Blue Planet Stories

We have a returning guest who is publishing a hilarious and insightful book Misbehaving in Maine: Thirty-half Learned Lessons.

Dan Williams is a humor writer with a huge on-line following. We wanted to bring him back to chat about his stories and the writing process.

And to chat about family and how growing up shapes our lives as adults. Join us for a conversation where we learn, we laugh, and we drop a few f-bombs.

We interview Dan and read a chapter from his new book: Lesson 11: You Never Forget Your First F-Bomb.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Today we speak with Lawrence Bransby, an award winning author, motorcycle adventurer, and a retired teacher. He emigrated from South Africa to the UK, and rode a motorcycle there across Africa with his 17-year-old son.

Lawrence wrote twenty books, including novels, novels for young adults, and many travelogues chronicling his numerous motorcycle journeys across Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and North America.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

His favorite of his books is Two Fingers On The Jugular: A Motorcycle Journey Across Russia, an intimate account of a 20,000 km track on the Road of Bones.

We interview Lawrence and read his story A Short-Cut Across the Kazakh Steppe Becomes An Endurance Test For Riders And Bikes. (the story is abridged to fit the podcast length limitations).

From the show:

“… Q: You rode to the UK across Africa with your then 17-year-old son.

A: Yeah, Trans-Africa with a 17-year-old who didn't have a driving license.

Q: Was it your first long trip together? How did it go?

A: No, no. Well, it was the first really long trip. But we did another trip when he just finished primary school at the age of 12. We did a motorbike ride around the mountain kingdom of Lesotho together. And that was, you know, he'd been riding motorbikes since he was about eight years. And he was a very good rider…”

“… I was thinking to myself, you know what? I, at that stage, what was I? I was probably close to 70 years old. And my son was maybe 38. And I thought to myself, you know what? I'm a father and I'm riding with my son. And we're riding together, not as father and son, but as mates. And it was just the most incredible experience. And I was thinking to myself, I wonder how long this can last. Because we'd been riding each year. We'd been going on a long trip each year for the past four years. And we'd rode together for five years together. And I'm experiencing it now. And it was just so exciting…”

Today, we speak with Yvette Brand. She is a slow digital nomad a “slomad”. She lived abroad for 12 years of her life, while traveling and working in 45 different countries.

Originally from the Netherlands, she lived in Mexico for 5 years but is now on the move again in Europe, searching for a place to settle.

She writes about travel, personal growth, and spirituality. Her work has been featured on Vox, YourTango, Columbus Magazine and many Medium Pubs.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Yvette is the founder of Sustaying, a travel platform for slow travelers and remote workers.

Today, we interview Yvette and read her story: I Built My Dream Life in Mexico, and Now I Am Leaving Everything Behind.

From the show:

“…when I travel like a normal nomad, I just stay one week in the place. So I don't really integrate with the community. I don't really have time to get to know the locals. I'm around other travelers, the expats or other foreigners. When I slow travel, I really want to feel how it is to live there. So I take an effort to meet people in the grocery store, to go to local sports clubs, to really feel how the locals live there…”

“…it's actually what my business is also working on, on how not to have a big footprint as a nomad. Because there's a lot of gentrification as well, by being a nomad and by settling down somewhere. Because we have a lot more money, most of the time, than the locals. I think it's the best to pick places that are not that touristy yet…”

Today we speak with Michael Isaac Almond. He is a visual designer from San Francisco. He recently launched a startup to help families dealing with relatives developing dementia. 

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

But he maintains his creative life by designing and making bags, and writing humorous stories from his own life.

Michael went to Brown university to study film but decided against joining the industry. Today, we talk to Michael and read his story "The Mysterious Case of Mumsy's Missing Birthday Cake"

From the show:

“…Well, I'm not surprised because...I mean, I could win a Nobel Prize, which is very unlikely, and people would still ask about those bags. I mean, that's all people seem to care about, which is great. It's a hobby. I really like craft and working with my hands, especially if you're in front of a computer all day, which is what i've been doing for the last 25 years, and i just love the hands-on. It's almost like meditation …”

“…Q: Have you always or do you always see your history in this humorous lens?

A: I do. I can't help it. I mean, I'm a pretty serious person. I get very depressed, at times, and [feel] anxious. And I think actually, a way of looking at the world and my own life with humor is almost - its therapy. I don't want to be a depressed person. I don't want to be negative. I don't want to be cynical or pessimistic. And one way you cannot feel that way is by looking at the humor in any situation. It's not to say certain things are funny. …”

Today we speak with Paul Bigga Bigga P. Paul received his moniker from another music producer in 1996 and it became a proud handle for his life and music career.

Retiring young after a stint as a successful entrepreneur, Paul focused on his passion for producing music and writing. He lived in California, Washington DC, Netherlands, then back in the USA, in New Jersey.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

The stories he writes are almost entirely true. They are an amalgamation of different parts of his life, and from different people and characters in his sphere.

Today, we speak with Paul Bigga Bigga P and read his story, "I Have to Stop Killing My Favorite Band Members - The curse that follows me to this day.”

You can read more of Paul Stories on Medium: https://medium.com/@biggabiggap

And follow him at disciplebrothers.com

From the show:

“…My grandfather was a mariachi and he was a very musical person. He taught me as a young boy how to read music. And I just seemed to have it. Then I put it aside because I went to engineering school, and I started my business and went through a few relationships. And then I went into one horrible relationship, and a really close friend of mine, he was a bass player and he decided we're going to start a band. We started a band and I just started loving it. I was living in Hollywood. …”

“… It's Hollywood in the 80s. I mean, I went to school with Slash…There was music everywhere. My mother worked at Music Connection, which was one of the premier band music magazines and editorials for music. Yes [music] was a big part of the school. It was a big part of my life. I mean, hip-hop had started at that time, rap, you know Rapper's Delight was while I was in high school. The Sugar Hill Gang. A lot of that stuff In New York and and Hollywood. I was rubbing shoulders with all kinds of people in the music business, in the music world. Laurel Canyon. Frank Zappa. I knew his kid, you know, his son. All these people were revolving around my world. …”

Hello, everyone. We are working on a project in Panama City, Panama this and next week. We will resume our podcasts with guests two Sundays from now. But today, we would love to play for you a fascinating conversation with Audrey Stimson from last year, and read her story about an Alaskan adventure.

For almost 30 years, Audrey has been a television news producer for American and European news outlets. She has interviewed kings and queens, Hollywood royalty, rock and roll stars, sports stars, politicians, and everyday people.

She lives with her husband and their two dogs in Culver City, California.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Audrey is the author of the upcoming book “Across the American Dream: Bicycling Across the U.S. and Back to Myself” (working title).

We interview Audrey about her adventures, unique perspective on life, and the philosophy of travel.

Then we narrate her wonderful essay: When Does a Trip End?

If you like this podcast, please share and rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube podcasts.

From the show:

“…I think we all have to have healthy egos to sort of accomplish things in life, to get the work done, as we call it. But I think at a certain point, if you let go of that ego and get into the smallness of who you are in a big place, it kind of resets you a little bit. …”

“…In South Africa, I was driving a Jeep in Kruger Park and we stopped and turned a corner and there was a mother and child, mother and cub rhinos. And they came up to our Jeep and just stopped within about three feet of me. Eating their cutting and sat there, stood there for about 15 minutes. I could smell them. They stank of sweat and dirt, but it was the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced, one of them. …”

We speak with Federica Minozzi. She is a writer living on the Adriatic Coast of Italy.

Federica studied Physics and Mathematics then taught the subjects in school in her Italian town. She also discovered an affinity for languages when learning English and German.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Federica is now teaching Physics, Mathematics, and English online to students around the world.

She wanted to be a writer since the age of six, and has been writing since, but only recently began to publish her essays and stories.

Today, we are reading 309 Snowflakes, a beautiful and haunting story of her in a town recovering from a devastating earthquake.

You can read more of Federica’s work on:

* Medium: https://medium.com/@fedeminozzi

* Substack: Federica Minozzi

From the show:

“… and there's this moment after something like this [earthquake] happens where all the world is hugging you. They sent money, you have reporters, you have politicians, and all the lights are on you and you are there and you don't feel alone. But then everybody leaves because, of course, they have to. There are other earthquakes, other wars, other tragedies, and they have to move on with their lives. And then I came there and I wanted to talk about all the ways in which your daily life is different when you are in a city that has to go on, has to find a new normal, but there's nothing normal in that. …”

“… Q: As writers, are there limits we should place on what we can talk about?

