PenDust Radio

MEMOIR | ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN In January 1966, novelist and countercultural leader Ken Kesey held a three-day event in San Francisco called The Trips Festival. This story is Roberto Loiederman's recollection of the festival — a mind-bending event, as well as a dramatic turning point for Kesey, and those who attended. The post The Night Ken Kesey Gave His Magic Away appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | ASHLEY MEMORY A lamp purchased second hand seemed to be the ideal addition to her home until an investigation into the mysterious engraving on its base revealed a macabre history. As she discovered grisly details about the lamp's previous owner, her home life became agitated, and she wondered… Could the lamp be haunted? The post My “Haunted” Lamp: Murder, Mystery, and Remodeling appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ESSAY | CAROL D. MARSH "I'm Sorry, Monica" is a letter to Monica Lewinsky. In it, the author, Carol Marsh, takes a soul-searching look at how she reacted to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the late 1990s. She explores the roots of her feminism and the family dynamics that affected it, and shares how the MeToo movement jarred her into examining how she and other women unfairly excoriated Ms. Lewinsky. The post I'm Sorry Monica: MeToo, Monica Lewinsky, and Me appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FICTION | PATTY SOMLO A former dancer and about-to-retire choreographer is surprised to receive a letter from a foreign country. The short, handwritten note rekindles memories of a love affair, and a separate friendship, decades before in Nicaragua. Her recollections spark insights that hadn't been apparent to her so long ago. The post Dancing to Go On appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | TERRY BARR The 1970s in Birmingham, Alabama, was a time fraught with racial tension and confusing questions of identity. Author Terry Barr found the music of that era confusing, as well. Southern rock competed with Glam and Disco, and for a long-haired guy like Terry, finding his place, his sub-culture, and the accompanying music wasn't easy. The post Long-Haired Disco Boys appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | SARAH K. LENZ After Sarah Lenz's father gives her a creepy antique photograph depicting her three great uncles who were struck and killed by the same bolt of lightning in 1914, she sets out to discover their story and figure out why postmortem photography haunts her. “Lightning Flowers” is a thoughtful and moving meditation on what it means to remember the dead and confront one's own mortality. The post Lightning Flowers appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | BETINA ENTZMINGER "The Beak in the Heart: True Tales of Misfit Southern Women," is a collection of dramatic portraits of the author's “misfit” female ancestors and a candid, intimate memoir about family secrets and breaking free of the narrow confines of being a “proper” southern woman. In this excerpt, Betina Entzminger tells the story of two of her “misfit” aunts who had the strength to handle the blows dealt to them by adversity, disappointment, and heartache in the South of the 1950s. This is a touching story about finding love, freedom, and fortitude. The post Handling Shit and Finding Love appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN In this brief memoir, Roberto Loiederman recalls a night in San Francisco, in the summer of 1965, that he spent with Hunter Thompson, the half-mad, cosmic prankster, and creator of gonzo journalism. For Roberto, the early days of the counterculture — the days of psychedelic rock, drugs, and free love — weren't quite as romantic as they are remembered. The post The Darker Side of a Night with Hunter Thompson appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | EMLYN CAMERON Misfire is a story about a day when a friend takes Emlyn Cameron shooting. They leave the suburbs of Northern California with a shotgun, two handguns, a 22. calibre rifle, two AR-style rifles, and a black powder muzzleloader, to go shooting in a remote location. It looks to be a simple holiday lark, until things start to go awry. The post Misfire appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FICTION | FRANCIS DUFFY In this beautifully told story, Francis Duffy's main character reflects on a boyhood steeped in dogma, patriarchy, and racism. His alcoholic father is often absent, and his admiration is for his “lioness” of a mother who never missed work, and put three kids through parochial schools. Before welfare, Ms. Magazine, and #MeToo. The post Unlearn appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | RANDY SPENCER In the 1990s, there was astronomical research that showed that Washington County, Maine was second only to area 51 in Nevada for UFO sightings in the U.S. This story about mysterious phenomena in the night skies of Grand Lake Stream, Maine is from master fishing guide and award-winning author Randy Spencer, excerpted from his new memoir, "Written on Water: Characters and Mysteries from Maine's Back of Beyond." The post Lights in the Night appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JERRY VIS In the 1950s, Jerry Vis had an uneventful, blue-collar, stickball-in-the-street childhood in Paterson, N.J. That is, until his father, who had been no more than a vaporous, bring-home-the-bacon presence, nearly killed himself with alcohol and suddenly got religion. The post Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FICTION | FRANCIS DUFFY Rubbish is a short story about Joe Nickerson's cross-country hitchhiking adventure as he's on his way to serve in the Vietnam war. As Joe waits for rides, holding a sign that reads "TO WAR - VIA L.A. – U.S. Marine Corps," he recalls his draft-dodging father, his lioness of a mother, and how his youth in Catholic schools with hard-knuckle nuns made his transition to boot camp easier. Then, when the draft from a GTO passing at 70 mph spins his sign, he has an unexpected encounter with a raven-haired woman named Rita. The post Rubbish appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN As a young man, Roberto Loiederman read Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer," and George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London," which inspired a dream: to be broke in Paris one day. In his 70s, as a tourist in Paris, a sudden event gives him the chance to live out his youthful dream. Temporarily, anyway. This is a story about how we are all pretenders, to one degree or another. The post Playing Air Guitar in Paris appeared first on PenDust Radio.

