PenDust Radio

FICTION | FRANCIS DUFFY Rubbish is a short story about Joe Nickerson's cross-country hitchhiking adventure as he's on his way to serve in the Vietnam war. As Joe waits for rides, holding a sign that reads "TO WAR - VIA L.A. – U.S. Marine Corps," he recalls his draft-dodging father, his lioness of a mother, and how his youth in Catholic schools with hard-knuckle nuns made his transition to boot camp easier. Then, when the draft from a GTO passing at 70 mph spins his sign, he has an unexpected encounter with a raven-haired woman named Rita. The post Rubbish appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN In January 1966, novelist and countercultural leader Ken Kesey held a three-day event in San Francisco called The Trips Festival. This story is Roberto Loiederman's recollection of the festival — a mind-bending event, as well as a dramatic turning point for Kesey, and those who attended. The post The Night Ken Kesey Gave His Magic Away appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | ASHLEY MEMORY A lamp purchased second hand seemed to be the ideal addition to her home until an investigation into the mysterious engraving on its base revealed a macabre history. As she discovered grisly details about the lamp's previous owner, her home life became agitated, and she wondered… Could the lamp be haunted? The post My “Haunted” Lamp: Murder, Mystery, and Remodeling appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ESSAY | CAROL D. MARSH "I'm Sorry, Monica" is a letter to Monica Lewinsky. In it, the author, Carol Marsh, takes a soul-searching look at how she reacted to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the late 1990s. She explores the roots of her feminism and the family dynamics that affected it, and shares how the MeToo movement jarred her into examining how she and other women unfairly excoriated Ms. Lewinsky. The post I’m Sorry Monica: MeToo, Monica Lewinsky, and Me appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FICTION | PATTY SOMLO A former dancer and about-to-retire choreographer is surprised to receive a letter from a foreign country. The short, handwritten note rekindles memories of a love affair, and a separate friendship, decades before in Nicaragua. Her recollections spark insights that hadn’t been apparent to her so long ago. The post Dancing to Go On appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | TERRY BARR The 1970s in Birmingham, Alabama, was a time fraught with racial tension and confusing questions of identity. Author Terry Barr found the music of that era confusing, as well. Southern rock competed with Glam and Disco, and for a long-haired guy like Terry, finding his place, his sub-culture, and the accompanying music wasn't easy. The post Long-Haired Disco Boys appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | SARAH K. LENZ After Sarah Lenz's father gives her a creepy antique photograph depicting her three great uncles who were struck and killed by the same bolt of lightning in 1914, she sets out to discover their story and figure out why postmortem photography haunts her. “Lightning Flowers” is a thoughtful and moving meditation on what it means to remember the dead and confront one’s own mortality. The post Lightning Flowers appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | BETINA ENTZMINGER "The Beak in the Heart: True Tales of Misfit Southern Women," is a collection of dramatic portraits of the author’s “misfit” female ancestors and a candid, intimate memoir about family secrets and breaking free of the narrow confines of being a “proper” southern woman. In this excerpt, Betina Entzminger tells the story of two of her “misfit” aunts who had the strength to handle the blows dealt to them by adversity, disappointment, and heartache in the South of the 1950s. This is a touching story about finding love, freedom, and fortitude. The post Handling Shit and Finding Love appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN In this brief memoir, Roberto Loiederman recalls a night in San Francisco, in the summer of 1965, that he spent with Hunter Thompson, the half-mad, cosmic prankster, and creator of gonzo journalism. For Roberto, the early days of the counterculture — the days of psychedelic rock, drugs, and free love — weren’t quite as romantic as they are remembered. The post The Darker Side of a Night with Hunter Thompson appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | EMLYN CAMERON Misfire is a story about a day when a friend takes Emlyn Cameron shooting. They leave the suburbs of Northern California with a shotgun, two handguns, a 22. calibre rifle, two AR-style rifles, and a black powder muzzleloader, to go shooting in a remote location. It looks to be a simple holiday lark, until things start to go awry. The post Misfire appeared first on PenDust Radio.

