Category

Humor

Fiction, Humor, Relationships, Writers on Writing

Jul 12: Nancy Crochiere Debuts Graceland

Secrets, Love, Mayhem, & Laughter

Graceland with author Nancy Crochiere

Long-time humor columnist, Nancy Crochiere joins us with her debut comic novel, GRACELAND.

What can go wrong when three women race on a roadtrip from Boston to Memphis, while they encounter everything from jealous soap actors to free range ferrets and a trio of Elvis impersonators? And how will everyone’s deepest secrets begin to unravel? Tune in!

About Nancy Crochiere

For more than a decade before Nancy Crochiere chronicled the ups and down of family life – including her obsession w George Clooney – in her humorous newspaper column, The Mother Load. Her essays have appeared in the Boston Globe, Writer’s Digest, and other platforms. And in her free time she acts as an extra in feature films and TV Shows. Today we introduce her first fiction book, Graceland.

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Fiction, Humor

May 11: Unlikely Animals with Annie Hartnett

Spirits narrate. Animals talk. Humor, heartache,  love, & a missing girl … a magical tragicom filled with the messiness of family life and death.

Author Annie Hartnett‘s second novel wasn’t going too well. She wasn’t enjoying authoring it and wondered if all second novels were this difficult to write. But as she took a drive through New Hampshire, Annie spotted something that changed the direction of her story and brought Unlikely Animals to life … or raised it from the dead … because the folks in the cemetery narrate the story.

About Annie Hartnett

Annie Hartnett‘s first book, Rabbit Cake, was listed as one of Kirkus Review’s Best Books of 2017 and was a New England Book Award finalist. Annie was awarded fellowships and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She holds degrees from the MFA program at the University of Alabama. Information for Book Clubs.

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Humor, Memoir, Non Fiction

Oct 21: #1 NYT Bestselling Author Teresa Rhyne with Poppy in The Wild

A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres Of Wilderness, And The Dogged Determination That Brought Her Home

Known as the pack-leader of heartfelt, funny, original dog memoirs, Teresa Rhyne is upfront about her books having happy endingsimportant when we’re talking about our furry ones.

Today we hear the tale of Poppy, a beautiful beagle rescued from China’s meat trade, only to vanish in 1500 acres of wilderness. Teresa shares how she became involved as a foster mom. Common mistakes that dog owners make when their dog is lost.  And how her own dog helped her through breast cancer.

About Teresa J Rhyne

Teresa Rhyne’s debut memoir The Dog Lived (and So Will I) reached #1 on the New York Times Nonfiction and E-book bestseller lists twice, #1 on the Wall Street Journal Nonfiction bestseller list, and #6 on USA Today’s Top 100 books in the USA. Poppy In The Wild: A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres Of Wilderness, And The Dogged Determination That Brought Her Home is Teresa’s third book. When not writing bestselling memoirs, she is a fulltime estate planning attorney in California.

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Humor, Non Fiction, Social Issues

FEB 19: Steven Goldstein’s The Turn-On

In our world of 24/7 media, what draws you to certain public figures over others?  When celebrities step into your household through the screen or speaker, what are the essential ingredients that determine whether you gravitate to them or find them repulsive?  And why do some celebrities thrive after a scandal while others wither away in disgrace?  Spending much of his career working among public figures, Steven Goldstein invented a tangible way to measure likeability using eight critical traits.  His new book is The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them – From Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood.

Steven Goldstein is a civil rights leader who began his career as a television news producer, winning ten Emmys, before becoming a producer for Oprah Winfrey. He worked as a lawyer for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and as a communications director in the U.S. Senate, before becoming a strategist for leaders in politics, business, and entertainment.

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Conservation, Environment, Health & Wellness, Humor, Social Issues

DEC 18: Richard Louv’s Our Wild Calling

What would your life be like if you were as immersed in nature as you are in your electronic devices?  Today you will find out how connecting with animals can improve our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being.  You’ll learn why a coyote riding on public transportation could become the new norm, and how our children can learn ethical behavior from our dogs.  And find out how our guest compares raccoons to Silicone Valley and Seattle technophiles!

Richard Louv is a journalist and author of ten books, and co-founder and chair emeritus of the nonprofit Children & Nature Network.  In 2008, he was awarded the Audubon Medal, presented by the National Audubon Society. Prior recipients have included Rachel Carson, E. O. Wilson, Sir David Attenborough and President Jimmy Carter.  His new book is Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform our Lives — and Save Theirs.

 

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Fiction, Humor, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

MAR 04: Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris & David Morgan’s Monty Python Speaks

Many of returning guest Pam Jenoff’s historical novels have been inspired in part by her work in international affairs at the Pentagon and for the State Department. Her latest is set during and right after World War II, exploring the story of a group of young women who risked their lives in the defiance of Nazi oppression.  The Lost Girls of Paris is an essential and timeless story of survival, loyalty, and the power of sisterhood.

