Advertise on podcast: Prolific Pulse Press Podcast

What does it mean to live in a woman's body? Poet Adele Evershed joins Prolific Pulse Press to talk about her new haiku collection, "Red Threads and Silver Linings: A Woman's Life in Haiku, One Bloody Drop at a Time".The collection traces womanhood through the body's cycles: first periods, love, pregnancy and loss, childbirth, motherhood, menopause and the "reblooming" that comes after. Adele's haiku are tender, raw, funny and unflinchingly honest. In them, blood and blossom, grief and humor sit side by side."Red Threads and Silver Linings is a celebration of the female body in all its complexity. It is bloody, funny, uncomfortable, tender, occasionally heartbreaking, and wonderfully honest."— Munmun Samanta, author of *Yellow Chrysanthemum*📖 Paperback releases October 20, 2026 Pre-Order now this #1 New Release in Haiku and Japanese PoetryOrder your copy: https://www.prolificpulse.com/adeleevershedAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HLCJCPK2Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-threads-and-silver-linings-adele-evershed/1151491557?ean=9798952428065Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/21128006674Author page: https://www.prolificpulse.com/adeleevershedAbout Adele Evershed:Adele is a Welsh writer who swapped the Valleys for the American East Coast. She is a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet, a Touchstone Award winner and co-editor of Thin Skin Journal. Her work has appeared in Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Poetry Wales and elsewhere.Published by Prolific Pulse Press LLCReview copies and media: [email protected] #AdeleEvershed #HaikuPoetry #AuthorInterview

For Emma L. Sembly, every story teaches a lesson, and every life is a story.Emma is a life-long storyteller and lover of stories. As a child, Emma loved telling fantastical tales, starting with a captive audience consisting of her little sister. After she grew up, Emma continued to create stories that her students loved.With a bachelor's degree in psychology from Elmhurst College and a master's degree in reading from Johns Hopkins University, Emma set out on a thirty-seven-year journey as an educator in the Baltimore City Public School System, where she taught children with different abilities on both elementary and high school levels. During that time, she also created stories for her own daughter and niece, then for her grandchildren and great nieces.Now, Emma creates stories for children of all ages, especially the young at heart.Emma also has a podcast, Just Folks: Conversations with Emma, in which she provides a platform where regular, everyday humans can share their own stories with listeners of all persuasions. Life lessons shared.Drawing and writing poetry are among Emma's favorite things to do. She also enjoys planting red flowers around her home. And when she's not chatting it up with her kitty of thirteen years, she's having a blast with both of her Favorite Number One Grandchildren."What I have learned as a writer and podcaster, is that our stories, our bedtime stories, our fables, are the gateways to life's lessons," Emma says, "and we all have a story to tell."https://emmaleesembly.com/https://www.prolificpulse.com/emmalsembly

In a meadow full of chirping, squawking, climbing, crawling creatures, Mr. Krippet is the most industrious, well-mannered, and well-respected of them all. Known for his magnificent tenor voice and his skill as a shoemaker for the ants, he's spent all summer singing, working, and making friends. But winter is coming — and Mr. Krippet has nowhere to live and nothing stored away to eat.Will he make the baker's acquaintance — and earn a place by the fire — before the first snow falls?Written by veteran educator Emma L. Sembly and illustrated by Lesley Scoble, with a foreword by celebrated poet Zaneta V. Johns, Mr. Krippet is a gentle, richly imagined tale about dedication, preparation, and friendship. It's a natural companion to classic fable-and-fall stories about industriousness and community — perfect for bedtime, classroom read-alouds, and quiet corner adventures.✍️ Author: Emma L. Sembly🎨 Illustrator: Lesley Scoble📝 Foreword: Zaneta V. Johns🛒 Get the book: https://www.prolificpulse.com/emmalsemblySubscribe for more read-alouds, book trailers, and stories that teach kindness, patience, and community — without ever feeling like a lesson.#MrKrippet #ChildrensBooks #ReadAloud #BedtimeStory #KidsBooks

