April is National Poetry Month! I spoke to Melissa Eleftherion, Ukiah's Poet Librarian, about local poetry goings-on, as well as her new volume of erasure poetry titled "Suture." 

"A suture stitches a wound closed, but what is left after that wound heals—a scar? Or a memory? In this new collection, Melissa Eleftherion excavates the Flowers in the Attic series of books by V C Andrews to tell her own story in spare, haunting poems (or …sutures) that detail the lasting trauma of a violent childhood."

In our conversation we mentioned several poetry events happening here in Mendocino County, including the LOBA series (April 18, 3:00 at the Ukiah Branch Library), the 24th annual Haiku festival (April 26, 2:00 pm at Grace Hudson Museum), and Writers Read (the last Thursday of every month, also at Grace Hudson Museum). And Melissa's book launch will be held at Medium Gallery, 110 South School Street, at 6:00 pm on April 25th.

In this episode I am talking with Kelly Hardesty about her blog, sky-t-tray.us, in which she writes about reading the books we tend to categorize as classics. What is the definition of a literary classic? Why – and how – might a reader explore these works written decades or centuries ago?

The books we talked about specifically are

Little Women by Lousia May Alcott (1868)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943)
Anne of Green Gables series by L M Montgomery (1908)
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (1985)
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (1915)
I Wonder as I Wander by Langston Hughes (1956)
Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark (1981)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927)
Martin Eden by Jack London (1909)
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (1954)
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (1848)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (1818)

Questions or comments about this or past episodes can be sent to [email protected]

Terena Scott is a writer, teacher, advocate, and mother. Her memoir, Raising Rhia, is a deeply personal story about raising her daughter, who was born with multiple disabilities, in a world that wasn’t built for her. This book is for anyone who’s ever fought for someone they love. It’s for the weary, the brave, the brokenhearted, and the wildly hopeful. 

Lasara Firefox Allen, MSW (they/them/Mx) is a certified Menopause Doula, gender-affirming Menopause Coach, and educator specializing in inclusive midlife care. As CEO and Founder of Genderqueer Futures and Founding Coach of The Genderqueer Menopause Coach, they train healthcare providers, therapists, doulas, coaches, and other menopause professionals through the Gender-Affirming Menopause Care Certification Course, and facilitate community programs for trans and gender-expansive individuals. Their trauma-informed, evidence-based approach bridges research, somatics, and lived experience to transform menopause care. Their most recent book, Genderqueer Menopause (North Atlantic Books), will be on bookstore shelves on January 13, 2026.

I spoke with Deborah Edelman and Adina Merenlender, two of the co-authors of the California Naturalist Handbook.

This new second edition is significant as a resource for science-based information about California's ecosystems, the role of Citizen Scientists, and the California Naturalist Certification course given each year across the state.

Deborah will give an in-person talk at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah on Thursday November 6th, 5:30 pm; and Adina will be at Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino Village on November 13, at 6:00. Contact the bookstores directly for information about the author events or to purchase copies of the book! Mendocino Book Co, 707-468-5940; Gallery Bookshop, 707-937-2665. Statewide California Naturalist Course information, https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-environmental-stewards/become-certified-naturalist-or-climate-steward

In 1979, Susanna and a companion spent four months traveling through South America. In the days before GPS and the Internet, not to mention rolling luggage, every day was an adventure. This book is both a travelogue and a personal memoir, and Susanna's storytelling skills and love of adventure make for a fun read - and an excellent conversation! More about the book can be found at susannajanssen.com, and comments about the show are welcome at [email protected].

A lively and wide-ranging hour-long conversation with author Cynthia Reeves about her book The Last Whaler, set in Svalbard before and after World War II. For more information about this book and Cynthia's other projects, see her website, cynthiareeveswriter.com (A shorter version of this interview aired on August 6, and can be found on the Jukebox for that date at 3:30 pm). Comments and questions about the show are welcome at [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

This episode features Toni's conversation with Theresa Whitehill ~ Ukiah poet, graphic designer and contributor to a two-volume series, Cascadian Zen. The books bring together nonfiction, poetry, interviews, translations, and artwork that explore expressions of Zen within the Cascadian bioregion.

Kristana Arp's "Terrible Beauty" is a new collection of short stories that explore the lighter (and darker) side of human nature, through a philosophical lens. Seven stories - some humorous, some contemplative, and some cautionary - call to mind classic Twilight Zone episodes.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Toni spoke with Melissa Eleftherion Carr about poetry happenings here in Mendocino County. Melissa is a past Poet Laureate of Ukiah, and is one of the coordinators of the 2025 Ukiah Haiku Festival taking place on April 27 (event information is at ukiahaiku.org). Feedback about the program is welcome at [email protected].