What does an archivist do? Tune in today to hear our chat with Alexis Braun Marks, Eastern Michigan University Archivist, from the Halle Library on EMU's campus in Ypsilanti. Let's talk about information management and historical preservation! We'll also talk about EMU history, Ypsilanti history, and their new mobile oral history studio, the Aerie! www.instagram.com/archives_emu  (Photo by Brynna Bashore)

Thisbe Nissen is originally from New York, but she lived in Iowa for 11 years before settling in rural Michigan. In How Other People Make Love, Thisbe Nissen chronicles the lives and choices of people questioning the heteronormative institution of marriage. These are stories for anyone who has ever loved or been loved. https://www.thisbenissen.com/

Mortality, With Friends is a collection of lyrical essays from Fleda Brown, a writer, and caretaker. Memoir in feel, the book muses on the loss of life, but also friendship, nature, art, the end of marriages, and more. Brown is a lifelong writer/educator--serving as professor emerita at the University of Delaware and she was poet laureate of Delaware from 2001 to 2007. She lives in Traverse City. https://www.fledabrown.com/  

Vincent James Perrone is an award-winning writer, editor, musician, and visual artist. He is the author of the full-length book of poetry, Starving Romantic (11:11 Press, 2018), the microchap, Travelogue For The Dispossessed (Ghost City Press, 2021). Besides writing, Vincent composes and performs music (with the groups Lacan and Glynn Court), directs, scores, and edits film projects, and is a member of the collectively owned bookstore Book Suey in Hamtramck. https://vincentjamesperrone.com/publications/ 

Written by a woman who dealt with bullying and bully friendships during grade school, Bully Friends teaches everyone (even the bully!) about how dangerous bully friendships really are. This book covers everything from defining what a bully friend is to how to heal from a bully friend relationship. Along the way, Kay Kay shares personal stories of her heartbreaking experiences with bully friends and how she went on to find herself and form healthy relationships now and in the future.  https://www.kaykaysway.com/about-kaykaysway   

For years, Kristy hid her stripping history to fit into the mold of a respectable librarian, but as time went on she realized this wasn't something she should feel ashamed about. Telling these kinds of stories helps destigmatize sex work, which makes it safer for current sex workers. Librarianship is changing, especially as the profession begins to evaluate itself through a greater anti-oppression lens. Librarians can learn a lot about class struggle and privacy advocacy from sex workers. https://www.kristycooper.com/books   

Cal Freeman was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He is the author of the books Brother Of Leaving (Marick Press) and Fight Songs (Eyewear Publishing). His writing has appeared in many journals and he has also worked as an educator for Oakland University and InsideOut Literary Arts-Detroit.   He has a new book of poetry due out in April, 2022. He is a member, and contributing songwriter, to the folk ensemble, The Codgers.        Podcast music by Zunsette.  Beginning Middle End, Summer 2020. 

Lauren Groff's new novel, Matrix, her first since Fates and Furies, is a defiant and timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world. Lauren Groff is a two-time National Book Award finalist and The New York Times–bestselling author of three novels, The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, and Fates and Furies. https://laurengroff.com/ 

Laura Hulthen Thomas is the author of 'States of Motion,' a short story collection (from Wayne State University Press); she also heads the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan's Residential College, teaching fiction and creative nonfiction. A story that she performed on this podcast is going to be published this month via Fail Better magazine. http://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/states-motion   http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/rcwriters/  

In her third novel, Paula Hawkins shows that even good people can be capable of terrible deeds when it comes to revenge... How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame? Hawkins is the author of the national and international bestsellers Into the Water and The Girl on the Train. Her latest is an exploration (and meditation) on anger, grief, and a nuanced sort of vengeance. 

We're chatting with Sheela Lal and Fatema Haque about the Unerased Book Club, building community through Asian American Literature. The Book Club was founded by Sheela in Ann Arbor in 2018--but she currently resides in Ferndale. Fatema joined as a co-facilitator and that forged a partnership with the non-profit organization Rising Voices of Asian American Families. More info at: https://www.unerasedbookclub.com/ And follow: www.instagram.com/unerasedbc  Their next book is Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam Music by Zunsette. 