Sarah Merritt Ryan and I had a lovely visit, sharing about her new release "My Soul to Keep" and so much more! About the Book:My Soul to Keep is a deeply personal and spiritually resonant collection of sonnets that explores what it truly means to walk with God through the darkest seasons of life. Written primarily from a Christian perspective, these poems offer an intimate portrait of faith — not as a smooth and effortless journey, but as a living, breathing relationship that is tested, stretched, and ultimately strengthened through suffering.At the heart of this collection is a profound truth: hardship does not have to destroy us. Long-suffering, when carried in faith, becomes a crucible that deepens our connection to God and shapes us into something more resilient, more compassionate, and more whole. Faith here is not static — it ebbs and flows, wavers and steadies — and that honest portrayal makes these sonnets feel achingly real.Many of these poems are written from a woman's perspective, and several speak with quiet courage to the wounds left by broken relationships and the pain inflicted by others. Yet even these most tender and difficult places are held within a larger story of survival and grace.What ultimately distinguishes this collection is its vision of the final destination of enduring trial — not merely survival, but praise. To give thanks to God in the aftermath of suffering is portrayed here as both an act of healing and an act of liberation. Praise cleanses the heart of bitterness, loosens the grip of the past, and opens the soul to receive what God has always intended: wholeness, peace, and renewed purpose.My Soul to Keep is for anyone who has ever wrestled with God and refused to let go.Get your copy: https://www.prolificpulse.com/sarahmerrittryan

Jim Krosschell and I sat down for a discussion about his latest poetry book release "Man Afield" and more. About "Man Afield"Man Afield is a lyrical journey through the living world, guided by a backyard naturalist attuned to both wonder and warning. These poems chronicle spiritual and physical excursions into landscapes larger than any one mind or body — places where awe, joy, disorientation, and reckoning intertwine. Organized in six evocative sections, the collection:I. bears witness from a seaside deck;II. wanders through yard and neighboring woods;III. explores the shifting shoreline;IV. imagines the vast and restless ocean;V. surveys the scars of environmental damage;VI. honors home in its many meanings. Throughout, the poems dwell in the charged space where humans and the natural world meet. They examine our peculiar paradox: we are the only species that knowingly fouls its own nest — and the only one capable of choosing restraint. With clear-eyed honesty, Man Afield mourns the grinding erosion of precious places while celebrating the stubborn beauty that persists despite us — and sometimes because of us. From deck to forest trail, from tidal pull to smoke-streaked sky, these poems trace one person’s evolving relationship with plants, animals, weather, memory, and spirit. Intimate yet expansive, they invite readers to travel outward into the wild and inward toward belonging.​Man Afield is at once a field journal, a meditation, and a love song — to earth, to home, and to the fragile bond between them.Learn more and make your purchase: https://www.prolificpulse.com/jimkrosschell

We're celebrating the release of Peculiar Perspectives by Ed Ahern. We sat down for a little while and talked about this lovely poetry collection and more. About the Book: Twenty-four glimpses into the absurd, the tender, and the beautifully human.These twenty-four short poems are personal rather than political, reflective rather than polemic-quiet observations shaped by a life that has been, at times, unruly, uneven, and richly human. They invite the reader not to debate or defend, but simply to recognize: to nod in wry agreement at the small absurdities, contradictions, and tender ironies that fill our everyday lives.Drawn from a long and garishly checkered journey-one navigated more by instinct than intention-these poems distill experience into brief, free verse moments. They could have unfolded as sprawling autobiographical narratives, layered with embellishment and softened by false modesty. But that is not their nature. The voice here leans toward the epigrammatic rather than the epic, favoring canapés over feasts-small, carefully offered portions meant to be savored, not consumed all at once.At the heart of this collection lies a lifelong devotion to language. Beyond family, the author's enduring love affair has been with reading, writing, and speaking words-finding in them both refuge and revelation. These poems arise from that relationship: an urge not just to observe life, but to shape it into something shareable. Many of these pieces have found their way into print and into the air-read aloud to audiences, sometimes more than once-where their quiet truths and subtle humor continue to resonate.The subjects are not grand events or sweeping declarations, but the small, often overlooked details that give life its texture: fleeting thoughts, peculiar habits, private contradictions, and the strange comforts we build for ourselves. Each poem captures a moment of recognition-sometimes amused, sometimes bittersweet, often both at once. Together, they form a mosaic of perspective: two dozen glimpses into a mind attuned to the eccentricities and quiet wonders that surround us.This is a book that does not rush. It lingers. It invites pause. It allows space for reflection, for a half-smile, for the subtle realization that what seems uniquely strange is often universally shared. There are no epic climaxes here, no sweeping resolutions-only the gentle accumulation of insight, the steady uncovering of meaning in the seemingly mundane.In these pages, we are reminded that life's significance is rarely found in its grandest moments, but in its smallest ones: the passing thought, the odd realization, the quiet acceptance. These poems offer not answers, but companionship-a recognition that we are all navigating our own peculiar paths, doing the best we can with what we notice, remember, and feel.This little book allows us to smile at the absurdities we put ourselves through, while also inviting us to slow down long enough to savor the moments that offer contentment. It is, at its core, a celebration of the imperfect, the peculiar, and the profoundly human.Buy this book: https://www.prolificpulse.com/edahern

