Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf

Today I’m excited to bring you an episode of the brilliant new podcast Gods, Ghosts & UFOs – with their special guest, ME!  You’ll recognize co-host Tom Maxwell from his appearances on Astonishing Legends Episodes 291 & 292, “American Bloodfalls”.  (You might also know him as the frontman for the 90s band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He wrote their hit song “Hell”).   On Gods, Ghosts & UFOs,...

“I feel that it hates me sometimes. It can move objects. I heard it speak once, or try to speak. It sounded like somebody underneath the water. It’s never really touched me and I don’t want to see what it actually looks like. I was afraid it was going to look like a corpse.”   -- Tom Ross, poltergeist experiencer.  Have you ever heard someone describe what it’s really like to live with a poltergei...

“When I was six years old, on Christmas Eve, I had an encounter with a little gnome that walked into my bedroom. I don’t recall any fear.  But after that, I don’t remember anything.” – Rob Kristoffersen Rob Kristoffersen is not only an expert on UFOs and UFO cases and host of the Our Strange Skies podcast – he’s also one of my best friends.  In this wide-ranging interview we get progressively weir...

“They’re demons.  You’re talking to demons.  And I don’t like the sound of it one bit.” -- The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Joe Fisher falls further into darkness as he attempts to prove the earthly existences of his spirit guides.  But once he realizes that his otherworldly lover Filipa has lied to him, all bets are off.  A late-night meeting with a friend who warns Joe about “the other side of th...

“Here, in an ordinary suburban living room in Toronto, a cynical, 42-year-old mother of three was giving voice to disembodied humans who were testifying to the fact that we do not die. And that we are never truly alone.” -- Joe Fisher, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts On July 20th, 1984, journalist and paranormal researcher Joe Fisher witnesses the phenomenon of channeling for the first time -- and...

Richard & Susan’s adventure continues as they make their way from Point Pleasant, WV to Washington, DC -- where they meet up with fellow RHPB super-stars Scott Philbrook, Tess Pfeifle and Kayla Lord!  Then it's on to New York City and a visit with “Uh,Dad?” (Owen Gerber-Hatem) -- and finally, an absolutely legendary show at the home of Haunted Hallways creators Janice & Leo Bartoldus! Join...

Ten Days. Five Shows. Four Cities. One Mothman. No Regrets.  Join Richard and his featured guest Susan Lambert for all the behind-the-scenes stories of the first leg of the RHPB “Light In The Dark Tour”.  When did Richard freak-out?  When did Susan freak-out?  Which shows went the best?  What’s a Fuzzy Duck?  And what’s the deal with all those French fries?  Find out all this and more -- PLUS -- w...

“Haunted events are beyond our logic and occur in ways that challenge our perception of reality. But whether a place is haunted by ghosts, flying saucers, angels, demons, or some strange energy can be a matter of some debate...” -- Dennis William Hauck, The National Directory of Haunted Places. Richard prepares for the biggest, most important and most personal pitch of his life.  It’s the one that...

“In almost every town in America, there are places where strange things happen...” -- Dennis William Hauck, The National Directory of Haunted Places. When Richard found The National Directory of Haunted Places at a small bookstore in Taos, New Mexico, it was like finding an enchanted treasure map.  It seemed to promise a world filled with magic, all yours for the asking -- if you could find it.  R...

Astonishing Legends own Scott Philbrook joins Richard to find out everything you need to know about the upcoming RHPB “Light in the Dark Tour”!  Rich and Scott break it down for you: the cities, the shows -- everything you need to know.  PLUS -- Scott will be joining Richard live onstage in Washington, DC at Kramer’s Books!  Along the way Rich and Scott talk about Halloween, Haunted Houses, Happy...

“I became aware of an amazing world of hidden, outlaw forces. A world in which miracles were everyday occurrences.” Hamlin Garland, Forty Years of Psychic Research. It started out as a simple challenge from a friend: travel the country testing psychic mediums and see if you can figure out what they’re doing.  Those words sent Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hamlin Garland on a 40-year quest to prove...

“Premonitions are impossible and they come true all the time.” -- Sam Knight, The Premonitions Bureau What would you do if you could see the future?  Would you even want to?  Join Richard as he explores Sam Knight’s The Premonitions Bureau, in which British psychologist Dr. John Barker learns the hard way that the privilege of seeing around corners comes with an unusually high price tag.  Meanwhil...

