No Extra Words: One Person's Search For Story

How we see ourselves versus how others see us. A troubled girl is really just a flower in "Blooming" by Patty Somlo. "Blooming" is copyright 2010 and used with permission. Visit Patty's website. Dawn Corrigan reads her story "Nonsense Syllables" about a very musical family who can't carry a tune. "Nonsense Syllables" is copyright 2015 and used with permission. Visit Dawn's website. This episode also features the third of four drawings in our Contributor Appreciation Month promotion sponsored by our friends at channillo.com. Please let them know you appreciate their support. You can tweet at them here. Visit http://noextrawords.wordpress.com to let us know what you think!

"Roller Blading in Venice" is by Julie Christine Johnson, making her second appearance on the No Extra words podcast. Her short story "Granny" was featured on Episode 23. "Roller Blading in Venice" is copyright 2015 and used with permission. For more information about Julie, including all the scoop on the launch of her debut novel, "In Another Life," on February 1, please visit her website. "Wholesale" is by Jeff Bakkensen, copyright 2015 and used with permission. Read Jeff's bio here. "Progress" is by Sean Antoniak, copyright 2015 and used with permission. Visit Sean's website here. "Grow, Jesus" is written and read for you by Gabriel Congdon. It is copyright 2015 and used with permission. If you enjoyed Gabe's reading of "Grow Jesus," you'll love his YouTube channel. This is Week 2 of Contributor Appreciation Month here on the No Extra Words Podcast, which means a lucky contributor is going to win our prize drawing. I had a chance to speak to Mary Alice Long, winner of the Week 1 drawing, and she was very e

It's perfectly reasonable to have a thing that lives inside your closet. And when a suspicious character shows up at your doorstep demanding, of all the horror, productivity, it's perfectly reasonable to invite him in for a sandwich. Right? "The Thing that Lives Inside My Closet," by Brandon T. Madden, is copyright 2015 and used with permission. Read Brandon's bio here. "The Poet's Resistance," by Jason Walker, is copyright 2015 and used with permission. Read Jason's bio here. This episode also launches Contributor Appreciation Month! Each week in January we will draw live on the show the name of a former or future contributor and honor them with a Channillo subscription and more. Thanks so much to channillo.com for sponsoring the promotion all January long. http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

Starting with a classic element of any New year..."The Diet." By Diane Valentine, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read Diane's bio here. Read in her own lovely voice is Aileen Hunt's "The Man Who Taught My Children About Dragonflies." Copyright 2014, used with permission. Visit Aileen's website here. "Flowers" is a brilliant piece of microfiction about the celebration and mystery of sending flowers. By Charles Rafferty, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read Charles's bio here. Follow the love story of "How My Parents Fell in Love." By Dallas Woodburn, copyright 2011, used with permission. Visit Dallas's website here. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who made 2015 such an amazing journey for this show. Looking forward to bringing you more great content in 2016, starting with Contributor Appreciation Month in January sponsored by Channillo.com Please let us know what you think of our new sound, new theme song, and return to our old format. Visit our website at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

First up, a beautiful short story by Bob Thurber entitled "Our Trip to the Moon." I could not imagine a more delightful companion to this finale of our series. Visit Bob's website here. I am delighted to share this final episode of our four-part series to celebrate Christmas. If you have missed the earlier installments, please check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 first. As always, we would love to hear what you think at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com. And please stay tuned for a New Year's episode with a more traditional format next week.

If you have not yet heard Parts 1 and 2, please refer to Episodes 24 and 25. This is the third of a four-part series of episodes showcasing an original whimsical story of Christmas, the North Pole, elves, Santa, and, of course, reindeer. “A Christmas Serial” is copyright 2015. In addition, this episode also features "Rick's Picks," about 2 characters in a terrible rut. By Benjamin Toche, copyright 2011, used with permission. Visit Benjamin's website. Musical credits: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as performed by the U.S. Marine Corps Band is in the public domain. Our theme music is “Reverie: small theme” by _ghost and is used under Creative Commons License. As always, please let us know what you think! http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

