Turning Pages

Brian Fies is the author of several non-fiction graphic novels, including A Fire Story, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow, and The Last Mechanical Monster. Brian's background in the sciences and in newspaper reporting makes for great wide ranging conversations. We talked particularly about the 20th anniversary reissue of his first book, Mom's Cancer, winner of the first-ever Eisner Award...

This show features Toni's conversation with DC-area author Barbara Leary. Barbara's work spans multiple genres, including nonfiction, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and children's books. She is the author of four children’s books, including The Climbing Tree, which won First Place in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards (Early Readers/Picture Books).  Barbara is also the founder o...

April is National Poetry Month! I spoke to Melissa Eleftherion, Ukiah's Poet Librarian, about local poetry goings-on, as well as her new volume of erasure poetry titled "Suture."  "A suture stitches a wound closed, but what is left after that wound heals—a scar? Or a memory? In this new collection, Melissa Eleftherion excavates the Flowers in the Attic series of books by V C Andrews to tell her ow...

In this episode I am talking with Kelly Hardesty about her blog, sky-t-tray.us, in which she writes about reading the books we tend to categorize as classics. What is the definition of a literary classic? Why – and how – might a reader explore these works written decades or centuries ago? The books we talked about specifically are Little Women by Lousia May Alcott (1868) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn b...

Terena Scott is a writer, teacher, advocate, and mother. Her memoir, Raising Rhia, is a deeply personal story about raising her daughter, who was born with multiple disabilities, in a world that wasn’t built for her. This book is for anyone who’s ever fought for someone they love. It’s for the weary, the brave, the brokenhearted, and the wildly hopeful. 

Lasara Firefox Allen, MSW (they/them/Mx) is a certified Menopause Doula, gender-affirming Menopause Coach, and educator specializing in inclusive midlife care. As CEO and Founder of Genderqueer Futures and Founding Coach of The Genderqueer Menopause Coach, they train healthcare providers, therapists, doulas, coaches, and other menopause professionals through the Gender-Affirming Menopause Care Cer...

I spoke with Deborah Edelman and Adina Merenlender, two of the co-authors of the California Naturalist Handbook. This new second edition is significant as a resource for science-based information about California's ecosystems, the role of Citizen Scientists, and the California Naturalist Certification course given each year across the state. Deborah will give an in-person talk at Mendocino Book Co...

In 1979, Susanna and a companion spent four months traveling through South America. In the days before GPS and the Internet, not to mention rolling luggage, every day was an adventure. This book is both a travelogue and a personal memoir, and Susanna's storytelling skills and love of adventure make for a fun read - and an excellent conversation! More about the book can be found at susannajanssen.c...

A lively and wide-ranging hour-long conversation with author Cynthia Reeves about her book The Last Whaler, set in Svalbard before and after World War II. For more information about this book and Cynthia's other projects, see her website, cynthiareeveswriter.com (A shorter version of this interview aired on August 6, and can be found on the Jukebox for that date at 3:30 pm). Comments and questions...

This episode features Toni's conversation with Theresa Whitehill ~ Ukiah poet, graphic designer and contributor to a two-volume series, Cascadian Zen. The books bring together nonfiction, poetry, interviews, translations, and artwork that explore expressions of Zen within the Cascadian bioregion.

Kristana Arp's "Terrible Beauty" is a new collection of short stories that explore the lighter (and darker) side of human nature, through a philosophical lens. Seven stories - some humorous, some contemplative, and some cautionary - call to mind classic Twilight Zone episodes.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Toni spoke with Melissa Eleftherion Carr about poetry happenings here in Mendocino County. Melissa is a past Poet Laureate of Ukiah, and is one of the coordinators of the 2025 Ukiah Haiku Festival taking place on April 27 (event information is at ukiahaiku.org). Feedback about the program is welcome at TurningPagesKZYX@gmail.com.

I spoke with Jesse and Matt about the early days of the Internet, the setting of their two-volume graphic novel series Incredible Doom.  Questions and comments are always welcome at TurningPagesKZYX@gmail.com

I talked to Karen Rifkin talk about her recently published book, The History of Ukiah's Palace Hotel. So much local lore! Karen will also be giving two in-person talks about the book, at the Ukiah Library on February 8 (at 3:00 pm) and at Grace Hudson Museum on March 22, 2025. 

The first episode of Turning Pages for 2025 is a conversation with the delightful Jody Gehrman about writing fiction and plays, and the wonderful things she's doing at Mendocino College. As always, comments and questions are welcome at TurningPagesKZYX@gmail.com Happy New Year!

In this episode I review three recently published memoirs: Did I Ever Tell You, by Genevieve Kingston; My Beloved Monster, by Caleb Carr; and You Could Make This Place Beautiful, by Maggie Smith. I share a brief review of an upcoming novel: Black Woods Blue Sky, by Alaska based author Eowyn Ivey. And I revisit my September interview with Calvin Crosby, bookseller and literacy advocate in Salt Lake...

Stephen Most is the author of “River of Renewal: Myth and History in the Klamath Basin.” Originally published in 2006, the book was updated recently to reflect the removal of four dams on the Klamath River, and the return of the salmon to its upper reaches. Stephen will be at Mendocino Book Company at 5:30 pm on November 14 for a reading and discussion. Listen to the show here, and join the conver...

This is a slightly expanded version of my October 2nd conversation with J Ryan Stradal, with a bit more background about his writing inspirations. Note: The podcast he mentions is called The Bookcase, hosted by Kate and Charlie Gibson, abcaudio.com/podcasts/the-book-case; choose your platform and search for J Ryan Stradal The Bookcase. J Ryan's book recommendations in this episode were "Us Fools"...

This episode features two of our favorite authors. First, a fun chat with Mendocino County author Emily Lloyd-Jones, who writes adventurous, magical fiction for teens and young adults. Her newest book, "The Wild Huntress," is the third in a story cycle inspired by the ancient folklore and mythology of Wales. It's available in bookstores now. More about Emily's books can be found on her website, em...

LA-based author Melissa Broder joins Toni for a conversation about her novel Death Valley, which she describes as a humorous look at grief. In the second part of the show, Toni talks with Mendocino County Librarian Melissa Carr and Salt Lake City Utah bookstore owner Calvin Crosby (The King's English) about the impact of book bans on our communities.

Romance fiction author Holly James lives in Southern California, but grew up in Ukiah. She and Toni spoke in August about her books.