FICTION | FRANCIS DUFFY In this beautifully told story, Francis Duffy’s main character reflects on a boyhood steeped in dogma, patriarchy, and racism. His alcoholic father is often absent, and his admiration is for his “lioness” of a mother who never missed work, and put three kids through parochial schools. Before welfare, Ms. Magazine, and #MeToo. The post Unlearn appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MEMOIR | RANDY SPENCER In the 1990s, there was astronomical research that showed that Washington County, Maine was second only to area 51 in Nevada for UFO sightings in the U.S. This story about mysterious phenomena in the night skies of Grand Lake Stream, Maine is from master fishing guide and award-winning author Randy Spencer, excerpted from his new memoir, "Written on Water: Characters and Mysteries from Maine's Back of Beyond." The post Lights in the Night appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JERRY VIS In the 1950s, Jerry Vis had an uneventful, blue-collar, stickball-in-the-street childhood in Paterson, N.J. That is, until his father, who had been no more than a vaporous, bring-home-the-bacon presence, nearly killed himself with alcohol and suddenly got religion. The post Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERTO LOIEDERMAN As a young man, Roberto Loiederman read Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer," and George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London," which inspired a dream: to be broke in Paris one day. In his 70s, as a tourist in Paris, a sudden event gives him the chance to live out his youthful dream. Temporarily, anyway. This is a story about how we are all pretenders, to one degree or another. The post Playing Air Guitar in Paris appeared first on PenDust Radio.

DEYA BHATTACHARYA Adrian’s Affinity is a lush and lyrical story about a sensitive and intelligent boy with a special affinity — he can attract birds. It's not a power, because he can't control it. And it's not an ability he wants, as it makes others — even his own mother — suspicious of him. Both a bittersweet coming-of-age tale and a haunting mystery, we're reminded that we are all shaped by beautiful and mysterious forces as we struggle to fit in and understand ourselves. This story is dramatized. The post Adrian’s Affinity appeared first on PenDust Radio.

AMY FERGUSON This humorous story is about all of the masks we wear to fit in with people whose masks look a little bit shinier than ours under the library lights at a PTA meeting in the affluent neighborhood of Encino, California. And it’s a story about how, deep down, we are all insecure middle-schoolers. This is a fictionalized version of true events. The post Kicked Out of the PTA! appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERT SACHS This touching story brings us into the life of William, a young boy who must deal with some unexpected circumstances after WWII. After being evicted from their home, his family finds a new place to live in a resort community on Lake Michigan. There, William makes a special new friend and faces some dramatic events. The post Traces of an Early Summer appeared first on PenDust Radio.

MARTHA CLARKSON Marjorie signs up for a writing retreat and finds herself an outcast amidst a gaggle of young, eager authors. But one evening, over a few drinks with the group, she has an unexpected “fifteen minutes of fame” in the micro spotlight of the writing workshop. As she shares a secret talent with the group, she flashes back to an encounter she once had with Truman Capote. The post Her Voices, Her Room: An Encounter with Truman Capote appeared first on PenDust Radio.

JEFF FLEISCHER Art and business collide in this tale of a hapless artist and a very shrewd, if not entirely scrupulous, marketing executive. A struggling creator of sculptures made from pieces he’s foraged from dumpsters, is just barely getting by when he receives a mind-boggling offer that he can neither believe nor refuse. Will he or won’t he accept it? Art "gets the business" in a story that begs the question: What makes a piece of art worth anything? The post Found Art, Lost Art appeared first on PenDust Radio.

ROBERT SHUSTER A writer of thrillers encounters a woman who claims to be the clever central character from his first novel. He plays along for a while, enjoying her witty company and the social boost she gives to his fading renown, but when she demands his involvement in a scheme to steal millions, he starts to wonder if she has, in fact, emerged from his fiction. As the situation becomes increasingly dire, he struggles to outwit her double-crossing skills. The post Caro’s Return appeared first on PenDust Radio.