Stephen Mack Jones is an award-winning playwright, and recipient of the prestigious Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Detroit-based thriller novel August Snow, published by Soho Press. We're chatting about Detroit as a setting, the allure of the mystery genre, and crafting a compelling protagonist! https://www.stephenmackjones.com/august-snow-books    Music by Zunsette

Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author revered for her suspense writing that explores the dark underbellies and competitive atmospheres of intimate, powerful, and vulnerable spaces traditionally reserved for women. THE TURNOUT is a revelatory new psychological thriller set against the hothouse of a family-run ballet studio during an intense and fraught season. https://www.meganabbott.com/ Music by Zunsette

Thanks for listening! This podcast will continue to explore the evolving role libraries can play in their communities as well as featuring more conversations with authors and artists on the creative process. Stay tuned.  Music by Zunsette  Friends of the Ferndale Library: http://ferndalefriends.org 

Today, we're chatting with award-winning crime novelist (and journalist) Ace Atkins, about 'The Heathens,' his latest entry in the Quinn Colson thriller series. Atkins worked as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune before he published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, in 1998. Along with Colson books, he has also continued Robert B. Parker’s iconic Spenser character after Parker’s death in 2010. https://aceatkins.com/

"Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe...." Thus goes the setup for award-winning thriller author Riley Sager's latest, Survive The Night. Riley Sager is the pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer. Now a full-time writer, Riley is the author of FINAL GIRLS, an international bestseller. "...Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night..."! 

You hear it all the time: "...the book was better!" Passionate fans of a particular novel tend to feel let down when it is adapted for the silver screen. But how much of that is subjective? Our experience with a novel is one of natural solitude and becomes not only a very intense connection (presuming we've enjoyed the novel) but also a very personal connection. Brendan Kredell, Assc. Prof. of Cinema Studies at Oakland University returns to talk about the heavy lifting all screenwriters/directors/actors have to do when translating a book to film.  Also, we're teasing the eventual start-up of a new FILM DISCUSSION group, this fall! We hope you'll join us. 

We're chatting with Augusto Mike Flores, Chairperson from the Ferndale Arts & Cultural Commission, discussing the upcoming installment of art around Ferndale, featuring replications of masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts, part of the Inside|Out program. To read more about the FACC, click here. Follow them on Facebook, here. And if you are an artist, or know an artist, you can read about their Art Census, here.

Ferndale Librarian Susan Paley joins us to talk about life stories: new memoirs and biographies!  One Life by Megan Rapinoe   |   The Education of an Idealist by Susan Power   |    & the Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura Visit our online catalog

Christopher Cosmos is a Grand Rapids-based author and screenwriter; 'Once We Were Here' is his debut novel.  As World War II intrudes upon their home, three young friends risk everything for freedom, love, and a chance at a better life.... Cosmos work of historical fiction reveals, in vivid detail, the untold true story of how Greece helped the Allies to win World War II. https://www.christophercosmos.com/ / http://alittletooquiet.podbean.com  #historicalfiction #wwii #novels #authors   

Joining us on the podcast is Ed Burns, our Head Reference Librarian, in charge of developing our collection of films, as well as a return visit by Brendan Kredell, Assc. Professor of Cinema Studies at Oakland University. We discuss dozens of culturally enriching titles from filmmakers all around the world, including the most recent directors in the spotlight, such as Chloe Zhao, Bong Joo Ho, and Thomas Vinterberg. We briefly cover the century+ history of films made outside of the U.S. and the recent success and accolades attained by directors like Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron. We also talk about how, more than a decade ago, Ed took the initiative to develop Ferndale Library's collection of international films from the ground up, while Brendan shares his thoughts on the important role libraries play in fostering access to international films--many of which can prove to be difficult to find, otherwise.  Discussed in this episode:  Federico Fellini - 'Amarcord' / ' 8½' Jean-Pierre Jeunet - 'Amelie'  Krzysztof Kieślowski - 'Dekalog' / 'Double Life of Veronique' / 'Three Colors'  Michelangelo Antonioni / Bernardo Bertolucci / Roberto Rossellini / Akira Kurosawa / Jean-Luc Godard / Francois Truffaut / Pedro Almodovar / Wong Kar Wai Titles: "The Bicycle Thieves." "Rififi.' 'Seven Samurai.' 'La Dolce Vita.' 'Umberto D.' 'The Seventh Seal.' 'Alphaville.' 'All About My Mother' 'In The Mood for Love.' 'Le Cages Aux Folles.' 'Infernal Affairs.' Modern era: 'Children of Men.' 'Pan's Labyrinth.' 'Roma.' 'Parasite.' 'Another Round.' '

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper's Daughter is her debut novel. In this riveting novel, a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine, has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team. After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known? https://authorsunbound.com/ 

Sarah Pinsker won the Nebula award for her 2019 novel, 'Song for a New Day,' about a global pandemic that made public gatherings illegal and concerts impossible. Sound familiar? Yet Pinsker actually completed this story long before we were in quarantine.  'Song for a New Day' included musicians in its main cast of characters--it's speculative fiction of a near-future that where bands have no recourse but to break the law for the love of music—and for one chance at human connection. The nebula award is given to authors excelling in the sci-fi genre--and Pinsker's latest book also has a sci-fi atmosphere to it: 'We Are Satellites' is about what happens when an incredible new productivity-enhancing technology is introduced on the market--a neural implant known as a 'pilot,' which augments focus and functionality... What happens when this technology starts to tear apart a family of four?    

Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author, joining us on our podcast to discuss the third entry in his new Colter Shaw suspense series. Colter Shaw is searching for the answer to his father’s final, posthumous riddle. It will lead him to evidence that will topple the secretive espionage company, BlackBridge.  We discuss the creative process, arranging subterfuge, creating characters, and so much more, including the upcoming TV adaptation of Colter Shaw, inspired by the first entry in this series, 'The Never Game.' https://www.jefferydeaver.com/   

Linda Nemec Foster is the author of twelve collections of poetry including The Blue Divide, The Lake Michigan Mermaid, Talking Diamonds, Amber Necklace from Gdansk, Listen to the Landscape, and Living in the Fire Nest. Foster was selected to be the first Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2003-2005. She is the founder of the Contemporary Writers Series at Aquinas College. The poems in this powerful new collection explore the history of conflict and resilience—whether it occurs during the Nazi occupation of Poland, the Balkan wars in Bosnia and Croatia, or within the intimate tableaux of a family’s dissonance. https://www.lindanemecfoster.com/ https://newissuespress.com/ 

Kelly Fordon's 'I Have the Answer' came out last year on Wayne State University Press: If you thought the suburbs were boring, think again. Kelly Fordon’s I Have the Answer artfully mixes the fabulist with the workaday and illuminates relationships and characters with crisp, elegant prose and dark wit. The stories in Fordon’s latest collection are disquieting, humorous, and thought-provoking. They might catch you off guard, but are always infused with deep humanity and tenderness. Kelly Fordon is the author of an award-winning short story collection, Garden for the Blind (Wayne State University Press, 2015); a poetry chapbook, The Witness, which won the Eric Hoffer Award for the Chapbook; and a poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House. https://kellyfordon.com/ 

Today on the podcast, we're chatting with Sanjena Sathian, author of 'Gold Diggers,' a brilliant magical realist coming-of-age story, skewering the model minority myth to tell a hilarious and moving story about immigrant identity, community, and the underside of ambition. It's also about two teenagers stealing golden items from their community to create an elixir that ignites their untapped ambitions. This debut novel by a rising new literary talent has already been tapped for adaptation to television, executive produced by Mindy Kaling. More info: https://www.sanjena.com/   

We're talking about the Oscars today, but we're bringing in an academic perspective with Brendan Kredell, a local film buff and an associate professor of film studies at Oakland University. We're responding to, and discussing the ceremony from last Sunday as well as pondering the loss of the opportunity to experience these films in a theater setting. That, as well as the ins and outs of major global film festivals, the lasting "legacy" of Oscar winners, and especially the legacy of such an actor as the late Chadwick Boseman. 

Julie Carrick Dalton's debut novel, Waiting for the Night Song, is an exploration of the vagaries of friendship, a love song to the natural world, a call to fight for what we believe in, and a reminder that the truth will always rise. Cadie Kessler has spent decades trying to cover up one truth. One moment. But deep down, didn’t she always know her secret would surface?   Julie is a frequent speaker on the topic of writing fiction in the age of climate crisis. Mom to four kids and two dogs, Julie is a passionate skier, hiker, and kayaker. She also owns and operates an organic farm. Please excuse her dirty fingernails. https://juliecarrickdalton.com/books/   

Who wouldn’t want a metaphorical stunt double to take the perilous fall that comes with the pain of loss or profound disappointment? The poems in When the Heart Needs a Stunt Double by Diane DeCillis consider resourceful ways in which we become our own stunt double and explore through a poet’s eyes the anatomy of the mind, body, and soul.  WSU PRESS.  Diane DeCillis is the author of Strings Attached (Wayne State University Press, 2014), winner of the Michigan Notable Book Award and the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Award, and a finalist for the Forward INDIES Award. Her poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals.   

