Today's books are:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins, 1963.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2010.
Read this fabulous article on the career of children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom. Her collection of letters, Dear Genius, is very high on my to-read list.
You must see Maurice Sendak on The Colbert Report. Here's the link to Part 1. And Part 2.
Find out about Adam Gidwitz and his life goals on his website.
Last and most sadly, here's that Pew research on Americans who don't read books.
Please come see me on Goodreads!
Today we're talking book pairings and why this is the new format. Today's books are:
Never in a Hurry: essays on people and places by Naomi Shihab Nye. University of South Carolina Press, 1996
When Wanderers Cease to Roam: a traveler's journal of staying put by Vivian Swift. Bloomsbury, 2008.
Naomi reads her poem "Please Describe How you Became a Writer."
Full transcript of Naomi's "On Being" interview with Kristen Tippett.
For information on all the other books we discussed today, check out Kris on Goodreads.
"An Ode to Rejection" is by Marlene Woods, copyright 2018, used with permission. Marlene originally published this poem on her website iloveyougram.com. Read Marlene's bio.
Special guest in studio today: James! The books James talked about are:
Pocketful of Nonsense by James Marshall. Little Golden Books, 1992
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. HarperCollins, 1996
President Squid by Aaron Reynolds. Chronicle Books, 2016
My First Book of Baseball by Sports Illustrated Kids. Sports Illustrated, 2016
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley. Scholastic Press, 2001.
Thank you so much to Adam Kluger and Francis DiClemente for sending us feedback about favorite authors. Check out Francis's bio. Read Adam's bio or check out his collection Desperate Times.
Special guest in studio today: Josh! The books Josh talked about are:
The House With a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. Dial Books, 1973
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick. Vintage Books, 1991
It by Stephen King. New English Library, 1987
Bigfoot and Joshua by Peggy and Bob Bishop. John Hinde Limited, 2008
11 Experiments that Failed by Jenny Offill. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011.
17 Things I'm Not Allowed to do Anymore by Jenny Offill. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2004.
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1938.
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. HarperCollins, 1952.
We also talked Nancy Pearl today! Hear her on our local public radio station.
See you next week for season 2!!
Kris
It was my privilege to put together this episode on an important topic and I can't begin to express my gratitude to our contributors and to my wonderful support community who made it possible.
"Family Planning" is by Tina Tocco, copyright 2005, used with permission. It was originally published in Harper Palate Winter/Spring 2013 issue. Read Tina's bio and her her previous contributions to the show.
"Choose" is by Mary O'Keefe Brady, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Mary's bio.
"Single Sexless Mother" is by Linda Bonney, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Linda's bio.
"A Whale of a Choice" is by Rebekah Nemethy, copyright 2017, used with permission. Visit Rebekah's website.
Rebekah created this piece on her website originally for a Photo and 100 Words project, visit our website to see the photo that inspired the story.
Other things discussed today:
"A Private Matter" is a made for TV movie based on the true life story of "Miss Shari" Finkbine, a Romper Room TV show host who sought an abortion after taking a medication that was proven to cause birth defects. Thank you so much to Cynthia Bemis Abrams of the Advanced TV Herstory podcast for sharing Miss Shari's story on her show and introducing me to the movie. The movie is available on YouTube.
Time Magazine has a great history of marital rape laws in the United States.
The full text of the Roe v. Wade decision is available online. As all documents created by the U.S. Federal Government are, it is in the public domain.
There are things we say, things we don't say, and things we say no one hears.
The writer's buddy, "The Quizzical Lizard," is able to tell her what he really wants. By Anna Kander, copyright 2017, used with permission. Visit Anna's website.
When the world falls apart it is the "Death of a Small Civilization." By Brittany Bronson, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Brittany's bio.
Today we close out our Best of No Extra Words series with the best of 2017, which means we are once again headed out on the road for a poetry field trip and we're bringing some short fiction along for the ride. This episode features all of Episode 79 with a new editor's commentary.
For those who love books, they become almost human beings standing there in their "Dust Jackets." By Samantha Dutton, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read Samantha's bio.
