Story Discovery Podcast [Short Stories | Poetry | Flash Fiction | Audiobook]

Birds, the evaporation of time, and constellations are all featured in these poems of reflection by one of our Fall Contest Honorable Mention winners, Delaney Gray. During the interview Delaney reveals her passion for food, cooking, and capturing everyday moments in words. She’s a Nashville resident with a treasure trove of cookbooks, as well as insights, into the recipe of productive writing and...

Today’s show features our Fall Contest Third Place winner, Tess is her Name, by Michail Mulvey. Prose contest judge Katie McDougall said “With a voice that sings with subtle characterization and musicality, the narrator suggests “in-between” lives of his neighbors below and above, ultimately illuminating his own lonesomeness, a pining for meaning and connection. The author masters the art of flash...

Funerals, lost companions, and complicated doctors feature in these poems of grief by our Fall Contest Second Place winner, Smeep. Poetry judge AM Ringwalt said “I was struck by the author’s playful command of sound and syntax in Funereal Dis-ease. Grief and the grotesque are repeatedly alluded to as the speaker almost sings through an uncanny—and not-quite-dissectable—situation.” During the inter...

Can a relationship built on movie-watching survive? Today’s show features our Fall Contest First Place winner, Rome, by all means Rome, by Kevin Broccoli. Prose contest judge Katie McDougall said “Rome, by all means Rome, takes the reader into the theater of a failing marriage, characterized by the couple’s obsession with the movies. The self-assured voice, artful structure, and robust use of meta...

Today’s show is a special edition from our archives. One of our Fall 2022 Contest judges, AM Ringwalt, discusses poetry by Dennis Maloney as well as reads and unpacks her own work, Some People. These six poems by Dennis Maloney will take you from beaches to mountains to bedrooms. Lush with imagery and loss, we're sure you'll enjoy them all. After the narration, special guest AM Ringwalt, professor...

Today’s show is a special edition from our archives. We hear the prologue for a work-in-progress by local Nashville writing fixture, and one of our Fall 2022 Contest judges, Katie McDougall.  It’s Allison Bosch’s sixtieth birthday and she’s hiking a seldom-traveled ridge in the San Juan Mountains where her husband died sixteen years prior. What happens when her dog, Jez, encounters a mountain goat...

In a futuristic, post invasion Taiwan, a woman reflects upon beauty, lovers, and things that never change. Afterward we speak with author Juan Torregrosa (a multi-lingual interpreter) about this work and his experience of living in China for over 15 years, writing in non-native languages, and the hot and cold relationship he has with reading and writing. If you’d like to read this story or learn m...

Noodle is pleased to discover a ‘special’ born amongst the newest chicks. His older sister is even more pleased, knowing this will keep Noodle occupied as she seeks enlightenment without interruption. Follow these siblings on their individual journeys that coalesce into a singular discovery. After the reading we talk Ronly Blau about the various inspirations for this work, as well as her own journ...

On today’s show we talk with interdisciplinary artist, Skye Gilkerson. Her essay relays a personal journey revealing a parallel link between humanity’s connection with our planet and our bodies. During the interview, you’ll learn of Skye’s unique outlook on making both visual and prose art. She discusses burning her decades of journals as a form of creation, as well as the benefits of not completi...

After receiving repeated phone calls, messages, and inquiries asking to purchase her home, widowed Deloris sets out on a mission to deliver her own kind of justice to these phone spammers. What she discovers might surprise you. What she does about it reveals the true character of shrewd women. Afterward, we talk with Lynn about her previous work as a police lieutenant and how that influenced and i...

Today’s show feature five poems by Elaine Sorrentino. Find release in your breath, know the pain of violence and choice, and wonder at the seduction of luxury and the lack of courtesy. Elaine’s poems range from lighthearted reminiscence to  shadow filled rooms. Afterward, Elaine explores the inspiration for these works and shares the journey and joy of her upcoming, co-written book, The Girl Scout...

When a new-to-the-neighborhood arrival receives multiple unstamped and wax-sealed letters, she embarks on a quest to reveal the true-identity of the author. Journey with her as she discovers the surprising truth. After the reading, we talk with Sarah Butkovic about her ongoing studies in English and her exploration of creative writing. More importantly, she reveals a unique aspect of her home that...

