Reading the Classics, with Kelly Hardesty

Barbara Leary, Children's Book Author and Writing Coach

This show features Toni's conversation with DC-area author Barbara Leary. Barbara's work spans multiple genres, including nonfiction, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and children's books. She is the author of four children’s books, including The Climbing Tree, which won First Place in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards (Early Readers/Picture Books).  Barbara is also the founder of Finch and Squirrel LLC, coaching writers of all levels to transform their stories into published works, and she teaches graduate-level writing and communication at Georgetown University.  Take a look at Barbara's websites: finchandsquirrel.com; barbaralearyauthor.com

Melissa Eleftherion: Poetry Month and "Suture," a new volume of erasure poems

April is National Poetry Month! I spoke to Melissa Eleftherion, Ukiah's Poet Librarian, about local poetry goings-on, as well as her new volume of erasure poetry titled "Suture."  "A suture stitches a wound closed, but what is left after that wound heals—a scar? Or a memory? In this new collection, Melissa Eleftherion excavates the Flowers in the Attic series of books by V C Andrews to tell her own story in spare, haunting poems (or …sutures) that detail the lasting trauma of a violent childhood." In our conversation we mentioned several poetry events happening here in Mendocino County, including the LOBA series (April 18, 3:00 at the Ukiah Branch Library), the 24th annual Haiku festival (April 26, 2:00 pm at Grace Hudson Museum), and Writers Read (the last Thursday of every month, also at Grace Hudson Museum). And Melissa's book launch will be held at Medium Gallery, 110 South School Street, at 6:00 pm on April 25th.

Reading the Classics, with Kelly Hardesty

In this episode I am talking with Kelly Hardesty about her blog, sky-t-tray.us, in which she writes about reading the books we tend to categorize as classics. What is the definition of a literary classic? Why – and how – might a reader explore these works written decades or centuries ago? The books we talked about specifically are Little Women by Lousia May Alcott (1868) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943) Anne of Green Gables series by L M Montgomery (1908) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (1985) Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (1915) I Wonder as I Wander by Langston Hughes (1956) Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark (1981) The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927) Martin Eden by Jack London (1909) Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (1954) Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (1848) Persuasion by Jane Austen (1818) Questions or comments about this or past episodes can be sent to TurningPagesKZYX@gmail.com

Terena Scott: Raising Rhia, A Mother's Fight for a Joyful Life

Terena Scott is a writer, teacher, advocate, and mother. Her memoir, Raising Rhia, is a deeply personal story about raising her daughter, who was born with multiple disabilities, in a world that wasn’t built for her. This book is for anyone who’s ever fought for someone they love. It’s for the weary, the brave, the brokenhearted, and the wildly hopeful.

Lasara Firefox Allen: Genderqueer Menopause

Lasara Firefox Allen, MSW (they/them/Mx) is a certified Menopause Doula, gender-affirming Menopause Coach, and educator specializing in inclusive midlife care. As CEO and Founder of Genderqueer Futures and Founding Coach of The Genderqueer Menopause Coach, they train healthcare providers, therapists, doulas, coaches, and other menopause professionals through the Gender-Affirming Menopause Care Certification Course, and facilitate community programs for trans and gender-expansive individuals. Their trauma-informed, evidence-based approach bridges research, somatics, and lived experience to transform menopause care. Their most recent book, Genderqueer Menopause (North Atlantic Books), will be on bookstore shelves on January 13, 2026.