DC Public Library Podcast

Please be advised that this episode contains explicit language.  Join us this month as  we talk to Sarah Gray, who has a memoir out with Simon and Schuster titled, An Everlasting Life. She’s also a member of the DC Library Writers Workshop and she’ll read her piece The Lacemaker (read here [https://medium.com/@graysarah/the-lacemaker-story-68e0a25da842]) and we’ll talk about expectations and publishing a memoir.  We also have the director of my old Alma Mater, the Jimenez Porter Writers House at the University of Maryland. Ross Angelella. He is an award winning novelist and screenwriter.  Then we talk with the prolific (over 200 books written) Best-Selling and self-published author Valerie Lennox. We talk to her about work and writing and the work of writing. Then we finish up with indie favorite Kyle Seibel, whose latest book Hey You Assholes (from Clash Books)! Is catching buzz everywhere. We talk to him about work, working and writing, and the work of writing.   Credits 8/12/2025   Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/]   Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/]   $x4 (MicroSong) by sthm [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sthm/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/x4_MicroSong/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/x4_MicroSong/]   Re-Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/]   Radiate Instrumental (GLASS).mp3 by Nuisance [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/nuisance/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/nuisance/glass-instrumental/radiate-instrumental-glassmp3/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/nuisance/glass-instrumental/radiate-instrumental-glassmp3/]   zate it with a spork by Uncle Milk [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Uncle_Milk/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/zate_it_with_a_spork_1516/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/zate_it_with_a_spork_1516/]

Join us this month as we talk with author Denise S. Robbins who has a new book out called The Unmapping; the Washington Writers Publishing House co-president Caroline Bock and Jona Colson, who are celebrating WWPH’s 50th anniversary; author Rion Amilcar Scott who reads from his book, The World Does Not Require You; and indie lit legend Brian Allen Carr, author of Bad Foundations, Opioid, Indiana, Short Bus, and others.    Denise S. Robbins is from Madison, Wisconsin, the city where she grew up and to which she returned after sixteen years of living and working in climate activism on the East Coast. In Madison, she lives with her husband in a yellow house circled by oaks and pines and two owls, and works as a consultant for several climate advocacy groups. She is a Pushcart Prize–nominated author whose stories have been published in literary journals including The Barcelona Review, Gulf Coast, and many more. Her debut novel, The Unmapping, was published in June 2025 from Mareas at Bindery Books. It is number 2 on People Magazine’s top reads for the summer [https://people.com/peoples-most-anticipated-summer-books-2025-11748884].  The Unmapping is on order at DCPL. You can place a hold for when it arrives.  [https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=ebeccbb5-1c05-5091-aa35-2932485b8eef&entityType=FormatGroup]   Caroline Bock’s short story collection, Carry Her Home, received the 2018 WWPH Fiction Prize. She is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels, LIE and Before My Eyes, from St. Martin’s Press. In addition to her role as co-president, she is the prose editor at WWPH Writes, [https://www.washingtonwriters.org/wwph-writes/] our bi-weekly literary journal, and the co-editor of our 2021 anthology This Is What America Looks Like Fiction and Poetry from D.C. Maryland, and Virginia. Her new novel, THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. (Regal House Publishing) will be published on June 2, 2026. Jona Colson’s poetry collection, Said Through Glass, won the 2018 Jean Feldman Poetry Prize from WWPH. He teaches English at Montgomery College. Notably, in addition to his role as co-president, he is the poetry editor of WWPH Writes [https://www.washingtonwriters.org/wwph-writes/], our bi-weekly literary journal, and the co-editor of This Is What America Looks Like: Poetry and Fiction from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. He is also the translator for Aguas/Waters by Miguel Avero, our first work in translation, published in May 2024.   Rion Amilcar Scott was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. His parents are from Trinidad and came to the United States to study at Howard University. He graduated from George Mason University and teaches at The University of Maryland, College Park. His book Insurrections: Stories is available from DCPL [https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=fc51effa-7d72-51ab-9dbc-1df31e71df24&entityType=FormatGroup] 2019:The World Doesn't Require You  is available from DCPL [https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=7c211ee1-71f1-5ff2-89d3-94734b6f1095&entityType=FormatGroup]   Brian Allen Carr is an Aspen Words Finalist and two time Wonderland Book Award winner. His books include Opioid, Indiana, Bad Foundations and several others. He is from Texas and lives in Indiana. His novel Sip is available through DCPL. [https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=7944f602-7aee-59eb-b79f-8076d9c3fe46&entityType=FormatGroup] His novel Opioid, Indiana is available through DCPL. [https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=cc63ba19-9d06-54c5-a6a7-53f6869d577b&entityType=FormatGroup] ********************************************************************************************************************************************* Credits  Dream Pop by HoliznaCC0 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/only-in-the-milky-way-part-3/dream-pop/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/only-in-the-milky-way-part-3/dream-pop/] Dark Ambient Music (Death And Forever) [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/] by TheBoseDeity [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/]  is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 License. [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/] https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/ [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/]   Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/]   Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/]   kalas by Uncle Milk [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Uncle_Milk/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/kalas_1886/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/kalas_1886/]   Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_07_-_Function/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_07_-_Function/]    Re-Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/]   Tipping Point by Ellennerv [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ellennerv/] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/Tipping_Point/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/Tipping_Point/]   Pasty Cline “I’m Gonna Walk Some Dog” is in the public domain and is an official record of the United States Army. Armed Forces Radio Service.   Arkansas Traveler by ecfike is licensed under a CC0 license https://freesound.org/people/ecfike/sounds/135127/ [https://freesound.org/people/ecfike/sounds/135127/] All audio comments are consented to by the The Labs Consent and Release form.    Chorale by Andrew Christopher Smith [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Andrew_Christopher_Smith/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/]. Orbiting A Distant Planet by Quantum Jazz [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Quantum_Jazz/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/]. Palimpseste by Iliaque [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Iliaque/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0]. SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/contact] is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/]. Times square 1700.m4a by olofguf [https://freesound.org/people/olofgud/sounds/639703/] is licensed under CC0.  https://freesound.org/people/olofgud/sounds/639703/ [https://freesound.org/people/olofgud/sounds/639703/]

