In this episode, author Paula Martinac reads a short story called Good to the Girls, published in Hippocampus magazine and written in response to the “Me Too” movement. She also reads the opening chapter from her fourth novel, The Ada Decades, a finalist for the 2018 Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction, about the life of a lesbian school teacher in Charlotte during the 50s and 60s when being out was not an easy thing to do. And finally, Paula reads a chapter from her fifth novel, Clio Rising, that will be published by Bywater Books in May 2019. It’s about a newly out young woman in 1980s New York who embarks on a job as a companion to a literary giant of the “Lost Generation,” a closeted lesbian who accomplished just one great book.

Paula is the author of four novels, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning Out of Time. Her short stories have appeared in Raleigh Review, Main Street Rag, Minerva Rising, and others; and three of her nonfiction books and numerous essays have been published. Also a playwright, Paula’s plays have been produced in Pittsburgh, New York, and Washington, D.C. She teaches creative writing at UNC Charlotte and is an instructor and writing coach at Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts.

Listeners can connect with the author at: www.paulamartinac.com

Listeners can connect with the show at: www.charlottereaderspodcast.com

In this episode, author Paul Reali reads two flash fiction pieces, both of which have a twist. One deals with a woman who realizes the man she married five weeks earlier is not what he seemed. The other deals with a woman high above the ground perched precariously in a window after a betrayal at the hands of someone close to her. Paul also reads a short story set in Buffalo about a man who falls in love with a woman who is the victim of domestic violence. When the woman and the man go missing, the plot thickens.

Paul is co-founder of Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Inc. (Charlotte Lit), a nonprofit dedicated to elevating the literary arts in the Charlotte area. He is the co-author of Creativity Rising, a why-to and how-to guide to finding creative solutions that has sold more than 10,000 copies, and he is the co-editor of three volumes in the Big Questions in Creativity series from ICSC Press. Paul’s articles and essays have been published in more than a dozen publications and he has won several honors for his fiction writing.

Listeners can connect with the author at the website: www.charlottelit.org

Listeners can connect with the show at: www.charlottereaderspodcast.com

Author Molly Barker is a four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete, the founder of Girls on the Run and a globally recognized role model for positive change. She was the recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award, given by President Obama and former President Bush, and worked with a bipartisan reform group in Washington seeking ways to bridge the political divide in Congress.

In this episode, Molly reads four of her wisdom stories from her new book and also talks about the wisdom she’s gathered in her life’s work. Molly’s frustration at what she saw happening in Washington led her to put on a pair of red boots given to her by her daughter and embark on a cross-country adventure where she talked with hundreds of Americans about our nation’s toughest topics . . . politics, religion, race, sexuality, gender, parenting, and economics. Out of this came her Red Boot Way, a very intentional and “teachable” way of communicating, and her latest book, The Wisdom Stories, a collection that focuses on real life and real people, many of whom she met on her journey.

Listeners can connect with the author at: www.mollybarker.com

Listeners can connect with the show at: www.charlottereaderspodcast.com

Author Gary Powell is a recovering lawyer who describes his day job as stay-at-home dad, cook, housekeeper, and handy-man. He has been writing and publishing his stories for many years. His work can be read online and in literary journals including The Thomas Wolfe Review, Fiction Southeast, Atticus Review, Best New Writing 2015, and Pisgah Review 2017 and 2018. His first novel, Lucky Bastard, was published by Main Street Rag. Gary reads from his new book, Getting Even and Other Stories, a collection of short stories and flash fiction.

In this episode, Gary reads a story from Part I, City with a Heart, which refers to Elkhart, Indiana, a gritty, blue-collar manufacturing town in and around which these stories take place. He reads two stories from Part II: Sons and Daughters of the Plains, which are set in the larger Midwest and explore characters in transition between jobs and family situations. His final story is from Part III:  Southland, which includes stories set in the New South. Gary infuses his stories with humor and dark realism.

Listeners can connect with the author at: www.gvpauthor.squarespace.com

Listeners can connect with the show at: www.charlotterreaderspodcast.com

Author Kathie Collins reads four poems, starting with El Camino, a revealing neighborhood walk that tips her hat to a friend who was walking that ancient pilgrimage trail. She then brings us inside, to the kitchen sink, where she explores the traditional roles of wife and mother, and then into the Garden of Eden, but this time the story is told from the serpent’s point of view. We finish up in Home Depot, where Kathie ties the smells of fresh cut wood to a young girl’s past in her father’s workshop.

Kathie is a poet and co-founder of Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to elevating the literary arts in the Charlotte area. Kathie earned her graduate degree in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she serves as an adjunct instructor. Her poetry has appeared in Immanence, Kakalak, Bible Workbench, and Between and her chapbook, Jubilee, was published by Main Street Rag.

Listeners can connect with the author at: www.charlottelit.org

Listeners can learn more about the show at: www.charlottereaderspodcast.com

Author Brooke Reynolds is a veterinarian who will scare you with her writing. When she isn't caring for animals, she enjoys reading and writing fiction, particularly horror. Her stories have appeared at such online and print markets as Massacre Magazine, Fantasia Divinity, The Literary Hatchet, Ghost Parachute, Coffin Bell, and Ink Stains Anthology, and she has won several contests with her descriptive jaunts into the dark side.

In this episode, Brooke reads three scary stories for our Halloween edition of Charlotte Readers Podcast. After you hear these stories, your visits to the movies, restaurants and the dentist will never feel the same again.

Listeners can connect with the author at her website: www.reynoldswrites.org

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