TreeHouseLetter

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True letters, stories, and essays on important matters and nonsense. From work to words ... from the military to motherhood to mountains.

Emelle


    • Apr 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 9m AVG DURATION
    • 180 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from TreeHouseLetter

    Saigon, 50 Years Ago Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 10:28


    The Prologue of my upcoming memoir opens on the embassy roof as my father escapes with the U.S. Ambassador on the last helicopter out of Saigon in 1975. This is my origin story. Just how will those final hours and the iconic and tragic end of an era in U.S. history figure into her life and her daughter's?Listen to this excerpt of Raising Athena, a Memoir; A Mother and Daughter Attend West Point 30 Years Apart.

    In Search of the Blue flower

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 8:23


    German romantic poet Friedrich von Hardenberg on teachers, Mathematics, and love, as highlighted in Penelope Fitzgeral's masterpiece, The Blue Flower.

    You're Not Wasting Your Time . . .

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 12:08


    On drifters and jobs, on Satoshi Yagisawa and David Foster Wallace, on the bookseller and the accountant. Learn about finding "the job" from both authors, about certain truths, about what real courage is. And study the Music in Prose in passages from their books.

    Sirsasana, King of Asanas

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 4:07


    On the yoga headstand and what I learned about writing. "You can only do so many things great, and you should cast aside everything else." Tim Cook

    The Monk, the Nun, and the Poet

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 7:16


    Alternate title: The Buddhist, the Catholic, and the Dying Man. Poetry for Emergencies, On happiness and desire, On reputation. It sounds like a bar joke but it's better, because there's more to this than a punchline. Listen to learn how these three gave me courage.

    Nice or Not-so-nice? A $14,000 Dress

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2025 5:01


    I like authors who make me laugh. Listen to three passages from Ann Leary's essay collection, with one on Bergdorf eveningwear, circa 2009. On writing humor.

    Ichigo Ichie: One Time, One Meeting

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2025 11:19


    Learn about the Japanese Proverb and welcome the New Year with thoughts on Kawaguchi's book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, time travel, and the impact of one encounter with President Carter.

    Water, Water: A Year-end Muse

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 4:00


    How long does it take for a snow flake to reach the ground? Poetry in winter and the end of year muse. Poetry for emergencies.

    Giving Thanks for Civility

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 4:29


    Giving Thanks is a ritual I look forward at Thanksgiving and one I stop to reflect on throughout the year. A text I received from a friend made me stop and consider the role of civility.

    Giving Thanks for Civility

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 4:29


    A text I received from a friend made me stop and consider the role of civility today.

    A Sutra on Solitude

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 6:27


    Solitude and loneliness have been on my mind when this page came up in my reading. Thoughtful reflection on solitude: learning how and why to embrace it with insight from Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. 1 Book and series rec.

    An Angel Number, 1111

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 5:05


    I'm not superstitious. BUT, numbers and patterns fascinate me, such as the modern use of 11:11 to make a wish. Why? Learn what the angel number, the armistice, and Veterans Day have in common.

    Why an 84-Year-Old Goes to the Polls

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2024 5:22


    On the Connecticut Polls today and what the example of one elderly woman--who fled the communist take-over of Saigon--can each us about elections.

    An Omen and 3 Ravens

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2024 7:14


    On Gay Street in Baltimore on the way to Johnny's for dinner, I saw a large woman on the sidewalk, squatting at the wall. Poetry for Emergencies, 1 poem, a bit of Harry Potter, a bit of Poe, and a dream from the US Poet Laureate.

    They'll Grow In Their Own Sunlight

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 6:39


    A curious thing happened last week. Learn of marigolds, of love, and of the unforgettable character an author writes about, Elzeard Bouffier. A story rejected by editors then printed and shared in languages the world over. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." Antoine de Saint-Exupery On marigolds, on love, 1 book rec.

    Living on Hot Dogs

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 10:48


    True story vs story and fact vs fiction; take a ride to Oklahoma and visit Whiskey 918. And, meet Macabea in Clarice Lispector's masterpiece, The Hour of the Star. 2 Book recs; On poverty; On music; Writer's Toolbox, ages 9 to 99

    Dinner with Obama

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2024 12:46


    The evening with the 44th POTUS (President Of The United States) went about as planned. He was all business, in and out, no meal just speech. Sylvanus Thayer Award On a Strong Military and Secure Nation Toolbox: Speech and Rhetoric

    Queen Amahn, the Third Circle of Hell

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 7:39


    Come along with me to the Five Points Neighborhood in West Buffalo for this Foodie special with confession. Explore "texture" in writing and Dante's Third Circle. As Oscar Wilde once wrote, "I am not young enough to know everything." But I know this much.