Join us as we celebrate the publication of Grit and Gravity, volume 11 of the Grace and Gravity series, a series dedicated to women writers in the DC area.  Christina Tudor and Cynthia Via are two of the excellent writers in the series. (and are both alums of the DC Public Library writers workshops). We chat briefly with Melissa Scholes Young, the editor of the series. As part of a new spot on writers and their jobs and the business of writing, we talk to OF Cieri.       Credits  Dream Pop by HoliznaCC0 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/only-in-the-milky-way-part-3/dream-pop/ Dark Ambient Music (Death And Forever) [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/] byTheBoseDeity [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/]  is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 License. [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/] https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/ [https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/] Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/] Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/]  Inside the Crystal Cave by Kate Kody [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/kate-kody/] is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/kate-kody/single/inside-the-crystal-cave/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/kate-kody/single/inside-the-crystal-cave/] $x4 (MicroSong) by sthm [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sthm/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/x4_MicroSong/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/x4_MicroSong/] kalas by Uncle Milk [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Uncle_Milk/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/kalas_1886/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/kalas_1886/] Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_07_-_Function/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_07_-_Function/]  Re-Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function/] Tipping Point by Ellennerv [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ellennerv/] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/Tipping_Point/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/Tipping_Point/] Pasty Cline “I’m Gonna Walk Some Dog” is in the public domain and is an official record of the United States Army. Armed Forces Radio Service.   Arkansas Traveler by ecfike [https://freesound.org/people/ecfike/] us licenssed under a CC0 license https://freesound.org/people/ecfike/sounds/135127/ [https://freesound.org/people/ecfike/sounds/135127/] All audio comments are consented to by the The Labs Consent and Release form.

This month we have local writers Austin Ross and Joey Hedger, both with books out with Malarkey Books. We also have Alan Good, editor of Malarkey Books, who has published a slew of DC writers.    Credits   Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/]   Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society/Chapter_One_The_First_Chapter/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Society_-_Chapter_One-_The_First_Chapter_-_01_Washington_DC/]   Always Faithful by Ketsa [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/contact] is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/cc-by-free-to-use-for-anything/always-faithful/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/cc-by-free-to-use-for-anything/always-faithful/]   Bantu by Sneaky Club [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sneaky-club/contact] is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sneaky-club/single/bantu/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sneaky-club/single/bantu/]   Cellar Door by HoliznaCC0 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/lo-fi-and-chill/cellar-door/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/lo-fi-and-chill/cellar-door/]   zate it with a spork by Uncle Milk [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Uncle_Milk/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/zate_it_with_a_spork_1516/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/zate_it_with_a_spork_1516/]   Re-Function! by junior85 [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/junior85/contact] is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/microSong_Challenge/2015021275957958/junior85_-_08_-_Re-Function]/   CHASIN' IT by Jason Shaw [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/contact] is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/CHASIN_IT_________________________1-14/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/CHASIN_IT_________________________1-14/]   BACK TO THE WOODS by Jason Shaw [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/contact] is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/BACK_TO_THE_WOODS____1-03/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/BACK_TO_THE_WOODS____1-03/]   SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/contact] is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/]. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/SOLO_ACOUSTIC_GUITAR_3-11/ [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/SOLO_ACOUSTIC_GUITAR_3-11/]

***From 2019*** In this episode, host Victor Benitez interviews Jean Badalamenti,  Health & Human Services Coordinator for the DC Public Library and Peer Outreach Specialists Jerome and Renee  to talk about about the library's role in assisting DC's most vulnerable and at-risk residents.