Podcasts about Vesna

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Tradition Meets Innovation: A Floral Tale at Kalemegdan Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-07-18-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Летње сунце сијало је изнад Калемегданског парка у Београду.En: The summer sun was shining above the Kalemegdan park in Beograd.Sr: Људи су шетали стазама, уживајући у зеленилу и погледу на Саву и Дунав.En: People were strolling along the paths, enjoying the greenery and the view of the Sava and Dunav.Sr: У средини ове идиле, двоје вртлара били су заузети припремама за предстојећи културни фестивал.En: In the midst of this idyll, two gardeners were busy preparing for the upcoming cultural festival.Sr: Милан, искусан и марљив баштован, радио је ту годинама.En: Milan, an experienced and diligent gardener, had been working there for years.Sr: Означавао је места где ће поставити цвећњаке, пратећи планове који се користе деценијама.En: He was marking the spots where the flower beds would be placed, following plans that had been used for decades.Sr: Његова брижљивост и посвећеност традицији увек су доносиле успех.En: His meticulousness and dedication to tradition always yielded success.Sr: С друге стране била је Весна, његова млада шегртица пуна ентузијазма и свежих идеја.En: On the other hand, there was Vesna, his young apprentice full of enthusiasm and fresh ideas.Sr: Весни се допадала идеја да парк оживи новим, светлим изложбама биљака.En: Vesna liked the idea of bringing the park to life with new, bright plant exhibits.Sr: Желела је да направи изложбе које ће изненадити посетиоце.En: She wanted to create displays that would surprise visitors.Sr: „Милане, мислим да бисмо могли да пробамо нешто ново.En: "Milane, I think we could try something new.Sr: Шта кажеш на цветни аранжман у облику балканског мотива?En: What do you say to a floral arrangement in the shape of a Balkan motif?"Sr: “ предложи Весна са узбуђењем у гласу.En: suggested Vesna with excitement in her voice.Sr: Милан се намршти.En: Milan frowned.Sr: „Традиционални образац је увек добро функционисао.En: "The traditional pattern has always worked well.Sr: Зашто га мењати?En: Why change it?"Sr: “ његов глас звучи смирено, али одлучно.En: his voice was calm but resolute.Sr: „Схватам ја, али размишљај!En: "I understand, but think about it!Sr: Светли и нетрадиционални мотиви могу привући више људи.En: Bright and non-traditional motifs could attract more people.Sr: Фестивал би добио нову димензију!En: The festival would gain a new dimension!"Sr: “ инсистирала је Весна, показујући руком замишљени цветни дизајн.En: insisted Vesna, gesturing an imaginary floral design.Sr: Сукоб жеља и путева између Милана и Весне био је опипљив.En: The clash of desires and paths between Milan and Vesna was palpable.Sr: Са једне стране, Миланова везаност за провјерене методе, а са друге стране, Веснина страст за иновацијама.En: On one side, Milan's attachment to proven methods, and on the other, Vesna's passion for innovation.Sr: На врхунцу дискусије, стајали су поред једног дела парка који је остао необрађен.En: At the peak of their discussion, they stood by a section of the park that remained untended.Sr: Весна објасни како би њен цветни аранжман могао изгледати и како би привукао погледе и камере посетилаца.En: Vesna explained how her floral arrangement could look and how it would attract the eyes and cameras of visitors.Sr: Милан је за тренутак заћутао, посматрајући Веснин живахни израз лица и страст у њеним речима.En: Milan was silent for a moment, observing Vesna's lively expression and the passion in her words.Sr: У том тренутку, схватио је да би новине могле да обогате традицију.En: At that moment, he realized that novelties could enrich tradition.Sr: "Добро, хајде да пробамо," рече уздахнувши Милан.En: "Alright, let's give it a try," said Milan with a sigh.Sr: "Задржаћемо неке традиционалне елементе, али ћемо тестирати и твој цветни аранжман.En: "We'll keep some traditional elements, but we'll also test your floral arrangement.Sr: Никад се не зна, можда баш ово буде хит фестивала.En: You never know, it might just be the hit of the festival."Sr: "Весна је блистала од среће.En: Vesna beamed with joy.Sr: Уз договор и заједнички напор, Милан и Весна комбиновали су традицију и иновацију.En: With an agreement and joint effort, Milan and Vesna combined tradition and innovation.Sr: Парки изгледао предивно као никада раније, спреман за почетак фестивала.En: The park looked more beautiful than ever, ready for the commencement of the festival.Sr: Док су последњи сунчеви зраци додиривали Калемегдан, Милан је препознао вредност нових идеја, а Весна је научила да цени важност традиције.En: As the last rays of the sun touched Kalemegdan, Milan recognized the value of new ideas, and Vesna learned to appreciate the importance of tradition.Sr: Њихов рад је био успешан, а парк је био средиште сусрета старог и новог, баш као и град који су волели.En: Their work was successful, and the park became a meeting point of old and new, just like the city they loved. Vocabulary Words:strolling: шеталиgreenery: зеленилуidyll: идилеdiligent: марљивmeticulousness: брижљивостdedication: посвећеностapprentice: шегртицаenthusiasm: ентузијазмаexhibits: изложбамаfrowned: намрштиresolute: одлучноclash: сукобpalpable: опипљивtended: обрађенrecognize: препознаоnovelties: новинеenrich: обогатеcommencement: почетакlast rays: последњи зрациexpression: изразproven: провјеренеgesture: показујућиdimension: димензијуlivelihood: животattachment: везаностpassion: страстeffort: напорfloral: цветниmotif: мотивdisplay: изложбе

