Dream Chasers and Eccentrics

Melvin Edwards is an author, journalist, and podcaster. His latest book is "Nuremberg Mississippi." We talk about how laws affected blacks differently from whites and were used as tools of opression, such as not being able to use the front door of stores or to eat inside restaurants or for a black man to be driving with a white woman or to be black and in town after sunset in "sundown towns," segr...

Space Man is a short story by Paul Trammell, published April 1 on paultrammell.substack.com The story is narrated by the author.  Links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through either substack , if you want more short stories, or Patreon

Amjad Tadros was CBS News' Middle East producer from 1990 to 2023, during which he managed regional coverage of transformative events, including Iraq's wars, the September 11 hijackers' backstories, the Arab Spring, and Syria's chemical attacks on civilians. His commitment to truth earned him four Emmy Awards, including for stories about Syria's chemical gas attacks (2016) and White Helmets (2017)...

Eric Robinson was a Baptist pastor before becoming an FBI agent. He was a SWAT operator for 15 years, a tactical and firearms instructor, and worked in Human Intelligence, National Security, and most of the criminal offenses covered by the FBI. He recruited informants, dealt with teen prostitutes, interrogated terrorists, arrested drug dealers and peadophiles, and much more. Two of his cases won t...

J. R. Thornton was born in London and graduated from Harvard College in 2014, where he studied history, English, and Chinese.  He later competed for Harvard as an internationally ranked junior tennis player on the men's professional circuit.  Shortly after graduating from Harvard, J. R. published his first novel,  Beautiful Country , loosely inspired by experiences he had living in Beijing as a te...

PJ Glassey started personal training in 1987 and successfully grew his business over the following 11 years, training clients in their homes and at local area gyms. With the help of these clients as test subjects, and armed with his degree in Exercise Science, PJ invented his "multi-protocol" concept and refined it through 1998, when he founded the X Gym. He is also the author of the book "Crackin...

Douglas Ell grew up in Connecticut, and graduated early from MIT, where he double majored in math and physics. He then obtained a masters in theoretical mathematics from the University of Maryland. After graduating from law school, magna cum laude, he became a prominent attorney. His legal training and work, combined with his academic science background and a lifetime of independent study, has giv...

Lorie Kleiner Eckert is a slice-of-life blogger, motivational speaker, and author of five books. Her latest is Chai on Life (pronounced "High on Life") and is a collection of 36 short stories or memoirs with themes of gratitude, happiness, family, and self-help. It's a delightful book, and Lorie is a wise and delightful person with lots of insights on life to share. We talk about her book, finding...

This February marks ten years without smoking marijuana and eleven years without drinking alcohol for me. In this episode, I talk about how I quit, and why I quit, both of these addictive drugs. Links and photos are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Poetry by Paul Trammell, read by the author.  click on this   substack link  to get a short story every month, as well as poetry and book reviews  Support the show through Patreon Links are on the podcast shownotes page

Cheryl Drury, a lifelong reader, is on a misssion to read a long list of classic books which she found on Ted Gioia's Substack page. She now has her own Substack page that features her podcast "Crack the Book" about classic books. We talk about The Great Gatsby, The Red Badge of Courage, Romeo and Juliet and other works of Shakespeare, The Odyssey, David Foster Wallace, James Joyce's Ulysses, Swan...

Just Like Meat, or Prosthetics, is a sci-fi short story by Paul Trammell (the host).  If you like short stories and want to receive one of mine on the first of every month, for free, sign up for my Substack "newsletter" You can support the podcast through Patreon More info can be found on the podcast shownotes page Kepp an eye out for my latest novel Identity Crisis  releasing March first, availab...

Colin Corby is a Leadership, Wellbeing, Digital Detox, and Mindset Coach. He is also a TEDx Speaker, a technologist, and an endurance athlete. He created 'The Digital Detox Coach' in 2018 as he was fascinated by the collision between technology and psychology and how this relationship was changing the world, our health, and even the way we think. He is passionate about helping people and organisat...