Trauma therapist Darls Centola has written a unique, never-before-told story of young Michael Jackson and the relationship that changed both their lives, in FINDING TRUTH WITH MICHAEL: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith, and First Love, coming out on April 7th. Darls recounts her and Michael’s close, tender friendship forged during their time spent in a small, private high school in Los Angeles, where they held private Bible study sessions as teenage Jehovah’s Witnesses. Part memoir chronicling Darls’ and Michael’s secret friendship and spiritual bond as they both struggled under the weight of high-control religion, and part cultural lens, this book traces Centola’s path into—and eventually out of—an environment of high-control faith and spiritual abuse that shaped their lives. The memoir arrives amid a cultural shift toward understanding spiritual abuse, purity culture, and religious deconstruction. As a therapist, Centola has spent decades working with the complex impacts of adverse religious experiences and the restoration of personal sovereignty from authoritarian belief systems. As an author, she offers clarity, compassion, and an insider’s perspective on a rarely explored chapter in pop history. Centola would also love to discuss the intersection of celebrity, religious drama, and the clinical path to reclaiming one’s voice. About the author:Darls Centola is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and EMDR consultant whose professional path has been shaped by the lived experiences explored in this memoir. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Hawaii and is based in Los Angeles, where she works as a trauma-informed therapist. Much of her work explores the impact of high-control belief systems and the process of reconnecting with self and self-trust.Learn more at www.findingtruthwithmichael.com

What was it like to survive one of the earliest acts of international aviation terrorism?On September 6, 1970, twenty-year-old Mimi Nichter was aboard Trans World Airlines Flight 741 when it was hijacked and diverted to the Jordanian desert. Passengers were held for six days in extreme conditions, and Mimi—falsely accused of being an Israeli soldier—was among those taken hostage as war broke out around them.In this powerful interview, Mimi discusses her memoir, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, sharing what it was like to endure captivity, confront trauma, and ultimately find resilience.Mimi Nichter is a cultural and medical anthropologist, public speaker, and professor emerita at the University of Arizona. She is the recipient of the Margaret Mead Award and the George Foster Practicing Medical Anthropology Award, and her essays have appeared in HuffPost, Newsweek, and Brevity.🔔 Subscribe for more author interviews and powerful conversations.💬 Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below.https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac-books/9781640126978/hostage/

Learn more about the Poetry Collection:https://www.prolificpulse.com/chyreljjackson to order your copy of Unsung Canaan BalladsABOUT Grace Wisher:https://www.nps.gov/fomc/learn/historyculture/grace-wisher.htm

https://www.prolificpulse.com/rebeccaherz We held a book launch to celebrate the release of Locus of Control by Rebecca Herz. Come, share in this experience of poetry and the support of family and friends.

https://michaelpoage.com/Michael Poage is no stranger to our podcast. We played catch up as we updated life events, read poetry, and shared an imaginary cup of tea. It's always a pleasure and bonus vibes for great poetry.