My guest is Kurt Johnson Co-author of The Moon Tavern, A Culinary Love Story With Recipes. The Moon Tavern takes the reader on a romantic and culinary journey through the Islands of Croatia, where dark family secrets are revealed, quirky friends and relatives are found, and love is discovered.Vesna, or Ves, is a cookbook writer from Minneapolis who travels to the remote, exotic island of Lastovo off Croatia's Mediterranean coast to reconnect with her biological grandmother. She'd been adopted as a young child after her parents died in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Ves is also fleeing a frayed relationship with her live-in partner, Reed.In Lastovo, she meets Dinko, a single, handsome, and wealthy vineyard owner, and his cute daughter Mia. With his help with the translation, Ves discovers her biological family's history and the dark secrets of what happened during the war. Romance, travel, and cooking ensue. She ultimately learns what matters most to her: simplicity in life, closeness with family, and someone to share love with. And, of course, food!Stephanie [00:00:00]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and other spaces. All the spaces of all the fun things. Kurt is my spouse, Kurt Johnson, and also the co author of the Moon Tavern, a culinary romance with recipes. It is a fiction book that is available on your bookshelf now. Welcome to the podcast, Kurt.Kurt Johnson [00:00:22]:Hi, thanks for having me.Stephanie [00:00:24]:Thanks for having us. The idea that we should work on a book together. I am, as many of you listening know, a cookbook writer and my husband is a fiction writer. And somewhere along the way, we decided that maybe it would be good to collaborate together. Kurt, was it you or me that had the idea first? I think it was you.Kurt Johnson [00:00:42]:Yeah, probably. I was kind of done with my past book writing about Las Vegas and looking for something different. And we'd been traveling a lot, so going to Croatia, going to Italy, going out west, going to Turkey. So I wanted to incorporate travel with a novel, and I also wanted to incorporate food. And so I thought this would be a lot of fun. Since we're traveling together, we have those shared experiences and you have the food experience and the food writing experience. So I thought it'd be a fun collaboration. And I've always liked the idea of love stories.Kurt Johnson [00:01:18]:Even my thriller books in Las Vegas had kind of a love story element. And it adds a dimension to a novel that, I don't know, makes it cohesive, makes it pull together in an emotional arc that's kind of fulfilling in the end.Stephanie [00:01:33]:Do you think you're a romantic at heart, or what is it about romances that are fun to write for you?Kurt Johnson [00:01:39]:Maybe I'm a romance at heart. I may be more stoic than that, though. I just. I like the idea of seeing people get together, seeing people enjoy the same interests and finding people that can fall in love. Of course, that's always the fun part. The hard part is once you get married and move on from there and have to deal with kids and daily life and work and all the other things that go with living life. And that's not that much fun to write.Stephanie [00:02:07]:Yeah, exactly. We as a couple, I think I can speak for me and you maybe on this one. We've always had great experiences traveling. We are good traveling companions. We like the spirit of adventure. Did you know that Croatia would be the spot for the first fiction endeavor?Kurt Johnson [00:02:24]:Yeah, that was a given since we'd been there five times and four times running a sailboat and visiting the islands. And as you know, Stephanie, I'm just enamored with those islands, I think they're so beautiful. And there was one island we discovered out there, Lastovo, which is the furthest island out. So a lot of the sailors and tourists just never get there. They stay closer to shore. So, you know, going out there the first time, this beautiful bay of Zachlopedia, where, you know, it's a, it's a protective cove which is beautiful turquoise water. And then taking the dinghy in, and then you walk up this path, I think it's about a two mile hike. And then you go over this ridge and this 16th, 15th century town opens up.Kurt Johnson [00:03:10]:You know, at one point maybe it had 10,000 residents. And, and it, it, when we first saw it, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, it was abandoned. So it was a ghost town of 15th century buildings and churches and apartments in this beautiful valley of lush green foliage. So that's very picturesque. We had an incredible meal there of just simple anchovies and blitfa. And for you, for you people out there that don't know, blitfa is ubiquitous in Croatia. And it's, it's just spring potatoes with Swiss chard, but it's served with everything.Stephanie [00:03:52]:It is served with everything. And they sometimes have spinach, sometimes have like another type of green, but it's sort of like the potatoes are cooked till they're pretty soft, and then it's kind of mashed in a little bit. So it's not fully a mashed potato and it's not fully a roasted potato. It's sort of a combination of both. But it is good.Kurt Johnson [00:04:12]:Yeah, so, yeah, that's so, you know, it seemed such an exotic place, the island of Lastovo in Croatia, that it was a natural to place it there.Stephanie [00:04:23]:Can you tell a little bit of just an introduction of the story, like what people will find when they crack open the book?Kurt Johnson [00:04:30]:Sure. It's about Vesna, who is. Has a breakup with her live in boyfriend, and they'd had a restaurant. She was a chef, a cookbook authority, and had a restaurant, not unlike my dear wife Stephanie. And she has a breakup and she leaves Minneapolis to go to Croatia to uncover her. Her heritage. She had been adopted from Croatia, specifically Dubrovnik, when her parents died in the Serb bombing of Dubrovnik in 1991. So she was adopted out of there and raised in Minnesota.Kurt Johnson [00:05:05]:So then she goes to Croatia and rediscovers her dark family secrets and meets Dinko Radek, who is a winery owner, and, you know, romance ensues. But she has a life still back in Minneapolis that she has to go back to and resolve.Stephanie [00:05:24]:When we talked about putting this first concept together, you know, I see the world through food. Like, literally everything in sort of my life is framed by a meal, an experience, just the way that I see the world. It's always around food, celebrations. And so did you know that that would work for this Croatia book? Because I didn't. When you first brought it up, I was like, I can't be a Croatian grandma here. And writing recipes about what at the time I perceived as, like, dumplings.Kurt Johnson [00:05:53]:Yeah, I wasn't sure either, frankly. You know, so each chapter, there's 25 chapters, and each chapter in it has a description of cooking. And it's all Croatia cooking, Croatia recipes. You know, all food we at over the years where we were there. And then the idea of tagging on recipes was just kind of bringing it home. Like, here's the Croatia experience. Now here's how Stephanie would bring that back to the real world, which is here in the United States.Stephanie [00:06:21]:We have talked about doing a series of books. What is it about this genre that you think lends itself to other titles and other characters?Kurt Johnson [00:06:29]:Well, you know, it's an adventure book on one level, and there's always new places to visit. So the next book is based in Panza, Italy, where we've been a couple times. And it's this beautiful island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean. And, you know, Italian food. You go to Italy and what you remember is the pizza in Naples or the. The pasta in Rome and. And the busteca up in the hills. So, you know, a way to experience a place is.Kurt Johnson [00:07:04]:Is through food. And I like writing about new settings. You know, it. It's not as interesting writing about Minnesota,Stephanie [00:07:11]:but you've written a lot about Las Vegas. You've had how many books about Las Vegas? Three.Kurt Johnson [00:07:16]:Yeah, three. You know, two of the. Of kind of a thriller in. Two thrillers in a series, and then a book about RVing that ends up in. In Las Vegas. And Las Vegas is a interesting place, and I lived there for five years running nightclubs and restaurants. And so two of the books are Underbelly of Las Vegas, which I was a part of in the nightclub scene back in the late 80s. So that's just flat out fun to write about.Kurt Johnson [00:07:39]:And Las Vegas is such a weirdo place that it's fun to bring that to life.Stephanie [00:07:45]:It's interesting to hear you talk about that. The way you choose your stories is about place, because the first book, the Barrens, that you wrote with our Daughter Ellie, inspired by her experiences as a canoe camper in the tundra. That's also based in Place, too. Place is sort of what starts you on these journeys. It seems like, yeah, you know something,Kurt Johnson [00:08:07]:you threw me a curveball because I never really thought about it. But you're exactly right.Stephanie [00:08:12]:All.Kurt Johnson [00:08:12]:All these books start off with a setting, with a place, and then, you know, the plots revolve around. Around that. And there's just so many. So many different. There's a finite number of, really, plots you can choose from. It's kind of like a piano keyboard has all the. The notes that you want to make up a. A music piece the same way with plot structures.Kurt Johnson [00:08:34]:And so to take it to the next level, you really have to search out characters, and the characters are in a setting, so those two are inexplicably, Inextricably. Inextricably linked. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, the two go hand in hand. So character and place really can set a novel apart.Stephanie [00:08:59]:Can you think of other books that you've written or. Excuse me. No, not that you've written, that you've read. Where Place sort of started you off on this adventure?Kurt Johnson [00:09:07]:Yeah, probably. I really love Beautiful Ruins.Stephanie [00:09:11]:Jess Walters.Kurt Johnson [00:09:13]:Walters, yeah. And that starts off in Italy, kind of near Cinque de Terre. And it's kind of the poor version of Cinque de Terre, where the tourists don't go. And it was such a fascinating story. And then they bring that all back to Hollywood in America, and it just works so well. But what really captures your imagination is the description of this little seaside community. Before the whole plot takes over, IStephanie [00:09:41]:kind of think about that book. The Embarrassment of Mangoes.Kurt Johnson [00:09:44]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:09:44]:When you and I first started sailing and going on these adventures, we read that book. It was about a couple that buys a boat and sails through the Caribbean, and she is discovering spices and fruits and vegetables and things that she's never eaten before. And I just loved that book. It was really what got me into sailing and thinking about how to make that our life and whether or not, you know, we could buy a boat and do that. And that boat really had a huge setting of place. Can you think of, like. I don't know. When I think of other books, there's very few books that I think about character first.Stephanie [00:10:19]:I usually always think about the place. Maybe that's just something.Kurt Johnson [00:10:22]:Or the plot, too. Yeah, they're all just linked together. And you don't think about. Well, you were saying you don't think about character as much.Stephanie [00:10:31]:Not really.Kurt Johnson [00:10:32]:Yeah, it's funny. I think, you know, the best books people say are character driven, but they're inexplicable. What's the word again?Stephanie [00:10:41]:Inextricably.Kurt Johnson [00:10:43]:Inextricably. Trouble with that. Linked. So, you know, you pick a place and you pick a plot and then you build these characters. The characters have to build around that plot and so they kind of naturally flow. And, and I, I think they, if they're well written and honest, you shouldn't think of them. You know, they're interesting characters and you'll say, you know, this is Rabbit and the Rabbit series. And you'll know, but you won't say, oh, that's just a great character.Kurt Johnson [00:11:10]:I, I, I don't know that I certainly, you know, I'm probably deep into it and I look at the craft a lot so I can see where somebody has really spent some time to develop an honest character or where, you know, the narrative voice comes through and, and a character comes to life through this first person narrative voice. So I see that a lot moreStephanie [00:11:30]:people have a real, like they can't believe you can write a book. Like the idea of the literal act of sitting down and writing and how that works. People fantasize about writing it, but then very few people do. What was it that got you over the hump from thinking about writing it to actually sitting down and doing it?Kurt Johnson [00:11:47]:Well, selling our business and all of a sudden being able to free up time. Because for me, novel writing and I think was it Chrisham talked about, you know, writing at 5 in the morning before he goes to work at 7. I just couldn't do that. You know, I just, I'm very focused on one thing and, and so I needed to free up my time from work in order to get going. And then it was, can you put together, you know, a thousand or fifteen hundred words every day so that it links up into a novel and have that, not only that, that discipline, but also have the creative juices to produce scenes almost every day because, you know, like a, a good novel is created from 50 scenes. So I went from, you know, writing a memoir that I probably won't publish just to see if I can get, you know, a thousand words every day and put this together to then writing Las Vegas turnaround. And there I, I, I really just copied a lot of plot structures that I saw that I liked. And so it was easier for me to set up main characters, set up tertiary characters, subplots, because I had a blueprint from somebody else.Kurt Johnson [00:12:56]:And then, and then once, you know, you Keep writing. You get muscle memory for it and it becomes more, more natural and actually more fun because it becomes more organic. You'll follow characters through a town and they'll meet somebody and all of a sudden that person becomes a character in their universe and they say something and all of a sudden that takes off and you have to follow it. Now, you know, the woman's gonna fall in love with a guy at the end. But getting there is the fun part. And now I can do that a lot more organically.Stephanie [00:13:27]:If you are talking to any aspiring novel writers, what kind of advice do you have for them to get started?Kurt Johnson [00:13:34]:Well, you know, you gotta lower your expectations just because publishing is so hard, you know.Stephanie [00:13:39]:Can you elaborate on that?Kurt Johnson [00:13:41]:Well, you know, there's maybe two or three or 400 agents, most of them in New York City and they're all trying to make a buck. And it's hard to make a buck off a debut writer. It helps if you're MFA and you're writing in a genre because, you know, let's say 70% of the books are read by women and 70% of those are romances. And then men, the other 30%, probably 80% of what they read are, you know, thrillers or mysteries. So if you can pick a genre, that always helps. But yeah, it, you have to be more thoughtful about it. And I think, I think so many first time writers, you know, once they get the discipline and put, put the, the words on a page, they write that first personal novel, you know, and I wrote my memoir and it's, it's really 90% of those, they, you know, people have the, they aspire for the great American novel and it's too personal, it's too close to home. They can't break out from the reality of their lives to have fun with the plot and make things happen.Kurt Johnson [00:14:45]:So a lot of times these books, nothing happens. They're deeply emotional books where nothing happens and they're, they're excruciatingly boring. So you gotta get past that phase and then you gotta look at it as a, as a craft. And, you know, a big chunk of it's art, of course, whatever you wanna call that, you know, shedding light on the human experience. But a big chunk is craft. And I don't think you can get to the craft for most people in that first book. So you gotta keep writing, you know, and realize that the first couple books may not get published. So, you know, the barons got published.Kurt Johnson [00:15:21]:That was one, two, that was my third, fourth book, you know, and the, and two, the, the first three, two of them were duds that will never be published.Stephanie [00:15:31]:Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, it's good to chat with you about the book. We are in the marketing process of the book. I feel like books come in three waves. One is the idea that you're thinking about it. The second, the actual writing of it. And then the third is actual the marketing of it.Stephanie [00:15:48]:What do you think's the hardest part?Kurt Johnson [00:15:49]:Well, I mean, it's. The hardest part's finding an agent and finding a publisher. Then if you self publish, the hardest part is marketing. And at least it is for me because writing is so natural and fun for me. But I think for most people, you know, the writing's a hard part. And, and you know, like the Minnesota writer o', Brien, he hates writing, so he forces himself. Tim o'. Brien.Kurt Johnson [00:16:12]:So he forces himself to get those books out there. So probably that's the hardest part for him.Stephanie [00:16:17]:We had, I had a cookbook, two cookbooks out and I had a publisher, but they didn't publish this book because it was a fiction book. I think some people just assume like, oh, well, they've already had books out, but we self published this book. Why did we make that decision from your standpoint?Kurt Johnson [00:16:33]:Well, we couldn't get an A list agent or a New York publisher. There's just not, it comes off as almost a debut book and it's hard for them to make any money. So if you can't get an A lister, then you're, you know, stuck with boutique publishing companies and others and, and they just don't support the marketing of your book. And I've self published books in the past, so I know how to do it. I know how to put a professional product out there. And, and we can, you know, both of us are marketers and, and Stephanie has a large platform, so we can do a lot of our own marketing or, or outsource it, you know, but still we retain most of the profits. So when we do the marketing, we can reinvested or keep those profits.Stephanie [00:17:17]:Yeah, I, when you say profits, it sounds like there's a lot there. I'd like to, I mean, I mean,Kurt Johnson [00:17:22]:maybe, maybe we broke it even at this point, but then now we're looking at a marketing PR firm that's going to set us back another $5,000. But you know, if, if these books succeed and somebody makes a lot of money, it's the, it's the third, you know, book that's going to put them over the top. It's not the first.Stephanie [00:17:40]:I have this idea too that we're going to write these books and then sooner or later someone's going to turn them into a T series because it's going to be like the White Lotus where each season is a different location and a different cast of characters, but sort of the general premise is sort of the same.Kurt Johnson [00:17:56]:I hope so. You know, I hope an A list agent comes along and, and frees us from our servitude or whatever. And, but, and yeah, you know, there's, there's plenty of stories of self published authors that, that get deals or even boutique. Boutique authors that get deals. So you know, we can dream.Stephanie [00:18:16]:One thing that I'd like the listener to hear is what their part is in this because we've. I was leaving the coffee shop today. We're in Ely. That is the vacation backgrounds. But.Kurt Johnson [00:18:25]:Right.Stephanie [00:18:25]:I was leaving the coffee shop today and a woman stopped me and said, Stephanie, I had the opportunity to read the Moon Tavern. It's so good. I loved it so much. And she's telling me about it and telling her friend. And I have that experience a lot where people have really, really enjoyed this book. And I just want the listener to know that leaving reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you bought the book or if you can' find a book, asking for it at your local bookseller. Cause they can always order it when you're self published. The more buzz you can create about these books, the better chance that someone will hear about it, someone will buy it and eventually a publisher, if they hear about a book and they like it, then they may pick it up.Stephanie [00:19:03]:So I think if you like what you're reading and you want to see more of this type of work in the world and books that you like, that's something that you can do to help us out.Kurt Johnson [00:19:13]:Yes, a 5 on Amazon or top rating on any other Goodreads is good too. Yeah, it's, it's all, it's all good. So yes, those, those help a lot. Just because the more reviews you can get and the more five star reviews you get, the more people will pick up the book, the more buzz you'll get. So yeah, so it helps us immeasurably.Stephanie [00:19:35]:Another thing before we wrap up here, someone asked me about the Cover of the book. Do you want to talk about how you picked the artwork?Kurt Johnson [00:19:41]:Yeah, I was pretty much online Xee Reider, she's in St. Paul and she's a muralist mostly. And I really liked the look that she had. So I reached out to her, and she did the original artwork, and then each chapter ends with a recipe, and there's a pen and ink drawing, and she did those. And I really think that adds another level to the book. And I love a beautiful cover.Stephanie [00:20:10]:Yeah, the cover is really nice. She did a great job. All right, well, that is it for this episode of the podcast. Just want to chat with you and give people a little background. Thanks for being a guest. Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Kurt Johnson Co-author of The Moon Tavern, A Culinary Love Story With Recipes. The Moon Tavern takes the reader on a romantic and culinary journey through the Islands of Croatia, where dark family secrets are revealed, quirky friends and relatives are found, and love is discovered.Vesna, or Ves, is a cookbook writer from Minneapolis who travels to the remote, exotic island of Lastovo off Croatia's Mediterranean coast to reconnect with her biological grandmother. She'd been adopted as a young child after her parents died in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Ves is also fleeing a frayed relationship with her live-in partner, Reed.In Lastovo, she meets Dinko, a single, handsome, and wealthy vineyard owner, and his cute daughter Mia. With his help with the translation, Ves discovers her biological family's history and the dark secrets of what happened during the war. Romance, travel, and cooking ensue. She ultimately learns what matters most to her: simplicity in life, closeness with family, and someone to share love with. And, of course, food!Stephanie [00:00:00]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and other spaces. All the spaces of all the fun things. Kurt is my spouse, Kurt Johnson, and also the co author of the Moon Tavern, a culinary romance with recipes. It is a fiction book that is available on your bookshelf now. Welcome to the podcast, Kurt.Kurt Johnson [00:00:22]:Hi, thanks for having me.Stephanie [00:00:24]:Thanks for having us. The idea that we should work on a book together. I am, as many of you listening know, a cookbook writer and my husband is a fiction writer. And somewhere along the way, we decided that maybe it would be good to collaborate together. Kurt, was it you or me that had the idea first? I think it was you.Kurt Johnson [00:00:42]:Yeah, probably. I was kind of done with my past book writing about Las Vegas and looking for something different. And we'd been traveling a lot, so going to Croatia, going to Italy, going out west, going to Turkey. So I wanted to incorporate travel with a novel, and I also wanted to incorporate food. And so I thought this would be a lot of fun. Since we're traveling together, we have those shared experiences and you have the food experience and the food writing experience. So I thought it'd be a fun collaboration. And I've always liked the idea of love stories.Kurt Johnson [00:01:18]:Even my thriller books in Las Vegas had kind of a love story element. And it adds a dimension to a novel that, I don't know, makes it cohesive, makes it pull together in an emotional arc that's kind of fulfilling in the end.Stephanie [00:01:33]:Do you think you're a romantic at heart, or what is it about romances that are fun to write for you?Kurt Johnson [00:01:39]:Maybe I'm a romance at heart. I may be more stoic than that, though. I just. I like the idea of seeing people get together, seeing people enjoy the same interests and finding people that can fall in love. Of course, that's always the fun part. The hard part is once you get married and move on from there and have to deal with kids and daily life and work and all the other things that go with living life. And that's not that much fun to write.Stephanie [00:02:07]:Yeah, exactly. We as a couple, I think I can speak for me and you maybe on this one. We've always had great experiences traveling. We are good traveling companions. We like the spirit of adventure. Did you know that Croatia would be the spot for the first fiction endeavor?Kurt Johnson [00:02:24]:Yeah, that was a given since we'd been there five times and four times running a sailboat and visiting the islands. And as you know, Stephanie, I'm just enamored with those islands, I think they're so beautiful. And there was one island we discovered out there, Lastovo, which is the furthest island out. So a lot of the sailors and tourists just never get there. They stay closer to shore. So, you know, going out there the first time, this beautiful bay of Zachlopedia, where, you know, it's a, it's a protective cove which is beautiful turquoise water. And then taking the dinghy in, and then you walk up this path, I think it's about a two mile hike. And then you go over this ridge and this 16th, 15th century town opens up.Kurt Johnson [00:03:10]:You know, at one point maybe it had 10,000 residents. And, and it, it, when we first saw it, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, it was abandoned. So it was a ghost town of 15th century buildings and churches and apartments in this beautiful valley of lush green foliage. So that's very picturesque. We had an incredible meal there of just simple anchovies and blitfa. And for you, for you people out there that don't know, blitfa is ubiquitous in Croatia. And it's, it's just spring potatoes with Swiss chard, but it's served with everything.Stephanie [00:03:52]:It is served with everything. And they sometimes have spinach, sometimes have like another type of green, but it's sort of like the potatoes are cooked till they're pretty soft, and then it's kind of mashed in a little bit. So it's not fully a mashed potato and it's not fully a roasted potato. It's sort of a combination of both. But it is good.Kurt Johnson [00:04:12]:Yeah, so, yeah, that's so, you know, it seemed such an exotic place, the island of Lastovo in Croatia, that it was a natural to place it there.Stephanie [00:04:23]:Can you tell a little bit of just an introduction of the story, like what people will find when they crack open the book?Kurt Johnson [00:04:30]:Sure. It's about Vesna, who is. Has a breakup with her live in boyfriend, and they'd had a restaurant. She was a chef, a cookbook authority, and had a restaurant, not unlike my dear wife Stephanie. And she has a breakup and she leaves Minneapolis to go to Croatia to uncover her. Her heritage. She had been adopted from Croatia, specifically Dubrovnik, when her parents died in the Serb bombing of Dubrovnik in 1991. So she was adopted out of there and raised in Minnesota.Kurt Johnson [00:05:05]:So then she goes to Croatia and rediscovers her dark family secrets and meets Dinko Radek, who is a winery owner, and, you know, romance ensues. But she has a life still back in Minneapolis that she has to go back to and resolve.Stephanie [00:05:24]:When we talked about putting this first concept together, you know, I see the world through food. Like, literally everything in sort of my life is framed by a meal, an experience, just the way that I see the world. It's always around food, celebrations. And so did you know that that would work for this Croatia book? Because I didn't. When you first brought it up, I was like, I can't be a Croatian grandma here. And writing recipes about what at the time I perceived as, like, dumplings.Kurt Johnson [00:05:53]:Yeah, I wasn't sure either, frankly. You know, so each chapter, there's 25 chapters, and each chapter in it has a description of cooking. And it's all Croatia cooking, Croatia recipes. You know, all food we at over the years where we were there. And then the idea of tagging on recipes was just kind of bringing it home. Like, here's the Croatia experience. Now here's how Stephanie would bring that back to the real world, which is here in the United States.Stephanie [00:06:21]:We have talked about doing a series of books. What is it about this genre that you think lends itself to other titles and other characters?Kurt Johnson [00:06:29]:Well, you know, it's an adventure book on one level, and there's always new places to visit. So the next book is based in Panza, Italy, where we've been a couple times. And it's this beautiful island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean. And, you know, Italian food. You go to Italy and what you remember is the pizza in Naples or the. The pasta in Rome and. And the busteca up in the hills. So, you know, a way to experience a place is.Kurt Johnson [00:07:04]:Is through food. And I like writing about new settings. You know, it. It's not as interesting writing about Minnesota,Stephanie [00:07:11]:but you've written a lot about Las Vegas. You've had how many books about Las Vegas? Three.Kurt Johnson [00:07:16]:Yeah, three. You know, two of the. Of kind of a thriller in. Two thrillers in a series, and then a book about RVing that ends up in. In Las Vegas. And Las Vegas is a interesting place, and I lived there for five years running nightclubs and restaurants. And so two of the books are Underbelly of Las Vegas, which I was a part of in the nightclub scene back in the late 80s. So that's just flat out fun to write about.Kurt Johnson [00:07:39]:And Las Vegas is such a weirdo place that it's fun to bring that to life.Stephanie [00:07:45]:It's interesting to hear you talk about that. The way you choose your stories is about place, because the first book, the Barrens, that you wrote with our Daughter Ellie, inspired by her experiences as a canoe camper in the tundra. That's also based in Place, too. Place is sort of what starts you on these journeys. It seems like, yeah, you know something,Kurt Johnson [00:08:07]:you threw me a curveball because I never really thought about it. But you're exactly right.Stephanie [00:08:12]:All.Kurt Johnson [00:08:12]:All these books start off with a setting, with a place, and then, you know, the plots revolve around. Around that. And there's just so many. So many different. There's a finite number of, really, plots you can choose from. It's kind of like a piano keyboard has all the. The notes that you want to make up a. A music piece the same way with plot structures.Kurt Johnson [00:08:34]:And so to take it to the next level, you really have to search out characters, and the characters are in a setting, so those two are inexplicably, Inextricably. Inextricably linked. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, the two go hand in hand. So character and place really can set a novel apart.Stephanie [00:08:59]:Can you think of other books that you've written or. Excuse me. No, not that you've written, that you've read. Where Place sort of started you off on this adventure?Kurt Johnson [00:09:07]:Yeah, probably. I really love Beautiful Ruins.Stephanie [00:09:11]:Jess Walters.Kurt Johnson [00:09:13]:Walters, yeah. And that starts off in Italy, kind of near Cinque de Terre. And it's kind of the poor version of Cinque de Terre, where the tourists don't go. And it was such a fascinating story. And then they bring that all back to Hollywood in America, and it just works so well. But what really captures your imagination is the description of this little seaside community. Before the whole plot takes over, IStephanie [00:09:41]:kind of think about that book. The Embarrassment of Mangoes.Kurt Johnson [00:09:44]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:09:44]:When you and I first started sailing and going on these adventures, we read that book. It was about a couple that buys a boat and sails through the Caribbean, and she is discovering spices and fruits and vegetables and things that she's never eaten before. And I just loved that book. It was really what got me into sailing and thinking about how to make that our life and whether or not, you know, we could buy a boat and do that. And that boat really had a huge setting of place. Can you think of, like. I don't know. When I think of other books, there's very few books that I think about character first.Stephanie [00:10:19]:I usually always think about the place. Maybe that's just something.Kurt Johnson [00:10:22]:Or the plot, too. Yeah, they're all just linked together. And you don't think about. Well, you were saying you don't think about character as much.Stephanie [00:10:31]:Not really.Kurt Johnson [00:10:32]:Yeah, it's funny. I think, you know, the best books people say are character driven, but they're inexplicable. What's the word again?Stephanie [00:10:41]:Inextricably.Kurt Johnson [00:10:43]:Inextricably. Trouble with that. Linked. So, you know, you pick a place and you pick a plot and then you build these characters. The characters have to build around that plot and so they kind of naturally flow. And, and I, I think they, if they're well written and honest, you shouldn't think of them. You know, they're interesting characters and you'll say, you know, this is Rabbit and the Rabbit series. And you'll know, but you won't say, oh, that's just a great character.Kurt Johnson [00:11:10]:I, I, I don't know that I certainly, you know, I'm probably deep into it and I look at the craft a lot so I can see where somebody has really spent some time to develop an honest character or where, you know, the narrative voice comes through and, and a character comes to life through this first person narrative voice. So I see that a lot moreStephanie [00:11:30]:people have a real, like they can't believe you can write a book. Like the idea of the literal act of sitting down and writing and how that works. People fantasize about writing it, but then very few people do. What was it that got you over the hump from thinking about writing it to actually sitting down and doing it?Kurt Johnson [00:11:47]:Well, selling our business and all of a sudden being able to free up time. Because for me, novel writing and I think was it Chrisham talked about, you know, writing at 5 in the morning before he goes to work at 7. I just couldn't do that. You know, I just, I'm very focused on one thing and, and so I needed to free up my time from work in order to get going. And then it was, can you put together, you know, a thousand or fifteen hundred words every day so that it links up into a novel and have that, not only that, that discipline, but also have the creative juices to produce scenes almost every day because, you know, like a, a good novel is created from 50 scenes. So I went from, you know, writing a memoir that I probably won't publish just to see if I can get, you know, a thousand words every day and put this together to then writing Las Vegas turnaround. And there I, I, I really just copied a lot of plot structures that I saw that I liked. And so it was easier for me to set up main characters, set up tertiary characters, subplots, because I had a blueprint from somebody else.Kurt Johnson [00:12:56]:And then, and then once, you know, you Keep writing. You get muscle memory for it and it becomes more, more natural and actually more fun because it becomes more organic. You'll follow characters through a town and they'll meet somebody and all of a sudden that person becomes a character in their universe and they say something and all of a sudden that takes off and you have to follow it. Now, you know, the woman's gonna fall in love with a guy at the end. But getting there is the fun part. And now I can do that a lot more organically.Stephanie [00:13:27]:If you are talking to any aspiring novel writers, what kind of advice do you have for them to get started?Kurt Johnson [00:13:34]:Well, you know, you gotta lower your expectations just because publishing is so hard, you know.Stephanie [00:13:39]:Can you elaborate on that?Kurt Johnson [00:13:41]:Well, you know, there's maybe two or three or 400 agents, most of them in New York City and they're all trying to make a buck. And it's hard to make a buck off a debut writer. It helps if you're MFA and you're writing in a genre because, you know, let's say 70% of the books are read by women and 70% of those are romances. And then men, the other 30%, probably 80% of what they read are, you know, thrillers or mysteries. So if you can pick a genre, that always helps. But yeah, it, you have to be more thoughtful about it. And I think, I think so many first time writers, you know, once they get the discipline and put, put the, the words on a page, they write that first personal novel, you know, and I wrote my memoir and it's, it's really 90% of those, they, you know, people have the, they aspire for the great American novel and it's too personal, it's too close to home. They can't break out from the reality of their lives to have fun with the plot and make things happen.Kurt Johnson [00:14:45]:So a lot of times these books, nothing happens. They're deeply emotional books where nothing happens and they're, they're excruciatingly boring. So you gotta get past that phase and then you gotta look at it as a, as a craft. And, you know, a big chunk of it's art, of course, whatever you wanna call that, you know, shedding light on the human experience. But a big chunk is craft. And I don't think you can get to the craft for most people in that first book. So you gotta keep writing, you know, and realize that the first couple books may not get published. So, you know, the barons got published.Kurt Johnson [00:15:21]:That was one, two, that was my third, fourth book, you know, and the, and two, the, the first three, two of them were duds that will never be published.Stephanie [00:15:31]:Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, it's good to chat with you about the book. We are in the marketing process of the book. I feel like books come in three waves. One is the idea that you're thinking about it. The second, the actual writing of it. And then the third is actual the marketing of it.Stephanie [00:15:48]:What do you think's the hardest part?Kurt Johnson [00:15:49]:Well, I mean, it's. The hardest part's finding an agent and finding a publisher. Then if you self publish, the hardest part is marketing. And at least it is for me because writing is so natural and fun for me. But I think for most people, you know, the writing's a hard part. And, and you know, like the Minnesota writer o', Brien, he hates writing, so he forces himself. Tim o'. Brien.Kurt Johnson [00:16:12]:So he forces himself to get those books out there. So probably that's the hardest part for him.Stephanie [00:16:17]:We had, I had a cookbook, two cookbooks out and I had a publisher, but they didn't publish this book because it was a fiction book. I think some people just assume like, oh, well, they've already had books out, but we self published this book. Why did we make that decision from your standpoint?Kurt Johnson [00:16:33]:Well, we couldn't get an A list agent or a New York publisher. There's just not, it comes off as almost a debut book and it's hard for them to make any money. So if you can't get an A lister, then you're, you know, stuck with boutique publishing companies and others and, and they just don't support the marketing of your book. And I've self published books in the past, so I know how to do it. I know how to put a professional product out there. And, and we can, you know, both of us are marketers and, and Stephanie has a large platform, so we can do a lot of our own marketing or, or outsource it, you know, but still we retain most of the profits. So when we do the marketing, we can reinvested or keep those profits.Stephanie [00:17:17]:Yeah, I, when you say profits, it sounds like there's a lot there. I'd like to, I mean, I mean,Kurt Johnson [00:17:22]:maybe, maybe we broke it even at this point, but then now we're looking at a marketing PR firm that's going to set us back another $5,000. But you know, if, if these books succeed and somebody makes a lot of money, it's the, it's the third, you know, book that's going to put them over the top. It's not the first.Stephanie [00:17:40]:I have this idea too that we're going to write these books and then sooner or later someone's going to turn them into a T series because it's going to be like the White Lotus where each season is a different location and a different cast of characters, but sort of the general premise is sort of the same.Kurt Johnson [00:17:56]:I hope so. You know, I hope an A list agent comes along and, and frees us from our servitude or whatever. And, but, and yeah, you know, there's, there's plenty of stories of self published authors that, that get deals or even boutique. Boutique authors that get deals. So you know, we can dream.Stephanie [00:18:16]:One thing that I'd like the listener to hear is what their part is in this because we've. I was leaving the coffee shop today. We're in Ely. That is the vacation backgrounds. But.Kurt Johnson [00:18:25]:Right.Stephanie [00:18:25]:I was leaving the coffee shop today and a woman stopped me and said, Stephanie, I had the opportunity to read the Moon Tavern. It's so good. I loved it so much. And she's telling me about it and telling her friend. And I have that experience a lot where people have really, really enjoyed this book. And I just want the listener to know that leaving reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you bought the book or if you can' find a book, asking for it at your local bookseller. Cause they can always order it when you're self published. The more buzz you can create about these books, the better chance that someone will hear about it, someone will buy it and eventually a publisher, if they hear about a book and they like it, then they may pick it up.Stephanie [00:19:03]:So I think if you like what you're reading and you want to see more of this type of work in the world and books that you like, that's something that you can do to help us out.Kurt Johnson [00:19:13]:Yes, a 5 on Amazon or top rating on any other Goodreads is good too. Yeah, it's, it's all, it's all good. So yes, those, those help a lot. Just because the more reviews you can get and the more five star reviews you get, the more people will pick up the book, the more buzz you'll get. So yeah, so it helps us immeasurably.Stephanie [00:19:35]:Another thing before we wrap up here, someone asked me about the Cover of the book. Do you want to talk about how you picked the artwork?Kurt Johnson [00:19:41]:Yeah, I was pretty much online Xee Reider, she's in St. Paul and she's a muralist mostly. And I really liked the look that she had. So I reached out to her, and she did the original artwork, and then each chapter ends with a recipe, and there's a pen and ink drawing, and she did those. And I really think that adds another level to the book. And I love a beautiful cover.Stephanie [00:20:10]:Yeah, the cover is really nice. She did a great job. All right, well, that is it for this episode of the podcast. Just want to chat with you and give people a little background. Thanks for being a guest. Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Conquering the Podium: A Tale of Fear and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-07-03-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Сунце је пробијало кроз прозоре школе, обасјавајући главну салу где су ученици, спремни и узбуђени, ишчекивали свој ред за представљање пројеката.En: The sun was streaming through the windows of the school, illuminating the main hall where the students, ready and excited, awaited their turn to present their projects.Sr: Табле са проектима биле су поређане по ивицама сале, а публику су чинили ученици и наставници.En: The project boards were lined up along the edges of the hall, and the audience consisted of students and teachers.Sr: Весна, Милиан и Ивана седели су у првом реду, стискајући белешке.En: Vesna, Milan, and Ivana sat in the front row, clutching their notes.Sr: Весна је била вредна ученица.En: Vesna was a diligent student.Sr: Писала је у тајности и негде у дубини душе сањала да ће једног дана постати позната ауторка.En: She wrote in secret and somewhere deep in her soul, she dreamed of one day becoming a famous author.Sr: Њена највећа препрека био је страх од јавног наступа.En: Her biggest obstacle was her fear of public speaking.Sr: Кад год би се нашла пред публиком, ноге би јој задрхтале, а глас се стегнуо.En: Whenever she found herself in front of an audience, her legs would tremble, and her voice would tighten.Sr: Поред ње је седео Милан, самопоуздан и такмичарски настројен.En: Next to her sat Milan, confident and competitive.Sr: Он је одувек био сјајан у јавном наступу и то је знао.En: He had always been great at public speaking, and he knew it.Sr: Његова доминантна природа често је чинила да се Весна осећа мање вредном.En: His dominant nature often made Vesna feel less worthy.Sr: С друге стране, Ивана је била њена цимерка и подршка.En: On the other hand, Ivana was her roommate and support.Sr: Међутим, у последње време је деловала одсутно, заокупљена неким својим мислима.En: However, she had recently seemed distant, preoccupied with her own thoughts.Sr: Пројекат који су припремали требало је да буде изузетан.En: The project they were preparing was meant to be exceptional.Sr: Весна је желела да покаже своје способности и води тим до успеха.En: Vesna wanted to showcase her abilities and lead the team to success.Sr: Али, страх ју је кочио.En: But her fear was holding her back.Sr: Знала је да мора да превазиђе те страхове ако жели добровољно да допринесе презентацији.En: She knew she had to overcome these fears if she wanted to willingly contribute to the presentation.Sr: Док су чекали на свој ред, Весна се окренула ка Ивани.En: While they waited for their turn, Vesna turned to Ivana.Sr: "Треба ми твоја помоћ," рекла је тихо.En: "I need your help," she said quietly.Sr: "Како да савладам страх од говора пред свима?En: "How can I overcome the fear of speaking in front of everyone?"Sr: "Ивана је погледала Весну и топло се осмехнула.En: Ivana looked at Vesna and smiled warmly.Sr: "Само мисли на то као да причаш пријатељима.En: "Just think of it as talking to friends.Sr: Потпуно се концентриши на поруку, а не на публику.En: Completely concentrate on the message, not the audience."Sr: "Тренутак истине је дошао.En: The moment of truth arrived.Sr: Њихово име је прозвано, а троје младих кренули су ка подијуму.En: Their name was called, and the three young people made their way to the podium.Sr: Милан је почео, бриљирајући са својим уводним речима.En: Milan began, brilliantly delivering his opening words.Sr: Весна је осетила како јој срце убрзано куца, али се сетила Иваниних речи.En: Vesna felt her heart racing, but she remembered Ivana's words.Sr: Сала је брујала тишином док је Весна ступила напред.En: The hall buzzed with silence as Vesna stepped forward.Sr: У том тренутку, Ивана је убацила важан коментар који је Весни омогућио да се опусти.En: At that moment, Ivana added an important comment that allowed Vesna to relax.Sr: Уз дубок удах, почела је да говори.En: With a deep breath, she began to speak.Sr: Речи су текле лакше него што је очекивала.En: The words flowed more easily than she expected.Sr: Док је завршавала своје излагање, осетила је снагу и самопоуздање које никада раније није осетила.En: As she finished her presentation, she felt strength and confidence she had never felt before.Sr: На крају, цела сала је одјекнула аплаузом.En: In the end, the whole hall echoed with applause.Sr: Милан је погледао Весну и признање му је било у очима.En: Milan looked at Vesna, and the recognition was in his eyes.Sr: "Одлично си се носила," рекао је искрено.En: "You handled it brilliantly," he said sincerely.Sr: Весна је осетила како јој се смеју истим жаром, знајући да је постигла нешто изузетно.En: Vesna felt her smile with the same fervor, knowing she had achieved something extraordinary.Sr: Весна је ушла у овај дан осећајући страх и несигурност, али га је завршила као победник.En: Vesna entered the day feeling fear and insecurity, but she ended it as a winner.Sr: Научила је да њен глас има вредност и да је ослањање на пријатеље велика снага.En: She had learned that her voice has value and that relying on friends is a great strength.Sr: Чаробна летња атмосфера мумлала је пред људима у главној сали, док је Весна тихо писала нове странице у свом животу.En: The magical summer atmosphere hummed before the people in the main hall as Vesna quietly wrote new pages in her life. Vocabulary Words:streaming: пробијалоilluminating: обасјавајућиawaited: ишчекивалиclutching: стискајућиdiligent: вреднаtremble: задрхталеtighten: стегнуоdominant: доминантнаpreoccupied: заокупљенаexceptional: изузетанshowcase: покажеwillingly: добровољноcontribute: допринесеovercome: превазиђеconcentrate: концентришиmessage: порукуbuzzed: брујалаpodium: подијумуbrilliantly: бриљирајућиracing: убрзаноflowed: теклеechoed: одјекнулаapplause: аплаузомrecognition: признањеsincerely: искреноextraordinary: изузетноinsecurity: несигурностrelying: ослањањеfervor: жаромwinner: победник

