Category

Memoir

Health & Wellness, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Personal Development

JUN 24: Karen Rinaldi’s It’s Great to Suck at Something & Laura Schroff’s An Invisible Thread

June 24, 2019

Today’s first guest will help you find success through embracing failure.  Karen Rinaldi joins us to discuss how resilience is born from discovering the freedom of sucking at something.  It’s Great to Suck at Something: The Unexpected Joy of Wiping Out and What It Can Teach Us About Patience, Resilience, and the Stuff that Really Matters reveals the joy in the pursuit rather than the goal.

Karen has worked in publishing for over two decades, and is the  founder of the imprint Harper Wave at HarperCollins. She has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah.com, Time, LitHub and other publications.

Next, Laura Schroff was a busy sales executive when she befriended an 11 year old homeless boy, both of them embarking on a life-changing journey of hope, kindness, adventure, and love.  An Invisible Thread is her memoir, showing how the power of fate can help you find your way.

Laura is a former advertising executive who helped launch three of the most successful start-ups in Time Inc. history— In Style, Teen People, and People Style Watch.  She has been a keynote speaker at over 300 schools, libraries, charities and bookstores.

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Environment, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Memoir, Personal Development

JUN 17: Karen Auvinen’s Rough Beauty & Donald Altman Returns

June 10, 2019

Imagine a winter’s day alone in the mountain’s, the silence runs deep, the wind chills your bones, yet you feel the warmth of joy from this solitary moment.  Award-winning poet and author Karen Auvinen has spent decades living alone at 8500 feet, and shares her experiences in her new memoir, Rough Beauty: 40 Seasons of Mountain Living.

Karen is a mountain woman, life-long westerner, and accomplished writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Lithub, Real Simple, and Westword, as well as numerous literary journals.

Later, psychologist and former Buddhist monk Donald Altman returns to Conversations Live to share how love, kindness, and compassion help overcome fear and negativity.  Hear his original interview on mindful living here.

Donald is a psychotherapist, award-winning writer, former Buddhist monk, and teacher. He served as adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and is an adjunct faculty member of the Interpersonal Neurobiology program at Portland State University.

 

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Fiction, Health & Wellness, Memoir, Non Fiction, Personal Development

JUN 10: Julie Berry’s Lovely War & The Detox Professor David Getoff

June 8, 2019

Julie Berry joins us to discuss Lovely War and what it would like to be a young girl in love with a soldier during the Great War.

Julie holds a BS from Rensselaer in communication and an MFA from Vermont College in writing for children and young adults.   In the decade since she published her first novel, she has won numerous awards for her young adult fiction.

Next, if you are ever confused by conflicting information regarding diet, exercise, and nutrition, Detox Professor David Getoff joins us to clear up some common misconceptions.

David Getoff is a board certified clinical nutritionist- internationally recognized expert in nutrition, diet, the use of nutritional supplements and detoxification. He has lectured at dozens of scientific medical, nutritional, dental and agricultural conferences across the United States and is the author of Abundant Health in a Toxic World.

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Health & Wellness, Memoir, Non Fiction, Social Issues

MAY 20: Jared Yates Sexton’s The Man They Wanted Me To Be, Lauren McDuffie’s Smoke Roots Mountain Harvest, & Jodi Helmer’s Tea Garden

May 15, 2019

Depression.  Lower life expectancy.  Misogyny.  Suicide.  These are just the worst of the societal consequences of toxic masculinity, failing both men and women.  The Man They Wanted Me to Be doubles as a memoir and cultural analysis, told from the point of view of Jared Yates Sexton, who was raised with strict expectations that are outdated in our current cultural climate.

Jared is a contributing political writer at Salon, and his political writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, and elsewhere. He has authored three collections of fiction and a crime novel, and is an associate professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University.

Next, capture the flavors and modern cooking techniques of Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Mountains in Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest.  Author Lauren McDuffie joins us to share some tales from Appalachian country and her favorite recipes, including Drunken Short Ribs and Baked Pork Chops with Cran-Apple Moonshine compote.

Lauren admits she is not a chef, but a passionate and curious lover of food, and writes the award-wining food blog Harvest and Honey.

Later, Jodi Helmer has a love of tea that developed as a young child.  While her palate and tastes have changed, her passion for tea has remained.  In Growing Your Own Tea Garden, she shares tips for turning your garden (or windowsill) into a mini tea plantation..

Jodi’s writing has appeared in publications like Sierra, Entrepreneur, NPR, National Geographic Traveler, AARP, and more, and she has authored six books.  She lives  on a small homestead in rural North Carolina where she grows flowers and vegetables, keeps bees and raises chickens, goats and one very spoiled donkey.

 

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Health & Wellness, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Personal Development

MAY 13: Karen Rinaldi’s It’s Great to Suck at Something & Laura Schroff’s An Invisible Thread

May 9, 2019

Today’s first guest will help you find success through embracing failure.  Karen Rinaldi joins us to discuss how resilience is born from discovering the freedom of sucking at something.  It’s Great to Suck at Something: The Unexpected Joy of Wiping Out and What It Can Teach Us About Patience, Resilience, and the Stuff that Really Matters reveals the joy in the pursuit rather than the goal.

Karen has worked in publishing for over two decades, and is the  founder of the imprint Harper Wave at HarperCollins. She has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah.com, Time, LitHub and other publications.

Next, Laura Schroff was a busy sales executive when she befriended an 11 year old homeless boy, both of them embarking on a life-changing journey of hope, kindness, adventure, and love.  An Invisible Thread is her memoir, showing how the power of fate can help you find your way.

