Drawing from her advertising and marketing skills, Chopra center teachings, and life experiences, Diane transitioned her s...

Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. Prior to her career in psychology, she studied creative writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. An avid horror fan for much of her life, It was only a matter of time before she merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love fo...

Donna Marie Hayes is a SAG-AFTRA actress and cabaret singer who can be found on a stage or in front of a camera and has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show, Orange Is The New Black, Black Girls Rock, Celebrity Ghost Stories, as well as in several other New York City Off-Broadway and TV productions. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her memoir These Broken Roads: Scammed and Vindicated - O...

Edward Carey is a novelist, visual artist, and playwright. His previous novels include The Swallowed Man, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Little, Alva & Irva, and Observatory Mansions. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and latest novel, Edith Holler. Key Themes Edward's Creative Journey: Edward Carey's journey as a multifaceted artist began with his...

Bill C. Potts is a motivational speaker, business leader, and community builder who has held executive roles at IRONMAN Group and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. He is co-founder and managing director of marketing agency Remedy 365 and a lecturer at Tulane University. An IRONMAN triathlete and a five-time cancer survivor, Bill is a long-time volunteer at his local homeless shelter and an advisory boar...

Will Harris is on a mission to help save the world. He inherited a highly profitable, conventionally run farm from his ancestors. After many years, he found himself disgusted with the excess, cruelty, and small-town devastation. He decided to make a change to the land on the ground level. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his memoir A BOLD RETURN TO GIVING A DAMN: One Farm, Six Generati...

Authors often tap into their past experiences and memories and plant them in our stories. Speaking from experiences, anecdotes that my parents shared with me decades ago will wind up in a story, not in a self-indulgent way, but more as a way of bringing some added realism to a plot point. Today’s guest, Kimberly Behre Kenna, shared a beautiful story about how she integrated an experience her mothe...

Sometimes I interview someone and we just don’t click. There are those interviews where we just fail to find a groove and I think to myself, that could have been better. I am happy to report that today’s interview is not one of those! Maybe it’s because I’ve interviewed Zaida before, maybe its because we are both natives of South Florida, or maybe it’s because we both share an appreciation for Rob...

When I was a kid, my brother Jimmy and I would watch the original Clash of the Titans over and over and over. It had everything a young boy would love; heroes, Gods, magical weapons, and a young Maggie Smith. When offered the chance to interview the author of a book entitled Medusa’s sisters, not even Perseus himself could stop me! Meet Lauren J.A. Bear After studying English at UCLA and Education...