Državni zbor je sprejel zakon o izvajanju evropske uredbe o vzpostavitvi sistema Eurodac za primerjavo biometričnih podatkov. Sistem bo po mnenju koalicije omogočil učinkovitejše upravljanje postopkov vračanja migrantov in hkrati boljšo prepoznavo ranljivih skupin tujcev. V opozicijskih vrstah pa so opozorili na morebitne nesorazmerne posege v človekove pravice prebežnikov. Drugi poudarki: - Levica in Vesna ter Svoboda glede poslanca Resnice Borisa Mijiča zahtevajo sklic nujne seje pristojnega parlamentarnega odbora. - Ob povečevanju napetosti med Ukrajino in Belorusijo polotok Krim v primežu energetske krize. - Zaradi vročinskega vala se v Nemčiji spopadajo s trdovratnim razmnoževanjem metulja, katerega gosenice škodujejo zdravju ljudi in živali.

Wenn wir an Ritter denken, denken wir an Kriege, Kreuzzüge und Männer in schweren Rüstungen. Filme und Geschichten haben dieses Bild über Jahrhunderte geprägt. Doch die ursprüngliche Aufgabe der Ritter war eine andere — und sie ist heute aktueller denn je.Die ersten Ritter waren Begleiter und Beschützer. Sie sorgten für Sicherheit auf gefährlichen Wegen, begleiteten Pilger und Kaufleute und entwickelten durch die täglichen Begegnungen mit Krankheit, Verletzungen und menschlichen Krisen ein tiefes Wissen über Heilung, Fürsorge und Unterstützung.Genau dieser Gedanke lebt bis heute weiter.Vesna Kettner ist Stifterin und Priorin des Ordens der Ritterschaft zur Goldenen Fusion und beschäftigt sich seit vielen Jahren mit moderner Ritterschaft, Ritualen, Bewusstsein und der Frage, wie altes Wissen sinnvoll in unsere heutige Zeit übersetzt werden kann.Im Founder Talk spricht sie darüber, warum Ritterlichkeit weit mehr bedeutet als historische Romantik. Es geht um Verantwortung, Schutz, Orientierung und menschliche Begleitung — Werte, die gerade in einer schnellen und oft überfordernden Welt wieder an Bedeutung gewinnen.Dabei spannt sie den Bogen von historischen Orden bis in die digitale Gegenwart:mit „The Daily Companion“, einer App, die der Orden selbst als eine Art „digitalen Kräuterumschlag für Zivilisten“ beschreibt — ein moderner Begleiter für den Alltag, der altes Wissen, Rituale und Orientierungshilfen in eine neue Form übersetzt.Das Gespräch verbindet Geschichte, Spiritualität, moderne Lebensfragen und persönliche Verantwortung miteinander und zeigt, wie jahrhundertealte Prinzipien auch heute noch Menschen Halt geben können.Eine Folge für alle, die sich für moderne Ritterschaft, Bewusstsein, Rituale, persönliche Entwicklung und die Verbindung von altem Wissen mit neuen Technologien interessieren.Wer tiefer in die Welt des Ordens eintauchen möchte, findet weitere Einblicke im Kindle-Buch „Das erste Buch des Ordens“. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Unveiling Kalemegdan: A Tale of Secrets and Teamwork Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-06-02-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Калемегданска тврђава стајала је гордо изнад спајања Саве и Дунава.En: The Kalemegdan fortress stood proudly above the confluence of the Sava and Danube.Sr: Временом исцртане зидине биле су сведоци историје и тајни.En: Its timeworn walls bore witness to history and secrets.Sr: Милан, истинољубац и ентузијаста за историју, водио је групу туриста кроз констелације белих кестенова који су цветали у пролећној топлини.En: Milan, a truth-seeker and history enthusiast, was leading a group of tourists through constellations of blooming white chestnut trees in the warmth of spring.Sr: Док су се туристи дивили погледу, Милан је био заузет својим мислима.En: While the tourists admired the view, Milan was lost in his own thoughts.Sr: Приложио је руку на груби камен, када је осетио да је један камен лабав.En: He placed a hand on the rough stone when he felt that one stone was loose.Sr: Одмах је заборавио на посетиоце и, пажљиво ослањајући се око, повукао камен.En: He immediately forgot about the visitors and, carefully leaning around, pulled out the stone.Sr: Иза њега, открила се стара mapa.En: Behind it, an old map was revealed.Sr: Његов ум одмах је почео да снује, замишљајући шта би све карта могла открити.En: His mind immediately began to wander, imagining what the map could reveal.Sr: Али карта је била непотпуна.En: But the map was incomplete.Sr: Уједно је приметио да неки делови недостају, а неки знакови нису били читљиви.En: At the same time, he noticed that some parts were missing, and some signs were not legible.Sr: Милан је знао једну особу којој је могао веровати - Весну, колегиницу и стручњакињу за локалне мистерије.En: Milan knew one person he could trust - Vesna, a colleague and expert on local mysteries.Sr: Весна је била исто толико узбуђена када је видела карту.En: Vesna was just as excited when she saw the map.Sr: „Потребно нам је више информација,“ рекла је, загледана у збуњујући цртеж.En: "We need more information," she said, staring at the puzzling drawing.Sr: Одлучили су да раде заједно, али нису знали да нису сами на овом путу.En: They decided to work together, but they didn't know they weren't alone on this journey.Sr: Даница, њихова друга колегиница, како се испоставило, пажљиво их је пратила.En: Danica, their other colleague, as it turned out, had been carefully following them.Sr: „Мислили сте да ће вас само двоје решити ову загонетку?“ питала је, изненађујући их док су проучавали карту.En: “Did you think the two of you would solve this puzzle on your own?” she asked, surprising them while they studied the map.Sr: На почетку, било је тензија.En: Initially, there were tensions.Sr: Свако је имао своје скривене мотиве, али ушли су у конструктиван разговор.En: Everyone had their own hidden motives, but they entered into constructive conversation.Sr: Испоставило се да и она има информације које допуњавају недостајуће делове.En: It turned out that she also had information that complemented the missing pieces.Sr: На крају, Милан, Весна и Даница су одлучили да заједно истраже мистерију.En: In the end, Milan, Vesna, and Danica decided to explore the mystery together.Sr: Комбинујући своје комадиће, успели су да разумеју карту.En: By combining their pieces, they managed to understand the map.Sr: Спознаја да је рад у тиму откључала тајну која би остала скривена да су појединачно радили.En: The realization that teamwork unlocked a secret that would have remained hidden had they worked individually.Sr: Трио је научио вредност сарадње и поверења, и док су сунчеви зраци златили зидине тврђаве, знали су да ће успети у својим потрагама.En: The trio learned the value of collaboration and trust, and as the sun's rays gilded the fortress walls, they knew they would succeed in their quests.Sr: Сада су имали ново пријатељство и заједничко богатство у знању.En: Now they had a new friendship and a shared wealth of knowledge. Vocabulary Words:fortress: тврђаваconfluence: спајањеtimeworn: временом исцртаниbore witness: сведочилиtruth-seeker: истинољубацchestnut: кестенrough: грубиlegible: читљивоexpert: стручњакињаmysteries: мистеријеpuzzling: збуњујућеtensions: тензијеconstructive: конструктиванcomplemented: допуњавајуunlocked: откључалаgilded: златилиblooms: цветалиleaning: ослањајућиrevealed: открилаwander: снујеincomplete: непотпунаcolleague: колегиницаhidden: скривенеmotives: мотивеconversation: разговорrealization: спознајаsun's rays: сунчеви зрациwealth: богатствоknowledge: знањеquests: потраге

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Bridging Gaps: A Journey of Teamwork and Transformation Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-29-07-38-19-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Сунце је грејало високо на небу, обливајући Национални парк Копаоник златном светлошћу касног пролећа.En: The sun was shining high in the sky, bathing Nacionalni park Kopaonik in the golden light of late spring.Sr: Врхови планина пружали су се у недоглед, а стазе кроз густе шуме позивале су посетиоце да истраже њихову лепоту.En: The mountain peaks stretched endlessly, and the trails through dense forests invited visitors to explore their beauty.Sr: Управо је ту, међу дивљим цветовима и зеленила, фирма у којој су радили Весна, Бојан и Немања одлучила да одржи тим-билдинг повлачење.En: It was here among the wildflowers and greenery that the company where Vesna, Bojan, and Nemanja worked decided to hold a team-building retreat.Sr: Весна је ходала напред, уверена и амбициозна.En: Vesna walked confidently ahead, ambitious and self-assured.Sr: Као тим лидер, желела је да покаже своје лидерске вештине и унапреди кохезију у свом тиму.En: As the team leader, she wanted to showcase her leadership skills and enhance cohesion within her team.Sr: Бојан, сањао је о дану када ће његова креативност бити призната и цењена.En: Bojan dreamed of the day when his creativity would be recognized and appreciated.Sr: Немања, пак, није био превише одушевљен читавом идејом.En: Nemanja, however, wasn't too thrilled about the whole idea.Sr: Тражио је лепоту у самоћи природу, а не у корпоративним догађајима.En: He sought beauty in the solitude of nature, not in corporate events.Sr: Док су стајали на почетку једне од стаза, Весна је осмислила изазов за цео тим.En: As they stood at the beginning of one of the trails, Vesna came up with a challenge for the entire team.Sr: „Организоваћемо изазов,“ рекла је с узбуђењем.En: "We'll organize a challenge," she said excitedly.Sr: „Морамо да сарађујемо како бисмо испунили задатке током ове пешачке руте.En: "We have to collaborate to complete the tasks during this hiking route."Sr: “Док су кренули на свој пут кроз густу шуму, питање како ће превазићи разлике лебдело је међу њима.En: As they set off on their journey through the dense forest, the question of how they would overcome their differences lingered among them.Sr: Весна је пажљиво посматрала Бојана и Немању, знајући да није лако мотивисати их.En: Vesna carefully observed Bojan and Nemanja, knowing it wasn't easy to motivate them.Sr: Али њена одлучност је била чврста.En: But her resolve was strong.Sr: Стазе су водиле у све изазовније терене.En: The trails led to increasingly challenging terrains.Sr: Убрзо, док су прелазили стрмоглаву планинску ћуприју, Бојан и Немања нашли су се сами напред, далеко од групе.En: Soon, as they crossed a steep mountain bridge, Bojan and Nemanja found themselves alone up front, far from the group.Sr: Невоља је настала када је Немања затетурао на камену.En: Trouble arose when Nemanja stumbled on a rock.Sr: Бојан га је брзо ухватио, читава ситуација се одиграла у трен ока.En: Bojan quickly caught him, the whole situation unfolding in the blink of an eye.Sr: "Хвала," почео је Немања, схватајући колико важна може бити подршка колеге.En: "Thanks," began Nemanja, realizing how important a colleague's support could be.Sr: Тим је наставио пешачење, а атмосфера се знатно променила.En: The team continued hiking, and the atmosphere significantly changed.Sr: Убрзо су Бојан и Немања почели да размењују идеје и планове, откривајући да су заправо имали много тога заједничког.En: Soon, Bojan and Nemanja started exchanging ideas and plans, discovering they actually had a lot in common.Sr: Бојанове креативне идеје почеле су да привлаче пажњу, а Немања је полако прихватао вредност тимског рада.En: Bojan's creative ideas began to attract attention, and Nemanja gradually accepted the value of teamwork.Sr: Када су се вратили у камп, осећај једности био је опипљив.En: When they returned to the camp, the feeling of unity was palpable.Sr: Весна је осећала понос и захвалност.En: Vesna felt pride and gratitude.Sr: Постигла је свој циљ, тим је био кохезован и спреман.En: She had achieved her goal; the team was cohesive and ready.Sr: Бојан је осећао да је његов допринос признат, а Немања је више није гледао на тимске активности са скепсом.En: Bojan felt that his contribution was recognized, and Nemanja no longer looked at team activities with skepticism.Sr: Касно поподне, када им је сунце већ одмахивало својом топлином, тим је гледао како се сунце спушта иза планина.En: Late in the afternoon, as the sun was already waving goodbye with its warmth, the team watched the sun set behind the mountains.Sr: Весна је знала да је овај излет био прекретница за све њих.En: Vesna knew this trip had been a turning point for all of them.Sr: Осетила се као прави вођа, Бојан је нашао своје место, а Немања је научио вредност заједничког труда.En: She felt like a true leader, Bojan had found his place, and Nemanja had learned the value of collective effort.Sr: Компанија је била спремна за нове, спојијене кораке.En: The company was ready for new, unified steps. Vocabulary Words:shining: грејалоbathing: обливајућиendlessly: у недогледexplore: истражеself-assured: уверенаshowcase: покажеenhance: унапредитиcohesion: когхезијуcreativity: креативностsolitude: самоћиcorporate: корпоративнимlingered: лебделоmotivate: мотивисатиresolve: одлучностterrains: теренеsteep: стрмоглавуstumbled: затетураоcolleague: колегеpalpable: опипљивgratitude: захвалностscepticism: скепсомunity: једностиembraced: прихватаоcollective: заједничкогunity: спојијенеpeaks: врховиdense: густеwildflowers: дивљим цветовимаretreat: повлачењеcontribution: допринос

