MOVIE REVIEW: BANK OF DAVE 0:00 / 0:00 Bank of Dave Bank of Dave is a true-ish story about a successful van salesman named Dave Fishwick. He’s a native of Burnley, a former mill town north of London. During the global financial crisis, Dave gave low-interest loans to his fellow townspeople, all of whom […]
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INTERVIEW WITH NIALL BOYLAN Recently, Niall Boylan (radio show in Dublin Ireland) interviewed me. His story about his friend “Maggots” is pretty funny and his accent alone is worth checking out. You can listen HERE. (Photo by Jen Fariello)Deborah Prum, author of many short stories, has won thirteen awards for her fiction, which has appeared
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AMERICAN SYMPHONYMOVIE REVIEW 0:00 / 0:00 American Symphony If you can watch American Symphony without crying at least once, then you might need to have your tear glands checked. The documentary is about musician, Jon Batiste, and his wife, Suleika, a bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning journalist. Around the same time Batiste decides to compose a symphony
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DEAR SANTA 0:00 / 0:00 Dear Santa Dear Santa: As you might remember, when I was seven, all I wanted for Christmas was a live horse and a real gun. I envisioned myself patrolling our neighborhood, on the lookout for bad guys. I didn’t intend to shoot the bad guys, only brandish my firearm, telling
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UNSTICKING A STUCK STORY 0:00 / 0:00 Unsticking a Stuck Story An idea for a great character drops into your mind. Then, you compose what you believe to be a magnificent first sentence, “Two hours before Simon’s life took a nightmarish turn for the worse, he stood in his grimy bathroom, under the dim light
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MOVIE REVIEWS:LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND AND LOVE & OTHER MONSTERS 0:00 / 0:00 Leave This World Behind A glutton for punishment, last weekend I watched two end-of-the-world movies: Leave the World Behind and Love and Monsters. (Yes, my social life leaves a lot to be desired.) Leave the World Behind stars four wonderful actors, Julia
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EVERYONE HERE IS KINBOOK REVIEW 0:00 / 0:00 Everybody Here is Kin Using only thirty-eight words, the first sentence of Nash’s debut novel vividly describes two main characters, their behavior, beliefs, and financial status. Nash writes, “Naomi and I slogged through sand so hot it scalded our tender feet, lugging two rusted lounge chairs and
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PODCASTBENEDETTA’S LENTILS 0:00 / 0:00 Benedetta's Lentils Benedetta, my grandmother, made the best lentil soup, food that warmed body and soul on many a cold winter evening. She’d send it home with us in a Mason jar, frequently accompanied by a delicious loaf of bread. As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to
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SAFETY, ITALIAN STYLE 0:00 / 0:00 Safety, Italian Style When I was eighteen, my cousin Giovanni visited us from Italy. I sat in the passenger seat of Giovanni’s rental car as he sped through a red light at a busy intersection. I shrieked, “Stop. Stop. You’ve got to stop!” Giovanni smiled and said,
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NO HARD FEELINGSMOVIE REVIEW 0:00 / 0:00 No Hard Feelings Jennifer Lawrence is a good actress with broad range. If you don’t believe me, check out one of her earlier, pre-fame films, Winter’s Bone. The movie is based on a gritty book by Daniel Woodrell and portrays the desperation of extreme poverty. The actress gives
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