The Good Life Review Podcast

In this episode, I interview Tyler Jacobs about his piece, "Standing Water in Central Nebraska."  Tyler is finishing up his degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney where he studies English and Creative Writing.  He recommends taking classes with Brad Modlin and Jessica Hollander at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, but really any class with the English department there is bound to be enjoyable.  You can read his full piece here: https://thegoodlifereview.com/issue-two/2-poetry/standing-water-in-central-nebraska-by-tyler-jacobs/ Full Bio: Tyler Michael Jacobs currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Carillon. He is the recipient of the Wagner Family Writing Award Endowment. His poetry has appeared, or is slated to appear, in The Carillon, Poached Hare, The Hole in the Head Review, Runestone, The Magazine, Rumble Fish Quarterly, The Whorticulturalist, East by Northeast Literary Magazine, White Wall Review, HASH Journal, Funicular Magazine, and Aurora: The Allegory Ridge Poetry Anthology.

Introducing Kerby Caudill as our highlighted writer of the week. She talks about her love of storytelling, the writers she enjoys, and her relationship with her terminally ill sister. You can read the entire non-fiction excerpt of her memoir in our latest edition of The Good Life Review. https://thegoodlifereview.com/…/2-n…/paper-by-kerby-caudill/ Although born in Ashland, Oregon with family roots in New York, Kerby Kunstler Caudill has spent the majority of her life in Southern California. She earned a BA in Film from the University of California at Irvine, an MA in education from Cal State Long Beach, and then taught elementary school for 20 years. When she decided to switch gears, she joined a writing workshop with author Francesca Lia Block. This piece is an excerpt from her larger work, a memoir exploring her relationship with her terminally ill sister. Kerby lives in Culver City with her husband, daughter and two dogs.

In this week's episode, we are excited to feature Dr. Kendall Klym. We talk about Red Cloud, fear, the deep meaning behind the good life, and the loveliness of Nebraska.  In addition to winning the Tartt First Fiction Award for Step Lightly, (Livingston Press, 2019), Dr. Kendall Klym has won numerous awards for his short stories, which have been published in literary journals including Puerto del Sol, Hunger Mountain, and Fiction International.  Klym is a three-time honorable mention winner of the Great American Fiction Contest and has won writing fellowships at the Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts, the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and Monson Arts. Two of his stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A former professional ballet dancer, Klym holds a Ph.D. in English, with a concentration in Fiction Writing, from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. For six years, he taught English composition, American literature, and creative writing full time at Kennesaw State University outside Atlanta; however, he considers the Midwest his home, particularly Kansas and Missouri. You can read Dr. Klym's entire piece, Apotropaic, and full bio in Issue 2 of the Good Life Review. https://thegoodlifereview.com/.../apotropaic-by-kendall.../ Dr. Klym's "Step Lightly" is available for you to order on Amazon or Livingston Press. Below is a link to his award-winning writing:  https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu/htm%20(web%20pages)/Step%20Lightly.html

This week, we are excited to interview Lynn Magill. Lynn is a creative soul that has a unique story that she shares with us in the podcast.  We hope you will join us to hear more about half-sisters, strange nature vs nurture talks, and great reveals about difficult relationships. Her piece, "The Envelope," is in our Issue #2 of the Good Life Review. https://thegoodlifereview.com/issue-two/2-flash-nonfiction/ Lynn Magill lives in Western Washington with deep Iowa roots that influence many aspects of her work. She writes poetry and nonfiction and is also a painter and visual artist. She is scheduled to graduate from Central Washington University in Winter 2021 with a master’s degree in Professional and Creative Writing. She has two nonfiction pieces scheduled for publication in Spring of 2021 in an anthology via McFarland & Sons, as well as a poetry piece in Route 7 Review. Lynn loves to travel and spend time with her husband on their Texas ranch herding goats and finding any excuse to avoid being within range of cell phone reception. Up Next: Episode 2.4 with Kendall Klym will be released Friday, Jan 29th.

In this week's episode, we are interviewing one of our poets, Caleb Nichols. Caleb is a librarian and teaches English, so he has plenty of great poetry recommendations.  We also chat about Grandmoms, Cafeterias, and being a VIP.  He reads us his poetry, August Hymnody & I Check The Moon, from a poetry collection he's looking to publish with his cousin Lulu! Find the two poems he reads here: https://thegoodlifereview.com/issue-two/2-poetry/ Caleb Nichols is a queer poet and musician from California. His poetry has been featured in Redivider, Perhappened Mag, Cypress: A Literary Journal, and elsewhere. His poem, “Ken,” won an Academy of American Poets University Prize, and his first chapbook, 22 Lunes, is available from Unsolicited Press. He tweets at @seanickels. https://www.unsolicitedpress.com/store/p295/nichols.22lunes.html

