Story-Power

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
  • 5.0 (21)
  • Arts
  • Biweekly

Stories are a powerful way to learn about ourselves and others. They come in all different forms, written, visual, musical, and personal. Lucinda and her guests discuss stories in all these forms.

  1. 6d ago

    The Importance of Laughter with Vet. and Standup Comedian Matt Evans

    Matt Evans is a writer, stand up comedian and horse veterinarian. His book CHOMPING AT THE BIT: HOW I BECAME A HORSE VET (AGAINST ALL COMMON SENSE) - a comedic memoir is being published by Simon and Schuster imprint Permuted Press in September.  Matt practices equine medicine outside of Austin, Texas and performs stand up comedy all over Austin and beyond. Instagram, TicTok, Website All Creatures Great and Small, James Harriot David Mamet, playwright and screenwriter, Three Uses of the Knife Prolific Writers Life Kristen Tate at The Blue Garret Podcasters, Joe Rogan, Kathleen Madigan, and Pete Holmes Horse Veterinarian Convention Jim Gaffigan, Comedian Nate Bargatzy, Comedian Dr. Greg Bryant, Cognitive Scientist, The Encryption Theory David Pogue, Tech writer, journalist, Author of: Apple: The First 50 Years  Paul Osingcup, Comedian The Whole Nine Yards, Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis Cam F. Awesome, A-Speakers Book an Author Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters on YouTube David Sedaris, Humorist, Comedian, Author Dave Berry, Columnist NetGalley Shogun (1980) Bill Bryson, American-British Author The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron

    The Importance of Laughter with Vet. and Standup Comedian Matt Evans

  2. Oct 21

    Walking Children Through an Animal Adventure Book

    Linda Harkey is an award-winning children's book author, with 13 books published to date, including The Budding Staff, Desert Friends, The Great Animal Escape, and her newest release, The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy.  Linda loves dogs and loves teaching children. Her experiences as a mother, school teacher, volunteer docent and hunting dog owner have inspired her to write the award-winning children's book series, Hickory Doc's Tales. For over 22 years she diligently worked as a volunteer docent at two outstanding museums in Oklahoma – The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and Gilcrease Museum (Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art) in Tulsa.  During her tenure, she helped develop curricula for children's programs and gave countless presentations to children both at the museums and local schools. Website, Facebook, (X), Instagram Books mentioned in this episode: Desert Friends, Chatty The Hen Pheasant, The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy, The Great Animal Escape  Angel Fire, New Mexico Linda Radke at Story Monsters Press Linda's upcoming book: The Curious Friendship of Patch and Barney Prolific Writers Life PodMatch for podcasters Films for Writers at Prolific Writers Life The Space Between Time, Lucinda's novel Lorraine Haataia, founder of Prolific Writers Life

    Walking Children Through an Animal Adventure Book

  3. Oct 7

    A Cautionary Tale of Corporations Running the Government: %51 by Matt Witten Ep. 163

    I've written seven published novels - four mysteries and three thrillers. I've also written for TV - Law and Order, House, Pretty Little Liars, Supernatural, and other shows. In addition, I've written several produced and published stage plays and a movie. I've taught writing at UCLA Extension for twenty years, and people tend to enjoy hearing my experience, advice, and hopefully wisdom. People will also enjoy hearing about my speculative thriller 51% that comes out on April 28, 2026; it presents an intriguing view of the future. Here's a synopsis: In a future where corporations own everything—including people—one murder could ignite a revolution. Twenty years from now, the United States is completely privatized. The Big Six syndicates own schools, roads, police departments… even human beings. When a young immigrant woman—51% owned by the syndicates—is brutally murdered, NYPD, Inc. detective Juke O'Keefe and his partner, crime marketing consultant Haylee Navarro, catch the case. Pregnant and broke, Haylee knows they can't crowdfund enough from a dead immigrant to pay for basic forensics, let alone their paychecks. But Juke, with his old-school sense of justice, is determined to find the killer. Their search for the truth leads them to Juke's ex, a Resistance leader on the syndicates' most wanted list. As the three join forces, they stumble onto a conspiracy designed to destroy the last shreds of American freedom. To rescue fifty-one percenters—and everyone else—from syndicate control, they'll have to defeat the Red Queen, the most ruthless, powerful AI in the world. 51% is a gritty, fast-paced thriller about power, justice, and what happens when everything—even people—can be owned. Website, Facebook, (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads David Nevins, Producer, Executive CBS NBC, Television Network Charlie Craig, Matt's writing partner Dick Wolf, Producer, Writer William Goldman, Screenwriter, novelist, non-fiction writer Toronto Anti-Capitalist Book Fair PodMatch, a dating service for podcasters Jimmy Vines, Literary Agent Bill Crider, Author William F. Fitzhugh, Author Don Winslow, Author Stacy Willingham, Author Jennifer Hillier, Author The Space Between Time, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden Penguin, Carroll & Graf. Dell Publishers Rex Stout, Author

