Tag Archives: essays

04Jul/25

Bill Hulseman

Featured Guest, Newsreel, , , , , , , ,

July 4, 2025

It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 27: Bill Hulseman!

Bill Hulseman shares his essay collection: Six to Carry the Casket and One to Say the Mass. We dive into belonging, birth order trauma, pride parades, identity, pop culture (Madonna & Golden Girls as spiritual!), and reconciling religion with queer health!

Follow and support:

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:
Bill Hulseman is a writer, ritual designer, and former educator whose work explores identity, belonging, and personal agency. His debut book, “six to carry the casket and one to say the mass,” is a collection of deeply personal essays examining the identities we inherit, the traditions we navigate, and the power we have to shape our own narratives. Through reflections on family, Catholicism, and queer identity, Hulseman offers a nuanced exploration of what it means to carve out space for oneself in a world that often seeks to define us.

Aformer middle school principal, teacher, and campus minister, Hulseman holds degrees in religious studies, the comparative study of religion, and education leadership. His time in Catholic schools gave him both a profound appreciation for faith and a firsthand understanding of the tensions between personal identity and institutional tradition. His writing is informed by this background, as well as his deep love for pop culture—where figures like Madonna and “The Golden Girls” helped him see himself long before the world was ready to.

Hulseman now lives in Seattle with his husband, Jonathon, where he continues to write, design rituals, and lead meaningful conversations about identity, faith, and belonging.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyTuneIn

Or Listen/Watch Right Here:

04Apr/25

Marshall Moore

Featured Guest, , , , , ,

April 4, 2025

It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 11: Marshall Moore!

Marshall Moore returns to share his books: Sunset House and The Scholarship of Creative Writing Practice. We enjoy some laughs while talking about writing a book of essays, and the idea of creative practice.

Follow and support:

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:
Marshall Moore is the author of four novels, four short-fiction collections, and the memoir I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Litro, Storgy, Passengers Journal, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Asia Literary Review, The Barcelona Review, and many other journals and anthologies. He is also the co-editor of three academic books on the pedagogy of creative writing and publishing. He holds a PhD in creative writing from Aberystwyth University. A native of eastern North Carolina, he lives in Cornwall, England.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyTuneIn

Or Listen/Watch Right Here:

March 31, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present Season 8, Episode 14: Marshall Moore + our “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” review!

Marshall Moore shares his memoir, I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing. We discuss everything from cosplaying normalcy, to his upcoming projects, to driving around Penzance. We then review Brooklyn Nine-Nine and share what won our weeks!

Follow and support Marshall:

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

Marshall Moore is the author of four novels and three short-fiction collections. He is also the co-editor of three academic books on the pedagogy of creative writing and publishing. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Litro, Storgy, Passengers Journal, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Asia Literary Review, The Barcelona Review, and many other journals and anthologies. He holds a PhD in creative writing from Aberystwyth University. A native of eastern North Carolina, he lives in Cornwall, England, and teaches creative writing and publishing at Falmouth University.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyTuneIn

Or Listen Right Here:

OR Watch on YouTube:

10Jan/25

Zachary Pace

Featured Guest, , , , ,

January 10, 2025

It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 2: Zachary Pace!

Zachary Pace shares their book: I Sing to Use the Waiting. We discuss how the turning points in the careers of several women singers informed and shaped the author’s life through topics like identity and how artists code genders to tell our stories.

Follow and support:

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:
Zachary Pace is a writer and editor who lives in New York City, whose first book is I Sing to Use the Waiting: A Collection of Essays About the Women Singers Who’ve Made Me Who I Am, and whose writing has been published in the Baffler, BOMB, Bookforum, Boston Review, Frieze magazine, Interview magazine, Literary Hub, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the PEN Poetry Series, the Yale Review, and elsewhere.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyTuneIn

Or Listen/Watch Right Here:

 

17May/24

Terry Connell

Featured Guest, , , , , , , , , ,

May 17, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 19 Interview – Terry Connell

Terry Connell returns to share his latest work, Lost Soles, a collection of images and essays inspired by the discarded shoes he saw while on long walks during the pandemic. We discuss the odd turns life takes, as well as the importance of being open to everything that comes your way.

Follow and support:

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

Terry has a degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University, and after a year of teaching he earned his Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. He worked as a therapist for a few years, until his partner Stephan died from AIDS complications. With his life at this turning point, he heard about an acupuncture clinic in Boston called AIDS Care Project (ACP). He moved to Boston in the middle of a blizzard, enrolled in the New England School of Acupuncture, and new he’d found his path. A month after graduation, he started working at ACP. After ten years, he opened a private office where he treats a variety of conditions. He published first published in 2011, his memoir titled Slaves to the Rhythm, and has continued with an award-winning collection of short stories, three screenplays, and the collection of essays in his latest work, Lost Soles.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyTuneIn

Or Listen Right Here:

April 17, 2020


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Terry Connell as the guest on Episode 264 – There Are No Shoulds!

Terry Connell discusses his new collection of short stories entitled, A Little Chatter, and then shares some wellness ideas for the safe-at-home era.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Follow Terry and support his work:

Bio:

Terry has a degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University, and after a year of teaching he earned his Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. He worked as a therapist for a few years, until his partner Stephan died from AIDS complications. With his life at this turning point, he heard about an acupuncture clinic in Boston called AIDS Care Project (ACP). He moved to Boston in the middle of a blizzard, enrolled in the New England School of Acupuncture, and knew he’d found his path. A month after graduation, he started working at ACP. After ten years, he opened a private office where he treats a variety of conditions. He first published in 2011, his memoir titled Slaves to the Rhythm.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyStitcherTuneIn

Or right here: