Sunday, February 01, 2009

Writers’ Podcast Takes Listeners on a Global Adventure

This month, Writers in the Sky guests discuss new books that take place in New York, Africa, China, and an unusual convent!

The team members at Writers in the Sky are excited to offer a series of interviews in February which emphasis the authors’ focus on fascinating locations. The four books that will be discussed each employ a different format to share the talents and experience of the writers. We begin the month with a book of freestyle poetry that, while not entirely about Brooklyn, certainly shares the author’s love for her home. We then interview a woman who brings a lifetime of experience with Middle Eastern booking into her new cookbook. We travel even further from home to talk with an author who exposes a horrific human rights abuse in China through his new work in fiction. And, we will end the month on a light note with a hilarious novel which revolves around the most outrageous nun you will ever meet. All of these interviews will be conducted by Sarah Moore, the author’s assistant for Writers in the Sky.

On February 6, Sarah will be interviewing Irene Brodsky about her new book Poetry Unplugged. Ms. Brodsky is a recent, sixty-two-year-old graduate of Brooklyn College and Poetry Unplugged is her first book of poetry. In this collection, she shares a great selection of freestyle poetry that reflects on childhood experiences, everyday observations, and her life in Brooklyn. As Ms. Brodsky shares on the back of cover of the book, “Just step inside to find something for everyone!” Listeners will learn about the inspiration behind Brodsky’s poetry, her method for writing, and reasons that she chose to return to school and pursue writing at this stage in her life.

Our next interview will be on February 13 with Dodi Elhalogy, who will be discussing her book The Secrets of Dodi’s Home Cooking. Mrs. Elhalogy was raised on an estate in a small Egyptian village. Since her father was mayor of the province, many important social events were held in their home. By helping her mothers and sisters prepare for these functions, Mrs. Elhalogy mastered the art of Middle Eastern cooking and is now showcasing her family’s traditional recipes. During the interview with Sarah Moore, Mrs. Elhalogy will share more about how her family background prepared her for this book, the health benefits of the recipes she included, and how the book is formatted to include cultural and culinary details.

The podcast takes a serious turn on February 20 as Thomas Pompeo discusses the new book My Name is Michael. Mr. Pompeo spent two years in China absorbing the culture and learning as much as possible from its people. Along the way, he discovered a horrible trend of children being forced to beg in the streets. He decided to create the fictional story of My Name is Michael to shed light on a very real problem. Mr. Pompeo’s interview with Writers in the Sky will focus on how he gathered the material for this novel and the risks he took in doing so. Listeners also will have the opportunities to learn more about the characters developed by this first-time author and the process he used to share this story in the most effective manner possible.

To end our month of podcasts, we will offer an interview on February 27 with a new author whose first offering is both hilarious and a smart social commentary. Davis Aujourd'hui will be discussing The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude. This novel, the first in a series, centers around a hard-drinking, chain smoking nun who shares the latest gossip on the colorful personalities in her town. As readers quickly learn, even those who portray an air of perfection have some ridiculous flaws. Through Sister Mary, we all learn about acceptance of others who live on the fringes of traditional society. Mr. Aujourd’hui will discuss the messages he tries to impart through Sister Mary and how they stem from lessons learned in his own life. Listeners also will learn what they can expect from the future books in the series.

“What an exciting series of podcasts we have for our listeners this month!” shares Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services, which produces the podcast. “I always love the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and traditions, and our four authors in February are certain to teach all of us something.”

Listeners can learn more about all of the authors who are featured on the Writers in the Sky podcast this month by visiting www.OutskirtsPress.com.

About Writers in the Sky: Writers in the Sky blog, podcast, and newsletter is a three-fold production filled with information about writing, publishing, and book publicity created by Yvonne Perry as part of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (http://writersinthesky.com).

Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Go to http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to the audio file.

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