Episodios

  • Poems for the Pyrocene - Ellen Girardeau Kempler

    Poems for the Pyrocene - Ellen Girardeau Kempler
    Apr 17 2025
    Our good friend Ellen Girardeau Kempler returns to the show with her recently publihed book of poetry, Fire in My Head / Flame in My Heart - Poems for the Pyrocene. A fiting release in the midst of Earth Month, this collection of evocative, thought provoking works challenges the reader to think about their impact on this blue orb we all call home.
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    50 m
  • Into the Mind of Tim Twombly

    Into the Mind of Tim Twombly
    Apr 11 2025
    If Escher's drawing were turned into novels you would enter the world and mind of Tim Wombly. Author of two novels, A Bonafide Detective and Road To Eden, Tim writes "with a pen dipped in the vibrant ink of magical realism and historical intrigue...In Twombly’s universe, the mundane deftly intertwines with the miraculous. What would seem harrowing, suddenly morphs into the hilarious."

    In edition to his novels, Tim and I discuss fourth grade girlfriends, being signed by Capitol Records at the age of fifteen, playing bass guitar on tour with Ike and Tina Turner and a whole lot of other subjects that you just have to hear to believe!
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    56 m
  • Catching Up with Cecile Sarruf

    Catching Up with Cecile Sarruf
    Apr 10 2025
    Cecile Sarruf is an Arab-American author originally from Southern California. Born to a mother of Syro-Lebanese ancestry from Cairo and a Midwestern father, Cecile is the eldest of five. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from CSULB and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles. Educated in the high arts: opera, piano, painting and literature, Cecile explores all means of self-expression in order to make her voice heard.

    Cecile is author of Kitchen in Beirut: a Memoir. Her other work can be found online in literary journals, as well as in print within anthologies. She is fluid in walking between East and West as a feminist, and is keen on the socio-political when standing at the edge of cultural crossroads. She also enjoys writing the occasional anecdotal essay from her personal life.
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    48 m
  • Iceland, DNA, and Murder: Tales from Sara Winokur

    Iceland, DNA, and Murder: Tales from Sara Winokur
    Apr 10 2025
    Sara Winokur introduces listeners to the worlds of genetic forensics, the people of Iceland, and a series of murders! In her Nordic noir novel “Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders,” a young boy disappears from a fjord in Iceland. Years later, his twin sister Brynja, a DNA scientist, searches for him but lands in a world of trouble. Sara's second novel, the historical thriller “Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders,” finds Brynja racing against time to find the valuable medieval chess pieces before she herself becomes the target.

    Sara Winokur is a geneticist, researcher, and author. Her historical fiction and cultural thrillers embody elements of DNA and forensic science, as she has a Ph.D. in molecular genetics. Her research helped identify mutations underlying muscular dystrophy, and Huntington’s disease.

    As an ovarian cancer thriver, Sara has a sense of gratitude, strength, and perspective that she extends to family, friends, work, and her writing. On her journey from science to writing, she says “Let go of who you are and become what you might be. Do what scares you.” A mother of three, Sara resides with her husband and writes in Southern California. That is, when she is not traveling the world in search of unique stories.
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    53 m
  • Women Authors Triple-play: Cather, to Wharton to Woolf

    Women Authors Triple-play: Cather, to Wharton to Woolf
    Apr 3 2025
    Randy Kraft returns to the studio during Women's History Month to discuss three ground-breaking women writers: Willa Cather, Emma Wharton and Virginia Woolf.

    An American writer and designer, Wharton realistically portrayed in her works the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Age of Innocence. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.

    In contrast to Wharton, Cather's novels featured life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia. She became the second woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, a novel set during World War I.

    Virginia Woolf was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th century modernist authors. She pioneered the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Her works include The Voyage Out, To the Lighthouse, Orlando: A Biography, and Between Acts.
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    51 m
  • Imperfect: A Story about Loss, Courage, and Perseverance

    Imperfect: A Story about Loss, Courage, and Perseverance
    Mar 9 2025
    Katy Motiey joins the show today to discuss her writing journey that led to the publication of her book, Imperfect, the story of one woman’s loss, courage, love, and perseverance before and during the Iranian Revolution. Based on the experiences of the author’s mother, the story is old as a fictionalized account of true events as Vida Shamsa’s life takes an unexpected and dramatic turn with the sudden death of her young husband in 1971.

    Katy is an attorney, the Chief Legal, Administrative and Sustainability Officer at a US publicly traded company. She graduated from Georgetown University, undergraduate and law school. Born in Iran, she immigrated to the US from Iran at age ten with her mother and brother during the Iranian Revolution. Katy enjoys spending time with family, including her remarkable mother, the subject of her first novel, her loving significant other, Robert, a childhood classmate from Iran, and their adorable dog Molly (aka “Killer”). During her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, skiing, working out, and spending time with amazing friends and neighbors.
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    44 m
  • The Dragon Codex: Quest for the relics of Design!

    The Dragon Codex: Quest for the relics of Design!
    Feb 27 2025
    Author, high school teacher, and graphics design artisit David Block joins us this week to discuss how he combined his passion for graphic design and storytelling to create "The Dragon Codex: Quest for the Relics of Design," a captivating middle-grade fantasy adventure that weaves together the principles of graphic design with an enchanting narrative. Inspired by his daughter, whose artistic creativity and beautiful spirit are immortalized in the story through Aqureil's Ring, David seeks to educate and inspire young readers through the tale of three young dragons who must learn magic and graphic design in order to save their realm from creative destruction.

    David's introduction to the basics of graphic design and application of its principles provides writers with a set of additional tools and practical tips through which to think about perspective, imagery, scene setting, and designing their stories to achieve maximum impact.

    David Block is a seasoned graphic designer and educator with over 30 years of experience in the field. As a Graphic Design and Logo Designer, he has dedicated his career to both professional design and teaching the next generation of creative minds. David's commitment to excellence is evident in his role with North Orange County ROP at El Dorado High School, where he runs a work-based learning program for advanced and honors students, preparing them for real-world success.

    In addition to his teaching and writing, David is the host of "The Design Rescue Show," a YouTube series that explores the journeys of creative professionals across various fields. His ability to connect with and celebrate the stories of others has made the show a valuable resource for aspiring designers.
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    47 m
  • Author Herb Williams-Dalgart

    Author Herb Williams-Dalgart
    Feb 20 2025
    Award-winning author and screenwriter Herb Williams-Dalgart joins us in this podcast to discuss his writing journey, thoughts on UCI's writing program and the commmunity of writers he found there, and his two novels - The French Girl's War and Jingle Boys (see more at HerbTheWriter.com).

    Herb's work has been recognized by national and regional writing competitions for developing rich, memorable stories, layered characters, and fresh dialogue across many genres. His debut novel, The French Girl’s War, was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award contest. His latest novel, Jingle Boys was awarded five stars from Readers’ Favorite and was named Finalist for the Page Turner Award for Writing.

    The son of immigrants and the grandson of a World War II veteran after whom he was named, Herb maintains a great respect for and fascination with “the greatest generation” and with the period. He holds a degree in English and an emphasis in creative writing from UC Santa Barbara and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA’s Writer’s Program. When not writing fiction or screenplays, he spends time with his wife, their children and grandchildren, and the family dog in Southern California.
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    48 m