If you have not heard Part 1, tune in to Episode 24. This is the second of a four-part series of episodes showcasing an original whimsical story of Christmas, the North Pole, elves, Santa, and, of course, reindeer. “A Christmas Serial” is copyright 2015. In addition, this episode also features “Gingerbread Houses in the School  of Architecture," a holiday story in which the rules get broken. By Jody Brooks, copyright 2010, used with permission. Read Jody's bio here. Musical credits: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as performed by the U.S. Marine Corps Band is in the public domain. Our theme music is “Reverie: small theme” by _ghost and is used under Creative Commons License. As always, please let us know what you think at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

Welcome to the first installment of "A Christmas Serial." First in a four-part series of episodes showcasing an original whimsical story of Christmas, the North Pole, elves, Santa, and, of course, reindeer. "A Christmas Serial" is copyright 2015. In addition, this episode also features "Garrick and the Dare," a short story about what happens when a daredevil is always trying to one-up himself. By Shawn Cowling, copyright 2015, used with permission. Visit Shawn's wonderful blog and website here. Musical credits: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as performed by the U.S. Marine Corps Band is in the public domain. Our theme music is "Reverie: small theme" by _ghost and is used under Creative Commons License. As always, visit http://noextrawords.wordpress.com and let us know what you think!

Big announcement of an upcoming promotion! If you are a regular listener and especially if you are a contributor to the show, you want to hear this! Follow http://noextrawords.wordpress.com for all the details. If you like the audio you hear on this special, you will love Libsyn's "Thanks Podcasting" podcast. Have a listen to more stories. Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a four story episode that really splits nicely into two sections, but the overall theme is "resilience." Part 1 is about gratitude when times are tough. In "A House Burning," an out of control fire also proves cleansing. By Matthew Keefer, copyright 2015, used with permission. Visit Matt's website here. In "Chipped," a neighborhood has seen its share of tough times and is shabby compared to the well-off neighbors. By Tina Tocco, copyright 2004, used with permission. Read more about Tina here. Part 2 is about those tough family relationships that can be the best and worst parts of this and all seasons. "Granny" examines that moment that comes to many of us when dealing with an elderly relative with dementia. By Julie Christine Johnson, copyright 2015, used with permission. Visit Julie's website here. "Meyer's Rebellion" ends this episode on a lighter note, as a man leaving his wife of 46 years has some reassuring news for her. By Paul Beckman, copyright 2015, used with permission. Visit Paul's website

In "Fairytale Kingdom" a family experiences one last moment of almost normal before the coming storm. By Robin Vigfusson, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read her bio here. In "Open Door" a man's musings on whether or not he locked his front door provide a framework to make an impossible decision. By Ajay Patri, copyright 2014, used with permission. Read his bio here. Our theme music is “Reverie: small theme” by _ghost, used under a Creative Commons license and we are grateful. Thank you for tuning in today! As always, we value your feedback and you can find links to subscribe at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

Depending on where you live, I hope you are making time in your life to honor sacrifice on this Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day. Here at No Extra Words, we wanted to take this holiday back to its roots and make you think. This episode is a little different than our usual format and we hope you enjoy it. "In Memoriam" is a poem by Ewart Alan Mackintosh written in May 1916. Lieutenant Mackintosh was killed in action in November 1917 at the age of 24. Find more information about him and the poem at http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/ewart-alan-mackintosh-in-memoriam.htm. The poem is in the public domain, thanks to freesound.org for the public domain church bells sound. "Peter on the Island/Pan is Dead" is a re-imagining of an old legend by Adam McOmber. It is copyright 2015 and used with permission. Be sure to visit Adam's website at adammcomber.com. In Armistice Day tradition, this episode ends with 2 minutes of silence. The first minute is to honor those lost, and the second minute is to honor tho

What happens when your name lives without you. In "Achilles," we learn what happens when you carry the name of an ancient hero into a modern day small town. By Charles Rammelkamp, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read for you by the author. Read his bio and learn where to find more stories about Potawatomi Rapids here. In "What We Talk About When we Talk About Homer," eighth grader Homer will live in the yearbook for many many years to come. By Marina Frances Mularz, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read her bio here. As always, let us know what you think! http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