Some things just cannot be escaped, especially "The Curse of the Virgin." By Richard Sensenbrenner, copyright 1992, used with permission. Read Richard's bio.
In the first ever installment of our Poet's Corner segment, Kelli Russell Agodon invited me into her office where she shares poetry and we discuss poetry, small presses, and the importance of finding your voice. Visit Kelli's website or the website for Two Sylvias Press.
For photos of the field trip I took to see Kelli, check out the original post for Episode 79.
All editors are the same, such sticklers about reading the "Guidelines." by T.E. Cowell, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read T.E.'s bio.
The second in a three part series of reruns celebrating No Extra Words history...because if you don't know your No Extra Words history you are doomed to repeat it. Today we revisit Episode 51: Curmudgeons and Incorrigibles.
Witness the creative destruction of “A New Heart.” By Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio.
Grocery clerks are always the ones who hear your rants in “Blu-Ray/DVD.” By Daniel Maluka, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read his bio.
At what point do you get to call out the ridiculous? “Dean’s Dilemma” is by Paul Beckman, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio.
Did you ever wonder who is reading your submissions? After “The Party,” will you wonder if it had remained a mystery. Written and produced by Adam Kluger, copyright 2016, used with permission. Featuring the voice work of Aesha Waks. Read Adam’s bio.
One more rerun is coming in 2 weeks...see you then
After sharing with you my prep work for this year's madcap novel writing adventure, I had to pop back in and tell you how it went and what happened.
My goal tracker did change over the month. Here's the original version, here's my midmonth edit, and here's what it looked like on the day that I finished.
For highlights of The Great Train Write-in, check out the show notes for this episode.
Happy holidays! Today we start a 3-part series where we revisit favorite moments from the show's history. Our first repeat is Episode 6: The Microfiction Triumvirate. This episode, the shortest in the show's history, contains only stories less than 400 words long.
In “On/Off” by Taylor Eaton, a small boy uses a magical power no one else can see. Copyright 2015 by Taylor Eaton, used with permission. Read Taylor's bio.
In “Selkie” by Lisa Falzon, a mythical creature does not do what the myth says she will do. Copyright 2014 by Lisa Falzon, used with permission. Read Lisa's bio.
In “Requiem: for piano” by Nancy Stohlman a man’s true love is becoming something he loves, but her transition will come between them. Previously published in “Literary Oprhans,” copyright 2012 by Nancy Stohlman, used with permission. Read Nancy's bio.
The story featured in the commentary is "Semicolon," by Kris Baker Dersch, copyright 2015.
You'll hear the episode in its entirety with all-new commentary by the producer/editor.
Stay tuned for more reruns coming in December!
Timing is everything.
The "Laundromat" is not what you expected. By Paul Rousseau, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Paul's bio.
Things look different from the "Beyond." By Francis DiClemente, copyright 2015, used with permission. Originally published in The Siren's Call, issue #24, December 2015. Visit Francis's website.
The third part of our three-part NaNoWriMo segment. Are you writing? How? Be my buddy!
is there just one story of how "He Died?" By A. Elizabeth Herting, copyright 2017, used with permission. Originally published in Literally Stories in June 2017. Visit A. Elizabeth's website.
Happy Halloween, No Extra Words style!
Caught by cops will never feel the same after you've had a little "Night Vision." By Michael Anthony, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Michael's bio.
For our segment today, Part 2 of my NaNoWriMo prep journey. Click here to see the spreadsheet I've created to help me track my word goals.
You probably wouldn't want your significant other to try "The Experiment" on you. By T.E. Cowell, copyright 2015, used with permission. Previously published in Eunoia Review, 2015. Read T.E.'s bio.
We're showing where all the broken pieces are.
Carefully prepping which face we show the world in "Kintsugi." By Jaclyn Tan, copyright 2017, used with permission. Visit Jaclyn's website.
New segment! I talk all about my NaNoWriMo prep. Learn all about NaNoWriMo and be my writing buddy.
With love sent to our friends in Vegas, we survive a long night "All the Hard Ways." By Dan Hernandez, copyright 2015, used with permission. Visit Dan's website.