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Nature's Lesson: A Camping Experience That Changed Everything Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-29-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Путем кроз густе шуме и поред бистрих река Националног парка Тара, мирис свежине лета је било свуда око њих.En: Traveling through the dense forests and beside the clear rivers of National Park Tara, the fresh scent of summer was all around them.Sr: Милан, строг али правичан човек, трновит кроз стотине изазова природе, водио је своју породицу на камповање.En: Milan, a strict but fair man who had navigated hundreds of nature's challenges, was leading his family on a camping trip.Sr: Његова чврста уверења о животу у природи била су јасна.En: His strong beliefs about life in nature were clear.Sr: Уз њега је била његова ћерка Сања, тинејџерка жедна независности и изражавања својих жеља, и његова сестра Весна, увек ту да умири напетости.En: Alongside him was his daughter Sanja, a teenager thirsty for independence and expressing her desires, and his sister Vesna, always there to ease tensions.Sr: "Сања, кад се пењемо, гледај где стајеш и ослушкуј!", рекао је Милан док је прегледао стазу.En: "Sanja, when we're climbing, watch where you step and listen!" said Milan as he surveyed the trail.Sr: Сања је климнула главом, зрачећи младалачким самопоуздањем, али и зебњом.En: Sanja nodded confidently, her youthful self-assurance evident, but also with a hint of anxiety.Sr: У њеним очима, очева чврста правила понекад су била као окови.En: In her eyes, her father's strict rules sometimes felt like shackles.Sr: У дубини своје душе жељела је речити о другом путу који би желела да следи.En: Deep down, she wanted to speak of another path she wished to follow.Sr: "Тата, можда..." почела је Сања, али је погледала Весну, која је пажљиво слушала.En: "Dad, maybe..." Sanja began, but looked at Vesna, who was listening intently.Sr: "Можда бих волела да пробам нешто друго. Можда уметност, или писање...".En: "Maybe I'd like to try something else. Perhaps art, or writing..."Sr: Милан је погледао изненађено, али пре него што је проговорио, Весна је преузела реч.En: Milan looked surprised, but before he could speak, Vesna intervened.Sr: "Милане, знаш колико је важно да слушамо шта Сања стварно жели", рекла је Весна, њен глас миран као јутро у тихој шуми.En: "Milane, you know how important it is to listen to what Sanja really wants," said Vesna, her voice calm like a morning in a quiet forest.Sr: Док су настављали шетњу, Сања је имала прилику да покаже своје способности.En: As they continued their walk, Sanja had the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities.Sr: Одједном, тишину је прекинуо врисак.En: Suddenly, the silence was broken by a scream.Sr: Сања је, брза као олуја, притрчала до извора звука и угледала повређеног туристу.En: Sanja, swift as a storm, ran towards the source of the sound and saw an injured tourist.Sr: Брзо је употребила знање из прве помоћи које је савладала на часовима у школи, умирујући човека и помажући му док није стигла помоћ.En: She quickly used the first aid knowledge she had learned in school, calming the person and helping until assistance arrived.Sr: Милан је био шокиран и поносан. "Сања, то је била храброст! Знао сам да имаш у себи снагу.", рекао је тихо, кад су се вратили до свог кампа.En: Milan was shocked and proud. "Sanja, that was bravery! I knew you had strength within you," he said quietly when they returned to their camp.Sr: Тог вечера, седели су око ватре, док је Весна започињала дискусију.En: That evening, they sat around the fire while Vesna started a discussion.Sr: Сања је искористила прилику да каже све оно што је желела.En: Sanja took the opportunity to say everything she had wanted.Sr: Милан, први пут, слушао је отвореним срцем.En: Milan, for the first time, listened with an open heart.Sr: "Сања, ако желиш да пратиш своје снове, добро је. Важно је да будеш своја", рекао је.En: "Sanja, if you want to follow your dreams, that's good. It's important to be yourself," he said.Sr: У том тренутку, над реком се појавио тихи мир.En: In that moment, over the river, a silent peace emerged.Sr: Светлост ватре бацала је топлину на њихова лица док је Милан разумевао и прихватао нову перспективу.En: The fire's light cast warmth on their faces as Milan understood and embraced a new perspective.Sr: Сања је осетила како се зона околине променила.En: Sanja felt how the atmosphere around them shifted.Sr: Њен отац, чврст као стена у почетку, сада је показао флексибилност као река која мења свој ток.En: Her father, initially firm as a rock, now showed flexibility like a river changing its course.Sr: Као што влада у природи равнотежа, тако је и у њима пронађена нова хармонија.En: Just as nature maintains balance, so too had they found a new harmony within themselves.Sr: Живот на Тари је научио Милана и Сању лекцију, коју ће понети кући кад се сутра врате.En: Life in Tara taught Milan and Sanja a lesson that they would carry home when they returned tomorrow.Sr: Научили су шта значи стварно разумети и подржати једни друге.En: They truly learned what it means to understand and support each other. Vocabulary Words:dense: густеscent: мирисnavigate: трновитtensions: напетостиsurveyed: прегледаоanxiety: зебњомshackles: оковиopportunity: приликуswift: брзаinjured: повређеногbravery: храбростdemonstrate: покажеdiscussion: дискусијуself-assurance: самопоуздањемlisten intently: пажљиво слушалаembrace: прихваталаperspective: перспективуharmony: хармонијуindependence: независностиease: умириintervened: преузелаcalm: миранcapabilities: способностиscream: врисакsilence: тишинуknowledge: знањеfirst aid: прве помоћиyouthful: младалачкимflexibility: флексибилностnature's challenges: изазова природе

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Discovering Hidden Histories: Vesna's Kalemegdan Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-27-22-34-02-sr Story Transcript:Sr: На врху Београда, где се састају Сава и Дунав, лежи Калемегданска тврђава.En: At the top of Beograd where the Sava and Dunav meet lies the Kalemegdan fortress.Sr: Мора, травнате површине и антички зидови чине ово место идеалним за Веснино откриће.En: The sea, grassy areas, and ancient walls make this place ideal for Vesna's discovery.Sr: Весна, млада и замишљена, тражи савршен поклон за свог најбољег пријатеља Милоша.En: Vesna, young and introspective, is searching for the perfect gift for her best friend Miloš.Sr: Њен циљ је да пронађе нешто што оличава Милошево интересовање за историју.En: Her goal is to find something that embodies Miloš's interest in history.Sr: Јована, Веснина рођака, шета поред ње.En: Jovana, Vesna's cousin, walks beside her.Sr: Она је практична, увек рационална, док Весна нагиње романтици и идеалима.En: She is practical, always rational, while Vesna leans towards romance and ideals.Sr: Док су пролазиле поред низа малих радњи, Весна угледа знак на којем пише „Радозналости и Реликвије“.En: As they passed a row of small shops, Vesna spotted a sign that read "Radoznalosti i Relikvije".Sr: "Да ли да уђемо у тај радњи?En: "Should we go into that shop?"Sr: " упита Весна сумњичаво.En: Vesna asked doubtfully.Sr: "Наравно, где има места за реликвије, ту има и чудних открића", одговори Јована уз осмех.En: "Of course, where there are relics, there are also strange discoveries," Jovana replied with a smile.Sr: У унутрашњости радње, полице су биле испуњене старим књигама, статуама и тајанственим предметима.En: Inside the shop, the shelves were filled with old books, statues, and mysterious items.Sr: Међу њима, Весна угледа стару мапу.En: Among them, Vesna spotted an old map.Sr: Трепнула је, верујући да је то потпуно исто оно што је тражила — мапа која приказује неистражена места Калемегданске тврђаве.En: She blinked, believing it was exactly what she had been looking for—a map depicting unexplored places of the Kalemegdan fortress.Sr: "Погледај ово, Јована!En: "Look at this, Jovana!Sr: Ово је савршено за Милоша.En: This is perfect for Miloš.Sr: Он обожава мапе и историју!En: He loves maps and history!"Sr: ", рекла је Весна узбуђено.En: Vesna said excitedly.Sr: Јована је погледала мапу.En: Jovana looked at the map.Sr: "Да ли си сигурна?En: "Are you sure?Sr: Можда је само стари папир", рекла је, али је била импресионирана Весниним ентузијазмом.En: It might just be an old piece of paper," she said, but was impressed by Vesna's enthusiasm.Sr: Весна је одлучна.En: Vesna was determined.Sr: Купила је мапу и однела је Милошу као рођендански поклон.En: She bought the map and gave it to Miloš as a birthday gift.Sr: Када му је предала поклон, Милош је био одушевљен.En: When she handed over the gift, Miloš was thrilled.Sr: "Ово је невероватно!En: "This is amazing!Sr: Морамо да истражимо заједно!En: We have to explore together!"Sr: ", узвикнуо је.En: he exclaimed.Sr: Планирали су путовање, заједничко истраживање мапе и тврђаве.En: They planned a trip, a joint exploration of the map and the fortress.Sr: Њихово пријатељство је постало јаче, а Весна је научила да верује својој интуицији.En: Their friendship grew stronger, and Vesna learned to trust her intuition.Sr: Чак је и Јована почела да цени Веснину способност да споји осећајност и практичност.En: Even Jovana began to appreciate Vesna's ability to combine sensitivity and practicality.Sr: Весна је, у сенци древних зидина Калемегдана, нашла не само поклон већ и авантуру за свој најбољи друг Милоша.En: In the shadow of the ancient walls of Kalemegdan, Vesna found not only a gift but also an adventure for her best friend Miloš.Sr: У пролећном дану, тамо где се сусрећу град и река, Весна је осетила како се њена визија, поред практичних савета Јоване, претвара у стварност.En: On a spring day, where the city and the river meet, Vesna felt her vision, alongside Jovana's practical advice, turning into reality.Sr: Тако су старе тајне, нове авантуре и чврста пријатељства поново оживели.En: Thus, old secrets, new adventures, and strong friendships came to life again. Vocabulary Words:fortress: тврђаваintrospective: замишљенаembodies: оличаваpractical: практичнаrational: рационалнаrow: низrelics: реликвијеmysterious: тајанственимdepicting: приказујеunexplored: неистраженаenthusiasm: ентузијазмомdetermined: одлучнаthrilled: одушевљенexplore: истражимоintuition: интуицијиsensitivity: осећајностpracticality: практичностshadow: сенциvision: визијasecrets: тајнеadventure: авантураspring: пролећномdiscoveries: открићаancient: древнихsuspicion: сумњичавоtogether: заједноhighlight: истичеblinking: трепнулаgift: поклонconvey: претвара

What is the Buddhist perspective on boundaries? In Buddhism, we're encouraged to cherishing others more and deepen our compassion. Some may wonder if there is a contradiction between these heart-opening practices and having healthy boundaries, a more modern Western concept. But here is the truth: even the Buddha set boundaries. In the texts, the Buddha frequently chose who to engage with, when to enter noble silence, and how to protect himself so he could serve the world effectively. In fact, true compassion requires boundaries. Sometimes the kindest thing to do for another is to set a strong boundary. In this episode, JoAnn Fox explores the concept of boundaries through a Buddhist lens. We look at how creating a boundary isn't an act of anger or separation; it's an act of wise compassion for ourselves and others. According to the American Psychological Association, healthy boundaries are not "walls" to keep people out, but rather "gates" that allow you to manage your energy and safety. Buddhism offers perspectives to help us find the sweet spot between "porous" boundaries that leave us depleted, and "rigid" boundaries that keep us isolated or limit our growth. " All the happiness in the world arises from wishing others to be happy All the suffering in the world arises from wishing ourselves (alone) to be happy." —Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life   Shantideva (1997). A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. Translated by Vesna and B. Alan Wallace. Shambala Publications.    Find us at the links below:  Our Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/BuddhismForEveryone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone Private Facebook Group:: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/ Website: Buddhismforeveryone.com Instagram: @buddhism4everyone X: @Joannfox77 TikTok: @buddhism4everyone YouTube: @Buddhism4Everyone To learn more about the new Wednesday evening drop-in classes on Zoom, visit https://buddhismforeveryone.com/meditation-classes-for-peace Interested in an online Study Program, visit https://buddhismforeveryone.com/ongoing-buddhist-study-program To learn about Buddhist Coaching with JoAnn Fox visit www.BuddhismforEveryone.com or email JoAnn Fox at joann@buddhismforeveryone.com

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: A Gift of Emotion: Miloš' Transformative Market Journey Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-25-07-38-19-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Топло пролећно сунце обасјавало је Калемегдански парк у Београду.En: The warm spring sun shone over Kalemegdan Park in Belgrade.Sr: Разнобојне шатре поп-уп тржнице махале су на поветарцу као веселе заставе.En: The colorful tents of the pop-up market waved in the breeze like cheerful flags.Sr: У самом срцу тог света сувенира, Милоš је корачао полако, размишљајући дубоко.En: In the very heart of this world of souvenirs, Miloš walked slowly, thinking deeply.Sr: Понекад је превише размишљао, а данас је био један од тих дана.En: Sometimes he thought too much, and today was one of those days.Sr: Носио је тајну—желуо је да купи савршен поклон за Весну, девојку коју је потајно обожавао.En: He carried a secret—he wanted to buy the perfect gift for Vesna, the girl he secretly admired.Sr: Весеље је било у ваздуху.En: Joy was in the air.Sr: Шетали су ту и остали, посетиоци парка, с пријатељима и породицом, гледајући рукотворине.En: Others strolled there as well, park visitors, with friends and family, looking at the handcrafted items.Sr: Милоš је застао код једне тезге.En: Miloš stopped by one stall.Sr: Накит, дрворез, керамика, све је било ту, лепо распоређено и шарено.En: Jewelry, wood carvings, ceramics—everything was there, beautifully arranged and colorful.Sr: Али, како да изабере оно праву ствар?En: But how to choose the right thing?Sr: Са стране је посматрао друге купце.En: He watched other customers from the side.Sr: Јелена се смејала док је испробавала традиционалне огрлице.En: Jelena laughed while trying on traditional necklaces.Sr: Милош је пажљиво слушао њене речи: "То је нешто посебно, има сјај који прича причу.En: Miloš carefully listened to her words: "It's something special, it has a shine that tells a story."Sr: " Почео је да разуме који поклони носе вредност емоције и приче.En: He began to understand which gifts carried the value of emotion and story.Sr: Док је шетао даље, на једној малој тезги спазио је наруквицу ручног рада.En: As he walked further, he spotted a hand-made bracelet at a small stall.Sr: Симболизовала је древно словенско дрво живота и подсетила га на разговор који је једном водио са Весном о старим легендама.En: It symbolized the ancient Slavic Tree of Life and reminded him of a conversation he once had with Vesna about old legends.Sr: Срце му је брже куцало, знао је да је пронашао оно што је тражио.En: His heart beat faster; he knew he had found what he was looking for.Sr: Са осмехом је пришао продавцу и купио наруквицу.En: With a smile, he approached the vendor and bought the bracelet.Sr: Осећао се спокојно и одлучно.En: He felt calm and determined.Sr: Док је излазио из тржнице, у глави му је био само један сценарио, како ће поклонити наруквицу Весни и видети њен осмех.En: As he left the market, there was only one scenario in his mind, how he would give the bracelet to Vesna and see her smile.Sr: Милош се променио тог дана у Калемегдану.En: Miloš changed that day at Kalemegdan.Sr: Постао је сигурнији у своје одлуке.En: He became more confident in his decisions.Sr: Схватио је да срце понекад боље зна од разума.En: He realized that sometimes the heart knows better than the mind.Sr: Са наруквицом скривеном у џепу, кренуо је кући, срећан и пун оптимизма.En: With the bracelet hidden in his pocket, he headed home, happy and full of optimism.Sr: Његово чекање је можда било готово, али његова прича са Весном тек почиње.En: His waiting might have been over, but his story with Vesna was just beginning. Vocabulary Words:shone: обасјавалоbreeze: поветарацsouvenirs: сувенираadmired: обожаваоvisitors: посетиоциhandcrafted: рукотворинеcarvings: дрворезdetermined: одлучноconfidence: сигурнијиoptimism: оптимизмаscenario: сценариоempathy: емпатијаastonishment: запањеностbracelet: наруквицаconversation: разговорvendor: продавацnecklaces: огрлицеshine: сјајlegends: легендамаheart: срцеdetermined: одлучноcalm: спокојноmarket: тржницаqueue: редadventure: авантураhidden: скривенаcheerful: веселеsymbolized: симболизовалаtraditional: традиционалнеpurchase: куповина

