In the second episode of #TheLillyPadPodcast, it was my pleasure to interview musician and author Tony Harrah. We talked about his journey as a musician and about his new book, Boxing With God. But more importantly, we talked about family, about fatherhood, and about how to stay determined, how to make hard decisions when necessary, and to find a way out when struggles come. 

Below is a bio taken from Tony's website, which you can find at http://www.tonyharrah.com

Based out of the small town of Nitro, West Virginia and steeped in blues and traditional folk sounds, Tony Harrah is a voice of Appalachia that begs the attention of the hardest heart string. Gritty and true, his songwriting speaks to the life of blue collar society and forgotten America. Since the 2016 and 2017 albums "Two Dollar Suit" and "Oklahoma Blues" done with the Putnam Prohibition, Harrah has been showcasing his widespread instrumental and writing talents. Being billed alongside artists like Tyler Childers, Jeremy Pinnell, Nicholas Jamerson and many more, Harrah is breaking out of his regional coverage and spreading his fan base nationally. With musical influences ranging from Guy Clark and Tom Waits, to Springsteen and Ryan Adams;  Harrah has perfected his own unique sound and has been described as "like Ray Charles and a hippie had a child and it came out sounding like Muddy Waters." - J.A. Outlaw Resurgence.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This is the first in a series of episodes designed to inspire and motivate you!

For the first episode of #TheLillyPadPodcast I interview Cathy Pleska, author, editor, professor, teacher and born-and-raised West Virginian. We talk about her origins as a writer, the struggles and blessings of writing, and how to start telling your own story. Her bio below is taken from her website, which you can find at http://www.catpleska.com

Cat Pleska is an author, editor, educator, publisher, and storyteller. She often leads writing workshops in the community and is an essayist for West Virginia Public Radio, and a book reviewer for West Virginia University Press. She edited the anthology Fed from the Blade: Tales and Poems from the Mountains (Woodland Press 2012), and her first book, Riding on Comets: a Memoir was published by West Virginia University Press May 2015. Riding on Comets was short listed for the 2015 book of the year in the memoir category by Foreword Magazine. Cat is the 2016 recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award for Support of the Arts. Her cookbook, One Foot in the Gravy—Hooked on the Sauce: Recipes You’ll Relish was published by Mountain State Press in April 2017. She is working on a novel, a collection of short stories, and a collection of essays. She holds an MFA from Goucher College in Baltimore (2004), as well as an MA in Humanities (1998) and a BA in English (writing emphasis, 1994). She taught in the graduate humanities program for Marshall University and was a full time Instructor for Arizona State University’s Master of Liberal Studies Program. She now teaches full time for the English department at Marshall University.

This episode is an introduction to me and to this podcast. I hope you'll stick around and come back for future episodes.