Word Carver

Terry Hill has hand-sold 6,000 books outside stores and stadiums in Washington State. Terry's story shows the reader what it's like to be given away to strangers as a child, grow up in poverty in a small Louisiana logging town, and be abruptly called back to his mother in Seattle as a teenager. Left to his own devices, and given examples of alcoholism and sex addiction as role models, young Terry soon became attracted to thieves in Seattle who had one destination -- jail. After decades of addiction to alcohol, sex, and then crack cocaine, and in prison on robbery charges for over a decade, Hill picked up a pencil and begin writing his story. By the time he was done with three drafts, he'd realized the damage of his addiction to crack cocaine. The writing process freed his mind from that addiction and laid a new path for Hill, one dedicated to giving back to the community he'd once robbed.

This episode is devoted to a little-known Columbus author, Tonya Lynette Daniels, who was brutally murdered in February 2019. In researching Tonya's death, I found she'd written a book, and this book is the subject of analysis on this episode of Word Carver. Daniels' family has created a fundraiser for her funeral expenses, and donations can be given at https://www.gofundme.com/6ybmqiw.

Word Carver co-host Herbert Ndecki II interviews Oprah Book Club writer Imbolo Mbue about her novel Behold the Dreamer. Both Ndeki and Mbue are from Cameroon, and they speak about African writers and what it takes to keep going. Then, in the first of a two-part series, Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi talks about a little-known writer in Columbus Ohio who was murdered this year.

In Word Carver 40, Cynthia Rosi and co-host Herbert Ndeki II explore poetry. Ndeki reviews Ahmadou Kourouma's "Allah is not obliged to be fair about all the things he does here on Earth" (warning: strong language -- Kourouma makes liberal use of the n-word in his soldier-boy character) while Rosi reads several original poems.

Herbert Ndeki II, a Cameroon native and American emigre, reads poems from Aimé Césaire's work Cahier D'Un Retour and analyses the translation choices. Aimé Césaire was born in 1913 and pioneered the concept of "blackness." He grew up in the French colony of Martinique and moved to Paris where he encountered the racism of the colonizers. Ndeki is fluent in French and English, and brings to Word Carver listeners his love for African literature.

Herbert Ndeki reviews "How to Cook Your Husband the African Way" by Calixte Beyala, and Cynthia Rosi reads the short story "The Company" which arrived in a dream, and was written over two days.

Herbert Ndeki, a native-French speaker from Cameroon, reviews authors from the African canon. Hemu Venkataraman speaks about her work as an artist, author, and architect.

Flash fiction that coils back a spring and then packs a punch -- Sherrie was into flash before it had a name. We dropped into Grammercy Books to pick up a copy and hear Flick read her work, before sitting down to analyze the stories. Follow @wordcarverradio on Twitter.

Amy and Cynthia analyze poems they love and gossip about the writing life.

Master writer Lee Martin takes us behind the scenes in his new short-story volume The Mutual UFO Network, a book that took 16 years to craft. Martin is a Distinguished Professor at Ohio State University, and the author of a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, The Bright Forever.

Self-publishing is easy -- if you've spent 35 years as an engineer in product development like Charles O'Donnell. The discipline and pacing of engineering means that the author of The Girlfriend Experience and Shredded can keep up a production schedule and a writing schedule simultaneously: not an easy feat! Listen with a pencil in hand as O'Donnell describes his workflow, writing and editing processes, and ends with a passage from his book. Follow him on Twitter @kozmickid, on Goodreads, or his blog charlesodonnellauthor.com

In The Husband, Aaron Daniel Behr explores the end of his marriage and debilitating anxiety. Behr reveals the roots of trauma in his life and how that impacted his relationships, but also how he has healed through self-awareness and a strengthening faith. The Husband is out from Columbus Press. To learn more, visit Behr's website.

Ronald Re|Gun -- a re-animated cyborg version of the dead President -- tries to take over the world. Only a tortoise from the Galapagos has the power to stop him. Listen to work from students at Columbus State, as they take you into an altered reality in "Re|Gun Reboot." Artwork by Ryann Chambers.

Dustin Pearson and Hannah Stephenson speak about their poetry collections. Pearson's "Millennial Roost" uses the metaphor of the chicken yard to describe violation. He's a McKnight Doctoral Fellow at Florida State University and has won many awards. Stephenson, who blogs at The Storialist read from her collection "In the Kettle, the Shriek." Beloved in Columbus as a founder of the monthly book reading series, Paging Columbus, she's a prolific poet and editor.

Cold weather means hot chocolate and good books, so snuggle up and listen to the top picks. From Tayari Jone's Oprah Book Club winner to the latest from the author of The Nightingale plus many more, Linda Kass walks you through the best of the February titles in independent bookstores around the country.

Poet Steve Abbott discusses his poetry volume, craft, and the acceptance of melancholy with show host Cynthia Rosi.

