Hoot & Holler Radio

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two powerful true stories: Katie Elmore’s tale of grief, a psychic’s prediction, and two orange kittens who felt like a sign from the other side; and Jill Thompson’s harrowing account of a van plunging into a lake, the fight to survive underwater, and the bonds that saved her life.

Two storytellers take the Grandin stage: Anastasia Giffin hilariously traces her Greek roots and Joe Mylan Jr. recounts his leap to become a writer in Seoul. Host Lee Hunsaker sits down with the tellers for candid post-show interviews about identity, craft, and the messy, beautiful work of telling your story.

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two intimate stories of grief, signs, and unexpected grace. Lindsay McKinnon recounts losing her two sons, a psychic prophecy that brought healing and serendipity. Writer Matthew Vollmer explores his mother’s decline into dementia and the mysterious lights that appeared near the family home. Through strange phenomena, a shaman’s reading, and his father’s changing life, M...

Description Two powerful true stories from Hoot and Holler Radio: Curtis Alderson donates part of his liver to save a childhood friend and reflects on faith, service, and a renewed purpose, while Erika Johnson travels to Mexico for intense shamanic healing with 5‑MeO‑DMT and peyote, confronting deep fears and the challenge of integration. This episode explores courage, healing, and the unexpected...

In this episode of Hoot and Holler Radio, Stacey Porter pulls back the curtain on life as a realtor—sharing funny, heartbreaking, and empowering stories about showing up for clients, supporting fair housing, and the emotional labor of the job. Later, Jan Dillon offers a tender love letter to the Waffle House, describing how the diner became a place of comfort and community during grief. Both story...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two intimate onstage stories from the Grandin Theatre. Bebe Demure recounts the physical and emotional costs of a life in professional ballet, an injury that forced her to stop, and how she reclaimed her body and voice through burlesque. Mary Beth Wooten shares a medical crisis that cost her career and home, the friends who found her in her darkest moments, and a road to...

Host Lee Hunsaker welcomes storytellers Cindy Pasternak and Marj Easterling to Hoot and Holler Radio for two unforgettable tales: Cindy’s true story of rescuing Darla the pig and staging a joyful, community-filled wedding with her boar Perry on their little rescue farm, and Marge’s wild, comic adventure that shows us just how far a person will go for true friendship. 

This episode of Hoot and Holler Radio features 16-year-old Mason Bibby sharing how the pandemic pushed him inward and ultimately helped him find his voice as a writer, leader, and orator while transforming self-doubt into public confidence and a deep sense of patriotism. Then we hear Tyler Crouch’s moving account of family, duty, and the Marine Corps, followed by studio interviews that reflect on...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents onstage stories and studio interviews exploring long friendships at a turning point and the search for belonging. Ruth Cassell-Huynh reflects on grief, sobriety, and the silence that can grow between friends over 25 years, while Nalliene Chavez recounts moving from Puerto Rico and how hair and clothing shaped her identity in America. Through intimate storytelling and can...

Two powerful onstage stories and interviews: Courtney Downs shares her harrowing journey from addiction and homelessness to long-term recovery, family reunification, and advocacy work in harm reduction. Chad Hutchinson delivers a larger-than-life tribute to his friend Jack—a Texas-born, unforgettable character whose loyalty and humor shaped a community. Together these pieces celebrate resilience,...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two personal stories from the Grandin Theatre: Sandra Collins' serendipitous meeting on the Blue Ridge Parkway that led to love and life changes, and Joe Cobb's journey of coming out along the "Yellow Brick Road" that led to personal freedom and public service. After their performances, both storytellers join Lee in studio to reflect—Sandra shares life with Dan, riding a...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two powerful stories from the Grandin Theatre: Sara Kennedy’s moving tale of her son Calum’s connection to butterflies and their family’s journey through diagnosis, grief, and eventual acceptance, and Lizetta Staplefoot’s candid story of going to jail, hiding the truth from her children, and finding redemption through honesty. Both stories explore transformation, resilie...

Host Lee Hunsaker sits down with storytellers Alicia Bell and Jeff Maiden. Alicia shares a tender, magical family folktale from West Virginia about the Gully Whomper — a lidless-eyed creature that guided childhood morals and later revealed a surprising origin — and how the story became a keepsake of love and memory. Jeff recounts his chaotic day as a film extra on The Patriot, turning a one-day gi...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two stories from the Grandin Theatre stage: Gretchen Weinnig Beedle recounts her encounters with two cavalier mammals.  Tom Landon journeys back to his paperboy days, sharing childhood mischief that includes a library of found Playboys and a cheeky plan to collect overdue payments. The episode also features post-performance interviews with both storytellers and the recor...

Jen Raffensperger shares a story about her aspirations to see apparitions and how she got a little more than she bargained for. What happened to her five minutes before she took the mic will send shivers. There are mysterious forces at work.   AND   Kate Givens shares a hilarious and poignant story about her first job as a teen working at a 1-800 prayer line. Who is the other person on the end of...

Host Lee Hunsaker presents two personal stories from the Hoot and Holler stage. Katie Clifton recounts driving her ex to a recovery center, a Cracker Barrel stop and an unexpected encounter that helped spark his sobriety. Hailey Hendrix shares a comic misadventure after choosing a discounted clinic for her first gynecological exam. The episode also includes post-performance interviews with both st...

This week's Hoot and Holler Radio, comedians Joe Stanley and Kim Bratic share unforgettable childhood stories: Joe's cringe-filled memories with his great-grandmother Mimi, disco moves and a donkey baseball disaster; Kim's rainbow-sweater day that turned into a real-life neighborhood shootout with SWAT and a stuck armored vehicle. These personal tales blend humor, vulnerability and community, and...

This episode of Hoot and Holler Radio features two powerful stories from the Grandin Theater stage: Seth Marlow’s moving account of pursuing fatherhood as a trans man, and Marilyn Moriarty’s wild, true tale of being an unwitting accomplice in a 1970s prison escape. Each storyteller joins the host afterward for candid conversations about life after the stage, the challenges they faced, and the pers...