“Wild” Talk with Author Cheryl Strayed

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“Wild” Talk with Author Cheryl Strayed

posted in guest contributors, interviews on May 16, 2012 for theme: spring

Wild by Cheryl Strayed As you will see in my gushing interview below, I totally fell in love with Wild, Cheryl Strayed‘s memoir of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail by herself. You may remember my obsession with wilderness stories — well, this one had me riveted. Judging by its presence on The New York Times Best Sellers list, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Cheryl writes the popular “Dear Sugar” advice column on The Rumpus.net, and her highly-anticipated collection of those beloved columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, will be out in July. We’ll talk about all that at some other time but right now, here’s my conversation with Cheryl about Wild — which, by the way, has already been optioned for the big screen, with Reese Witherspoon scheduled to play the author herself. … read full story →

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The eSSSence of Cheryl Strayed

Style: I’m a little bit country and a little bit (punk) rock and roll.
Substance: My dream vacation would be mornings of long hikes and afternoons of long books and evenings of long conversations (with a little bit of wine).
Soul: All we need is love.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” Author E.L. James Says Her Book is “A Tale As Old As Time” by Pamela Lear

posted in guest contributors, substance on May 14, 2012 for theme: spring

When it was announced that E.L. James, the British author whose Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has become a phenomenon in the U.S., would be in Miami for the first stop on her American book tour, tickets sold out in 15 minutes. My three friends and I were lucky to get them.

E.L. James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, is a British mom of two teenage sons, she’s been married for over 20 years and is a former television production manager. She looks like she could be one of your dearest friends from way back, bundled up in a comfortable but lumpy old sweater wearing comfortable flats, her long dark hair quickly bound up into a clip for convenience. She has a twinkle in her eyes when she smiles that seems to say, “Life is just one big, fat, fun hell-of-a-crazy-good time, isn’t it?” … read full story →

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The eSSSence of Pamela Lear

Style: Ambitious and driven, but learning to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Substance: Loving new experiences, friends, relationships, and taking a few risks!
Soul: Taking the time to appreciate the unexpected things I find in this journey of life.

Austin Vickers on the Power of Imagination and “People v. The State of Illusion”

posted in guest contributors, interviews, substance on May 3, 2012

Austin Vickers I have always believed we each have the power to shape our own destiny and that the way we look at anything can make all the difference. In fact, I’ve always tried to teach my kids that you can’t change other people but just changing your reaction to them changes the whole situation. So I was fascinated by People v. The State of Illusion, the new movie by motivational speaker Austin Vickers. There is so much great information in this docudrama (the docu part is excellent; the drama part, unfortunately, not so much) — the facts about the effects of stress alone are staggering. Here are some thoughts from Austin himself: … read full story →

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The eSSSence of Austin Vickers

Style: Down to earth, real and authentic.
Substance: I like to read a lot and I do think of myself as a substantive person, although I definitely have my shallow moments.
Soul: I see it in almost everything, and am beginning to look for it even more in places where it seems there is none.

World Book Night 2012 by Pamela Lear

posted in guest contributors, substance on Apr 27, 2012 for theme: spring

If I had the means to give away free books to strangers every day of the year, I would do it! There is a glow that appears on people’s faces when you hand them a fresh, shiny new book. They get caught up in the joy of something special, eagerly... read full story →

Wedding Talk with Devan Sipher, Author of “The Wedding Beat”

posted in guest contributors, interviews, substance on Apr 4, 2012 for theme: spring

In his debut novel, The Wedding Beat, author Devan Sipher does exactly what writers are always advised to do -- write about what they know! As a reporter for the New York Times "Vows" column, Sipher covered the wedding beat for years and he's turned his experiences into a romantic... read full story →

Talking About Being Born in Prison with Deborah Jiang Stein, Author of “Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus” — and Giving Away a Tutu or Two

posted in guest contributors, interviews on Feb 16, 2012 for theme: new beginnings

We featured an original piece, My Mama Wears a Tutu, by Deborah Jiang Stein last year, and are so excited that her memoir, Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus: Inside the World of a Woman Born in Prison, has just been published. Both a writer and public speaker, Deborah devotes her... read full story →

Empowering vs Embarrassing — Men Can Stop Rape vs Go Daddy by Anna March

posted in guest contributors on Feb 2, 2012 for theme: new beginnings

Empowering: For years, women have been told what they need to do to prevent rape, to stop street harassment, to rise up against sexual harassment. We have been instructed what to wear, what not to wear, what attitudes to have, what attitudes not to have, what to say, what not to... read full story →

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