Poet Maggie Smith of Good Bones, essayist Hanif Abdurraqib of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us and novelist Nick White of How to Survive a Summer all appeared on Word Carver -- here are my favorite parts of our conversations. Smith talks about the relationship between her poetry and the lost art of crankies, Abdurraqib takes on discussion of the n-word, and White examines gay conversion therapy camps and the ethos behind them.

Columbus-based poet Alexis-Rueal created The Path Not Chosen event to provide an artistic alternative to stigma and silence. The poems you’ll hear offer candid, evocative, sometimes funny, and -- ultimately hopeful -- depictions of living with a different kind of mental health. Featured on the show are the evening’s host and MC, Vernell Bristow, and (in order of appearance), Zach Hannah, Christina Szuch, Sarah Trattner, Casey Krysztofik, T-Shirt, Gray Clark, and Alexis-Rueal. Be a patron of the arts and support Word Carver at https://www.patreon.com/wordcarver

Columbus native Hanif Abdurraqib talks about the themes running through his latest book, a collection of essays called "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us." Speaking with Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi, the two compare themes emerging in the essays with Abdurraquib's previous volume of poetry "The Crown Ain't Worth Much." Additional reporting by Amy Dalrymple.

Hanif Abdurraqib reads from his new book of essays They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us at the latest Paging Columbus event. This event was at publisher Two Dollar Radio's new storefront location on Parsons Avenue, and the venue was packed. Abdurraqib was followed by William Evans, also launching a book (of poetry) Still Can't Do My Daughter's Hair, out from Button Poetry press.

  The night before Halloween, Word Carver gathered with friends, family, and fans at Kafé Kerouac, one of our beloved local haunts (pun intended) for a night of sharing scary stories, both old and new. Trent McMahon’s story, “The Something Else,” considers elements of hell on earth; while Cynthia Rosi’s non-fiction story, “Smoke in My Hands,” portrays heaven through the eyes of a young girl. The remaining two original contributions, by Matthew Caracciolo and Amy Dalrymple, depict people and places in between those two realms. A recording of Amy’s story, “Lady Grey”, can be downloaded as a standalone Word Carver podcast.

Deeply rooted in place, Sycamore Poems follows two conversations as filigree-fine as cloisonne beads: one with the long-lived sycamores of Ohio, and the other about the loss of love. Kathy Fagan, Director of the Creative Writing MFA at Ohio State University, speaks of place, art, and the construction of her poems with Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi.

Excellent professors like Dinty W. Moore teach at three levels: at Ohio University he lectures to undergraduates and graduate students, including mentoring PhD students in Creative Writing, and at summer workshops he works with adults in their 40s or older. It was for this audience that he conceived The Story Cure: A Book Doctor’s Pain-Free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir. Listen to Moore as he discusses with show host Cynthia Rosi how to stay engaged with your narrative, to find its heart, and to keep working in the face of difficult writing days.

Maggie Smith's lasting and resonant poems live up to the wide popularity of the title piece "Good Bones." Smith discusses living in the place where she grew up, the influence of crankies -- traditional storytelling with shadow puppets which pre-dated movies -- on one of the narrative themes, and handling emotionally hot material, with Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi. For links to Smith's volume visit wordcarver.com.

Columnist Pat Snyder Hurley talks with show host Cynthia Rosi about her forthcoming book of poetry from Night Ballet Press entitled Hard to Swallow, co-written with her husband Bill Hurley. The pair embarked on the poetic journey when Bill was diagnosed with cancer, and it formed a central part of their mindfulness work during that difficult time. After the interview, Amy Dalrymple visits the Global Gallery and the Peripatetic Poets and broadcasts a reading by Jane Varley. Music by Seastock on Jamendo, "Rise and Shine."

Paging Columbus founder Hannah Stephenson speaks with Word Carver reporter Amy Dalrymple at the OSU Urban Art Space. Paging Columbus moves to the new $2 Radio location on Parson's Avenue in November. Slam poet champ Barbara Fant reads two stunning pieces. Amy explores the whimsy and wonder of words at amydalrymple.net

How many of you feel this alienation and discomfort almost as soon as you open the screen in your cellphone, dip into social media, answer email, or listen to the news? The sages from India called illusion maya and they pray: “from delusion lead me to truth." Literature helps us to deal with a society awash in illusion. Calvino points us toward precision, logic, and detail as one answer. Coates asks readers to examine American society with exacting truth. Rushdie's readers find truth through fictions in which we find wisdom and compassion for the people we inhabit for the duration of the tale.

Minnecojou Lakota poet Trevino Brings Plenty discusses two poems from his volume Ghost River, as well as Native culture, writing, and the protests at Standing Rock. You can buy Wakpa Wanagi, Ghost River, on Amazon or order it through your local bookstore. Music by Rise and Shine (2015), Seastock from Jamendo.com. Artwork from an unsigned mural in Detroit.

