"A week after his release from prison, Al Kitchen is found dead beside a bicycle on a back country road. Al served 18 years in prison for beating a well-liked man to death during a botched robbery, but most everyone in this small town is unwilling to forgive him. Nobody feels Al could have changed from the reckless guy they knew although he believes he has. They prefer he died in prison, and they make sure he knows that upon his return to Holden..."

On this edition of Writers Read Us Stories They Love, Denise Schwartz sits down with mystery & thriller writer Joan Livingston to discuss the writing process for her new novel, The Unforgiving Town, as well as share some choice excerpts from the text. How did Joan conceptualize a sequel to The Sacred Dog? Why return to Holden, one of Joan's fictional Western Massachusetts towns, specifically? And of course, how does one make a character as flawed as Al Kitchen relatable to the reader? Sit back, relax, and listen on for answers to those questions and more, as well as several thrilling passages from Joan Livingston's new novel: The Unforgiving Town.

Purchase The Unforgiving Town here:

https://www.amazon.com/Unforgiving-Town-Sequel-Sacred-Dog-ebook/dp/B0GR1FWRS3

Be sure to subscribe to the Backyard Oasis Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Produced by Alex Audette

Recorded at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Jan Maher is a local writer, creator and co-founder of LAVA, a community arts center in Greenfield MA. In this episode, we learn more about Jan, her life and art. And we explore Jan’s thoughts about creativity.

Jan’s latest play, Phoenix will be read at LAVA on June 5. On the Boards: "A Rare Sight" + "Phoenix" - The LAVA Center

She will also adapt her stepfather’s classic sci-fi story “I, Gardener” as a radio show with a live audience at LAVA on June 17.

Here’s a link to her website where you can read more about her and subscribe to get email updates: Jan Maher

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard Oasis Podcasts and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted by Henry Balzarini

Produced by Alex Audette for Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Named a Publishers Weekly Editor’s Pick.

“Lost between the ancient wisdom of 13th-century China and the unraveling of his modern life, one man must solve the ultimate koan: how to live in the present...”

A haiku magically transports Zen student Stephen Maine to 13th-century China where he encounters Zen masters, experiences koans firsthand, and begins a romance with a beautiful sword maker that threatens to upend his present-day marriage and to keep him in the 13th century while sharing the body of a Japanese monk who is an important figure in the history of Zen.

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard Oasis Podcasts and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Produced by Alex Audette for Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA