Pregnant at seventeen and forced into a prison-like home for unwed mothers. Liz Pryor speaks out in her memoir -Look at You Now, “I see it as a book of transformational coming of age… A girl who comes into knowing herself, and the world, in a completely different way then when she arrived…They basically fundamentally Read More
“Mr Rodgers, before you die, you must write about this lovely woman; otherwise you will be unhappy in heaven.” Paul Brinkley-Rodgers memoir – Please Enjoy Your Happiness. “(The) attraction of Kaji Yukiko was her mind, her intelligence, her unusual verve and passion for life…..If they read the letters out loud they will hear her voice… Read More
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s first book, “Surprised by God” told the story of her own spiritual awakening, which led her to study to become a rabbi of the Jewish faith. Then she became a mother. In “Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting,” Ruttenberg shines Read More
We are a tribe of storytellers. All of us. We love stories. So what better way to convey wisdom than through story? That’s exactly what Michael Bedar, certified spirtitual nutrition counselor and renowned speaker on topics of natural healing and wellness, does in his novel, “Sweet Healing: A Whole Health Journey.” In this book we Read More
Richelle Mead author of Vampire Academy discusses her new book – The Glittering Court – whiteboards – and her writing process. “I often start with the big idea… the plot points, those little idea clouds and then it turns into bullet points, and sometimes it will become a chapter by chapter sort of grid….Those things Read More
Amy Gottlieb fell in love with literature at a young age, and numbers amoung her literary influences Garcia Marquez (100 Years of Solitude), Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) and Virginia Woolf. In her debut novel, ‘The Beautiful Possible,” Gottlieb spins a tale that is at heart both a love story and a spiritual journey, but Read More
Michael C. White’s seventh novel, “Resting Places” is, as Anita Shreve says, “a beautifully crafted novel of unbearable loss and earned forgiveness.” In this interview, we learn about Michael’s writing process, how far ahead he plots, and why he gravitates towards the woman’s point of view. He cites the influence of his father as a Read More
Between “The Little House on the Prairie” books and TV show, there is probably no one over the age of 30 in the USA who hasn’t heard of Laura Ingalls Wilder. But very few know as much about her as today’s guest, William Anderson, who became entranced with the subject as a young boy and Read More
We cover a lot of ground in this interview with debut author and memoirist Saeeda Hafiz. Her book, “The Healing: A Memoir of Food, Family and Yoga” is not your typical “I found the right diet/exercise regime/spirtial path and now my life is perfect.” The reality is always a bit more complicated and Saeeda was Read More
Ruta Sepetys calls herself “a seeker of lost stories.” Her first historical novel (and soon-to-be feature film), “Between Shades of Gray” is based on her own family history and tells the story of a Lithuanian family sent to Siberia by the Soviet secret police in 1941. It became a New York Times bestseller and Carnegie Read More
Taylor Brorby is an MFA student in Iowa State University’s Creative Writing and the Environment program. While a student he co-edited, along with Stephanie Brook Trout, “Fracture: essays, poems, and stories on fracking in america,” published by Ice Cube Press of North Liberty, Iowa. Who would have thought of giving a literary perspective on the Read More
I really can’t say enough about our guest today, Dr. James R. Doty, MD and his book “Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart.” The story leads us from Doty’s impoverished childhood, with an alcoholic father and extremely ill mother, to his Read More
After a successful career in television and radio in the UK, primarily making documentaries, and raising a family, Kate Hamer decided what she really wanted to do with the rest of her life was write. She had been writing for years, but now she decided to give it her full attention, so off she went Read More
This is Michelle Gable’s second appearance on Writers’ Voices in less than a year. We first interviewed her in September 2015 when the paperback of her bestselling debut novel “A Paris Apartment” came out. Now she’s touring with her second published book (and we do talk about all the unpublished ones that came before), “I’ll Read More
When Clara Bensen decided to write a book about her adventure traveling to Turkey, Eastern Europe and the British Isles with Jeff, a university professor she had met just weeks before, on the internet dating site, “OKCupid”, taking with them absolutely NO BAGGAGE, (not even a small backpack), the first thing she did was Google Read More
Back in 2015, narrative nonfiction writer, Daniel James Brown, joined Writer’s Voices to discuss his third published book and New York Times #1 bestseller, Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Now a major motion picture, Boys in the Boat tells the captivating true story Read More
Brett Blumenthal has spent most of her adult life writing and speaking about wellness.. “52 Small Changes for the Mind” is Brett’s fourth book, building on the success of “52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You,’ which was published in 2012. Both books are based on the proven idea that small changes Read More
How does a young, idealistic man from a privileged background become the headmaster of a private school dedicated to providing opportunity to students from all backgrounds, and from there dedicate his entire life to progressive education? In “Confessions of a Headmaster,” Dr. Paul F Cummins tells the story behind the founding of Crossroads in Los Read More
Judy Batalion’s mother was a pathological hoarder. That’s not the most interesting thing to know about Judy, but it is at the heart of her memoir, “White Walls: A Memoir About Motherhood, Daugherhood, and the Mess In Between.”. In our conversation with Judy we learn the root of this pathology, which extends back at least Read More
Kristina McMorris started her career in the arts at the tender age of 9, hosting an Emmy-award winning TV show. She continued acting in film before opening an event planning company, which led to a stint hosting Weddings Portland Style on the WB network. Other twists and turns in her career found Kristina becoming a professional emcee, a contributing writer for Read More
Marie Lu is a hot commodity in the world of Young Adult fantasy fiction. She published book 1 of the very successful Legend trilogy in 2013. Like all 5 of her books so far, it was a New York Times bestseller. Born in China, Lu didn’t really understand that books had authors as a child. Read More
Laura Schroff is the co-author, along with Alex Tresniowski ,of the #1 New York Times bestseller, “An Invisible Thread,” based on Laura’s own story of how she befriended Maurice, a boy she met panhandling on the street. Tune into this interview to hear the remarkable tale of serendipity that resulted in both that first Read More
Ellen Hopkins always wanted to be a writer. In her 30’s, she began her writing career as a freelance journalist. From there she branched out to children’s nonfiction., publishing 20 books such as “Orcas: High Seas Supermen.” As a teen and young adult, Ellen’s daughter struggled with drug addiction, and out of this sorrow came Read More
What was it about the deaths, just weeks apart, of Iowa City mother and daughter Ellyn and Caroline (Line) Found that inspired unpublished writer Bill Hoeft to want to tell their story? This is story of love, loss, inspiration and, perhaps most of all, community. I doubt that anyone who knew Ellyn or Caroline will Read More
First-time novelist Julie Long was born and raised in Fairfield, Iowa. She was uprooted in her early teens, and when she next returned to Fairfield she found it had been partially taken over by…. Meditators! If you think the average small college town has a town-gown divide, you haven’t seen anything. But Julie herself had Read More
Fairfield author, Rudy Wilson, returns again for a visit on Writers’ Voices to discuss his novel, “Girl Walking Backwards” and much more. Rudy is best known for his novel, “The Red Truck”, and has an MFA in English/Fiction Writing, from the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, where he was a manuscript reader for admissions to Read More
If you only listen to one Writers’ Voices interview this month, this is the one. Michael Gruenbaum was born in Prague in 1930. At the age of 11 Michael was sent, with his mother and sister, to the Terezin concentration camp. Miraculously, they all survived, although his father, a lawyer, was killed by the Nazis. In Read More
If you’ve ever had the experience of having someone close to you die, you may recall feeling overwhelmed; not sure what to do. Gloria Dixon, an Iowa CPA and experienced business owner, thought she was prepared for her husband Charles’ death after a lengthy illness, but even so she soon found herself faced with a Read More
After her mother’s death, Valerie Gangas was in a dark place. After her first 20 minutes practicing Transcendental Meditation, that all changed. She had what some people call an “Awakening,” and the pieces of her life started falling into place. “Enlightenment is Sexy” is the story of Valerie’s journey so far, from working for the David Read More
Paul Goldman is an Ecstatic Poet. Tune into this podcast of his June 2015 interview on Writers’ Voices to find out what that means. In Upon Your Canvas he teams up with painter Natosha Keefer to, as the title poem says “…reveal all the colors that comprise my being.” Paul’s previous boos include the self-published Read More
Sukey Forbes comes from a classic “stiff-upper-lip” New England family. When her six year old daughter died suddenly from a rare genetic disorder, she was left without a clue how to get through it. In “The Angel in My Pocket: A Story of Love, Loss, and Life After Death,” Sukey shares the heart-wrenching story of Read More
In this episode of Writers’ Voices, guest host Bruce Miller, one of the Filmosophers on KRUU 100.1 FM in Fairfield, Iowa, speaks with Paula Rosenfeld. Author of “The Oneness Blessing: How Deeksha Can Help You Become Your Authentic Self, Heal Your Relationships and Transform the World,” Paula talks about the experience of Awakening. From the Read More
Historical fiction about real-life bandits who commandeered the Serato wilds of Brazil. The novel, “Backlands,” brings to life early 20th century Brazil with a tangibility that transports the reader immediately to another time and another world, that of Lampiao and Maria Bonita. When one imagines bandits, nostalgia of an era may not be the first Read More
Since founding Ice Cube Press in North Liberty, Iowa, Steve Semken has been busy publishing other authors. Still, he finds time to write. His seventh book,is titled “Soul External: Rediscovering the Great Blue Heron.” Orion Magazine’s late environmental book reviewer Peter Sauer, called this hard-to define book “mythological natural history.” We’re including it in our memoir section because Read More