Nita Sweeney writes the blog Bum Glue and puts out Write Now Newsletter a comprehensive listing of writer and reader events in central Ohio, through her writer website www.nitasweeney.com. She's also a student of Natalie Goldberg, and teaches Goldberg's work in Upper Arlington. Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi talks with Sweeney about using Goldberg's technique of timed writings to create a memoir, and about the changing writer's scene here in Columbus. Music credit: Rise and Shine (2015) by Seastock on Jamendo.com.

Nick White talks about ex-gay ministry and gay conversion therapy in light of his first novel How to Survive a Summer with show host Cynthia Rosi, as well as problems of craft and construction. Music credit: Rise and Shine (2015) by Seastock on Jamendo.com.

Word Carver host Cynthia Rosi talks with poet Zoe Brigley Thompson about the ekphrastic art and poetry show hung at Ohio State University. Poetry by Thompson, with art from Victoria Brookland, including the title piece "The Little Cage of Ellis Bell."

For your writing enrichment this summer, the show recommends podcasts at Writers and Company and KCRW's Bookworm. That you subscribe to CRWROPPS Yahoo list-serve for writing markets, residencies, and job posts, or Duotrope and set up a Submittable account. Subscribe to Nita Sweeney's email list Write Now Newsletter for information on writing events in Columbus, Ohio and be sure to donate to cover the costs of keeping up this important service to writers. Check out Women Who Submit Lit for their inspirational submissions slam (contact me if you can help me to set up a Columbus satellite!). And finally, get over to Grammercy Books in Bexley for all your summer reads needs, and most especially for Nick White who will be reading from his fine novel How to Survive a Summer at Grammercy on June 29 at 7pm. Enjoy the show!

The temptation while writing spiritual memoir is to focus only on the moment of transformation. This talk explores how the dark night of the soul is as important in spiritual memoir as the healing or resurrection experience. From a talk by Cynthia Rosi given at Columbus Writer's Conference at Columbus State Community College in the spring of 2017.

Recently, I spoke at the Columbus Writer’s Conference hosted by Columbus State in May. Be sure to put this free conference, with snacks provided (you won’t get that deal anywhere else!) into your writing calendar for next year. That day, I taught a session on maintaining narrative suspense in the mystery novel. Here are some of the highlights from that presentation. Again, you are listening to Word Carver, a show based Columbus, Ohio on WGRN 94.1fm, LP, the green renaissance. I’m Cynthia Rosi your host, a writer for life. In addition to writing and producing Word Carver, I teach writing at Capital University and Columbus State. Please visit Word Carver.com for links to the books featured on the show and for Word Carver podcasts. Email me if you are a local writer with a forthcoming book of poetry, essays, or short stories, and I will be happy to interview you or review your book on my show. For the address, visit word carver.com and click on the submissions tab. If you are in Columbus but live in a place where 94.1 is faint or scratchy, you won’t miss a show if you hop over to WGRN.org and listen to it streaming. Tune in on Saturdays at 12.30pm and stay in touch! I welcome your comments at my website. And now, a discussion on maintaining narrative suspense in the mystery novel, from the Columbus Writers Conference hosted by Columbus State Community College.

In February, writers from across the country gathered in Washington DC for the annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, also known as AWP. This is Word Carver, a show about writing and readers out of Columbus, Ohio on WGRN 94.1fm, LP, the green renaissance. I’m Cynthia Rosi, a lifelong writer and reader. Please visit our site for show notes and links to The Incantations of Daniel Johnston, as well as to other Two Dollar Radio books, at wordcarver.com.

Today you will hear two immigrant voices speaking about the American Dream. The event at Wild Goose Creative was sponsored by Peace Catalyst International, Columbus Chapter, an organization which brings Christians and Muslims together for prayer, food, sharing stories, and building strong community ties. For more information about interfaith events, visit their Facebook page at Peace Catalyst International, Columbus.

Today Simon Hughes reads from Diary of the One Swelling Sea by Jill McCabe Johnson, a poet who lives in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. Hughes created an audioscape for the poem and reads with a deep, resonant voice. Following that, Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, a writer and translator from Colombia, will read from and discuss her collection of essays, Don’t Come Back, a memoir about her girlhood in Colombia and subsequent migration to the United States.

Today you will hear a review of the craft book “The Way of the Writer,” by author Charles Johnson. Columbus author Bryan Hurt reads from his short story collection “Everyone Wants to be Ambassador to France” and Victoria Parks, station manager at WGRN, reads from her audioscape “Dawn over Standing Rock.” The show closes with new audio drama writing, Episode 1 of The Skip.

Today you will hear Karen McClintock whose book My Father’s Closet is out from Trillium, an imprint of the Ohio University Press which specializes in publishing work from Ohio authors. Amy Dalrymple, roving reporter and assistant editor, has written and edited a poetry soundscape called Voices which will be at the end of the show.