How does Zorba the Greek make someone a successful NASA engineer? We will probe the mind of Gary Giles, whose accomplishments with NASA have resulted in his inclusion on the Smithsonian Wall of Honor. 

From the Smithsonian Web site: 

 Dr. Giles worked at the NASA Langley Research Center from 1964 to 1998. His contributions in aeronautics focused on the development of computer aided methods for design and analysis of advanced aircraft structures... His significant contribution to the space program was the development and use of an automated data management/nonlinear stress analysis system that provided rapid structural strength assessment of the insulation tiles before the first flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.  

https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/gary-l-giles-phd

Dagny and Cheryl sit down for an entertaining discussion with Lisa McLaughlin, the owner of the Bookshelf on Church. Her local bookstore is the talk of the town, and we wanted to figure out what's made it so successful. She is full of great ideas, just like her store is full of great books. 

The Bookshelf on Church

Tickets are now on sale for Dagny's play, Grounds for Murder!

Grounds For Murder: A Coffee Shop Mystery Fundraiser

Join Lancaster Community Library for a fun filled evening of Mystery, Fundraising & Dancing at the Lancaster Players Playhouse in White Stone, VA

September 11th @ 6pm...Ticket price $75...Includes drinks & heavy hors d'oeuvres...Limit 75 tickets will be sold

How do cats and dogs appear in literature? Dagny and Cheryl explore the implications of various pet metaphors as Dagny's dogs provide inspiration. Then they expand their discussion to include aliens before returning the Earth and the ramifications of local bookstores on communities. 

Links:

How Independent Bookstores Have Thrived in Spite of Amazon.com | Working Knowledge

Compass Cinema Six - times & tickets

Cheryl and Dagny take a deep dive into how community shapes our lives and appears in popular fiction such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. Exactly how many hugs is too many? They will leave no stone unturned. 

Cheryl and Dagny explore their childhood memories for clues about why they became the people they are today. From the whacky to the tragic, their memories run the gamut. They round out the episode with a discussion of their latest reading adventures from the works of Elizabeth Strout and Oliver Sacks. 

Cheryl and Dagny just couldn't wait two weeks to get together again. In this special episode, they provide an update on the missing scientists mentioned during their interview with Richard Stead. They then discuss what they've been reading and their opinions of the latest Star Wars installment. 

Links to programs mentioned this episode: 

The Lancaster Players | Northern Neck Community Theatre | 361 Chesapeake Drive, White Stone, VA, USA

Cat Cove Inc. - Saving cats across the Northern Neck of Virginia

LCL Home

Dr. Richard Stead joins Cheryl and Dagny this week. His expertise in geophysics notwithstanding, he is a very interesting person. Our interview runs the gamut from missing Los Alamos scientists to the worst sci-fi movies ever made. 

In their second episode, Virginia writers Cheryl Stead and Dagny Waldron compare and contrast characters in the literary/cinematic universe of the recent past. How does Harry Potter measure up to Luke Skywalker? How did these stories impact the lives? Get ready for a very nerdy episode. 

Cheryl and Dagny describe how they both arrived on the Northern Neck and their current writing projects. They explore their childhoods for common themes. Rescue animals and science fiction emerge.