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Cherry Blossoms and Coffee: A Tale of Trust and Discovery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-25-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Пролећно поподне обасјало је мали кафић у Новом Саду, смештен уз обалу Дунава.En: A spring afternoon lit up the small cafe in Novi Sad, situated by the banks of the Danube.Sr: Топао мирис цвећа помешао се са аромом свеже скуване кафе.En: The warm scent of flowers mixed with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.Sr: За једним од дрвених столова, Милан и Весна седели су у сенци цветајуће трешње.En: At one of the wooden tables, Milan and Vesna sat in the shade of a blooming cherry tree.Sr: Милан, брижљиви лекар, и Весна, одважна девојка авантуристичког духа, нашли су се у необичној ситуацији.En: Milan, a meticulous doctor, and Vesna, a bold girl with an adventurous spirit, found themselves in an unusual situation.Sr: "Милан, погледај ово," прошаптала је Весна, показујући му црвенкаст осип на руци који је изазивао немир у њој.En: "Milan, look at this," Vesna whispered, showing him a reddish rash on her arm that was causing her concern.Sr: Милан је са пажњом загледао њену руку, потискујући властите бриге како би јој био од помоћи.En: Milan examined her arm carefully, suppressing his own worries to be able to help her.Sr: И њему је било тешко, јер није могао да изврши детаљан преглед без својих алата.En: It was difficult for him too, as he could not perform a detailed examination without his tools.Sr: Док је Весна све више била забринута, Милан је полако извадио телефон и почео да прегледа медицинске ресурсе на интернету.En: As Vesna grew increasingly concerned, Milan slowly took out his phone and started browsing medical resources online.Sr: Тада му је, као из ведра неба, пала на памет слична ситуација коју је видео на клиници.En: Then, as if out of the blue, a similar situation he had seen at the clinic came to his mind.Sr: "Сећам се сличног случаја," рекао је, уверено.En: "I remember a similar case," he said, confidently.Sr: "Мислим да је у питању нешто безазлено, мада бисмо требали да будемо сигурни.En: "I think it's something harmless, although we should be sure."Sr: "Весна је уздахнула с олакшањем.En: Vesna sighed with relief.Sr: "Хвала ти, Милане.En: "Thank you, Milane.Sr: Увек си ту кад ми треба помоћ.En: You're always there when I need help."Sr: " Њено лице се полако осмехнуло, а напетост је почела да се топи.En: Her face slowly broke into a smile, and the tension began to melt away.Sr: Милан јој је предложио да га посети у клиници за детаљнији преглед.En: Milan suggested she visit him at the clinic for a more detailed examination.Sr: Сложила се, али сада је била спремна да ужива у дану.En: She agreed, but now she was ready to enjoy the day.Sr: Заривши се у лаке разговоре, Милан и Весна су уживали у остатку свог времена у кафићу.En: Delving into light conversations, Milan and Vesna enjoyed the rest of their time at the cafe.Sr: Говорили су о путовањима, плановима и догодовштинама.En: They talked about travels, plans, and adventures.Sr: Весна је поново била она живахна жена, готово заборавивши на осип који ју је прво толико бринуо.En: Vesna was once again her lively self, almost forgetting about the rash that initially worried her so much.Sr: Док су завршавали последње капи кафе, обоје су осетили промену у себи.En: As they finished the last drops of their coffee, both felt a change within themselves.Sr: Милан је стекао самопоуздање у својим способностима ван клинике, док је Весна научила да верује онима који је брину, чак и у тешким тренуцима.En: Milan gained confidence in his abilities outside the clinic, while Vesna learned to trust those who care for her, even in tough times.Sr: Кафић је остао иза њих, а дунавски ветар их је пратио на нове авантуре.En: The cafe was left behind them, and the danube wind accompanied them to new adventures. Vocabulary Words:spring: пролећноafternoon: поподнеcafe: кафићsituated: смештенbanks: обалуaroma: аромомblooming: цветајућеmeticulous: брижљивиrash: осипconcern: немирsuppressing: потискујућиexamination: прегледincreasingly: све вишеresources: ресурсеrelief: олакшањемtension: напетостdelving: зарившиtravels: путовањимаadventures: догодовштинамаconfidence: самопоуздањеabilities: способностимаtrust: верујеtough: тешкимaccompanied: пратио

Artist: Morricone (Saint Petersburg, Russia) Name: Vesna [May, 2026] Genre: Electronic Release Date: 22.05.2026 Exclusive: Deep House Moscow Morricone: @andreybabkovsky Instagram: www.instagram.com/andrey_morricone Vk: vk.com/morricone CONTACT (DHM): Email — deephousemoscow@hotmail.com Follow us: www.facebook.com/deephousemsk/ www.instagram.com/deephousemoscow/ vk.com/deephousemsk/

Former pro footballer turned literature major and outstanding filmmaker, director Rostislav Kirpičenko brings brutal authenticity to his feature film debut, VESNA (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.The film follows a Ukrainian priest who sees his church turned into a morgue in a Russian-occupied city, and he depicts Russians in a way we hardly ever see on screen but is an accurate telling based on dispatches from occupied areas of Ukraine.He brings a humanity to a conflict that desperate for any sense of warmth, and it is an important -- but difficult -- watch.In this episode, Rostislav and I talk about:how the film portrays the unseen world of occupied Ukraine;his amazing background that takes him from Eastern Europe to pro football to filmmaker;a particular scene in which he wrote a Russian commander as sober and sneering at soldiers committing war crimes;casting for a military film;what's next for him.Rostislav's Indie Filmmaker Highlight:Links:Follow Rostislav On InstagramVESNA (2026) at the Cannes Film Festival

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Finding Perfection: A Spontaneous Love Story at Kalemegdan Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-20-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Весна је дисала дубоко, упијајући мирис процвалих јоргована који су испуњавали ваздух Калемегдана.En: Vesna took a deep breath, absorbing the scent of blooming lilacs that filled the air of Kalemegdan.Sr: Пролећни ветар је тихо миловао њено лице.En: The spring breeze gently caressed her face.Sr: Сунчеви зраци су се пробијали кроз густе крошње дрвећа док је корачала стазом ка месту где је Стеван чекао.En: Sunlight filtered through the thick tree canopies as she walked down the path to where Stevan was waiting.Sr: С њом је био Марко, увек са осмехом, спреман да помогне и разбије тегобу.En: With her was Marko, always with a smile, ready to help and dispel any worries.Sr: „Мораш бити опуштена, Весна,“ рече Марко, пратц́и је очима.En: "You have to be relaxed, Vesna," said Marko, following her with his eyes.Sr: „Знаш да Стеван није човек великих очекивања. Види како је лепо око нас.“En: "You know that Stevan is not a man of great expectations. See how beautiful it is around us."Sr: „Јесте, али желим да све буде савршено... ово је наш први састанак,“ одговори Весна, вртећи прамен косе кроз прсте.En: "Yes, but I want everything to be perfect... this is our first date," replied Vesna, twirling a lock of hair through her fingers.Sr: Ватромет боја и звукова је окруживао парк.En: A fireworks of colors and sounds surrounded the park.Sr: Деца су се смејала, музика је допирала са неког далеко сакривеног радија, а Весна је осећала како јој срце добује у грудима.En: Children were laughing, music was coming from some hidden radio far away, and Vesna felt her heart beating in her chest.Sr: Зауставили су се пред малом продавницом смештеном дуж пута који води ка тврђави.En: They stopped in front of a small store located along the road leading to the fortress.Sr: Весна је загризла усну, гледајући дуж полица препуних свега - од свежих крушака до разнобојних салама.En: Vesna bit her lip, looking at the shelves full of everything - from fresh pears to colorful sausages.Sr: „Шта мислиш, Марко? Шта ако не изаберем шта Стеван воли?“En: "What do you think, Marko? What if I don't choose what Stevan likes?"Sr: „Весна, узми оно што и ти волиш. Помисли на удобност пикника, не на савршенство,“ храбро је саветовао Марко, подижући флашу сок од јабуке.En: "Vesna, take what you also like. Think about the comfort of the picnic, not perfection," Marko bravely advised, lifting up a bottle of apple juice.Sr: „Замисли, ти, Стеван и овај сок под дрветом. Зар то није чаробно?“En: "Imagine you, Stevan, and this juice under the tree. Isn't that magical?"Sr: Док су пажљиво бирали, небо је почело да се мрачи.En: As they carefully chose, the sky began to darken.Sr: Први тамни облаци су се прикрадали, а свежина у ваздуху најављивала је могућност кише.En: The first dark clouds were sneaking in, and the coolness in the air heralded the possibility of rain.Sr: Весна је застала, гледајући према хоризонту.En: Vesna paused, looking toward the horizon.Sr: Да ли да наставе са куповином или ризикују повратак?En: Should they continue shopping or risk going back?Sr: Срце јој је говорило да настави, а мозак је вапио за разумом.En: Her heart told her to continue, while her brain cried out for reason.Sr: „Стеване, где је кокицо?“ упитао је изненада Марко, скрећући пажњу са мрака.En: "Stevan, where's the popcorn?" Marko suddenly asked, redirecting attention from the darkness.Sr: Обојица су се гласно смејали, једноставна и непосредна радост прекинула је веснине бриге.En: Both of them laughed loudly, simple and immediate joy interrupted Vesna's worries.Sr: Погледала је ка Стевану и видела његов осмех.En: She looked over at Stevan and saw his smile.Sr: У том тренутку, знала је шта треба учинити.En: At that moment, she knew what to do.Sr: „Марко, мислим да ћемо ипак урадити мини-пикник у киоску,“ најавила је, одлучност јој је сјајила у очима.En: "Marko, I think we'll just have a mini-picnic at the kiosk," she announced, determination shining in her eyes.Sr: Док се облаци упорно надвијали, весна је увукла Стевана и Марка у мали надстрешени павиљон, где су раширили ћебе и делили свеже купљене грицкалице.En: As the clouds relentlessly loomed, she pulled Stevan and Marko into a small sheltered pavilion, where they spread out a blanket and shared the freshly bought snacks.Sr: Били су склони од досадне кише, али давали су себе једни другима и новом искуству.En: They were sheltered from the bothersome rain, but gave themselves to each other and the new experience.Sr: Весна је осетила топлину Стеванове руке преко својих.En: Vesna felt the warmth of Stevan's hand over hers.Sr: „Ово је савршено,“ прошаптао је.En: "This is perfect," he whispered.Sr: „Савршено, јер си ти ту.“En: "Perfect, because you're here."Sr: У том моменту, Весна је схватила да је све истинско у том тренутку био њих двоје, смех и љубав.En: In that moment, Vesna realized that everything real in that moment was the two of them, laughter, and love.Sr: Неки пут, савршено је у спонтаности, а не у идеално испланираним тренуцима.En: Sometimes, perfection is in spontaneity, not in ideally planned moments.Sr: Савежни, наставили су да уживају, занемарујући влагу коју су облаци донијели.En: United, they continued to enjoy, ignoring the dampness brought by the clouds. Vocabulary Words:absorbing: упијајућиlilacs: јоргованаcaressed: миловаоcanopies: крошњеdispel: разбијеfireworks: ватрометshelves: полицаperfection: савршенствоheralded: најављивалаreason: разумомspontaneity: спонтаностиsnacks: грицкалицеsheltered: склониloomed: надвијалиdetermination: одлучностunited: савежниbreeze: ветарfreshness: свежинаrelaxed: опуштенаexpectations: очекивањаsparkling: сјајилаbliss: радостradiant: сијајућиfortitude: храбростpavilion: павиљонkissed: милијеinterrupted: прекинулаeffervescence: бурноserenity: мирноћаgleamed: светлуцале

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Unleashing Innovation: A Triumph at the Tesla Museum Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-05-08-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Пролеће је било у пуном замаху у Београду.En: Spring was in full swing in Belgrade.Sr: У Никола Тесла Музеју, посебна изложба о достигнућима овог великана у одрживој технологији окупила је многе љубопитљиве посетиоце.En: At the Nikola Tesla Museum, a special exhibition on the achievements of this giant in sustainable technology attracted many curious visitors.Sr: Увек је било узбудљиво ући у свет Николе Тесле, али овај пут је нешто посебно било у ваздуху.En: It was always exciting to enter Nikola Tesla's world, but this time, something special was in the air.Sr: Нарочито за једног младог инжењера, Милоша.En: Especially for a young engineer, Miloš.Sr: Милош је стајао на улазу у музеј.En: Miloš stood at the entrance of the museum.Sr: Његова срца било је испуњено мешавином стрепње и наде.En: His heart was filled with a mix of trepidation and hope.Sr: Посматрао је људе како шетају окружени интерактивним дисплејима и историјским артефактима, дивећи се постигнућима Тесле и савремених технологија.En: He watched people walk around, surrounded by interactive displays and historical artifacts, admiring the achievements of Tesla and modern technologies.Sr: Данас је био Дан победе, 9. мај.En: Today was Victory Day, May 9th.Sr: Савршена прилика да се слави напредак.En: A perfect opportunity to celebrate progress.Sr: "Можеш ти то, Милоше," рекла је Весна, његова пријатељица која је радила у ПР тиму музеја.En: "You can do it, Miloš," said Vesna, his friend who worked in the PR team of the museum.Sr: Њена енергија је била заразна.En: Her energy was infectious.Sr: "Ово је твоја шанса да се докажеш."En: "This is your chance to prove yourself."Sr: Милош је климнуо главом, иако у њему још увек није било довољно самопоуздања.En: Miloš nodded, although he still didn't have enough confidence.Sr: Његова идеја о обновљивој енергији могла би донети многе промене.En: His idea about renewable energy could bring about many changes.Sr: Али у њему је још увек била сумња, посебно због једног човека — Дражена.En: But doubt still lingered within him, especially because of one man—Dražen.Sr: Дражен је био успешан и надмен иноватор, са репутацијом коју је градио на провоцирању других.En: Dražen was a successful and arrogant innovator, with a reputation built on provoking others.Sr: Милош је знао да ће се Дражен појавити.En: Miloš knew that Dražen would appear.Sr: Можда ће га чак исмевати.En: He might even mock him.Sr: Али Весна је била уз њега, и то му је давало храброст.En: But Vesna was by his side, and that gave him courage.Sr: Пришао је бинској платформи.En: He approached the stage.Sr: Публика је била нестрпљива.En: The audience was impatient.Sr: Милош је дубоко удахнуо и почео да излаже свој концепт.En: Miloš took a deep breath and began to present his concept.Sr: Његова визија о будућности била је јасна и конкретна.En: His vision for the future was clear and concrete.Sr: Чак и када је Дражен устао да га оспори, Милош је остао скупљен.En: Even when Dražen stood up to challenge him, Miloš remained composed.Sr: Ласерски фокусиран, одговарао је на сва питања и примедбе са сигурношћу коју није знао да има у себи.En: Laser-focused, he answered all the questions and objections with a confidence he didn't know he had within him.Sr: Кад је завршио, публика је поздравила његов труд аплаузом.En: When he finished, the audience applauded his effort.Sr: Весна је била прва која му је пришла и честитала.En: Vesna was the first to approach and congratulate him.Sr: "Знала сам да можеш," рекла је сјајним очима.En: "I knew you could do it," she said with shining eyes.Sr: Спремни су били не само да подрже, већ и да обезбеде средства за Милошев пројекат.En: They were ready not only to support but also to provide funding for Miloš's project.Sr: Ово је био његов први корак ка новим висинама.En: This was his first step towards new heights.Sr: Док је излазио из музеја тог пролећног дана, Милош је осетио промену.En: As he left the museum that spring day, Miloš felt a change.Sr: Његова сумња је нестала, замењена новим осећајем снаге и одлучности.En: His doubt had disappeared, replaced by a new sense of strength and determination.Sr: Научио је да верује у себе и своје идеје и препознао важност подршке коју добија од правих пријатеља.En: He learned to believe in himself and his ideas and recognized the importance of the support he received from true friends.Sr: Изложба се наставила, а Милош је знао да је његов пут тек почео.En: The exhibition continued, and Miloš knew his journey had just begun.Sr: Снови су постали стварност и дани пуни могућности су тек долазили.En: Dreams had become reality, and days full of possibilities were yet to come. Vocabulary Words:swing: замахуexhibition: изложбаgiant: великанаsustainable: одрживојcurious: љубопитљивеtrepidation: стрепњеartifacts: артефактимаrenewable: обновљивојlinger: биоarrogant: надменreputation: репутацијомprovoking: провоцирањуmock: исмеватиstage: платформуimpatient: нестрпљиваvision: визијаconcrete: конкретнаchallenge: оспориcomposed: скупљенlaser-focused: ласерски фокусиранapplauded: поздравилаcongratulate: честиталаfunding: средстваdetermination: одлучностиstrength: снагеsupport: подршкеpossibilities: могућностиinfectious: заразнаopportunity: приликаconfidence: самопоуздања