A multiple Pushcart Nominee, Joy’s work has won numerous awards and is published in over 100 literary magazines and journals including Poetica, Ekphrasis, Poetry East, The Kentucky Review, RATTLE, The Patterson Review, and others. Her work is also included in the stunning anthology, Michigan in Poetry in Michigan, and, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Jewish American Poetry. Twenty years a professional photographer Joy sees poetry as a natural extension of the photographic art form: both use images, contrast, tensions, a kind of rhythm, and tone to convey what language alone, cannot.  http://www.joygainesfriedler.com/ 

Justin Brouckaert is the author of the hybrid chapbook SKIN (Corgi Snorkel Press, 2016). His writing has appeared in Passages North, The Rumpus, Catapult, DIAGRAM, Smokelong Quarterly, Prairie Schooner and Bat City Review, among many other publications. In the world of Love Stories, the seams of reality have been subtly loosened. Brouckaert evokes a universal yearning, a raw desire, a pang of nostalgia, an ache in your chest that comes when you find yourself cleaved from your lover, from your people, from the place you call home. Long Day Press.  

Born and raised in Detroit, Alice Randall is a New York Times best-selling novelist, award-winning songwriter, educator, and food activist.  Her latest, 'Black Bottom Saints,' is an enthralling literary tour-de-force that pays tribute to Detroit's legendary neighborhood, as well as its emcee/writer, Ziggy Johnson. It features narratives of more than 60 "saints" from the history of Black Bottom and the early Civil Rights Movement. We talk about her experimentation with form, through fiction, and the main inspirations for this Michigan Notable Book (2021). https://www.alicerandall.com/works 

Peter Werbe is a long-time figure in alternative and commercial media in Detroit and a political activist.. He is a member of the editorial board of the Fifth Estate magazine. His professional career was as a DJ on Detroit's major rock stations, WABX, WWWW. WRIF, and WCSX. He hosted Nightcall, WRIF's phone-in talk show, which was the longest-running such program in U.S. radio history, 1970-2016. ​ He is the author of Summer On Fire: A Detroit Novel (Black & Red Books) https://www.peterwerbe.org

Ryan ("Tibbs") Wiese is the writer/director of a new short film titled PACK CO., and it stars Dan John Miller. These two local musicians have steadily immersed themselves deeper into the world of video production (Tibbs Inc), and this is their first longer-form feature, with a great cast and an off-kilter narrative universe where a protagonist is more than ready to start thinking outside of the proverbial box.  The film premieres on April 1st, here: http://www.packco.tv/  More on their other endeavors, here: http://www.tibbsinc.com/   

Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events with 'Eternal.' It's the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome during the creeping shadow of fascism in the late '30s. "What war destroys, only love can heal." Scottoline joined us on the podcast to talk about her new book.  https://www.scottoline.com/ 

John Jeffire was born in Detroit. In 2005, his novel Motown Burning was named Grand Prize Winner in the Mount Arrowsmith Novel Competition and in 2007 it won a Gold Medal for Regional Fiction in the Independent Publishing Awards. His latest poetry collection, A Temple For Tomorrows, is available this Spring. Jeffire performs 3 poems, along with some Q&A. 

The first of the Morgalla Chronicles, a new epic fantasy series by Jon David is out now: ...Morgalla is a woman trapped between worlds, accepted in neither. A woman with a good heart and a dark secret: she's a demon from Hell. Nobody's perfect.  Born and raised in southeast Michigan, Jon David's series features a misunderstood demon heroine. The Savage Peak, book one, is his debut novel. Upcoming titles include Diary of a Lonely Demon, The Shadow of Hell, and War of the Dark One.  https://www.morgalla.net/about-the-author.html https://bit.ly/2OERutj 

Ryan Estrada is an artist, author, and adventurer based in Busan, South Korea, but he was born and raised in Metro Detroit. His graphic novels include Banned Book Club, Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon, and Broken Telephone. He has worked on Star Trek, Popeye, and Garfield, but he is best known for grainy copies of his comic Learn To Read Korean in 15 Minutes that you saw on 9gag with thirty watermarks and his name scrubbed off. You can find his work at ryanestrada.com     

Author Joseph Harris joins us to talk about his recent collection of short stories, 'You're In The Wrong Place,' which takes place predominantly in Ferndale and was recently named a Michigan Notable Book for 2021.  In a thrilling interconnected narrative, You’re in the Wrong Place presents characters reaching for transcendence from a place they cannot escape. Charles Baxter stated that "Joseph Harris has a particular feeling for the Detroit suburbs and the slightly stunted lives of the young people there. . . . You’re in the Wrong Place isn’t uniformly downbeat—there are all sorts of rays of hope that gleam toward the end." Stories by Joseph Harris have appeared in Midwest Review, Moon City Review, Great Lakes Review, The MacGuffin, Third Wednesday, Storm Cellar, and have received the Gesell, Tompkins, and Detroit Working Writers’ Awards for fiction. He holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota, an MA from Wayne State University, and a BFA from Emerson College.