DEYA BHATTACHARYA Adrian's Affinity is a lush and lyrical story about a sensitive and intelligent boy with a special affinity — he can attract birds. It's not a power, because he can't control it. And it's not an ability he wants, as it makes others — even his own mother — suspicious of him. Both a bittersweet coming-of-age tale and a haunting mystery, we're reminded that we are all shaped by beautiful and mysterious forces as we struggle to fit in and understand ourselves. This story is dramatized. The post Adrian's Affinity appeared first on PenDust Radio.

AMY FERGUSON This humorous story is about all of the masks we wear to fit in with people whose masks look a little bit shinier than ours under the library lights at a PTA meeting in the affluent neighborhood of Encino, California. And it's a story about how, deep down, we are all insecure middle-schoolers. This is a fictionalized version of true events. The post Kicked Out of the PTA! appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERT SACHS This touching story brings us into the life of William, a young boy who must deal with some unexpected circumstances after WWII. After being evicted from their home, his family finds a new place to live in a resort community on Lake Michigan. There, William makes a special new friend and faces some dramatic events. The post Traces of an Early Summer appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MARTHA CLARKSON Marjorie signs up for a writing retreat and finds herself an outcast amidst a gaggle of young, eager authors. But one evening, over a few drinks with the group, she has an unexpected “fifteen minutes of fame” in the micro spotlight of the writing workshop. As she shares a secret talent with the group, she flashes back to an encounter she once had with Truman Capote. The post Her Voices, Her Room: An Encounter with Truman Capote appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JEFF FLEISCHER Art and business collide in this tale of a hapless artist and a very shrewd, if not entirely scrupulous, marketing executive. A struggling creator of sculptures made from pieces he's foraged from dumpsters, is just barely getting by when he receives a mind-boggling offer that he can neither believe nor refuse. Will he or won't he accept it? Art "gets the business" in a story that begs the question: What makes a piece of art worth anything? The post Found Art, Lost Art appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERT SHUSTER A writer of thrillers encounters a woman who claims to be the clever central character from his first novel. He plays along for a while, enjoying her witty company and the social boost she gives to his fading renown, but when she demands his involvement in a scheme to steal millions, he starts to wonder if she has, in fact, emerged from his fiction. As the situation becomes increasingly dire, he struggles to outwit her double-crossing skills. The post Caro's Return appeared first on PenDust Radio.

SARAH BLANCHARD When Kilauea Volcano erupts in May 2018, back-to-the-land farmers June and Lani must decide whether to stay and protect their Big Island homestead against everyday threats like feral pigs and potential looters, or evacuate and flee the dangers they cannot control. In the process, they learn where the fault lines are in their own relationship, and whether they can survive a disaster that may be immediate and cataclysmic. The post Rift Zone appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ANDREA THORNTON BOLDEN Recently in America, issues of race have dominated the news. This short, powerful essay is a reflection on all of the small adjustments and considerations Black people make to keep themselves alive — what author Andrea Thornton Bolden calls “correcting for whiteness.” The post Correcting for White People appeared first on PenDust Radio.

EMLYN CAMERON After his father dies, Emlyn Cameron returns to his hometown in California, which is menaced by COVID-19 and massive wildfires, to unpack their relationship while sorting the contents of his father's storage unit. This is a beautifully written and touching essay about the life and death of the brilliant, kind, and infinitely creative Charles Cameron — a man we here at PenDust Radio knew and loved very much. We are honored to publish his son Emlyn's eloquent words. The post Ashes in California appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBIN LUCE MARTIN Nothing, but nothing, interrupts the daily quests that preoccupy the precious patrons and harried staff of New York City's Upper East Side shop, Spanking Buttons, until the "Blonde Mace Attack" precipitates a collision and disappearance. The post Through the Hole appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MICHAEL FALLON Michael Fallon's visit to Ireland's Aran Islands is a very funny “you-can't-get-there-from-here” story. He arrived by ferry from Galway. Though everyone spoke English, he could not learn how to return to the mainland to catch his flight home. “There's no ferry that goes to Galway," he was told. But how did the ferry he took from Galway get there in the first place? How would he get home? The post Red Ferry, Blue Ferry: An Irish Lesson in How You Can't Get There from Here appeared first on PenDust Radio.