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Mystery Cave at Kopaonik: A May Day Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-04-27-07-38-19-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Најпре, у рано пролеће, весело друштво на челу са Весном, Марком и Луком одлучило је да проведе Први мај на Копаонику.En: First, in early spring, a cheerful group led by Vesna, Marko, and Luka decided to spend May Day at Kopaonik.Sr: Туристичка сезона у овом престижном скијалишту још увек је трајала, и планине су имале остатке снега на врху, док се ниже доле све уже зеленило будило.En: The tourist season in this prestigious ski resort was still ongoing, and the mountains had remnants of snow at the top, while lower down, the greenery was awakening.Sr: Ваздух је био свеж, а погледи незаборавни.En: The air was fresh, and the views unforgettable.Sr: Троје пријатеља одлучило је да крене у шетњу како би уживало у прелепом пејзажу и природи.En: The three friends decided to go for a walk to enjoy the beautiful landscape and nature.Sr: Док су шетали кривудавим стазама, Весна је, као и увек, водила пут.En: As they walked along winding paths, Vesna, as always, led the way.Sr: Њена радозналост и авантуристички дух нису могли пропустити ниједан изазов.En: Her curiosity and adventurous spirit couldn't miss any challenge.Sr: Лука је лагано следио, уживајући у мирним тренуцима природе, док је Марко, са својим опрезним ставом, непрестано погледавао у мапу.En: Luka followed leisurely, enjoying the peaceful moments of nature, while Marko, with his cautious approach, kept glancing at the map.Sr: Док су се спуштали низ брдо, дошли су до неочекиваног открића - скривене пећине коју нису нашли на својој мапи.En: As they descended the hill, they came upon an unexpected discovery - a hidden cave that wasn't marked on their map.Sr: Весна се одмах занела.En: Vesna was immediately captivated.Sr: "Морамо ући!En: "We must go in!Sr: Можда је ово нешто историјско или значајно!En: Maybe this is something historical or significant!"Sr: " узвикнула је узбуђено.En: she exclaimed excitedly.Sr: Марко је, с друге стране, био скептичан.En: Marko, on the other hand, was skeptical.Sr: "Не знамо шта је унутра.En: "We don't know what's inside.Sr: Може бити опасно," одговорио је, са забринутошћу у гласу.En: It could be dangerous," he responded, with concern in his voice.Sr: Док су се расправљали, Лука је покушавао да успостави равнотежу између њих двоје.En: As they were arguing, Luka tried to establish a balance between them.Sr: "Зашто не бисмо прво разгледали споља и проценили ситуацију?En: "Why don't we first examine it from the outside and assess the situation?"Sr: " предложио је мирно.En: he suggested calmly.Sr: Након што је Весна мудро размотрила Лукину идеју, одлучила је, ипак, да уђе.En: After Vesna wisely considered Luka's idea, she decided, nonetheless, to go in.Sr: Успела је да убеди Луку да оде са њом, док је Марко остао напољу, обећавши да ће пазити и бити на опрезу.En: She managed to convince Luka to go with her, while Marko stayed outside, promising to keep watch and be alert.Sr: Унутар пећине, Весна и Лука су открили необичне ознаке на зидовима и неки остатак прошлих времена.En: Inside the cave, Vesna and Luka discovered unusual markings on the walls and some remnants of past times.Sr: Заборављена историја чинила их је одважним и заинтригираним.En: Forgotten history made them feel bold and intrigued.Sr: Међутим, њихов ентузијазам брзо је прекинуло снажно тутњаво звук изнад, што је изазвало страх од могућег урушавања.En: However, their enthusiasm was quickly interrupted by a loud rumbling sound above, causing fear of a possible collapse.Sr: У паници, али одлучни, Весна и Лука успели су да побегну из пећине на време.En: In panic but determined, Vesna and Luka managed to escape from the cave in time.Sr: Чим су изашли, Марко, који је споља чекао нервозан, одахнуо је с олакшањем, али и малим намахом љутње.En: As soon as they emerged, Marko, who was waiting nervously outside, sighed with relief but also with a slight twinge of anger.Sr: Цала ова авантура пробудила је у њима интересовање за историју и изазвала ново узбуђење.En: This whole adventure awoke in them an interest in history and sparked new excitement.Sr: Весна је научила да више цени Маркову бригу за безбедност.En: Vesna learned to appreciate more Marko's concern for safety.Sr: Марко је, са друге стране, донекле разумео чари Весниног авантуристичког духа.En: Marko, on the other hand, somewhat understood the allure of Vesna's adventurous spirit.Sr: Лука је, као увек, остaјаo посредник који је успео да одржи хармонију у групи.En: Luka, as always, remained the mediator who managed to maintain harmony in the group.Sr: Док су се враћали натраг, иако уморни, троје пријатеља су били ближи него икада.En: As they returned back, although tired, the three friends were closer than ever.Sr: Копаоник им је подарио незаборавну пролећну авантуру која их је научила да ценe једни другe и искуства која заједно деле.En: Kopaonik provided them with an unforgettable spring adventure that taught them to appreciate one another and the experiences they share together. Vocabulary Words:cheerful: веселоprestigious: престижноremnants: остаткеawaken: будилоwinding: кривудавимcuriosity: радозналостadventurous: авантуристичкиleisurely: лаганоcautious: опрезнимunexpected: неочекиваноdiscovery: открићаcave: пећинеcaptivated: занелаskeptical: скептичанconcern: забринутостestablish: успоставиexamine: разгледалиassess: проценилиventure: одлучилаconvince: убедиwatch: пазитиremnants: остатакintrigued: заинтригиранимenthusiasm: ентузијазамrumbling: тутњавоcollapse: урушавањаpanic: панициmediator: посредникharmony: хармонијуappreciate: ценити

If we're going to talk about all the music videos from Eurovision 2026, we need another opinionated Eurovision fan in the mix, so we're joined this week by ESC Ben! He's chatting with us from the UK about all our music video faves (and least faves) from the class of 2026. Jeremy has Fuego at home, Dimitry is sick to his stomach at the sight of AI fakery, Ben wants one video to Just Go, and Oscar's choreomaxxing. Find ESC Ben on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsescben Find ESC Ben on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsescben/ Find ESC Ben on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jpyolb536sy4febnqbaw4zzh Watch all the music videos from 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9AdRrA554o&list=PLd2EbKTi9fyVFOasv4LXA7gUf5tq1DaoD&pp=sAgC Vote in the Shadow Bracket every day on our Instagram page! You can listen to the competing songs on Spotify or watch the performances on YouTube. This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4SMdBK4qmAq9g09iXIAVRx Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: A Springtime Gift: A Bracelet Filled with Memories and Love Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-04-19-07-38-19-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Под светлом пролећног сунца, Калемегдан је био живописно место.En: Under the light of the spring sun, Kalemegdan was a picturesque place.Sr: Људи су лагано шетали, уживајући у топлом дану, док је изнад утврђења видик на Београд и спој Саве и Дунава одузимао дах.En: People were strolling leisurely, enjoying the warm day, while the view from above the fortress over Belgrade and the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers was breathtaking.Sr: Шатори разнобојних тенди привлачили су посетиоце, а мирис младих цветова ширио се ваздухом.En: The tents with their colorful canopies attracted visitors, and the scent of young flowers spread through the air.Sr: Никола, млад и замишљен, лагано је корачао кроз тржницу.En: Nikola, young and pensive, was walking slowly through the market.Sr: Празници су били близу, а он је желео да пронађе савршени ускршњи поклон за своју сестру.En: The holidays were near, and he wanted to find the perfect Easter gift for his sister.Sr: Она је била његова најближа породица и заслужила је нешто посебно.En: She was his closest family and deserved something special.Sr: Међутим, свуда су биле ђинђуве и накит, сваки лепши од другог.En: However, everywhere there were trinkets and jewelry, each more beautiful than the other.Sr: Одлука је била тешка.En: The decision was difficult.Sr: „Здраво, могу ли вам помоћи?“ упита га Весна, продавачица чији осмех је одзвањао сјајем пролећа.En: "Hello, can I help you?" Vesna, a saleswoman whose smile radiated the brightness of spring, asked him.Sr: Никола погледа у њу несигурно.En: Nikola looked at her uncertainly.Sr: „Тражим поклон за сестру. Нешто што ће је обрадовати.“En: "I'm looking for a gift for my sister. Something that will make her happy."Sr: Весна га пажљиво измери погледом, па му показа један комад накита.En: Vesna examined him carefully with her gaze, then showed him a piece of jewelry.Sr: „Ово је огрлица коју сам направила инспирисана капима росе. Подсећа ме на јутра у природи.“En: "This is a necklace I made inspired by drops of dew. It reminds me of mornings in nature."Sr: Никола је протрљао браду.En: Nikola rubbed his chin.Sr: „Лепо је... али не знам да ли је то оно што тражим.“En: "It's beautiful... but I don't know if it's what I'm looking for."Sr: Док се двоумио, Весна је наставила да прича причу о свом раду, како је сваки комад настао из неког драгог сећања или инспирације.En: While he hesitated, Vesna continued to tell the story about her work, how each piece was born from a cherished memory or inspiration.Sr: Једна наруквица, рече она, носи у себи причу о сестринству и љубави.En: One bracelet, she said, carries within it a story of sisterhood and love.Sr: Тих неколико речи у Николи изазваше топлину.En: Those few words stirred warmth within Nikola.Sr: „Ово ме подсећа на нас двоје“, рече он, узимајући наруквицу у руку.En: "This reminds me of the two of us," he said, taking the bracelet in his hand.Sr: Размишљао је о једном тренутку из детињства, када је његова сестра заслужила осмех који је он видео као праву срећу.En: He thought of a childhood moment when his sister deserved a smile that he saw as true happiness.Sr: Тада је одлучио.En: That was when he decided.Sr: Купио је наруквицу, уверивши се да је то заиста право.En: He bought the bracelet, convinced it was truly the right one.Sr: Док је одлазећи под светлом пролећног дана осећао олакшање, Весна га је испратила погледом, задовољна што је помогла да направи прави избор.En: As he left under the light of the spring day, feeling relieved, Vesna watched him with satisfaction, knowing she had helped him make the right choice.Sr: Никола је напустио тржницу пунији самопоуздањем, знајући да је направио избор срцем.En: Nikola left the market more confident, knowing he had made a heartfelt choice.Sr: Сада је могао радовати се Ускрсу и још једном посебном тренутку са сестром, дарући јој наруквицу која је носила у себи све њихове успомене и љубав.En: Now he could look forward to Easter and another special moment with his sister, gifting her a bracelet that held all their memories and love. Vocabulary Words:picturesque: живописноstrolling: шеталиleisurely: лаганоbreathtaking: одузимао дахconfluence: спојtents: шаториcanopies: тендиscent: мирисpensive: замишљенtrinkets: ђинђувеjewelry: накитradiated: одзвањаоnecklace: огрлицаdew: росеhesitated: двоумиоcherished: драгогbracelet: наруквицаsisterhood: сестринствуgaze: погледrubbed: протрљаоchin: брадуstirred: изазвашеrelieved: олакшањеsatisfaction: задовољнаheartfelt: срцемinspected: измериdeserved: заслужилаconfident: самопоуздањемmemories: успоменеradiant: сјајем

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Kopaonik Connections: A Spring Ski Tale of Friendship Renewed Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-04-17-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: На Копаонику, скијалиште блиста у пролећној снежној бајци.En: At Kopaonik, the ski resort shines in a spring snow fairy tale.Sr: Снег се накупљао на гранама дрвећа, чинећи га чаробним местом.En: Snow accumulated on the branches of trees, making it a magical place.Sr: Милош је посматрао ову лепоту, осећајући се мирно.En: Miloš observed this beauty, feeling at peace.Sr: Он је дошао са породицом на одмор да би уживао у задњим данима скијања пре него што снег коначно отопи.En: He had come with his family for a vacation to enjoy the last days of skiing before the snow finally melts.Sr: Али, тог јутра, нешто неочекивано се догодило.En: But that morning, something unexpected happened.Sr: Док је Милош седео у кафићу, загрејан топлим чајем, врата су се отворила и у просторију је ушла Весна.En: While Miloš was sitting in a café, warmed by a hot tea, the door opened, and in walked Vesna.Sr: Њено лице је било светло и насмејано, као и увек.En: Her face was bright and smiling, as always.Sr: Они су се знали из младости.En: They had known each other since their youth.Sr: Весна је сматрала Милоша добрим пријатељем током школских дана, а он јој је некад био драги друг.En: Vesna considered Miloš a good friend during their school days, and he had once been a cherished companion.Sr: Осетила је радост када га је видела, али и узбуђење.En: She felt joy when she saw him, but also excitement.Sr: Милош је био сазнао да ће је срести.En: Miloš had learned that he would meet her.Sr: Његово срце се узбудило од мешавине радости и нервозе.En: His heart was stirred by a mix of joy and nervousness.Sr: Желео је миран одмор без сећања на све што је прошло.En: He wanted a peaceful vacation without memories of all that had passed.Sr: Али Весна није губила време, пришла му је са срдачним осмехом и топлим речима.En: But Vesna didn't waste time, approaching him with a heartfelt smile and warm words.Sr: "Здраво, Милоше!En: "Hello, Miloš!Sr: Колико времена је прошло!En: How long has it been!"Sr: ", рекла је Весна са ентузијазмом.En: Vesna said with enthusiasm.Sr: Милош је осетио како се њихови погледи састају, и знао је да би требало да разговара са њом.En: Miloš felt their eyes meet, and he knew he should talk to her.Sr: Одлучио је да не побегне од сећања, већ да се суочи са њима.En: He decided not to run from the memories but to face them.Sr: "Здраво, Весна.En: "Hello, Vesna.Sr: Да, било је давно.En: Yes, it's been a long time.Sr: Како си ти?En: How are you?"Sr: ", упитао је Милош уздржано, али са искреним осмехом.En: Miloš asked reservedly but with a sincere smile.Sr: Док су седели и разговарали, одлучили су да се заједно спусте низ падину.En: As they sat and talked, they decided to ski down the slope together.Sr: Док су скијали, ветар их је охрабривао, а снег је певао под њиховим скијама.En: As they skied, the wind encouraged them, and the snow sang under their skis.Sr: Милош је осећао како се лед његових резерви топи.En: Miloš felt the ice of his reservations melting.Sr: Почео је да прича о прошлим временима, о авантурама које су делили.En: He began to speak about past times, about the adventures they had shared.Sr: Њихови гласови су се претапали са звуком природе око њих.En: Their voices mingled with the sounds of nature around them.Sr: Весна га је слушала са стрпљењем и разумевањем.En: Vesna listened with patience and understanding.Sr: Живела је за те тренутке када су били пријатељи и желела их је обновити.En: She lived for those moments when they were friends and wanted to renew them.Sr: Милош је схватио да је њен ентузијазам искрен и да је прошла кроз много тога са њим у мислима.En: Miloš realized that her enthusiasm was genuine and that she had gone through a lot with him in her thoughts.Sr: Када је дошао крај спуста, осетили су се освежено.En: When they reached the end of the slope, they felt refreshed.Sr: Њихова веза је била обновљена, али сада на нови начин.En: Their connection was renewed, but now in a new way.Sr: Осећај топлине испунио је оба.En: A feeling of warmth filled them both.Sr: "Хвала ти, Весна.En: "Thank you, Vesna.Sr: Заиста, данас сам научио много", рекао је Милош док су стајали на крају стазе.En: Truly, I learned a lot today," Miloš said as they stood at the end of the trail.Sr: "И ја теби, Милоше.En: "And thank you, Miloš.Sr: Да се видимо ускоро, обећавам", одвратила је са осмехом.En: Let's see each other soon, I promise," she replied with a smile.Sr: Док су се растајали, у срцу су знали да ће одржати обећање.En: As they parted, in their hearts, they knew they would keep the promise.Sr: Њихово пријатељство било је као пролећни снег — лепо, ретко и, изнад свега, вредно чувања.En: Their friendship was like the spring snow — beautiful, rare, and, above all, worth preserving. Vocabulary Words:accumulated: накупљаоfairy tale: бајкаmagical: чаробнимcherished: драгиunexpected: неочекиваноreservedly: уздржаноmingled: претапалиadventures: авантурамаpatience: стрпљењемunderstanding: разумевањемgenuine: искренmemories: сећањаslope: падинуtrail: стазеenthusiasm: ентузијазмомheartened: охрабриваоice: ледreservations: резервиleaned: наклониоrefreshingly: освеженоstirred: узбудилоpreserving: чувањаcharmed: очараоobserved: посматраоcompanion: другdescend: спуститиexpress: изразитиsincere: искренbliss: блаженствоembraced: пригрљен

