July 19, 2022

Oklahoma Short Fiction - Amanda Bales and Chris Murphy

46 minutes

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I'm excited to talk with Amanda Bales and Chris Murphy - authors who tell Oklahoma stories using short fiction.

Amanda Bales is the author of Pekolah Stories, a collection about life in SE Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Amanda has since lived in many places, including Fairbanks, Alaska, where she completed her MFA at the University of Alaska. She now lives and writes in Champaign, Illinois and teaches at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. You can find out more about Amanda and her work through her website - amandabales.com - or on Twitter or Instagram.

Chris Murphy is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern State University in Talequah where he teaches creative writing. He received his MFA from the University of Arkansas and his work has been featured in a number of literary journals. Chris recently released a flash fiction collection about life in NE Oklahoma called Burning All the Time. You can connect with Chris at his website - chrisjmurphy.com - or on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode's review comes from Dee Dee Chumley. In 2008, Dee Dee retired from teaching high school English and “re-fired” to pursue her passion for writing. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, essays, and poems, including Best Juvenile Book from the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. for her YA novel Beyond the Farthest Star and she was a finalist in the Southern Writers short story competition. In her latest writing effort, Dee Dee collaborated with grandson Brooks to write Ron Finds His Courage, a children’s chapter book inspired by Brooks’s pet bearded dragon. You can connect with Dee Dee and find her work on her website - deedeechumley.com.
Dee Dee reviews Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

Mentioned on the show:

The Adventures of Tintin - Georges Remi
Winesberg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson
Cowboy Jamboree Press
Mongrel Empire Press
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Scissortail Creative Writing Festival
David Joy
Courtney Milan
Nora Roberts
Slow Horses - Mick Herron
Mortals - Norman Rush
Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John Le Carre