    St. Louis and the Sublime

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 10:36


    I want to share two moments with you, rendering them as best as I am able. They are startling in the manner that makes an imprint, a fully sensual memory. Perhaps what makes them so vivid is the sheer unexpectedness of the occurrences. Math geek alert. Pilot's Glory.

    My Car and a Helicopter Got in a Fight

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 8:34


    Who do you think won? I am back, working with Riverside Studio to share this True Story of Military Life. Thank you for listening, as always.

    "These United Colonies . . . are Free and Independent States"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2024 10:29


    Happy Birthday to the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is comprised of five distinct parts. Hear about them, the language, its length, and how the signatures are categorized.

    A Stoic on Stupidity and Plumbing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 6:34


    "There are some things which men confess with ease, and others with difficulty. No one, for instance, will confess himself a fool or a blockhead . . . " Epictetus. If Epictetus were alive, he may be surprised to learn that I am No One. That No One who played the part of the fool and blockhead and figured you may benefit from my stupidity.

    The Curse of the Bootlegger's Daughter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 9:53


    On narrative lust and the pleasure of rereading with C.S. Lewis. I've recently come across a few passages worthy of rereading, which is also a subject of this letter: a peek into Amor Towles 2024 short story collection, A Table for Two.

    Northeast by Northwest: How Travel Changes Me*

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 8:48


    On travel and British Columbia in summer. EATS and FEATS: where to eat and what to do. And how I have changed after this particular trip. *Title is a play on the 1959 film from Alfred Hitchcock: North by Northwest.

    "Well-Intentioned Fools"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 3:00


    Poetry for Emergencies. On grief. D. Adam Boaz with a poem from his anthology, Voices from the Second Life.

    Memorial Day Speech: We're Here Today Because They Lived

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 11:09


    I gave this speech at New Canaan Town Hall on Memorial Day. I read it here for THL listeners, sharing stories which honor 7 local residents who died during the Vietnam War. Video recording of the speech is available on my site under Events tab.

    "We Lived, Felt Dawn, Saw Sunset Glow"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 5:22


    Toolbox: On Speechwriting and public speaking. Research and preparation for the town Memorial Day speech. Finding the story and pulling it together... and, doing so as the first woman to speak at this event. The holy trinity of writing. Title quote from John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields.

    That Teacher, You Know the One

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 9:01


    Let's take a moment for teachers. That teacher, you know the one. Because, I have a confession to make. . . On poetry for emergencies, E. E. Cummings, and J.S. Bach. David Foster Wallace and This is Water.

    Midwest Mandala

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 4:56


    On Kansas City, life in the middle, and a meditation on mothers.

    Semper Fidelis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 6:00


    We had not met before though we met in other ways, I suppose. On Vietnam and Operation Frequent Wind. And, honoring three marines.

    On Poetry, Spring, and Transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 5:38


    Poetry for emergencies. Friends are leaving, selling their houses and moving away. Mary Oliver on things and Lau Tzu on excess.

    Small Delight: The Unexpected and the Good

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 5:04


    I suppose it is the unexpected and the good which sustain us. Learn about a discovery in a second-hand book by Penelope Fitzgerald. In the process meet characters and listen to a cheeky retort from the protagonist.

    Dirtman and Dillard on Signs of the Apocalypse

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2024 10:13


    Earthquake and eclipse may signify the end of times. For both to occur in a week, after a deluge of rain and flooding, it is easy to lose your moorings. Geography Instructor on the quake and Annie Dillard on the eclipse.

    Deez Nutz*

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 8:39


    Nuts and nonsense. On Mixed Nuts, contronyms, and a classic film.

    Who Does Not Prefer Civility to Barbarism?*

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 9:00


    I love reading about the type of characters and situations I have encountered in my own life. What is less than pleasant is the recognition of less than admirable qualities that bear similarities to my own. George Washington's Rules and C.S. Lewis's Four Loves provide insight on civility and barbarism in an age when their relevance is more important than ever.