VIRGINIA EVANS Virginia Evans wrote the first draft of her novel in 61 days. Seven days a week, she was at her desk with coffee by 5:00 am. She wrote 98,000 words while working three part-time jobs, with two children at home under age four. Then she defied the odds and managed to secure a literary agent. All of that turned out to be the easy part. The post A Crack Up appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JEFF FLEISCHER Spending a solitary Christmas Eve after a recent break-up, David Silver stops in a neighborhood bar for a drink. There he encounters a cat and a stranger who asks him to deliver a cryptic message to someone he’s never heard of. This is just the first of many odd things he will experience on a night that becomes increasingly surreal. Just who the cryptic is for and what it means is the mystery revealed in this enigmatic tale in which our protagonist comes under the sway of some old Celtic magic. The post Tell O’Toole O’Flaherty is Dead (A Christmas Story, of Sorts) appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MICHAEL FALLON First, cancer endangered Michael Fallon’s life, and then it threatened to take his voice from him. He learns that to survive and recover from cancer, you must find that place in yourself which is the source of inspiration and strength, that deep river of being that — even now — flows through you. This is the uplifting story of how he found “the lost river” and got his voice back — with the help of memory, imagination, and a sip of Garnacha wine. The post Finding the Lost River appeared first on PenDust Radio.

LORENA ORTIZ Teresa, a young woman living in rural Mexico in the 1930s, is pregnant for the first time and is bound to name her baby according to the tradition of the small town she has grown up in — a tradition that ensures prosperity or poverty for the child. This is the story of a young woman determined to break from tradition so that her unborn daughter has a better shot in the world. The post Agustine’s Mother appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JESSICA BARKSDALE Caught is a story about a woman whose life has mostly occurred around her. She has watched things transpire, rather than acting to make them happen. But one day, something happens that upends her life and forces her to make changes and decisions. The post Caught appeared first on PenDust Radio.

HARRISON BLACKMAN In "The Peacock," a producer for the podcast “Detective Radio” travels to his hometown of San Diego to research an episode about the US Navy. Along the way, he confronts grief, reconnects with an old flame, and stumbles into a military conspiracy that threatens his life and all that he loves. The post The Peacock appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JEFF FLEISCHER Dash Silver and Carol Gold were Hollywood stars in the 1950s, lovers on screen and off. Decades after their relationship ends, Carol receives an envelope with a surprising request from Dash – will she honor it or not? As she considers her options, she recalls their Tinseltown past and the surprising reason she’s had nothing to say to him for so long. The post Silver and Gold: A Hollywood Story appeared first on PenDust Radio.

NATALIE SIERRA In Hollywood in 1929, a young actress working as a telephone switchboard operator receives a terrifying call — a woman screaming for help, silenced by a sudden gunshot. When the police investigation leads nowhere, she jumps into action to try to learn the identity and the fate of the mysterious screaming woman. The post A Cry in the Night appeared first on PenDust Radio.

SARAH K. LENZ This touching memoir recalls a journey the author took with her father along the rural back roads of central Nebraska, visiting the significant landmarks of his life in what he called his "nostalgia tour." He reflects on his life as a failed farmer, and she remembers flashes of alcohol-fueled abuse. But an unexpected detour turns out to be the catalyst for a surprising moment of redemption. The post Driving the Section Line appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JERRY VIS In the early-1950s, against his wishes, Jerry Vis's father sent him to a strict Adventist boarding school in Virginia. In this humorous memoir, he recalls a school that was definitely not to his liking or fitting his character, where he was dubbed Jerry “Vice." He remembers one particular Dean who doled out outlandish punishments, but who Jerry came to respect. Nudity and trash cans play a role in this funny tale of how he painted himself into a corner — and out again. The post Trash Can Blues appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ANNE MERINO British vampire Robin Dashwood has been hiding from his past in New York City. He's poured himself into his work as a history professor at NYU. Since his painful transition into a vampire, he has avoided the place of his 18th-century human birth, Hawkesmoor Castle, in Yorkshire, England. However, a twist of fate returns Robin to Hawkesmoor Castle to uncover what he suspects was an 18th century murder, and to pursue the beautiful woman who has captured his heart. The post Hawkesmoor: A Novel of Vampire and Faerie appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN Some name their first child for a relative, some for a prominent person. Some choose a name that’s in vogue. Roberto Loiederman named his first child for an unforgettable cocaine dealer he met while crossing Lake Titicaca. This is a story of wanderlust, a passionate love affair, and the most unusual way Roberto’s son got his name. The post Rafael, Titicaca, and How My Son Got His Name appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MICHAEL FALLON When Michael Fallon was diagnosed with stage four cancer of the throat, he burst into tears and wondered how he could possibly tell his wife the devastating news. This was followed by uncomprehending rage and radiation treatments in the belly of a massive, whirring machine that focused a beam of invisible light on his tumor. Yet he wanted to save something of value from what was happening to him and to share inspiration with others who must face and endure challenges of their own. The post There is Something I Must Tell You appeared first on PenDust Radio.