Clarissa's meticulously organized life wanders off track in "The Planner." By Catherine Moscatt, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Catherine's bio.
Tears are the weapon in "Reading a Letter." By J. Franklin, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read her bio.
Nonfiction break: "Death of a Luna Moth." By Paul Rousseau, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Paul's bio.
Click here and here to see photos of the luna moth taken by Paul.
We are all made of stardust and there are "No Failed Stars." By A.E. Harrison, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read A.E.'s bio.
One day is "How it All Starts." By T.E. Cowell, copyright 2016, used with permission. Originally published in Across the Margin. Read T.E.'s bio.
Good and bad are closer together than you think.
She didn't know what "The Law of Buoyancy" would come to mean in her family. By Brittni MacKenzie Dale, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Brittni's bio.
He's lost "26" but won't lose anymore. Buy Guy Wilkinson, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Guy's bio.
The back to school episode is so much more than that.
It's the lesson that's not in the curriculum but one we all remember learning in "Read Across America." By Jeff Bakkensen, copyright 2010, used with permission. Read Jeff's bio.
Today's commentary was inspired by Robert Fulgham's All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Read an excerpt here.
The podcast mentioned is The Stoop Podcast.
Today's writing spaces segment features Audra Kerr Brown, who first appeared on Episode 47. Click here to see her writing space. Also featured is M. Pepper Langlinais, who was first featured on Episode 34. Click here to see her writing space.
We end this episode with the childhood joy of the "Uncovered Track." By Matt Page, copyright 2016, used with permission. Visit Matt's website.
What do you see when you look into the eye of humanity?
A chance encounter with a stranger on a train makes a woman wonder who is friend and who is stranger in "The Good Samaritan." By Mary J. Breen, copyright 2011, used with permission. Read Mary's bio.
First round of a new segment! "I'm a Meme Writer" features "After I Finished my Salad..." by Kris Baker Dersch, copyright 2017.
Rental of a place sight unseen leads to "The Lonely Key." By Joan MacIntosh, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Joan's bio.
The world is always on the verge of exploding and reinventing itself.
"A Town Built on Salt" is on a shaky foundation indeed. By Windy Lynn Harris, copyright 2014, used with permission. This piece was originally published in Crack the Spine in April 2015, issue 147. Visit Windy's website.
Hanako's world is very small and carefully observed, but observers miss things in "Hanako Learns to Count." By Sean Patrick Whiteley, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Sean's bio.
Today's Writing Spaces features longtime friend of the show and repeat contributor Dr. Jeffrey Toney. He was originally featured on Episode 49 and was part of Episode 82's drabble spectacular. Click here to see his writing space.
There are the things you see about a person, and things you don't, especially when that person is "Watermelon." By Lisa Ko, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read Lisa's bio.
There are the ties that bind and those we run from.
Jim Szabo's six word story is the beginning of (a beautiful?) marriage. Copyright 2014, used with permission. Read Jim's bio or find him on the Second Hand Stories Podcast.
Five-time No Extra Words contributor Tina Tocco ponders whether you really can go home in "That Boy's a Catch." Copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Tina's bio.
Writing Spaces for Episode 86 features Dallas Woodburn, who first appeared with us back on Episode 28. Click here to see her writing space. We are also featuring Sheila Good, whose story was featured on Episode 35. Click here to see her writing space.
Sometimes escape takes you away from something. Sometimes it takes you towards something. "Moira Actually" is by Adam Kluger and voiced by Bill Tush. Copyright 2016, used with permission.
People aren't perfect, but there's perfection in the imperfection, like when your girlfriend gets "Sweaty." By T.E. Cowell, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read T.E.'s bio.
Today's drabble writer is my buddy and fellow podcaster Kelly J. Covert, and she pays tribute to something sacred to us all. Find Kelly on Instagram or head over to her website to check out her amazing podcast.
What do you do when time away is simultaneously long enough to sink your teeth into and yet not nearly long enough? "Walk a Pavement Once." By Eivend Nerberg, copyright 2007, used with permission. Originally published in 2008 in the anthology Nano2ales, edited by Ziv Navoth (Franc Roddam's Ziji Publishing, UK.) Read Eivend's bio.
