by Betsy Fasbinder | Apr 6, 2022 | Podcasts
What’s the purpose of poetry anyway? In these troubling times of ecological challenge, political vitriol, and social unrest, it’s easy to wonder about the value of the arts in all forms. But for Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge, the answer is simple. Poetry isn’t merely a distraction from the world, it’s a necessary element of surviving in it. She sees herself as living between the worlds, the one our bodies inhabit and the one from where poems come. She’s dedicated much of her adult life to inviting others to join her in a world of words, taking poetry out of its rooms in high towers and making it accessible to anyone.
Susan’s book, Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words (now in its 30th Crown/Random House printing) was number 7 on a Penguin Random list of the best books on writing. Anne Lamott wrote, “This is a wonderful book—smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You’re going to love it, and love writing poetry more for having read it.”
Susan has held workshops on journals, creative writing and collage with thousands of adults and children and has worked in over 80 rural libraries in sessions sponsored by Poets & Writers Org. Susan has a chapbook of poems, Bathing with Ants, and a book on creativity and collage, Foolsgold: Making Something from Nothing and Freeing Your Creative Process (Crown).
by Betsy Fasbinder | Mar 16, 2022 | Podcasts
Jarie is an engineer by training and an entrepreneur by nature with over 25 years of bringing innovative solutions to markets. As a partner in JSY PR & Marketing, he uses his passion for helping visionary companies find success. His most recent book is The... 
by Betsy Fasbinder | Mar 2, 2022 | Podcasts
When enjoying lunch with a dear friend, Elizabeth Appell began to feel peculiar. The next thing she knew she was waking up in the hospital after surgery, following a sudden stroke. To her great good fortune, Elizabeth’s friend had been in the audience at a one-woman show of another Morning Glory Project guest, Dr. Diane Barns, who wrote and performed Stroke of Luck in which she shares her own story of suffering a stroke, along with tips for identifying and helping others having a stroke. She instantly called 911 and because of speedy help, Elizabeth’s recovery has been nearly miraculous.
Elizabeth is a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker. Her play Confessions of a Catholic Child has won several competitions. The play was produced in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Her plays Chalk Lines and Moon Walkers both were semi-finalists at the O’Neill. Squawk the Musical! was tapped by Apples and Oranges, New York for development sessions and had its first reading late in 2019. More recently, she’s working on Elements of Betrayal, a limited series, and The Family Trick, a play about a woman who slips into the Nether looking for the truth about her family. The play was just shortlisted by the London Playwrights.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Feb 16, 2022 | Podcasts
After a long career as a psychologist, organizational consultant, and sports education specialist, George Selleck has had a lot of experience at trying to understand people, groups, and relationships in work, sport, and life. But in is in his twilight years, while suffering life-threatening illness that George’s greatest teacher has arrived in the form of a prematurely born grandson. In his heartwarming book, Kian and Me: Gifts from a Grandson, George shares insightful lessons about how to live in a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling way. But the lessons in this inspiring book are not from grandfather to grandson. Rather, it is Kian teaching his granddad about connection, curiosity, positivity, and so many more simple practices for living beautifully.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Feb 2, 2022 | Podcasts
Sallie Weissinger felt ready to date again after the passing of her beloved husband. She tried the updated version of the newspaper personal ads through which she’d found her husband in the first place and signed on to dating websites. When she made a list of the qualities she wanted in a new love she noticed that the first letters of those qualities spelled out “PASTRAMI,” which appealed to her sense of humor and her sense of purpose. Dating sites offered mixed results, so Sallie decided to employ other skills as well as her community of friends and family to help her find a romantic partner. She built a website and offered a reward of $5,000 to a non-profit chosen by a “Love Liaison” who successfully matched her up with someone special who fit her PASTRAMI qualifications and who proved to be a partner for at least one year. Her system worked and she was introduced to the second true love of her life.
Sallie’s unique search reminded her to appreciate the abiding friendships, the meaningful volunteer work, and her garden and dogs. New love, she realized, would be only one of many blessings. Her story is about more than a search for romance, it’s about life lived fully, the importance of deep connections, and one woman’s search for meaning.