    A Cautionary Tale of Corporations Running the Government: %51 by Matt Witten Ep. 163

  4. Sep 23

    Never Give Up On Your Dreams

    Nathan Cody graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Digital Film. He is currently living in Savannah as an up-and-coming filmmaker working on his craft, specializing in screenwriting and directing his own films. Nathan is a firm believer in the transformative power of storytelling; he loves how a well-crafted film can deeply impact an audience, sparking new perspectives or providing a much-needed emotional connection. His favorite films include anything from Pixar, Good Will Hunting, and Jaws. LinkedIn, YouTube Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Webber Eli Wallach, Actor Charlie Chaplin, Writer, Actor, Director of Classic Films   City Lights, The Kid, The Great Dictator TCM (Turner Classic Movies) MGM+ on Amazon Tubi, Pluto, Max

    Never Give Up On Your Dreams

  5. Sep 9

    How Classic Movies Inspired A Diverse Entertainment Career

    Samuel Garza Bernstein's life and writing reflect the wild intersections of modern life. He was born to an undocumented Mexican mother who everyone assumed was a white Texan, and a Jewish father who passionately supported the Palestinian cause in Egypt, where the family lived for a year when he was a kid. "I was six-years old in Cairo," Garza Bernstein says, "Surrounded by hot Egyptians, spinning fantasies and inventing myself." The family traveled all over the world—occasionally on the lam—and lived in Cairo, Honolulu, Austin, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, and Ft. Collins, Colorado.  His newest book Roddy McDowall: An Actor's Life has drawn raves from Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews, and Emma Thompson, among many others, and is in bookstores now. He is gearing up for the fourth season of 6-time Emmy Award-winning After Forever, after serving as co-showrunner and co-executive producer of the third season, now streaming on Amazon. His 2025 book, Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild, is a Foreword Magazine award-winner for Biography, and his non-fiction anthology Uncommon Heroes won a Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association. His pilot for The Secret World of Danny Lopez was named a Writers Guild of America television comedy access project honoree but was also a drama winner at the New York Film Awards and a Content London International Drama Summit nominee for Best Pilot Script. He is also a well-regarded story consultant, working with clients in the United States, the U.K., and Europe. He won Best Screenplay at the London Independent Film Awards for Elephant & Castle and a G.L.A.A.D. nomination for the Showtime film Bobbie's Girl, which also garnered its star Bernadette Peters an Emmy nomination. Episodic credits range from the CBS drama Judging Amy to Nickelodeon's Shimmer and Shine. With composer David Snyder he first adapted his non-fiction book Mr. Confidential as a stage musical, developing it at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and then directing its world premiere at Actors Theatre of Indiana. Garza Bernstein started his career as an actor and singer, most notably performing in several productions of Evita as Eva's first conquest, the tango singer "Magaldi." He also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for trans foster children in Los Angeles County for five years, created and co-chaired a writing mentorship program for public high school students for twelve years, and served as a youth facilitator for the Los Angeles LGBT Center for eight years. He and husband Ronald Shore have been together for over thirty years and split their time between LA and Porto, Portugal. They are currently the hostages of a pair of incorrigible dachshunds. PRESS FOR RODDY McDOWALL: AN ACTOR'S LIFE:  Ann Pryor, Kensington Books (212) 407.1526 APryor@kensingtonbooks.com  Samuelgarzabernstein.com samuel@samuelgarzabernstein.com  IMDb page TCM

    How Classic Movies Inspired A Diverse Entertainment Career

  6. Aug 26

    International Dublin Writers' Festival: Building Writing Communities

    Laurence O'Bryan is an Irish author, entrepreneur, and internationally recognized book marketing expert whose career has been built around a simple belief: great books deserve to be discovered. As the founder of BooksGoSocial, he has helped thousands of independent and traditionally published authors reach readers worldwide through innovative advertising, promotion, and publishing services. Drawing on decades of experience in sales, digital marketing, and publishing, he has become a respected voice on book promotion, speaking at conferences across Europe and North America and training authors in modern publishing strategies. Socials   https://internationaldublinwritersfestival.com/  https://booksgosocial.com/ His books: The Istanbul Puzzle, First of five Puzzle books The Sign of the Blood, First of A Dangerous Emperor series The Rise of Synne, The First of The Last Seer series The International Dublin Writers' Festival David Gutierrez, Non-Fungible Book Club, nfbclub for Audio Books Prolific Writers Life Find a Company You can Trust with Trustpilot