Odbrana zgrade Generalštaba dokazala je snagu solidarnosti protiv investitorske bahatosti, dok blokada budžeta za kulturu pokazuje da se novac deli isključivo po principu „jesi li naš ili nisi“ U novom ciklusu Radar Foruma, domaćin Ivan Medenica, pozorišni kritičar i profesor na FDU, ugostio je u prvoj epizodi Vesnu Marjanović, generalnu sekretarku Evrope Nostre Srbija. Razgovor se fokusira na kulturu kao ključni prostor društvenog otpora i očuvanja identiteta. Sagovornici postavljaju okvir za razumevanje nasleđa koje u Srbiji danas zahteva neprekidnu, gotovo gerilsku aktivnost.

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Seeds of Hope: Rebuilding Community in a Ruined World Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-04-11-07-38-19-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Сунце је тек почело да излази иза срушених зграда, обасјавајући остаци света какав су некада познавали.En: The sun had just begun to rise behind the ruined buildings, illuminating the remnants of the world as they once knew it.Sr: У тој отвореној, импровизованој пијаци, окупљала се мала заједница, свако са својим надама и бригама.En: In this open, improvised market, a small community gathered, each with their own hopes and concerns.Sr: У пролећном ваздуху осећала се мешавина наде и очаја, док су се цветови појављивали међу рушевинама, сведочећи о снази природе.En: In the spring air, there was a mix of hope and despair as flowers appeared among the ruins, testifying to the power of nature.Sr: Милан је стајао осматрајући људе како долазе са својим уговореним добрима.En: Milan was standing, observing the people as they came with their bartered goods.Sr: Увек је био пажљив, скенирајући сваки поглед и сваки потез.En: He was always cautious, scanning every look and every move.Sr: У његовом уму, скривена залиња конзервиране хране морала су остати тајна.En: In his mind, the hidden stash of canned food had to remain a secret.Sr: Желео је само семе.En: He only wanted seeds.Sr: Почетак врта, нови живот у овом срушеном свету.En: The beginning of a garden, a new life in this shattered world.Sr: У међувремену, Весна, вођа заједнице, дискутовала је с другим мештанима.En: Meanwhile, Vesna, the leader of the community, was discussing with other locals.Sr: Њена мисија је била одржавање мира.En: Her mission was to maintain peace.Sr: Осмехом и речима подстрека, чинила је све да охрабри људе да раде заједно.En: With a smile and words of encouragement, she did everything to encourage people to work together.Sr: С друге стране, Драгана је била заузета покушајем размене за лекове.En: On the other hand, Dragana was busy trying to barter for medicine.Sr: Њена мајка је била болесна, потребна јој је хитна помоћ.En: Her mother was ill, and she needed urgent help.Sr: Поглед јој је лутао по импровизованим тезгама, тражила је нешто што би могла понудити у замену.En: Her gaze wandered over the improvised stalls, looking for something she could offer in exchange.Sr: Тензије су расле како су ресурси почели да се отопљавају.En: Tensions were rising as resources began to dwindle.Sr: Милан је знао да не сме дозволити да његова тајна буде откривена.En: Milan knew he couldn't allow his secret to be discovered.Sr: Али изгледа да је судбина имала другачије планове.En: But it seemed fate had different plans.Sr: Док је Драгана очајнички прегледавала своје могућности, случајно је угледала трачак Миланових скривених залиха.En: As Dragana desperately assessed her options, she accidentally caught a glimpse of Milan's hidden stash.Sr: У том тренутку, када су се њихови погледи сусрели, истина је изашла на видело.En: In that moment, when their eyes met, the truth came to light.Sr: Заједница је гледала Милана, ишчекујући његов одговор.En: The community looked at Milan, awaiting his response.Sr: Милан је дубоко удахнуо, осетио је терет одлуке.En: Milan took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his decision.Sr: На крају, страховита љубав и потреба за заједништвом превладали су самоодрживост.En: In the end, overwhelming love and the need for togetherness overcame self-sufficiency.Sr: Одлучио је да открије своју тајну.En: He decided to reveal his secret.Sr: "Имам храну", рекао је Милан тихо, али довољно јасно да га сви чују.En: "I have food," Milan said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.Sr: "Али потребно нам је семе.En: "But we need seeds.Sr: Хајде да заједно изградимо врт.En: Let's build a garden together."Sr: "Изненада, као неким чудом, кроз гомилу се провукла нова нада.En: Suddenly, as if by some miracle, a new hope wove through the crowd.Sr: Покренута његовом отвореношћу, заједница је одлучила да раде заједно на томе.En: Prompted by his openness, the community decided to work together on it.Sr: Весна их је охрабривала, користећи њихове таленте и ресурсе да започну нови пројекат.En: Vesna encouraged them, using their talents and resources to start a new project.Sr: Како су дани пролазили, стара пијаца се претворила у место живота и обнове.En: As days went by, the old market transformed into a place of life and renewal.Sr: Милан је научио да је поверење заједнице важније од свега што би икада могао замислити.En: Milan learned that the trust of the community was more important than anything he could have ever imagined.Sr: Испунио је свој циљ и више од тога, размењујући тајну за будућност изграђену на сарадњи и солидарности.En: He achieved his goal and more by trading secrecy for a future built on collaboration and solidarity.Sr: Тако је, кроз искреност и дело, заједница нашла нови пут, у сагласју са пролећем које је објављивало обнову живота.En: Thus, through sincerity and action, the community found a new path, in harmony with the spring that heralded the renewal of life. Vocabulary Words:remnants: остациimprovised: импровизованојgathered: окупљалаconcerns: бригамаshattered: срушеномstashed: залињаbartered: разменеtainted: скривенаdesperately: очајничкиglimpse: трачакsufficiency: самоодрживостcollaboration: сарадњиheralded: објављивалоilluminating: обасјавајућиrenewal: обновеurgent: хитнаencouragement: подстрекаsolidarity: солидарностиdwinding: отапалиtestifying: сведочећиtensions: тензијеfate: судбинаprompted: покренутаmiracle: чудомcomposed: делоharmonious: сагласјуburgeoning: почетакcompelled: потребаadvocated: охрабривалаsecrecy: тајну

What do competitive eating, a headless chicken, and a Soviet-era plan to nuke the moon have in common? They were all completely real, we talked about all of them, and honestly none of us are okay.This week we went fork-first into the deranged world of professional competitive eating — the training regimens, the diet cycles, the stomach expansion strategies, and the absolutely unhinged amount of money Joey Chestnut was making to inhale 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. We broke down the most diabolical eating challenges on Earth (a 10-pound burger, a 5-pound inferno chip, and an ice cream challenge with a 97% failure rate that feels less like a dessert and more like a war crime), and had to decide – is this a sport? Spoiler — we said yes. Our standards are our own.Then things got weird. We covered the Tunguska Event — the 1908 explosion that flattened 800 square miles of Siberian forest, left zero crater, zero explanation, and apparently zero follow-up questions from the locals. We revisited the Bell Witch haunting that was so bad it convinced Andrew Jackson to physically leave Tennessee. We talked about Vesna, who fell 33,000 feet and lived, which science technically allows but should not. And Mike the Headless Chicken finally got his moment. He earned it.Also in this episode: rabies will ruin your week, your inner ear is held together by tiny crystals that can absolutely betray you, and the U.S. government once drew up serious plans to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon. Carl Sagan did the math. They backed down. You are alive because of Carl Sagan. Pour one out.New episode. Certified chaos. Let's go.Cheers!m&t#MikeAndTonyShow #CompetitiveEating #JoeyChestnut #TunguskaEvent #BellWitch #WeirdHistory #TrueCrime #Paranormal #Podcast #NewEpisode #StrangeButTrue #PodcastLife

Da li je Arena veća od Marakane ako MUP tako kaže? Zašto su kvadovi prekinuli nastup Vesne Zmijanac i ko je tajanstveni "Samo Bob"? U novoj epizodi Njuz Podkasta detaljno analiziramo nadrealne momente sa nedavnog SNS skupa, ali i otkrivamo zašto je izjava Vesne Zmijanac o "bivanju uz vlast" duboko i lično slomila srce Marku Dražiću (spoiler: uključene su špagete bolonjeze).

Današnje gošće kroz svoj onlajn biznis pomažu drugima:- da napreduju u SEO industriji- da organizuju svoje osobne finansije- da neguju svoju kreativnost kroz pričanje kratkih priča- u uspostavljanju i prekidu dojenja svojih bebaNjihovi profili:Helena: https://www.instagram.com/helenakoros/Adrijana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrijana-vujadin/Ana: https://www.instagram.com/napisimipricu/Vesna: https://www.instagram.com/uspesno.dojenje.vesna/Prijava za Uvodnu ponudu: https://www.jovanamiljanovic.com/uvodna-ponudaPrijava za Biznis bazu: https://www.jovanamiljanovic.com/biznis-baza

Today on the program, a trip into the archive and a return to Episode 696⁠, my conversation with Vesna Maric from March 2021. Maric was born in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 1976. She left Bosnia-Herzegovina at sixteen as part of a convoy of refugees. She went on to work for the BBC World Service and has written for Lonely Planet for over two decades. Vesna is an author of fiction and non-fiction, essays and a variety of journalism. Her memoir, Bluebird, was longlisted for The Orwell Prize. I spoke with Vesna Maric as she was celebrating the publication of her debut novel, The President Shop. Air date: March 10, 2021. *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ulys.app/writeabook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to download Ulysses, and use the code OTHERPPL at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription." Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Write a Novel,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ the debut audio course from DeepDive. 50+ hours of never-before-heard insight, inspiration, and instruction from dozens of today's most celebrated contemporary authors. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer/Host: R.W. Estela Hi, I'm RW Estela: Since 1991, I've been presenting A Word in Edgewise, WERU's longest-running short feature, a veritable almanac of worldly and heavenly happenings, a confluence of 21st-century life in its myriad manifestations, international and domestic, cosmopolitan and rural, often revealing, as the French say, the more things change, the more they stay the same — though not always! Sometimes in addressing issues affecting our day-to-day lives, in this age of vagary and ambiguity, when chronological time is punctuated elliptically, things can quickly turn edgy and controversial, as we search for understanding amid our dialectic. Tune in Monday mornings at 7:30 a.m. for an exciting journey through space and time with a few notable birthdays thrown in for good measure during A Word in Edgewise . . . About the host: RW Estela was raised as a first-generation American in Colorado by a German mother and a Corsican-Basque father who would become a three-war veteran for the US Army, so RW was naturally a military brat and later engaged in various Vietnam-era civil-service adventures before paying his way through college by skiing for the University of Colorado, playing Boulder coffeehouses, and teaching. He has climbed all of Colorado's Fourteeners; found work as an FAA-certificated commercial pilot, a California-licensed building contractor, a publishing editor, a practitioner of Aikido, and a college professor of English; among his many interdisciplinary pursuits are the design and building of Terrell Residence Library (recently renamed the Terrell House Permaculture Living & Learning Center at the University of Maine), writing Building It In Two Languages (a bilingual dictionary of construction terminology), aerial photo documentation of two dam removals (Great Works and Veazie) on the Penobscot River, and once a week since 1991 drafting an installment of A Word In Edgewise, his essay series addressing issues affecting our day-to-day lives — and WERU's oldest continuous short feature. When pandemics do not interfere, he does the Triple Crown of Maine open-water ocean swims (Peaks to Portland, Islesboro Crossing, and Nubble Light Challenge) and the Whitewater Downriver Point Series of the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization. RW is the father of two and the grandfather of three and lives with his partner Kathleen of 37 years and their two Maine Coons in Orono. The post A Word in Edgewise 1/26/26: Huey Smith, Unpredictability, Susan Griffin, & Vesna Vulovi? . . . first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

Ten-year-old Vesna stopped because she heard kids laughing inside a church. One Superbook episode later, her life-and heart-were changed forever. This is how you help children discover Jesus and share His love with others.

When winter settles in and the world grows quiet, strange things start to stir. In this year's TFD Christmas Special, we're sharing true ghost stories and creepy encounters to haunt your holiday and prove they aren't always filled with Christmas cheer. You'll hear about a haunted apartment in Ohio where a ghost learned to coexist with its tenants, a chilling brush with the so-called Death Angel (or Mothman as Christian calls it), and heartfelt tales of spirits who return when the season feels loneliest. Sharing ghost stories is the annual Christmas tradition round these parts—where fireside storytelling meets the unexplained, and endless tangents. Perfect for fans of true paranormal experiences, christmas ghost stories, and eerie holiday tales that linger long after the lights go out. So pour some nog, dim the lights, and settle in for a Christmas podcast that's equal parts strange, tragic, wonder and whimsey (okay maybe not whimsey, but it's a good time either way). Merry Christmas from The Freaky Deaky—where even the ghosts come home for the holidays.