Laura is a former advertising executive who helped launch three of the most successful start-ups in Time Inc. history— In Style, Teen People, and People Style Watch.  She has been a keynote speaker at over 300 schools, libraries, charities and bookstores.

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Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Social Issues, Women's Issues

APR 22: Meredith May’s The Honey Bus & Laurie Halse Anderson’s SHOUT

April 15, 2019

Today’s show kicks off with a buzzworthy guest … literally.  Meredith May learned some of life’s most pivotal lessons about community, loyalty and survival from one of nature’s most fragile and important creatures.  Raised by her fourth generation beekeeper grandfather while her mother’s mental state slowly deteriorated, Merediths found everything she needed to know about family was buzzing right there in the hive.  Her new memoir is The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees.

Meredith spent sixteen years at the San Francisco Chronicle, where her narrative reporting won the PEN USA Literary Award for Journalism and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize.  She is a fifth generation beekeeper.

Later, frustrated by how little has changed in the 20 years since first writing about sexual assault in her groundbreaking, award-winning novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson reveals her personal history as a survivor of sexual assault and her journey to healing in her new book SHOUT.  Today, she’ll discuss solutions to this ongoing problem, sharing key insights from among the thousands of women she has interviewed over the last two decades.

Laurie’s is a New York Times bestseller whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults.  In addition to combatting censorship, she regularly speaks about the need for diversity in publishing and is a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council.

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Essays, Health & Wellness, Memoir, Social Issues

JAN 21: Suicide Awareness & Prevention Special with A. W. Barnes, Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore, & Sigrid Reinert

January 8, 2019

Death by suicide leaves family members and loved ones with a million unanswered questions. Today we devote the entire hour to suicide awareness and prevention.

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD, is an author and psychologist. As a trusted expert on parenting, child development, and mental health, Dr. Kennedy-Moore joins us to discuss Suicide in Children–What Every Parent Must Know.  If you have kids, this is a must!

We’ll also hear from Sigrid Reinert, suicide prevention specialist with the Washington State Department of Health Suicide Prevention Resource Center. She’ll share signs that indicate someone may be suicidal, red flags to act upon, and expert resources for those who need help.

And, since coping with the suicide of a loved one is arguably one of the hardest experiences we face, we’ll end the hour with one man’s painful journey following the death of his older brother, Mike.

Author A.W. Barnes and Mike were both gay and raised in a large, unaccepting, ultra-conservative Midwest family that shaped their identities … until Mike took his own life.

Seeking catharsis, A.W. wrote a collection of personal essays in The Dark Eclipse: Reflections on Suicide and Absence. Did he find the answers he was looking for? Did Mike’s death change his views on how they were raised? Has time and reflection helped A.W. come to terms with his loss?

A.W. Barnes has a Ph.D. in English Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. His nonfiction  has appeared in numerous publications, and he’s the academic author of Post-Closet Masculinities in Early Modern England.

 

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Essays, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Travel & Adventure, Writers on Writing

DEC 31: Anne Lamott on Almost Everything: Notes on Hope & Mary Ann Esposito’s Ciao Italia

December 22, 2018

She’s a writer’s-writer. A reader’s-writer. And with self-effacing humor, and ruthless honesty, Anne Lamott makes us think about what most of us don’t like to think about.

She’s known for writing and speaking about subjects that begin with Big Capital Letters. Today we’ll share her thoughts on Hate, Jealousy, Love, Hope, and preserving one’s Sanity.

A New York Times bestselling author and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Anne Lamott has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. She’s taught at UC Davis, as well as at writing conferences across the country.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Freida Mock, made a documentary on her called Bird by Bird with Annie. Anne Lamott’s latest book of essays is Almost Everything: Notes on Hope.

We’ll end today’s show chatting with the host of Ciao Italia, the longest-running cooking show on television, Mary Ann Esposito.  Find out the secret to the show’s success, her thoughts regarding pairing food and wine, and a few of her all time favorites for those who like to put an Italian spin on Thanksgiving.  Her latest book, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy reads as both a cookbook and a love-letter to Italy.

Mary Ann’s 12 books have helped chefs and foodies understand authentic Italian ingredients and dishes.  She created and has hosted Ciao Italia on PBS since 1989.

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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

November 9, 2018

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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Essays, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Travel & Adventure, Writers on Writing

Nov 19: Anne Lamott on Almost Everything: Notes on Hope & Mary Ann Esposito’s Ciao Italia

November 6, 2018

She’s a writer’s-writer. A reader’s-writer. And with self-effacing humor, and ruthless honesty, Anne Lamott makes us think about what most of us don’t like to think about.

She’s known for writing and speaking about subjects that begin with Big Capital Letters. Today we’ll share her thoughts on Hate, Jealousy, Love, Hope, and preserving one’s Sanity.

A New York Times bestselling author and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Anne Lamott has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. She’s taught at UC Davis, as well as at writing conferences across the country.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Freida Mock, made a documentary on her called Bird by Bird with Annie. Anne Lamott’s latest book of essays is Almost Everything: Notes on Hope.

We’ll end today’s show chatting with the host of Ciao Italia, the longest-running cooking show on television, Mary Ann Esposito.  Find out the secret to the show’s success, her thoughts regarding pairing food and wine, and a few of her all time favorites for those who like to put an Italian spin on Thanksgiving.  Her latest book, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy reads as both a cookbook and a love-letter to Italy.

Mary Ann’s 12 books have helped chefs and foodies understand authentic Italian ingredients and dishes.  She created and has hosted Ciao Italia on PBS since 1989.

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