A: I don't think so. Because if we start questioning what we can have an opinion on or not, then it's easy to shift into a sort of self-censoring situation. or avoiding certain topics because maybe they're too difficult. What's important is for everyone to have the chance to speak their truth and for everyone to be honest. … I think that everybody should have the right to do that, but nobody should claim the absolute truth. …”

Today we speak with Darren Weir. He is a retired television news producer, a traveler, photographer and writer.  

He began writing after he retired - during the pandemic - and became part of the successful Parasol Publications. He also started his own successful publication, Travel Memoirs. 

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Darren climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, cycled from Saigon to Hanoi in Vietnam, traveled through India for three months, and walked 333 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago, and scuba dived in the Red Sea.  

He also lived in Israel for a year and a half and left when the air raid sirens and the rockets signaled the escalation of the middle east conflict.

Today, we interview Darren and read his story: After More Than Fifty Years, I Finally Met My Brother.

From the show:

“…when I was 50, I quit my job, I sold everything, and I went traveling around the world for two years. I brought with me my light pocket camera that I could take with me everywhere, and my laptop. They were my travel companions. I wrote down what happened to me during the day, and took photos. Whenever I'd see something that I would want to show my friends or family, I'd take a photo of that …”

“…I didn't expect travel to be so cathartic, but it has been. And when I quit my job and I went traveling for those two years, I thought it was all for the best reasons, but I kind of learned along the way that it wasn't necessarily that. I was trying to run away from some of my problems …”

Today with speak with Dana DuBois.  She began her career as a speech pathologist, delaying her dream job as a writer.  But she began to write when a job application required a couple of writing samples. 

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

She wrote the samples, posted them on Medium, and has not stopped writing since, publishing countless essays. She launched two successful Medium publications: Pink Hair and Pronouns, and Three Imaginary Girls.

She also runs a Substack site GenXy, as well as the GenXy podcast. Today we are interviewing Dana and reading her story: My Dad, Dementia, and the Things We Don't Forget.

From the Show:

“…Eventually, we hosted big events. I'd like to think that we helped to grow the kind of aughts era Pacific Northwest bands. We were early shows. The Decembrists, we were at the first Seattle Decembrists show. We were very early. We were pretty early for Death Cab. They were already starting to be popular, but we definitely saw them in a room with about 100 people. We were early on Fleet Foxes. We had a writer at the first Fleet Foxes show …”

“…And at the time [in Seattle], there's room for everyone. There were people who were Microsoft millionaires, but they had their houses here and there were apartments next door. Everyone had a space to be in Seattle. Your barista or your bartender were probably in a band and also lived in your neighborhood. And maybe they had a couple roommates, but they could afford to live there. And Seattle's not like that anymore, which is unfortunate …”

Today we speak with Rostislava Pankova-Karajova. She began her life in Bulgaria but moved with her family to Swaziland, South Africa, following the chaos after the fall of communism. She lived in Africa for twelve years, then moved to New Zealand, where she now lives with her family.

You can subscribe for free. If you choose to support us, we donate 15% of our net proceeds to World Literacy Foundation. Help children read.

Ronnie is a lifelong musician and a music teacher with a degree in Musicology and Choir Conducting. She later pursued and received her masters in creative writing from the University of Auckland. Her flash fiction and short stories won awards in Bulgaria and New Zealand. 

She is preparing to publish her debut novel "In Focus" and a fantasy fairytale "Remedy for Prince Dinsmore."

https://ronniepk.com/

From the show:

“…I'm running this publication on Substack, which is called The Stories Music Tell Me. I believe that if you listen very carefully, if you tune yourself into the music, you can hear a story inside. Each music element is portraying a movement, conversation, dialogue. And then you ask it a question. Where is that person going if the melody is ascending? Is it a kite flying in the air? If the melody is descending, is it a stream? Is it a waterfall? …”

“…There is a beautiful Maori saying, which I love. And it goes like this. ‘You've gone too far not to go further.You've done too much not to do more.’ It's a powerful message which I hope people will apply, and will find a way to embed it into their own lives the way I have as well. Because... Very often we are about to give up. Very often we are about to say this is too hard. It can be so much easier and then they go back. No, you've gone too far not to go further. You've done too much not to do more. …”