It's funny how every familiar place eventually becomes a "Ghost Town." By Jessica Psenski, copyright 2017, used with permission. Originally published over on her lovely blog. Read Jessica's bio.
For today's segment, a grand experiment: Found Literature. This is an anonymous piece and there is no good way to locate its author so as I said on the show it lives in a murky area of U.S. copyright law. I am choosing to take the risk and bring it to you, trying to operate on good faith. Story really is everywhere, and if anyone knows where the author(s) of this piece might be, I hope you'll reach out.
As a Pacific Northwest native, I am a sucker for excellent visual descriptions of this amazing part of the world, such as those found in "Red of 10,000 Years." By Dave Barrett, copyright 2015, used with permission. This piece is an excerpt of his novel Gone Alaska and the excerpt was originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of The Vignette Review. Read Dave's bio.
I loved my chat with Jim Szabo, host of the Second Hand Stories podcast. We chatted about the inspiration for our shows, how we deal with submissions and what our pet peeves are, how much we love our writers, our recording spaces, and so much more. Here's some links to the things we talked about.
And the two recommendations Kris gives to podcaster wannabes are:
Not what you think. This is what happens to the living that the dead don't have to deal with.
"The Adequate News Report" gives us just the facts, and just the end. As in all good microfiction, you get to come up with the beginning. By Dan Seiters, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Dan's bio.
Paul and Emma have had "A Death in the Family," and someone has to decide how they tell. By Amanda Staples, copyright 2017, used with permission. Read Amanda's bio.
No new announcements on today's episode, but definitely think about contributing your 100 word story to our Instagram challenge and check out how you can support the show. Supporters also get a behind the scenes look at how I used Google to create poems like the one featured on today's episode "What Happens After Death?"
Dealing with Grandma's death is one thing. Getting Grandma to her final resting place is something different in "The Ministry." By Niles M. Reddick, copyright 2014, used with permission. Visit Niles's website.
One minute, one hundred words, one story. Click here to see the photo that inspired this story and here to learn how to submit your own work via Instagram.
Up late wondering if they know what they are doing to memories of "My Last Husband." By Mary J. Breen, copyright 2013, used with permission. "My Last Husband" first appeared in The Waterhouse Review in January 2013. Read Mary's bio.
Today's episode features a silly campfire story by Kris Baker Dersch. The three guardians of this podcast are Submissions, Promotion, who would like to introduce you to the wilds of Instagram and YouTube, and Support.
Writing spaces for Episode 83 features Steven Mayoff, who was previously with us on Episode 47 and Episode 56. Click here to see his writing space.
Our second Writing Spaces contributor is Rachel Lyon, whose work can be heard on Episode 46. Click here to see her writing space. You can also see detailed photos of the balloon, the lion, the angel, and the novel-in-progress featured in her piece.
It's always hard to explain a dream. "I Had Children in a Dream" is by Stacy Stepanovich, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read Stacy's bio.
The Google poem featured in this episode is by Kris Baker Dersch and is the launch of our fundraising campaign on Patreon. You can view the video of the Google poetry writing technique by becoming a Patreon sponsor to the show. The poem is called "Lost Sleep" and is inspired by the stories of this episode.
We've all had that middle of the night feeling like it's "Three in the Morning and You Don't Smoke Anymore." By Peter J. Stavros, copyright 2016, used with permission. Visit Peter's website.
It's our two year podcastiversary! This jam-packed episode honors the short form of the drabble, a story of exactly 100 words.
All 12 of today's stories were part of the Apples to Apples Drabble contest put on by Katharine Grubb at the 10 Minute Novelists blog. Katharine herself stops by on this episode to talk writing, the contest, and the 10 Minute Novelists facebook group. We are grateful to Katharine and the 10 Minute Novelists for being part of this special episode. Read Katharine's bio. Read the bios of today's contributors here, here, and here.
All of the stories featured on this episode are copyright 2017. All are used with permission and remain the intellectual property of their creators.
The blog post I spoke about in my interview with Katharine is on the Blonde Write More blog.