Rebecca Herz and I sat down and talked about so much of everything. From babies to therapy to social work to the Handsome Pod... You name it...Let's talk about "Locus of Control - Therapy Poems" From the Author: Locus of Control is a poetry collection written to make sense of a rapidly shifting world. In these poems, I trace the contours of neurodivergence, new motherhood, queer identity, and my work as a middle-school crisis counselor, weaving together the clinical language of therapy with the raw emotional undercurrent that rarely makes it into the office.Across themes like countertransference, imposter syndrome, burnout, co-regulation, radical acceptance, and the intimate bewilderment of pregnancy through IVF, these poems explore what it means to hold hope for others while learning to hold it for myself.In writingLocus of Control, poetry became the place where I could confess my uncertainty, and acknowledge the spiritual questions that trail my work: What does it mean to witness another person’s pain? What is the cost of caretaking? Where is the line between healing and harm? What remains of the self when we spend our days giving ourselves away?At the same time, the personal and political never stay separate—fertility treatments alongside news alerts of disaster, Jewish identity intersecting with queer family-making, motherhood emerging through statistics, ultrasound screens, and wishful thinking.Above all, Locus of Control is an invitation to find resonance within the ambiguity. These poems don’t attempt to fix or advise. They sit with uncertainty and trust the reader to find themselves within the space that remains.All proceeds support Jewish Queer Youth https://jqy.org/ honoring the young people who inspire my work and my belief that healing is possible, even when the path is nonlinear.Get Your Copy: https://www.prolificpulse.com/rebeccaherzBook Launch Sign Up: https://prolificpulse.blog/2026/01/15/book-launch-to-celebrate-locus-of-control-with-rebecca-herz/https://linktr.ee/rebeccaherz?

About the Book: Riptides: Book 2 of the Caines Island StoriesCallie has become successful: her marriage remains vibrant, her business is flourishing, her daughter is doing well, she still has her lifelong friends, and the island hasn't undergone any major changes. But life isn't static. She begins to experience losses and subtle changes in her relationship with her daughter, Kim.Kim has landed her dream job as a nurse practitioner, working with individuals with mental illness. She marries and starts a family. But she too, faces challenges. Herr husband isn't who she thought he was. Professionally. Kim becomes frustrated with the corporate influence in healthcare which seems to ignore the needs of her marginalized patients.Intertwined with Callie's and Kim's individual stories are episodes in US history that alternately offer hope or despair at the world order. Riptides brings to light many of the challenges faced by women and other marginalized groups. But there is always hope as the small island community bands together.https://sherrycomstock.com/About the AuthorSherry and her husband live in the Triad region of North Carolina. Recently retired from nursing, she is pursuing her second career as an author. Her creative nonfiction piece “A Bend in the Road” appeared in the Burlington Writers Club Anthology Still Writing in 2021. Sherry published her memoir, A Crazy Quilt Life in 2022. Another creative nonfiction piece, “Journey to Living” appeared in the LIGHT journal in July 2023. When not writing, Sherry is working in her flower beds or visiting her children and grandchildren. She is currently working on the second book in the Caines Island Stories which follows Callie into the late 1990s.

I had a lovely interview with Peter Mladinic, a Poet, Writer, Book Reviewer, Animal Advocate and so much more. About Peter MladinicAccess Peter's books:Peter Mladinic was born and raised in New Jersey. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1973 and earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas in 1985. Professor emeritus at New Mexico Junior College, where he was a member of the English faculty for thirty years. During that time, he was a board member of the Lea County Museum and president of the Lea County Humane Society. He is the author of seven books of poems; his most recent book, The Whitestone Bridge, is available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/094MkMw An animal rights advocate, he lives in Hobbs, New Mexico, USA.

Let's meet Bill Waldorf, Poet from New Jersey. We celebrated Bill's latest release "101 Stories of Love" as Bill read some of the poems from ths collection and more. About the Author:Bill has been writing poetry for many years. He feels poetry can get to the subject's heart faster than prose. The ability to add several turns in a story can be exciting to the author as well as the shocked reader. He loves form and the chance to innovate.About the Book:A resonating and richly crafted collection of poemsReady?Then brace yourself for the symphonic rollercoaster through the landscapes of affection, loss, desire, and redemption with William Waldorf's 101 Stories of Love. In his collection, Waldorf invites his readers to explore myriad forms of love- from whispered intimacy to the poignant ache of absence, from shared laughter in a café to the serene desolation of widowhood. The poet has juggled with varied poetic forms like sonnets, villanelles, and free verse transforming the ordinary experiences into luminous reflections, crafting verses that resonate deeply with readers of all ages. This collection is a celebration of life, memory, and enduring connections, serving as a testament to the indelible impact of love in our souls.https://www.prolificpulse.com/williamwaldorf