Pam is a New York Times bestselling author of specializing in historical fiction.

Monty Python Speaks: The Complete Oral History of Monty Python is a no-holds-barred look at the Pythons’ legendary sketches and films, told through interviews with Monty Python’s founding members, actors, producers, and collaborators.  Author David Morgan reveals the story behind Spamalot: The Musical, the group’s reaction to their resoundingly successful 2014 reunion, and a touching look at the group without Terry Jones after his 2015 diagnosis of dementia.

David is a senior producer for CBSNews.com, and for CBS’ Emmy Award–winning newsmagazine Sunday Morning. He has written about film production and media issues for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Newsday,  The Hollywood Reporter.

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Essays, Humor, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

DEC 03: Sara Ruhl’s Letters From Max & Matt Geiger’s Astonishing Tales

Sara Ruhl is a distinguished playwright and author, Tony award nominee, and two time Pulitzer Prize finalist.  In 2012, exuberant and opinionated Max Ritvo took her playwriting class at Yale University, proving himself a highly gifted poet.  Max was also in remission from pediatric cancer.  Over the course of four years, Sara watched Max blossom as his illness returned and his health declined, exchanging a series of letters with him that changed the way she looked at life, death, and the unexpected connections one makes along the way.  She shares these urgency and humor filled exchanges in Letters From Max: A Book of Friendship.

Sara’s plays have won numerous awards, and have been produced all over the country and internationally, including on Broadway.

Matt Geiger, our second guest, says “Anytime I’m able to talk about Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov in a single interview, I’m happy!” So Vicki makes him happy and asks why.  We’ll chat about his latest book Astonishing Tales: Your Astonishment May Vary – a collection of stories and essays.

Matt is a humorist, essayist, and award-winning journalist and author, who lives in Wisconsin with his wife, daughter, ten animals, and several metaphysical questions.

 

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Humor, Non Fiction, Personal Development

SEP 03: Ken Jennings’ Planet Funny & Allen Gannett’s The Creative Curve

From Jeopardy! champion and  New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings comes a history of humor.  From fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter gags and Facebook memes, Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world.

Since his record-breaking Jeopardy! streak, Ken has become a best-selling author and has appeared in numerous ads.  He is a frequent speaker at college campuses and corporate events.

Later, it helps to be creative to be considered a genius, but you don’t have to be a genius to be creative.  In The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time, author Allen Gannett disproves the notion that creativity is limited to the brilliant few who possess a certain gift, showing how anyone is capable of turning their genius idea into reality.

Allen is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a software analytics firm whose clients have included Microsoft, Marriott, Saks Fifth Avenue, Home Depot, Aetna, Honda, and GE.  He has been on the “30 Under 30” lists for both Inc. and Forbes.

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Humor, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Women's Issues, Writers on Writing

AUG 06: Matthew Dicks’ Storyworthy & Maxine Rosaler’s Queen for a Day

You’re already a storyteller.  Whether it’s on a date, a job interview, or relating something that happened on the way to work, we tell stories every day.  Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling by Matthew Dicks gives you straightforward tips and techniques to take your ability to tell your stories to the next level.

Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 6-time Moth GrandSLAM champion.  He is an international bestseller, and in addition to his novels he has written musicals, a rock opera, and comic books.

Next, who wouldn’t want to be Queen for a day?  What if that meant you get to compete against other potential Queens for the grand prize of … stainless steel silverware?  Maxine Rosaler uses 1950’s era nostalgia as inspiration in her new book, Queen for a Day, examining imperfect women with special needs children, living under enormous pressure. 

Maxine has had fiction and nonfiction published in several literary magazines and is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Fiction.

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Humor, Non Fiction, Personal Development

JUN 25: Ken Jennings’ Planet Funny & Allen Gannett’s The Creative Curve

From Jeopardy! champion and  New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings comes a history of humor.  From fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter gags and Facebook memes, Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world.

Since his record-breaking Jeopardy! streak, Ken has become a best-selling author and has appeared in numerous ads.  He is a frequent speaker at college campuses and corporate events.

Later, it helps to be creative to be considered a genius, but you don’t have to be a genius to be creative.  In The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time, author Allen Gannett disproves the notion that creativity is limited to the brilliant few who possess a certain gift, showing how anyone is capable of turning their genius idea into reality.

Allen is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a software analytics firm whose clients have included Microsoft, Marriott, Saks Fifth Avenue, Home Depot, Aetna, Honda, and GE.  He has been on the “30 Under 30” lists for both Inc. and Forbes.

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