Today’s show is a special edition where we hear an excerpt from Fake, a novel by John DeDakis. In the era of “fake news,” when facts are suspect and reporters are targets, White House Correspondent Lark Chadwick is thrust into the midst of a media-bashing frenzy. Fake is a real-life look behind the scenes at the ethical struggles of a female journalist in a #MeToo world walking the line between pe...

Today’s show features a work of non-fiction by Larry Patten about his personal writing journey. You’ll laugh, curse, and commiserate with Larry as he walks you through some early-highs and later-lows. Afterward, we talk with Larry about lesson’s learned, the relationship of ministry to writing, and most importantly, about the first book that made him cry. If you’d like to read this work or learn m...

Not all choices are choices, and some result in devastating consequences -- on lives, on families, on relationships. After this flash fiction work, we talk with Gene Turchin about the germination of this story and its many iterations before landing at Onyx. Gene also espouses the benefits of writing every day and exploring multiple genres, including some that might surprise you. If you’d like to r...

Rose is itching to get home and let the pencil loose on the page, but a chance encounter with a street evangelist changes her trajectory. Will she get the chance to etch the contours of his skin, or does the universe have other plans? Afterward, we talk with James Roderick Burns about how everyday encounters become small moments of inspiration that find their way into his stories. You’ll also hear...

Today’s show features a work of fusion by Brad Buchanan. Walk with Brad as he narrates a medical journey revealing interwoven links between life and poetry. Discover the unique medical battles he’s overcome only to face new challenges with his father’s strange symptoms. Afterward, we talk with Brad about the medical ordeal his life became, and how his wife, writing, and a lot of grit, helped him d...

On today’s show we hear five poems by Sandra Newton. Travel to faraway lands with memories that are not your own. Know the challenge of creating verse from thought. Disappear like the memories of childhood, and laugh at the loss brought by aging. Sandra’s poems explore the experience of being human with all its wonders and regrets. Afterward, she shares her journey to writing, which might include...

A co-ed middle school sleep over, filled with awkward boys and confident girls, leads to competitions, dares, and firsts -- pleasant memories that not even chocolate can destroy. During the interview, Francis Miller reveals the inspiration for the story, and how memoir-turned-fiction equals fun and creative story telling. He also elucidates his path for leaving a high-paying day job to pursue his...

You’re sitting shirtless on the front porch with a coffee and no job. You imagine your self-loathing is seated beside you, awaiting your next dumb-ass move, ready to spin you further into derision. Does redemption await across the street, or is that another step toward alcoholism? After the story, we talk with Rebecca Cuthbert about her cobbled together path toward writing, her work as an editor,...

On today’s show we hear four poems by award winning writer and newspaper editor, Dana Yost. Escape into the woods. Laugh about the joke gone wrong. Discover solace in a lonely super power. Know the lure of obsession. Dana’s poems are raw and honest, as is his interview.  After the reading, Dana shares details about struggles with an illness always jockeying for the front seat of your mind, and pro...

An unexpected visit by his father-in-law while his pre-teen daughter and friend are crafting ‘happy memory’ homework is enough to make Paul see phantoms of his dead wife. The question is, does anyone else see them too? During the interview we talk with Stephen Policoff about this chapter from his upcoming book, The Dangerous Blues, as well as his fascination with delusional beliefs and the superna...

On today’s show we hear five poems by Kimberly Thornton. Her works take you from soaring skies and intimate connections to dark places where death worms its way into your being. Afterward, we talk with Kimberly about how relationships are key to her writing and the importance of observation in understanding others and ourselves. If you’d like to read these poems or learn more about Kimberly Thornt...

Heather welcomes the challenges of modern frontier living with her childhood sweetheart and their children, but as time and things change, she wonders if the parts of her she’s lost are gone for good. During the interview, we talk with Jerri Jerreat about her love and respect for nature, and how that weaves its way into her work. You might also learn a surprising lifelong wish, and we guarantee it...

Peter is wrestling with the passing of his mother and what it means for the choices he’s made and is making. A chance meeting at a local bar finds him wandering small town backroads looking for something -- maybe even answers. After the story, we talk with Tacheny Perry about the roots of this story and how her personal experiences filter in. She also provides a perspective on getting an MFA in Wr...