Tag

Stories

Inspirational, Non Fiction, Women's Issues

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

August 26, 2026

Sarah Smarsh explores how Dolly Parton’s musical storytelling influenced women in poverty – including her own family.

She Come By It Natural with Sarah Smarsh

With the sad loss of a great American icon yesterday, we dug through our archives to bring you an interview with journalist Sarah Smarsh on her 2020 book, described as a loveletter to Dolly Parton, She Come By It Natural.

Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Sarah Smarsh witnessed firsthand the particular vulnerabilities, and strengths, of women in working poverty – playing in the background, country songs by female artists told powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving.

In her family, Sarah writes, “country music was foremost a language among women. It’s how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed.” And no one provided that language better than Dolly Parton.

Meet Sarah Smarsh

Journalist and award-winning author Sarah Smarsh is recognized as one of the most important commentators on socioeconomic class in America. She’s written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Harper’s. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs is Smarsh’s second book. Her first, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a New York Times Bestseller, and a finalist for the National Book Award. She has a much-anticipated new book coming out next month: Bone of the Bone Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class.

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Business, Career, Non Fiction, Professional Development, Writers on Writing

Apr 15: What Stands Between You & Your Desires with Gavin McMahon

April 15, 2026

Why Stories Rule the World

Story Business – Why Stories Rule the World and How They Can Reinvent Your Business with Gavin McMahon

“The single biggest thing standing between you and what you want is the story you are telling…” ~ Gavin McMahon.

Despite his impressive military background, and degrees in engineering, somewhere along the way today’s guest became consumed with the power of story.

We discuss Gavin McMahon‘s new book, Story Business: Why Stories Rule the World and How They Can Reinvent Your Business – principles that also apply to your personal brand, regardless of your job title.

Gavin shares thoughts on what makes a good story, why packaging is often more important than the idea, and why emotion matters. We also explore a couple of Gavin’s favorite stories, including how CEO Satya Nadella quickly transformed the culture of Microsoft.

Meet Gavin McMahon

Gavin Mcmahon began his career as a mechanical engineer building submarines, sports cars, and steel plants. He trained as a British Army officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, worked across defense, automotive, and technology industries. And eventually became a Sainsbury Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering before earning an MBA in Innovation, Strategy and Information Technology in France. McMahon has spent the last 30 years helping some of the world’s biggest companies from Microsoft to SpaceX get desired results by unlocking the power of stories.

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Fiction, Non Fiction, Short Stories, Writers on Writing

Oct 19: Gary Lippman One Sentence Stories

October 19, 2022

Book jacket - We Loved the World But Could Not StayStories for People with Short Attention Spans

Why one-sentence stories? Because author Gary Lippman wanted to rise to the challenge, and “…because imperfection is easier to tolerate in small doses.”

He’s kidding about that last part, of course, and ended up writing more than 300 one-sentence stories. Some true, some partially true, some total fiction—all are well told, and full of wit and wisdom. So, what went into writing We Loved the World But Could Not Stay, and which stories are true? Listen up!

About Gary Lippman

We Loved the World But Could Not Stay is Gary Lippman‘s second book.  His first, a novel, Set the Controls for the Heart of Sharon Tate was published in 2019. Lippman’s play Paradox Lust ran off-Broadway in 2001, and his journalism has appeared in The Paris Review, Literary Hub, VICE, The New York Times, and Fodor’s Travel Guides. Gary Lippman has a law degree from Northwestern University, and has worked with New York City’s Innocence Project.

 

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Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction, Travel & Adventure

Jul 13: A Hard Place to Leave: Stories from a Restless Life with Marcia DeSanctis

July 13, 2022

Travel journalist of the year reveals the push-pull tension between home and away

What did travel writers do when their wanderings were halted during COVID lockdown? Marcia DeSanctis sorted through a decade’s body of work to compile her new book  A Hard Place to Leave: Stories from a restless life.

We discuss some of Marcia’s adventures and insights into being a travel writer. Why the desert is her sweet spot. How she balances her introverted self with writing open honest personal stories – including the search for her way back after falling in love with another man. And, how Marcia finds stories that resonate while traveling the globe.

About Marcia DeSanctis

Marcia DeSanctis is a Contributing Writer at Travel + Leisure, and writes essays and stories for Vogue, Town & Country, Departures, BBC Travel, and many other publications. She received the 2021 Grand Solas Award for Travel Story of the Year, and has received 5 Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism, including one for Travel Journalist of the Year. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of 100 Places in France every Woman Should Go … and the book we talk about today, A Hard Place to Leave Place to Leave: Stories from a restless life. 

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