Blue Planet Stories

We have a returning guest who is publishing a hilarious and insightful book Misbehaving in Maine: Thirty-half Learned Lessons . Dan Williams is a humor writer with a huge on-line following. We wanted to bring him back to chat about his stories and the writing process. And to chat about family and how growing up shapes our lives as adults. Join us for a conversation where we learn, we laugh, and we...

Today we speak with Lawrence Bransby , an award winning author, motorcycle adventurer, and a retired teacher. He emigrated from South Africa to the UK, and rode a motorcycle there across Africa with his 17-year-old son. Lawrence wrote twenty books, including novels, novels for young adults, and many travelogues chronicling his numerous motorcycle journeys across Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and N...

Today, we speak with Yvette Brand. She is a slow digital nomad a “slomad”. She lived abroad for 12 years of her life, while traveling and working in 45 different countries. Originally from the Netherlands, she lived in Mexico for 5 years but is now on the move again in Europe, searching for a place to settle. She writes about travel, personal growth, and spirituality. Her work has been featured on...

Today we speak with Michael Isaac Almond. He is a visual designer from San Francisco. He recently launched a startup to help families dealing with relatives developing dementia.  You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation . Help children read. But he maintains his creative life by designing and making bags, and writing hu...

Today we speak with Paul Bigga Bigga P. Paul received his moniker from another music producer in 1996 and it became a proud handle for his life and music career. Retiring young after a stint as a successful entrepreneur, Paul focused on his passion for producing music and writing. He lived in California, Washington DC, Netherlands, then back in the USA, in New Jersey. You can subscribe for free. I...

Hello, everyone. We are working on a project in Panama City, Panama this and next week. We will resume our podcasts with guests two Sundays from now. But today, we would love to play for you a fascinating conversation with Audrey Stimson from last year, and read her story about an Alaskan adventure. For almost 30 years, Audrey has been a television news producer for American and European news outl...

We speak with Federica Minozzi. She is a writer living on the Adriatic Coast of Italy. Federica studied Physics and Mathematics then taught the subjects in school in her Italian town. She also discovered an affinity for languages when learning English and German. You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation . Help children...

Today we speak with Darren Weir. He is a retired television news producer, a traveler, photographer and writer.   He began writing after he retired - during the pandemic - and became part of the successful Parasol Publications. He also started his own successful publication, Travel Memoirs.  You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literac...

Today with speak with Dana DuBois.  She began her career as a speech pathologist, delaying her dream job as a writer.  But she began to write when a job application required a couple of writing samples.  You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation . Help children read. She wrote the samples, posted them on Medium, and has...

Today we speak with Rostislava Pankova-Karajova. She began her life in Bulgaria but moved with her family to Swaziland, South Africa, following the chaos after the fall of communism. She lived in Africa for twelve years, then moved to New Zealand, where she now lives with her family. You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Founda...

Today we have a special from Cuba. It is a difficult episode for us to make. Emotional in ways. We are on the island for a few weeks, visiting distant family, making friends and exploring remote and beautiful places. You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation . Help children read. We will talk about what we see and read f...

Debra Harman is a writer, editor and a publisher. She launched a number of successful Medium publications, Narrative Arc, Wind Phone, and Imogene's Notebook. You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation . Help children read. Debra is an avid hiker exploring the Cascades and Pacific Crest trail in her native Oregon, USA. She...

Today, we speak with KiKi Walter . She is a writer, storyteller, and champion of personal narratives. She loves transforming everyday moments into deeply resonant stories. Kiki is a publisher of Memoirist Quarterly and a founder of The Memoirist on Substack. She curates and edits for three thriving Medium publications: The Memoirist, Age of Empathy, and Black Bear. she also co-hosts The Unfocused...

Today we speak with Steph Dyson. She is a bilingual travel journalist and blogger, who has spent the last decade reporting on adventure travel and sustainability in Latin America. She reported for CNN, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and The Telegraph.  She's covered everything from how tourism is being used to heal the scars of civil war in Colombia to investigating why pumas are bei...

Alex and Egor here from Blue Planet Stories. We hope you are well. We are preparing our sailboat for a long ocean passage across the Caribbean to Panama, and we had two very busy weeks at a boatyard. With the time constraint, we had to focus on preparation. But, we are excited to replay our very first podcast for you, which is also one of our favorites, with Ryan Frawley. Also, Because we are resu...

Today we speak with Daniel Williams. He is an author-illustrator and English professor living in Western Pennsylvania. Dan has a special talent for humor writing, among other things, and you can find his stories and essays on Medium and on his Spotify podcast, "Misbehaving in Maine." His fully illustrated memoir, "Misbehaving in Maine: 30 Half-Learned Lessons," will be published this spring by Fal...

Today we speak with Tara B. She is a writer based in Connecticut. She has been writing privately for the last two years, but began publishing creative nonfiction and memoir works on Medium in November 2024. Tara writes about mental health, race, identity and relationships with family and friends - the good, the bad, and the ridiculous. Tara is a scientist by training and a full time project manage...

Today we speak with Joe Guay. He is a voiceover actor from Palm Desert, California. His voice is in commercials, e-learning and web videos for clients all over the globe.  Joe began writing publicly in 2021. His articles and essays have been featured on Katie Couric Media, YourTango.com and Medium .  A self-described "recovering people-pleaser with a snarky side,” Joe writes on topics such as ment...

Today with speak with Craig Collins. Craig is a writer who lives in San Diego, California. He is the author of two books of literary nonfiction — Thunder in the Mountains and Midair He began his carrier as a journalists. He then worked in tech, eventually serving as a senior executive for a Fortune 500 company. He later founded a series of venture backed technology start ups. Craig is currently wo...

Today we speak with John Pucay. He is an author and full-time writer from the Philippines. John writes creative nonfiction essays and short fiction stories. He is currently working on his second novel. John is also a film maker. His short film, Game Boy Advance, loosely based on his experiences as a 12-year-old, premiered at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival in sunny California in October 2024....

Today we speak with Kate Brennan. Kate is a humor writer, artist, educator and creator. Her work appeared in numerous publications including McSweeney’s, Slackjaw, and others. She holds an MFA from the University of Virginia. She writes and produces plays and musicals many of which were finalists and semi-finalists for national awards. See below the comprehensive list of Kates many accomplishments...

Today we speak with Morgana Sylvana. She is a writer, poet, and a musician from the United Kingdom. Morgana is a neurodivergent (ADHD/Autistic) writer, neurodiversity advocate, country-dwelling semi-hermit and former nomad.  She is a published poet and the author of “ The Wild Wandering Arc: A Journey through Van life, Nature & Love ” and “ Wild Motherhood: Tending the Fire of your Creative Spirit...

Today we speak with Jesse Wilson. He is a storyteller, writer, speaker and a poet from the United Kingdom. His mission is to inspire people to find their purpose and live healthier, happier lives. For the last twenty years, in his professional life, he has worked as a consultant, trainer and mentor with one of the world’s leading software companies where he wrestles with the complexities of comput...

Today, we speak with Richard Feldmann, a cartoonist whose work appeared in The New Yorker and other publications. We dive into the world of cartooning and the business of it during our discussion. Richard grew up in New Jersey, lived in Princeton and New York City. He spent twenty years working on Wall Street, but as he says, he eventually came to his senses and focused on work with non-profits an...

Today we speak with Walter Rhein . Walter is a full-time writer, traveler and amateur athlete. After college, he lived in Peru for 10 years, writing and editing for publications there. He moved back to his home in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and re-immersed into the world of cross-country skiing. He writes about the Birkebeiner - the biggest North American ski race which attracts athletes from all...