In this episode--

• how Langston Hughes drew from his international travels and experiences in different parts of the U.S. to create memorable poetry, novels, short stories, and plays
• how Langston Hughes' work earned his the title of "Poet Laureate of the Harlem Renaissance"
• how Hughes became the most successful African American poet in this country
• how several individuals inspired him and recognized his genius as a writer and made possible his success as a storyteller

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this episode, you discover--

• How traumatic events in her early life contributed to her honest and frank approach to storytelling, even for children and young adults
• How Blume struggled to get recognized by publishers, like many emerging writers
• How her novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret became the breakthrough bestseller and transformed a genre
• How her novels have been the target of book censors for decades

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this episode, you'll learn--

• how Paretsky became one of the first female writers to break into the "hard-boiled detective" genre
• how Paretsky has used her bestselling mysteries to highlight important social justice issues
• how Paretsky became one of the co-founders of Sisters in Crime

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this episode, you'll learn--

• the struggles Paine went through before he found "his voice"
• the critical way Benjamin Franklin intervened to send Paine to America
• how Paine's writings persuaded the common man to the ideas of liberty and freedom
• how, despite Paine's tremendous influence on the Revolution, his life ended in absurdity and infamy

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this episode, you'll learn

• how Isaac as young man struggled to achieve in academics because of discrimination against Jews
• how Isaac, while working in his parents' stores, devoured pulp science fiction magazines to learn his "trade"
• how Asimov became one of the most prolific America writers, publishing and editing more 500 books
• How Asimov won about every award given out for his genres
• How Asimov, the person, was a direct contradiction of Asimov, the writer

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this episode, you'll learn--

• how Patricia went from a BA in English to an award-winning journalist in two years
• the remarkable learning journey Cornwell took to become schooled in forensics
• the long string of awards her writing has amassed as well as the tremendous success of her books with readers
• the surprising origin story of Patricia as a writer

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In this 50th episode, you'll learn--

• how Nevada Barr began her working career as an actress of moderate success
• the unusual way Nevada became interested in the outdoors and specifically the national parks
• how Nevada remained committed to writing even though any success was slow in coming
• how Nevada Barr broke new ground in the mystery writing genre by moving her sleuth, park ranger Anna Pigeon to a new park for each entry

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!

In thia episode, you'll learn--

• how Louise Penny battled loneliness, alcoholism and isolation and turned her experiences into creating great cozy mysteries
• how Louise Penny struggled with her writing for years before producing her first novel Still Life\
• how Penny's Three Pines series have become one of the most successful and recognized cozy mystery series in the world

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!