In “Diamond Grove Slave Tree,” national poetry slam team member and writing teacher Xavier Cavazos paints an unforgettable portrait of George Washington Carver in verse. From the titular poem that describes a lynching that the young Carver witnessed in Missouri, to the poem about his death, the words are spare yet powerful. Xavier Cavazos earned Read More
In this inspiring segment of Writers’ Voices, we meet Magnus MacFarlane- Barrow, named in 2015 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. We caught up with Magnus, who lives and works in Scotland, just before his visit to Iowa to promote his book, “The Shed that Fed a Read More
Is technology good, bad or indifferent? How does it impact our lives, relationships, health? For some people, technology can become all-consuming. Writer Christina Crook decided to take a 31 day break from the internet. Instead, she wrote 31 letters to a friend on a manual typewriter. This experiment quickly turned into both a book (“the Read More
Some of the most impactful books of the last half-century fall within the genre of visionary fiction. Author Warren Goldie, currently living in Fairfield, Iowa, defines visionary fiction as novels where “…the power of the human mind is a key part of the story. Mystical experiences, visions, profound insights, paranormal experience and all sorts of fascinating phenomena drive the Read More
“I’ve always loved words. I’ve always loved telling stories. I’ve loved just the magic of ( that) you can put letter together and they make words.” Monica talks to award winning author Jacqueline Woodson about her new memoir -Brown Girl Dreaming. “I wanted to find the stories before I didn’t have access to them anymore….Discovering Read More
Some would say that the purpose of life is to seek the Divine. When the voice of the Divine tells you to write a book, then it is probably a good idea to do so. “Writings from the One: 108 Insights From the Divine” by Julia Desmond, a former investment banker turned teacher of Oneness Read More
Writing is usually a solitary pursuit, and to publish a book requires a great deal of individual effort. There are pluses and minuses to that fact. The plus is that success is largely up to the writer, especially with the current self-publishing options, and the minus is.. it is largely up to the writer. Writing Read More
Writers’ Voices introduces two first-time Fairfield authors this week. First up, the long-time proprietor of Fairfield’s sorely missed 21st Century Bookstore, Tony Kainauskas. Tony’s cousin Viktoras is known as the Father of the Raw Foods Movement, and Tony was intimately involved in the development of both that and the Transcendental Meditation movement. After retiring from Read More
“The problem is we see death and dying as an event. I’ve come to believe that death and dying are really a path way.” Katy Butler talks about her memoir – Knocking on Heavens’ Door – The path to a better way of death. “There is allot of emotional and I believe moral and spiritual Read More
D.J. MacHale is the New York Times best-selling author of the “Pendragon” and “Morpheus Road” science fiction adventure series for young adults. MacHale was also co-creator and producer of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” a Twilight Zone-inspired series for kids that ran on Nickelodeon for 7 seasons in the 1990’s. This summer, book 1 Read More
Drs. David and Rhoda Orme-Johnson are among the pioneers of the Transcendental Meditation that are profiled in George Ellis’ “Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision.” Both of the Orme-Johnsons were founding faculty members of Maharishi International University (now known as Maharishi University of Management, or MUM) in Fairfield, IA, the home of Writers’ Voices. Dr. Read More
The subject of today’s book, Leon Leyson, stayed mostly silent about the struggles of his early life in Poland during the Holocaust. But after Steven Spielberg made the movie “Schindler’s List,” and an LA Times reporter convinced him to tell his own story as one of the youngest workers on the List, Leon began speaking publicly Read More
“Okay you people out there, you’ve got adversity, there are ways to deal with it.” Psychiatrist Dr Norman Rosenthal shares life lessons from his book – The Gift of Adversity. “I’m always listening to people’s stories and thinking, well, what can we learn from this, how can I use this information going forward. ” (Looking Read More
Whether you have a publishing contract with a major publisher, a small press, or are self-published, marketing your books is one of the most important jobs for an author. Long gone are the days when a writer could be a hermit; his job complete once his manuscript was submitted. John Kremer is THE expert on Read More
Suzanne Young is a high school teacher whose first five books went straight to the “novel graveyard.” But she kept writing, and perfecting her craft, and with her sixth effort she broke through to publishing success, in 2010. Since then she has published six young adult and crossover books, with three more on the way. Read More
Rudy Wilson returns to Writers’ Voices this week to expound in articulate and inimitable fashion on the life of a dedicated writer. From the travails of Rudy’s early life and how they make their disguised appearance in his novels, to working with famed editor Gordon Lish of Alfred Knopf (who also edited Raymond Carver among Read More