Jim Peterson has published a novel and seven poetry collections, most recently The Horse Who Bears Me Away from Red Hen Press.  His collection of short stories, The Sadness of Whirlwinds, will be published by Red Hen late in 2021.  The two stories of his in The Good Life Review will be included in that collection.  He retired as Coordinator of Creative Writing at Randolph College in 2013 and remains on the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Omaha MFA Program in Creative Writing.   He lives with his charismatic Corgi, Mama Kilya, in Lynchburg, Virginia. You can read the two contributions from Jim Peterson to the Good Life Review at the following link: https://thegoodlifereview.com/issue-two/2-fiction/ Jim's most recent collection of poetry available at Red Hen Press:  https://redhen.org/book/the-horse-who-bears-me-away/

Join us as we talk with Brett Biebel about processes of institutions and the irony of being midwestern nice. In this episode, we will read one of the stories in his new book, "48 Blitz," which is being published by Split Lip Press.  We hope you will pick up a copy today: https://www.splitlippress.com/48-blitz

Join flash fiction writer Najla Brown and one of thegoodlifereview.com's fiction editors, Trelana Daniel, as they talk about body hair, chick lit, and alpha females.  Najla Brown traded in the oil pumpjacks of West Texas for the oil skyscrapers of Houston. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M in English and Political Science. She spends her days writing tag lines and her nights writing everything else. You can find her work in Houstonia Magazine, Molotov Cocktail, Coffin Bell Journal, and elsewhere. Read more about this author and others at thegoodlifereview.com.

Join fiction editor for the Good Life Review, Trelana Daniel, as she interviews a magical realist poet named Clif.  Clif Mason lives in Bellevue, Nebraska, with his wife, a visual artist. He is the author of one collection, Knocking the Stars Senseless (Stephen F. Austin State University Press), and three chapbooks: The Book of Night & Waking (won the Cathexis Northwest Press Chapbook Prize), Self-portraits in Which I Do Not Appear (Finishing Line Press), and From the Dead Before(Lone Willow Press). His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and he has been the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Rwanda, Africa. He also writes magical realist and fantasy fiction. Twitter: @mason_clif Read more at thegoodlifereview.com

This episode is an interview with one of our poetry submissions at thegoodlifereview.com.  Kim McNealy Sosin is an Emerita Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Her post-retirement interests include writing and photography. Her poems and photographs have appeared in Fine Lines, Failed Haiku, Daily Haiga, Voices from the Plains, Landscape Magazine, The Heron’s Nest, Wanderlust Journal, Raw Art Review, and Sandcutters. Take a moment to look at her beautiful photography and the inspired poem she created from it at the following link: https://thegoodlifereview.com/issue1-poetry/blue-heron-at-the-lake/

This episode we talk with author Jamie Wendt about her persona poems, interviews with her family, and her work as a writer.  Jamie Wendt is the author of the poetry collection Fruit of the Earth (2018) and winner of the 2019 National Federation of Press Women Book Award. Her poetry, essays, and book reviews have been published in various literary journals and anthologies, including Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Invisibility, Lilith, Literary Mama, The Forward, Third Wednesday, and Saranac Review. She holds an MFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She teaches high school English and lives in Chicago with her husband and two children. Website: https://jamiewendt.wordpress.com/

In this week’s episode, writer and anthropologist, Kathryn Stam, talks to Fiction Editor Trelana Daniel about refugees, glaciology, and the miracle of family. Listen in as she reads  "Cohesion Forces in an Avalanche." You can read the flash non-fiction writing in Issue 1 of the Good Life Review. Read her piece at thegoodlifereview.com Kathryn Stam is an anthropology professor and creative non-fiction writer who is obsessed with all things Himalayan. She volunteers with resettled refugees and teaches about cultural diversity. She has spent the past several years learning how to slay a few of her most pernicious enemies. https://kathrynruthstam.wordpress.com/

In this week’s episode writer James Penha talks to Fiction Editor Trelana Daniel about caring for an aging family member, death, and utilizing writing as a means to come to terms with difficult topics. Listen in as he reads his piece and discusses being “OK” in this stressful time. Read the entire essay, “Better Off,” in Issue 1 of the Good Life Review. A native New Yorker, James Penha has lived for the past quarter-century in Indonesia. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in fiction and poetry, his work has lately appeared in several anthologies: The View From Olympia (Half Moon Books, UK), Queers Who Don’t Quit (Queer Pack, EU), What We Talk About It When We Talk About It, (Darkhouse Books), Headcase , (Oxford UP), Lovejets(Squares and Rebels), and What Remains (Gelles-Cole). His essays have appeared in The New York Daily News and The New York Times. Penha edits The New Verse News, an online journal of current-events poetry. Twitter: @JamesPenha

Matt Mason, Nebraska's State Poet, joins fiction editor Trelana Daniel as they talk about two of his poems "In the Packed Auditorium" and "Flash." Both of these can be found in our online addition of thegoodlifereview.com.  We look forward to reading more of Matt with his newest publication "I Have a Poem the Size of the Moon," coming out later this month from Stephen F Austin University Press. 

Listen in as Jody Rae chats with Fiction Editor Trelana Daniel about reincarnations, madames, and examining family relationships. Jody Rae's work, "Criminy Sakes Alive" is available to read in the Good Life Review Issue One. We hope you enjoy this podcast!

Listen to Tomas Baiza talk about one of his short stories, "Extra Large for the Lord." To learn more about Tomas Baiza, head to our website thegoodlifereview.com.