This is ATM STORYTELLERS, a storytelling adventure brought to you by Across The Margin and ATM Media. In this podcast, you will hear stories that were — or will be — published at Across The Margin…read by the authors themselves. This podcast belongs to the writers and authors who bless our pages with their cunning wordplay and meticulously crafted stories.

In this finale of Season 3, we feature a work that is near and dear to the host of ATM STORYTELLERS. A personal tale in which a traumatic life event changes everything. A story in which the author realizes something was different within them, far beyond the inability to ever take the presence of their father for granted ever again: "ICU” by Michael Shields.

"ICU” by Michael Shields was first published at Organic Coffee, Haphazardly, helmed by the outstanding author / editor Allie Burke.

In this fifth penultimate episode of Season 3, ATM STORYTELLERS features a work we present with a heavy heart in an episode that we hope serves as a tribute to a writer who is no longer with us who we fortuitously had the privilege to work with and publish on multiple occasions. This episode presents a story by Patrick Dalton called “Living Remnant.” It is the tale of a journey into a life of chaos, one that needs to be fueled, fed, and even shared with others. Here is “Living Remnant” by Patrick Dalton, read by Patrick Dalton.

In this fourth episode of Season 3, ATM STORYTELLERS features two compelling works, the first a work of fiction that argues sometimes we can’t change without first being destroyed.:“The Invitation” by Carolynn Kingyens. And  that is followed by an essay that acts as an ode to the empowering, feminist masterpieces penned by Betty Friedan and Maggie Doherty: “Feminine Mystique : How Betty Friedan and Maggie Doherty Upended My World” by Claire Wilcox.

Carolynn Kingyens is the author of two poetry collections: Before the Big Bang Makes a Sound and the newly released Coupling, both published by Kelsay Books (Coupling is available on Amazon). In addition to poetry, Kingyens writes essays, book and film reviews, micro fiction, and short stories. Today, she lives in New York and Canada with her husband and two amazing daughters. 

Claire Wilcox is an addiction psychiatrist, associate professor of translational neuroscience and writer. She has published essays in the El Portal Literary Journal, Wilderness House Literary Review, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and elsewhere. She has also written articles for the Santa Fe Reporter, Psychology Today and Science in the News. She authored the book Food Addiction, Obesity and Disorders of Overeating: An Evidence-Based Assessment and Clinical Guide, published by Springer in 2021, and numerous academic articles.

In this third episode of Season 3, we feature an enticing piece of fiction and an inspiring work of nonfiction. First up is a work of flash fiction that acts as an ode to grief, and to queerness, “Lifeway Christian” by Lauren Saxon. That is followed by a deeply affecting recounting of a life lived with cystic fibrosis, “Your Pity Isn’t Welcome Here” by Drew Dotson.
 

Lauren Saxon is a queer, Black poet and engineer living in Portland, ME. She loves her cats, her Subaru, and spends way too much time on twitter (@Lsax_235). Lauren’s  work has been featured in many literary journals and her debut chapbook, “You’re My Favorite” is out now with Thirty West Publishing. 

Drew Dotson is an Atlanta-based author who uses her experience with cystic fibrosis, widowhood, and improv to inspire and uplift others. She writes regularly at www.drewdotson.com and is working on a memoir.

In this second episode of Season 3, we feature a story entitled “Ricky and I” by Alan Swyer in which a lifelong friendship is laid bare; the tale of a journey through the years with one of America’s most storied magicians. This is an insider, real life story of famed magician Ricky Jay as told by one of his nearest and dearest.

Alan Swyer is an award-winning filmmaker whose recent documentaries have dealt with Eastern spirituality in the Western world, the criminal justice system, diabetes, boxing, and singer Billy Vera, plus a new one called “When Houston Had The Blues.” In the realm of music, among his productions is an album of Ray Charles love songs. His novel The Beard was recently published by Harvard Square Editions.

In this commencing episode of Season 3, ATM STORYTELLERS features a story by Will Hagle wherein fear-induced insomnia forces one to consider their relationship with death, “Bodies & Spirit” by Will Hagle. That is followed by a story inspired by the thought-provoking question: Is it better to see someone for who they are or for who you know they can be? A work with longing, fondness, and nostalgia all wrapped in one, Natalie Nee’s “Saudade.”

Will Hagle is a Los Angeles-based writer and the co-host of the Connecting The Classics podcast. A great deal of Will’s work can be found on the webzine Passion of The Weiss. He is also the author of the excellent 33 ⅓ book dedicated to MF DOOM and Madlib’s album Madvillainy. 

Natalie Nee is a bibliophile, former ghostwriter, and latte enthusiast. She is passionate about creating stories that provoke both thought and emotion. Her debut novel will be going on submission this year. Her other poems and essay have been published by Roi Fainéant Press, Half and One, 50 word stories, Punk Noir Press, and HerStry literary magazine. You can find more of her stories on her website, www.natalienee.com, or follow along on Twitter, @novelnatalie.

In this Finale of Season 2, we feature a story co-written by members of the Across The Margin team. It is a tale that stretches over the course of a summer, told in three parts. A story, entitled “Big Sky,” that ponders: what would you give up to have it all? Your job? Your family? A story explores the lengths to which we go. First you will hear from Douglas Grant, followed by Chris Thompson, and then Michael Shields.

First up in this fourth episode of Season 2  is  a story we share with a heavy heart as the author is no longer with us. A story wherein the fall of Communism offers an immigrant a space in time to heed their calling, that of a caregiver. A short story that ultimately asks: Who is it that helps the helpers? Rimma Kranet’s “Mount Olympus”(1:54), read in loving tribute by her dear friend Stella Hayes. That is followed by a short story about how a crisis can yield clarity. How rejection can offer an opportunity for renewal and to prompt us to say the things we think but keep within us. “One Brick Missing” by Chris Parent (20:10).

This is ATM STORYTELLERS, a  storytelling adventure brought to you by Across The Margin and ATM Media. In this podcast, you will hear stories that were — or will be — published at Across The Margin…read by the authors themselves. This podcast belongs to the writers and authors who bless our pages with their cunning wordplay and meticulously crafted stories.

While you can take in these stories at the webzine, ATM STORYTELLERS offers an opportunity for the listener to sit back and let the stories wash over them in the tone and fashion that the author intended. Here, stories come to life in a way that could never happen on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Here, these stories truly cross the Margin and take flight.

First up in this second episode of Season 2, is “The Tough Get Sushi” by Amy Marques where amid dystopian summers of orange suns and hazy pink skies, a seemingly dormant spark finds a way to once again ignite. Followed by another gripping story, a work of fiction that features a man consumed with an addictive hobby, a concerned wife, and a thief on the prowl. A short story that clearly displays the true cost of obsession, “His Balls” by Carol Murphy.