WILLIAM TORPHY This is the story of Margaret and Bernie’s long marriage, told through a series of nostalgic flashbacks to Hollywood of the 1950s. As they near the end of their long lives, the couple hatches a surprising plan, and one fateful night they return to the Sunset Inn, where they first met sixty years earlier. The post Hideaway Lounge appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FRANCIS DUFFY "Bar Kafka" is the gripping story of Joe Nickerson’s adventures after serving in Vietnam. We travel with him from Vietnam to Japan, and after he arrives home, from Los Angeles to New Jersey. Captivated by a stalwart, seductive, and enigmatic woman, he ultimately returns to Japan... which leads to a most unexpected encounter. The post Bar Kafka appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ANNA PRAWDZIK HULL Hector, a young man from Albuquerque, is one semester away from getting a degree from the University of New Mexico. His mother, who was recently deported from the U.S., is sick and needs urgent care in Oaxaca, Mexico. To help her, Hector gets a job working for a secretive character, a man named Johnny G, whose dangerous side business — if you can call it that — opens Hector’s eyes, and his heart. The post Sandhill Cranes appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JENNIFER O'NEILL PICKERING This eloquent and poignant short story, about redemption and forgiveness, begins when a horseshoe-shaped belt buckle tumbles out of an old photo album into Sarah’s lap. She recalls that there was nothing lucky about that particular keepsake, and relives the momentous events of one particular summer that she called “the summer of the river bottom dragon.” The post Summer of the River Bottom Dragon appeared first on PenDust Radio.

SEAN MURRAY What do a box-car riding, washed up sax player, a Tijuana cop, a Scandinavian diplomat, a gorgeous high diver, and a race horse ready for the glue factory, have in common? They all turn up in Sean Murray’s highly entertaining short story. The post MacFarland’s Unreasonable Expectations appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ANNILEE NEWTON Annilee Newton answered a Craigslist job post with a photo of herself drinking wine — a bold move that will eventually lead to her becoming a professional wine taster. This amusing memoir takes us along on Annilee’s journey to learn the intricate art of wine tasting. We travel with her to Mississippi, France, and Texas. We learn that place affects the taste of wine—both the place where the wine is made and where the wine is drunk. The post Wine Tasting appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JERRY VIS In the mid-1950s, Jerry Vis attended a strict Adventist college near Washington, D.C. On the sly, his eccentric Uncle gave him this insightful advice as he departed for college: "To become your own person, learn how to think for yourself, not what others want you to think." Jerry intuitively follows his Uncle's advice and makes friends with some... unusual characters. The post Bob and the Beatniks appeared first on PenDust Radio.

CARRIE GRINSTEAD This is a short story about a medical miracle, a childhood obsession, and a first hearbreak. The main character develops a dark and destructive obsession with a classmate. She also experiences the first real dreams for her future, and her first crushing disappointment. The post I Have Her Memories Now appeared first on PenDust Radio.

TIM JONES We all make choices, and then must live with the consequences. In this story, Chase reluctantly returns to the mid-sized, middle-class mid-western town he grew up in, and had left as quickly as he could. In a moment of nostalgia during a visit home, he tours the town and reconnects with two people he had nearly forgotten.The impact of an old judgment becomes visible in the overhead light of experience and maturity. The post Under Overhead Lights appeared first on PenDust Radio.

EILEEN CUNNIFFE Both a memoir and a love letter to Mary Tyler Moore and her best-remembered role. This story begins with an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore show where author Eileen Cunniffe's real life mirrored Mary Richards' television life, involving what might now be called "fake news." The post Everything I Need to Know I’m Still Learning from Mary Richards appeared first on PenDust Radio.