According to Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! , “The farmer and the cowman should be friends.”   Shouldn’t it be the same for the Fortean and the skeptic?  Is it even possible?   My guest tonight is Blake Smith, the host of the MonsterTalk podcast, and a self-described skeptic.  And I think you know how I take issue with a lot of skeptics and so-called skeptical arguments.  But Blake and...

Sometimes Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas.  It’s December 2001, and Richard is living alone, facing down his first Christmas Eve without his family.  But he’s about to learn that Christmas has its own magic -- and its own surprising plans for him… One hundred and fifty-eight years earlier, Charles Dickens changed the world with his story of another lonely man on Christmas Eve who ended...

It’s April 1975, and Richard is still that lonely, haunted little kid we met in RHPB Ep.1: Ghosts & Specters.  In fact, it’s just a few weeks later when, courtesy of Mrs. Fuller (the librarian who introduced Richard to his first paranormal bookshelf) that he comes across Monsters, Giants and Little Men From Mars by Daniel Cohen.  It seems like the perfect fit.  But then Darren McGavin shows up...

In Communion -- Part Two, Whitley Strieber tries to turn the tables on the “visitors” by inviting -- almost daring -- them to make a return visit.  Meanwhile, Richard and Matt Reeves (“The Batman”) work around the clock to perfect “Rolling Thunder” -- then retitled “End of the Line” and finally “Dark Territory” -- while the odds of a big sale fade more and more every day.  We all know that “Chance...

Imagine being greeted in the dead of night by a small alien creature, running toward your bed.  This disturbing experience set author Whitley Strieber on a dark and devastating path that culminated in the publishing of 1987’s Communion.  Strieber’s life changed on the night of December 26, 1985 – and he has spent the last forty years trying to sort out exactly what happened. When Richard Hatem fir...

Season 3 of RHPB starts in 2 weeks -- June 13th! Join Richard and his extra special guest, his wife Susan Lambert -- creator and cohost of the podcast 80’s TV Ladies -- as they tease Season 3 episodes, share DATES OF UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS -- and explore a very weird dream Richard had that might mean one of them is psychic! If you have location ideas for LIVE RHPB SHOWS, contact us at richard@richard...

NEW RHPB SEASON 3 PREMIERE DATE -- FRIDAY JUNE 13TH!  In this Special Bonus Episode, Richard catches up with good friend and writer Mark O’Connell, author of the modern UFO classic The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs -- the wildly entertaining story of J. Allen Hynek, the astronomer who invented the concept of "Close Encounters" with alien life, inspired Steven Spi...

What does it actually feel like to be a psychic medium? What is it like to have ghosts be a constant part of your otherwise normal life? Cindy Valenzuela and Colleen McKinnie can tell you -- because they are both in touch with the spirit world every day. They are both wives and mothers, they have professional careers -- and they can communicate with those who have passed on. In our conversation, w...

It’s our First Anniversary!  Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf debuted one year ago today, and to celebrate we’re re-broadcasting the very first episode where Richard receives the book that changes his life -- and gets introduced to his very first paranormal bookshelf.  Join Richard and everyone here at RHPB as we celebrate the episode that started it all -- and Richard shares some exciting new...

On July 27, 2011, Richard Hatem came home from work to find a book waiting for him—Glimpses of Eternity by Raymond Moody. He remembers the date well, because it was also the day he got fired. And if you’ve ever been fired, you know the feeling: shock, relief, maybe  a strange sense of joy. It also ushered in a phase of creative revival and exploration, reminding us that the most unexpected transit...

Investigating Mediums by Julie Beischel, PhD. In this episode, join Richard Hatem as he cracks open Investigating Mediums by Dr. Julie Beischel. In her book, Dr. Beischel attempts a scientific exploration into the world of psychic mediums. What began as an academic pursuit for Dr. Beischel evolved into years of testing and research—none of which have brought her a dime. If that doesn’t convince yo...

It's a SPECIAL RHPB BONUS EPISODE! Grab a drink, sit down by the fireplace and join Richard as he answers the questions you've been asking him since the show began!  From favorite authors to TV show plot twists; from Bible classes to the Sex Pistols; from cocktails to cats-and-dogs to cursing — he covers it all! And find out just how and when he'll be coming to YOUR city — LIVE.  Relax, get cozy —...

"The Other Side" by Bishop James A. Pike, with Diane Kennedy Part 2 We’re back on The Other Side, diving deeper into Bishop James A. Pike’s gripping search for a connection with his late son – and Richard Hatem’s high-stakes hijinks as a burgeoning writer chasing his dream. While Pike wrestles with the profound—and sometimes unsettling—realities of life, death, and faith, Richard takes a big swing...