Youth Librarian Elissa Zimmer joined us on the podcast during her last week here in Ferndale before moving on to a new position in West Michigan. But, since she is Vice-Chair of this year's Spring Institute for Youth Services, we are talking about that conference for librarians, as well as just taking a wistful stroll down memory lane--sharing thoughts on what makes this town, and its library, special.  https://www.milibraries.org/spring-institute 

Ferndale Librarian Michelle Williamson joins us to talk about new books in the non-fiction section, specifically with call numbers in the 600's. Williamson develops our collection of books that are categorized in the Dewey Decimal System (of the 600's), generally known as "applied sciences," but that certainly winds up covering A LOT! Gardening, cooking, crafting, cultural histories, and yes..., CATS!  Craft - An American History: https://bit.ly/3audYFQ  Red Sands: https://bit.ly/3dlttBL  Nose Dive: https://bit.ly/2ON54uM  A Cat's Tale: https://bit.ly/3qGEMbq  Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: https://bit.ly/37oeZNF

Leni Sinclair (born Magdalene Arndt) is an American photographer and political activist who lives in Detroit. She has photographed iconic rock and jazz musicians since the early 1960s, and she was a co-founder of the White Panther Party and the Detroit Artists Workshop. Her photos are currently exhibiting at Galerie Camille, for 'Come Together.' That exhibition was followed-up by another showing at MOCAD, in celebration of Sinclair's new book, 'Motor City Underground.'        

A conversation with award-winning author and illustrator Linda K. Sienkiewicz about the creative process, and her new children's picture book, 'Gordy & the Ghost Crab.' http://lindaksienkiewicz.com/bio/  Other writing awards include a poetry chapbook award from Heartlands and a Pushcart Prize Nomination in poetry. She has three other poetry chapbooks: Postcard of a Naked Man (March Street Press), Dear Jim (Main Street Rag) and Security (March Street Press). Linda earned her Masters of Fine Art Degree (MFA) in Creative Writing from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine.

Marsha Music was born in Detroit and grew up in Highland Park, Michigan - a city within the city of Detroit. She has lived in these two cities her entire life. She is the daughter of legendary pre-Motown record producer, the late Joe Von Battle, and west side Detroit beauty and music lover, the late Shirley Battle. Ms. Music is a self-described "primordial Detroiter," and a "Detroitist". She became an activist in her early teens in the social tumult of the late sixties and was a founding member of the iconic League of Revolutionary Black Workers.  THE DETROITIST is an anthology of poems and stories about Detroit written by a daughter of Detroit. Marsha Music is one of the featured artists performing during the ongoing virtual exhibition, Come Together, at Galerie Camille.  https://marshamusic.wordpress.com/ Galerie Camille: https://galeriecamille.com/upcoming-events  https://www.facebook.com/galeriecamille/  https://www.facebook.com/FADLArt     

Librarian Susan Paley joins us to provide reading recommendations for fans of MYSTERIES!  Pretty Little Wife: https://bit.ly/3cvrHh7 Well of Ice: https://bit.ly/3tnkHbZ Fortune Favors the Dead: https://bit.ly/3rcFc9y  Tenant: https://bit.ly/3jdLKlE  Every Waking Hour: https://bit.ly/2Mk0GCM                  Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/ 

While there have been countless books written about Detroit, none have captured its incredible musical history like this one. This collection of poems and lyrics covers numerous genres including jazz, blues, doo-wop, Motown, classic rock, punk, hip-hop, and techno. It was curated & edited by M.L. Liebler and Jim Daniels, recently awarded the Michigan Notable prize of 2021. Daniels is a poet & writer based out of Pittsburgh (with Michigan ties) and Liebler is also a writer, poet, and editor, based here in Detroit--both of these gentlemen teach at esteemed universities such as Carnegie Mellon and Wayne State respectively. Their book was published through Michigan State University Press.    Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/ 

Rochelle Riley recently ended a 20-year career as a nationally-syndicated, award-winning Detroit columnist in 2019 to become the City of Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture. In 2018, she published 'The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery,' and she's just followed that up with a new book, 'That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World.' In this new book, which is out this week via Wayne State University Press, Riley's words describe the formative moments in the lives of some of the icons of Black History, and those words are paired with the stunning photography of Cristi Smith-Jones, capturing black and white images of her daughter Lola, and Riley's grandson Caleb, dressed in full costume to recreate some of the most memorable images from our history books.      "That They Lived fills in gaps in the history that American children have been taught for generations. For African American children, it will prove that they are more than descendants of the enslaved. For all children, it will show that every child can achieve great things and work together to make the world a better place for all. Available where books are sold and from WSU."   More info: https://www.rochelleriley.com/the-burden/  - Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/