6-minute Stories

Sallie Showalter lives in Georgetown, Kentucky, with her patient husband and demanding dog. She is currently a student in the Author Academy at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning in Lexington, Ky., and recently published The Last Resort: Journal of a Salt River Camp 1942-43. Next up: a novel about her grandfather’s life. You can follow her blog at www.murkypress.com/blog.

Susan Griner is a Japanese-American author of children’s fiction. Her work has been published in Babybug and Cricket magazines. She has also published two middle grade novels, The Cemetery Sleeper, an Appalachian ghost story and Shy Ways. She enjoys visiting schools and encouraging students to write. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two daughters.

Randell Jones is the author of “Before They Were Heroes at King’s Mountain” and “A Guide to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.” Since 2007, he has served as an invited member of the Road Scholar Speakers Bureau of the North Carolina Humanities Council speaking on American history and NC history across the state and region. He is the producer of “6-minute Stores” and editor/publisher of the Personal Story Publishing Project.

Landis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer, award-winning author and host of Charlotte Readers Podcast, where local and regional authors give voice to their written words. His third book—The Christmas Redemption—won the Holiday category of the 12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. His essays, Shelby and Two Good Swings, appeared in the Bearing Up and Exploring anthologies published in earlier anthologies of the Personal Story Publishing Project.

R. Lee Riley earned his B.A. in Journalism and in early life recorded news, audio novels, and poetry for the national non-profit Radio Reading Services. Today he lives in Salisbury, NC and is a member of Winston Salem Writers. His writing is included in Flying South’s 2016 anthology, and he’s been featured on posters for Poetry in Plain Sight several years running. Lee has also been awarded Silver and Bronze medals for his winning poetry selections in Rowan County’s 2018 and 2019 Silver Arts Festival.

Paula Teem Levi is a retired Registered Nurse living in Clover, South Carolina. She is a member of several genealogical societies. Breathing life into her ancestors’ stories through her writing is her passion. She was involved in the research and writing of a published newspaper article about events in World War II. Her story, “Broken Branch,” appeared in the 2019 Personal Story Publishing Project Exploring.

After serving in the U.S. Army for three years as a Special Forces medic, Bohdan Dziadyk completed M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in botany and ecology. For 36 years, he was a professor of biology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Since retiring in 2016, he has maintained his interests in environmental studies and natural history.

your wingman with angelsAn engineering prodigy arrives in the South, fascinated with an ancient relic and searching for the aerodynamic laws of angel wings, all the while nurturing his grove of Carolina dogwoods. It’s a good life.  Mary Alice Dixon lives and writes in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a former attorney who often served as court-appointed counsel in juvenile court. She has also been a professor of architectural history, teaching in Charlotte, Minneapolis, and China. She belongs to Charlotte Writers’ Club and Charlotte Lit. Her recent writing is in, or forthcoming from, Living Springs  and Main Street Rag. She volunteers with hospice and delights in reading poetry to the dying, grateful for the lesson this teaches about what really matters.  

North Carolina writer Landis Wade reflects on his experience 35 years ago as a young college graduate finding his way and himself in the world of work.

North Carolina writer Lisa Miracle Ballard shares a story from her youth when the healing power of a Appalachian grandmother brought her strength to recover.

Randell Jones shares a story about a junior high school classmate in 1964 standing up to a bully.

Nancy Tilly recounts a most memorable encounter at a party in New York City, 1956.

Award-winning writer Steve Cushman reflects on an early experience in parenting his autistic son.

Diane Pascoe as "Nurse Mom" never questions that her medical knowledge might be broken or that her son's injured arm could be.

Student Kyle Paterson reflects on his experience of taking an adventurous gap-year before college at the edge of the world.

Jim Billman of Owensboro, Kentucky, remembers the Fourth of July, 1968, from his tour of duty in Vietnam and the life lesson which he brought home with him.

A tree and a bull foster lingering life lessons from a city-girl’s summer on a farm.  Susan Proctor is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. During her sales & marketing career, she wrote persuasive copy in both corporate and non-profit arenas, to encourage buying, contributing, and volunteering. An active member of Charlotte Writers Club, she won recognition as a frequent contributor. In addition, her work has appeared in literary journals including Jewish Values On-Line and Lilith magazine. Her story, “My Mensch,” appeared in the 2018 Personal Essay Publishing Project Bearing Up.

Howard Pearre retired in 2015 after a career as a counselor and manager with NC Vocational Rehabilitation and the Veterans Administration. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he is a member of Winston-Salem Writers. His short fiction pieces have appeared in Second Spring and Silver Arts publications. He has six grandchildren, avoids Saturday crossword puzzles, and makes fig wine.

Suzanne Cottrell, a member of the Granville Writers’ Group and North Carolina Writers’ Network, lives with her husband and three rescue dogs in Granville County, North Carolina. An outdoor enthusiast and retired teacher, she enjoys reading, writing, knitting, hiking, Pilates and yoga. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Bearing Up, Pop Machine, Unwanted Visitors, Empty Silos, Dragon Poet Review, Dual Coast Magazine, Parks and Points, and Nailpolish Stories.

Arlene Mandell is an artist living in Linville, North Carolina. Her engaging portraits can be seen year-round at the Carlton Gallery in Banner Elk. Relocating two years ago from Miami to the Grandfather Mountain community inspired a love of writing. She is a member of the North Carolina Poetry Society and Sue Spirit's Writing Workshop in Vilas. Her essays and poems have appeared in Second Spring and Gateways literary anthologies.