A life long search for freedom took Eli Jaxon-Bear around the world and into many spiritual traditions from a Zen monastery in Japan to a Sufi circle in Marrakesh, among others. His search ended when he was drawn to India (1990) where he met his final teacher, Sri H.W.L Poonja, lovingly known as Papaji; a direct disciple of the renowned Indian Sage Ramana Maharshi. Confirming Eli's realization, hi...

This week's episode is a short story by Paul Trammell, narrated by the author. A Ship Without Time is a short work of science fiction. If you like short stories, and would like to get a free one in your mailbox on the first of each month, sign up for Paul Trammell's Substack newsletter, for free (or donation) at paultrammell.substack.com .

Catia Batalha is a psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, author, and mystic, devoted to guiding souls on their journey of awakening, healing, and self-discovery. Moved by a deep reverence for the hidden wisdom that flows through all traditions, she has spent much of her life immersed in the holistic philosophies of the East and the psychological sciences of the West. We talk about growing up in Port...

Libbie Grant, who writes as Olivia Hawker, is a Washington-Post Best-selling author and a UFO enthusiast. She and I have both seen UFO's, and she wrote a historical fiction novel, "The Stars and their Light," about the Roswell incident in 1947. We talk about UFO's, her book "The Stars and their Light," religion and how UFO sightings can affect our beliefs, biblical references to possible UFO's, th...

Danny Johnson's hilarious, clean stand-up has entertained audiences in comedy clubs, corporate events, and churches nationwide for over 15 years. Danny's work as a stand-up comedian has been humbly compared to Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin James, and Jackie Gleason, blending his original material with his renowned facial expressions. Danny's show is relatable, entertaining, and always evolving. Danny has...

John David is the author of the novel "The Bystander," which I read and loved. It's a thriller about a journalist who films an active-shooter incident and a "good samaritan" with a concealed weapon taking out the shooter. However, things are not what they seem. We talk about writing fiction and nonfiction, writing about a real location, setting, the second amendment and concealed weapons, heros, h...

Libbie Grant, who also write under the pan name Olivia Hawker, is a Washington Post best-selling author of historical fiction and literary fiction. I recently read her novel "The Ragged Edge of Night," which tells the story of a Franciscan Friar in Nazi Germany struggling to maintain his sense of morals and doing what he can to thwart the efforts of the Nazis. Libbie has written and published 46 b...

Inna Segal is a pioneer in the field of energy medicine and human consciousness. She is also the bestselling author of "The Secret Language of Your Body," which has been translated into 26 languages and has sold over a million copies worldwide. We talk about her roots as a healer, clairvoyance, pain, anxiety, meditation, exercise, living consciously, intuitive healing, food choices, understanding...

Thom Barrett is an adventurer, cancer survivor, and the author of several books: "Living While Dying", "Chasing My Northern Lights", "Embracing the Cold", "The Strength of Surrender" and "Beyond the Blueprint." His stories of resilience, adventure, and self-discovery empower readers to navigate life's adversities, cherish their experiences, and uncover the beauty in unexpected places. We talk abou...

Ian Wallace is a dream psychologist who has also worked professionally as a North Sea oil-rig roughneck, mountain guide, session musician, fashion photographer, commercial pilot, military psychologist, relationship counsellor, child psychologist, celebrity psychologist and artificial intelligence inventor. His knowledge of dreams and his ability to articulate this is extraordinary.  We talk about...

Mike Pushkin is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and is the Chair of the WV Democrat Party.  We talk about why elections matter, the top of the ticket vs the bottom of the ticket, substance-abuse issues, addiction and recovery, a day in the life of a delegate, representing the people, division of Americans, what we all have in common, the joy to be found in politics, driving a taxi...

Elliott Hasler wrote, directed, and filmed "Vindication Swim," the story of Mercedes Gleitz, the first British woman to swim the English Channel. He also wrote and directed "WWII: The Long Road Home," which opened in the USA and the UK, and for which Elliott was praised as "perhaps the next Spielberg." "Vindication Swim" opened in select theaters October 17. We talk about filming the movie, swimmi...