    International Dublin Writers' Festival: Building Writing Communities

  7. Aug 12

    Dancing Through the Shadow: A Close-Up on China During Mao's Reign

    Leif Bristow is an Emmy winning producer, director, screenwriter, and bestselling author who has spent decades bringing unforgettable stories to life for audiences around the world. But Dancing Through the Shadow is far more than just another project. It is a story that found him personally. The inspiration came through Tia Zhang, an internationally celebrated dancer, Shen Yun artist, and survivor whose extraordinary life story recently earned her the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal for her contributions and impact. Tia once taught ballet to Leif and Agnes Bristow's daughter, and through that connection, the family came to learn the unimaginable truth of her life, surviving oppression under Mao era China, enduring extraordinary hardship, and ultimately escaping to freedom. Agnes Bristow knew this was a story the world needed to read, which led her to write the award winning bestselling novel Dancing Through the Shadow. Leif, as a filmmaker and storyteller, knew it was equally a story that needed to be brought to the screen.   Podcast audiences will gain a fascinating behind the scenes look at how a real life friendship uncovered one of the most remarkable untold survival stories of our time, the journey of transforming truth into powerful storytelling, the creative process behind adapting books to film, and why stories of courage, freedom, resilience, and the human spirit matter now more than ever. Website, Facebook, (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, Leif's IMDb page where you can see his entire filmography   Dancing Through the Shadow, Agnes Bristow Love on Safari (2018) Starring Lacey Chabert and Jon Cor, Brittany Bristow Mao's Last Dancer (2009) Starring Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood and Kyle MacLachlan Dr. Robert J. Wolf, Story-Power episode 138, 20 Miracles and 4 Escapes from Tyranny Love on the Danube: Royal Getaway (2025) A Sweet Austrian Holiday (2024) Beyond Black Beauty (2024) John Rhys-Davies, Actor, Lord of the Rings, and much more

    Dancing Through the Shadow: A Close-Up on China During Mao's Reign

  8. Jul 29

    The Writer's Job: To Get the Readers to Think, Feel, and See the World in a New Way

    Ken Weene loves words. At times he is so captivated by them that they cannot hold the flow back and they tumble out as novels, short stories, poems, essays, and stage plays. Although Ken desperately tries to hold back those word floods and endlessly edit them, they find their ways into print and electronic form, which can be found by looking for Ken's name anywhere on the internet. He is, after all, the only Kenneth Weene in captivity so he cannot hide from your searches, not on Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, X, Bluesky, Truth Social, or LinkedIn. 
When you do that search, you will learn that Ken grew up as a broody New Englander, has a PhD in Psychology, worked for years as a therapist and teacher in New York, and moved/retired to Arizona in 2003 when he decided to focus on his writing. Married for 58 years to the late artist Rosalyn Weene, much of Ken's work is dedicated and about the love of his life and their love for life. Website,  Facebook, (X), LinkedIn, Bluesky, TruthSocial, YouTube, Amazon Books and Plays Coursing, The Boat and Ashes (With Umar O. Abdul) Memoirs From The Asylum, Jumping Over the Ram (With Deng Atem) Times To Try the Soul of Man Mario Puzo, The Godfather, book and screenplay Sleeping Dogs (2024) Russell Crowe Guy Morris, Story-Power guest, Episode 140 aired on November 19, 2025, Books: Swarm, The Image, The Last Ark Red Bird, Diandra Ford, Story-Power Episode 132 aired on July 30, 2025 John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Travels With Charlie John Dos Passos, Upton Sinclair, authors Canio's Books, Shelter Island, NY  One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, Ken Kesey The Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota The Gadsden Hotel, Douglas, Arizona Dave Dahl, Story-Power guest, Episodes 1 aired on July 22, 2020, and 21 aired on July 21, 2021

    The Writer's Job: To Get the Readers to Think, Feel, and See the World in a New Way
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5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Stories are a powerful way to learn about ourselves and others. They come in all different forms, written, visual, musical, and personal. Lucinda and her guests discuss stories in all these forms.

Information

  • Creator
    Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    168
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Story-Power