    How to Improve Your Writing - Part 2: from Confucius to Lincoln

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 12:47


    The importance of the English textbook and lessons on writing style. Part 2 of 5 with a book rec, a style guide, and passages from four writers: Confucius, C. Keegan, D. Grohl, and Lincoln.

    What Men Live By*

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 11:54


    Leo Tolstoy's classic story, C.S. Lewis and "The Four Loves", and a surprising message on the day of a military funeral.

    How to Improve Your Writing - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 13:04


    The importance of the English textbook and lessons on writing style. Part 1 of 5 with a book rec, a style guide, and passages from four writers: Tolstoy to Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters).

    Superior to the Saint, the Scientist, the Philosopher, and the Poet?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 10:09


    Who is superior to the saint, the scientist, the philosopher, and the poet? Learn why reading novels--serious novels worthy of re-reading--enriches your life. Why the novel is in decline, what makes a novel great, where to start, and the 3 novels that damaged the prestige of Communism. The Novel, Who Needs It? by Joseph Epstein

    An Alabama Road

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 6:49


    Music and songwriting -- how writing for the senses breathes life into words. A live clip of five-part harmony and a look at the verses that make this song a classic.

    Town Mouse and Country Mouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2024 12:49


    "The town mouse and the country mouse. Distress and agitation of the town mouse." Aurelius. True story about coffee with the "town mouse" and Willa Cather on town versus country. 3 book recs, 1 film rec, The Music in Prose of O Pioneers! and wordnerd special.

    Living Outside the Page

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2024 8:53


    Pickleball. And, passages from 3 short books by prize-winning authors, Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These (2021) and Willa Cather's My Mortal Enemy (1926) and Annie Ernaux's The Young Man (2022). Ernaux opens this book with "If I don't write things down, they haven't been carried through to completion, they have only been lived."

    Books for the Casual and Serious Reader

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2023 10:02


    If you're looking for gifts or books to read over the winter break, I pulled these titles from the TreeHouse shelves and give you my short takes on 15 books from recent reading: contemporary fiction, nonfiction, books about writing, and for-the-serious/for-the-seeker.

    Involved and Implicated: Narcissism and Poetry

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 9:49


    If you're like me, you can use a bit of poetry. Tony Hoagland's poems make me re-think, calibrate to a new heading. Can you stand still and hear the worst of yourself from others? Disappointment. Patience. The song lyrics that "evolve" over the years: the words are the same but the message changes as you change.

    Giving Thanks for a Man I Never Met

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 6:59


    What I learned about love this Thanksgiving. Three rules for life.

    On Flesh-Eating Beetles and the Sins of the Mother

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 11:00


    When working on an aspect of my writing, I pay attention for it in my reading. Improve your writing by tapping into the 7 senses--the 5 sense organs and 2 more. Examples in recent works: Horse by Geraldine Brooks and Zero-Sum Stories by Joyce Carol Oates. Writing exercise from the song-writing guide by Pat Pattison, music professor at Berklee.

    In the Company of Heroes

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 7:07


    Veterans Day, Operation Gothic Serpent, and the 160th SOAR. Elite aviators and family remember the Battle of Mogadishu, 30 years ago. Lessons learned, what the media missed, and the effect on the military family.

    Spooky Hour with Spirits of the Dead

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 7:30


    A text that gets me off my arse, a visit to the cemetery, and word work on three holidays: Hallowe'en, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day.

    What's in your trunk?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2023 9:10


    Take all the stuff of your life. Put what you think will sell in a 20 feet by 20 feet space. What's in your space? Learn about New England's largest flea market and a classic sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley on the folly of fame, legacy, and empire. Visit my site to get a book rec on song writing and link to an exercise to write through the prism of 7, yes 7, senses.

    Why Do I Run?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2023 10:15


    I'm not sure I like running, even when I was fit and fast. Running at mid-life: there's the pain of it, in the chest, in the knees. This letter explores the reasons I run and what I learn running a race the 7th time. And training with a focus on form and cadence, with an eye to effortless, injury-free running. Plus, four books on running and on living; visit the site for more info on books. Notes on gear.

    Fall is Like a Country Music Song

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2023 5:48


    On music and memory, on Norman Blake and Colter Wall. What do we learn from the Fall, from the songs of our lives?

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