Storytelling at its finest. "Mama Said" covers all the things mama said, from her solid advice to her thoughts on what to do with her after she dies. By Brett Vickers, copyright 2011, used with permission. Read his bio here. In "21 Days," we are left to wonder which version of the story is better, the one Grandma told or the truth. By Tina Tocco, copyright 2013, used with permission. Read her bio here. "Going off the Rails" is the story of one epic move. By Brianne Holmes, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read her bio here. "Reception" is what happens when the bridesmaid comes properly armed. By PJ Sambeaux, copyright 2014, used with permission. Read her bio here. As always, we look forward to hearing what you think! Visit us at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

Sometimes it's obvious who is crazy. Sometimes it's not. In "A Junior Whopper, Please, With Cheese," a sign held up by a homeless man inspires a restaurant worker to make a human connection. By James Hartman, copyright 2014, used with permission. Read his bio here. In "Min-Max-Out," listeners are taken through the phases of life at the behavioral unit in Mass General. By Emm Rose Borgerding, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read her bio here. As always, we would love to hear what you think! Visit us at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

That moment when you realize you are living in your future. In the sci-fi romance story "I'll Meet You There," a couple in 2140 find intimacy in technologically advanced times. By Cassandra Ricard, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read her bio here. In "The Brunch Place," a man many years beyond college sees an old flame and realizes they are not who they were. By Jeff Dupuis, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio here. As always, we look forward to hearing from you! http://noextrawords.wordpress.com

The confusion of adolescence, when "consent" is not a straightforward idea. In "Lindsay and I," a girl at the beginning of puberty has one of those friends who knows it all and isn't afraid to make her feel young and stupid. But is she the only one? By Nathan Alling Long, copyright 2000, used with permission. Previously published in "The Portland Review. Learn more about Nathan here. In "The Deak," an adolescent encounter with the school bully has lasting effects. By Stephen Baily, copyright 2012, used with permission. Read his bio here. What did you think of today's episode? Visit us at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com and let us know what you think.

It sound like such a good idea at the time! In "There is Rest for the Wicked," a couple go through the motions of something that isn't there anymore. By Vincent Douarre, copyright 2014, used with permission. Read his bio here. In "Bleeding Out," a man recovering from a relationship learns a few lessons from a friend on the farm. By Brian Burmeister, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio here. In "Smooth Operator," the outfit blessed by the voodoo priestess seemed like such a good idea... By Jason Kerzinski, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio here. Plans are underway for future episodes. What do you think? What are you looking for? Be sure to visit us at http://noextrawords.wordpress.com and let us know!

Today's stories are all fresh voices, from newer and younger writers or starring youthful characters. They bring us a fresh perspective in more ways than one. "1001 Reasons to Love Rachel Maddow" is the typical boy-meets-girl story told in untypical fashion. By Zachary Hay, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read his bio here. "So Bored" is a piece of microfiction featuring the voice of a young person having an adventure, or maybe just wasting time. By Jake Bible, copyright 2015, used with permission. Find out more about Jake and read his other microfiction at jakebible.com. In "Out of Order," you find yourself as a fifth grader on the school bus, a dangerous place to be if you aren't ready to relate to others. By Angela Luo, copyright 2014, used with permission. Read her bio here. ****A couple of corrections to errors discovered post-recording: 1) The correct title of Jake Bible's podcast is Writing in Suburbia. Find it in iTunes or check Jake's website for more information. 2) The hashtag to follow on Tw

In "Hungry," a war veteran has to leave his house when he doesn't want to, which forces him into a conversation with his young neighbor who doesn't see him or the world the way he expects. By Michelle Lee, copyright 2015, used with permssion. Read her bio here. In "Sealed," a young man assists his father with an act of service he wasn't expecting his father to do and learns something about that relationship. By Jeremy Schnee, copyright 2015, used with permission. Read for you by the author. Find out more about Jeremy at www.jeremyschnee.com. What do you think of today's show? Contact us and let us know or visit our website http://noextrawords.wordpress.com to leave a comment.