Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf

“Someone else knew about the circles! My breath jammed in my throat, and in a storm of terror I hurled the book across the room and fled from the house, too frightened to even say goodbye.”  – Dancing Past the Dark by Nancy Evans Bush Look, no one wants to think about dying, but it’s inevitable, right? So if we can’t talk about it, maybe reading a book about it will be better. Enter: Dancing Past the Dark by Nancy Evans Bush, a book about Near Death Experiences (NDEs). This book serves as a catalyst for profound introspection and existential dread of the eternal question–what happens? And, let’s just say the first read-through of this text was so utterly demoralizing that Richard put the book down. Seriously. Initially disheartened by the unsettling revelations about life and near-death presented in the book, Richard can’t continue reading it. As he picks up and puts the book back down over the years, he grapples with the ebbs and flows of creative endeavors, celebrating the wins while feeling a tension with the unknown ahead. As the inevitability of his aging father's death looms closer, he thinks about NDEs again, compelled to confront the profound questions unearthed by Bush. And, when he finally finishes the book, well, he’s come to a much different conclusion. How? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out. Join us as we navigate the complexities of belief and disbelief, life and death, creativity and constraint, as Richard finally finishes the book he put down so many times. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts for the next episode. Learn more about the stories, books, music, and more featured in this episode at https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/

Richard delves into challenging misconceptions held by both skeptics and believers through the lens of Jule Eisenbud's "The World of Ted Serios," which underscores the significance of caution in scientific inquiry while also exploring the debilitating doubt often encountered in paranormal exploration. “Certainly an attitude of caution and skepticism should be expected of anyone undertaking to test a hypothesis according to conventional cannons of scientific inquiry. But not the kind of gnawing, festering doubt that took possession of me." –The World of Ted Serios by Jule Eisenbud In this episode of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf, we’re exploring The World of Ted Serios by Jule Eisenbud. And we’re taking on one of the longest-standing feuds in the world of paranormal exploration: skeptics vs. believers. In the 1960s, Theodore Judd Serios, a Chicago bellhop, gained fame for producing "thoughtographs.” Ted, it seems,  could think images onto film. Polaroid film to be exact. Parapsychologist Jule Eisenbud arranges to meet with him, and over the next three years of wild experiments, Jule goes down a rabbit hole from which he never completely emerged. As Richard immerses himself in Eisenbud's narrative, he grapples with the dichotomy between skeptics and believers, challenging misconceptions that often plague serious paranormal inquiry. Through insightful commentary, Richard sheds light on the rational pursuit of knowledge among individuals intrigued by the unexplained, contrasting it with the hasty conclusions drawn by both skeptics and true believers. 

Richard reflects on his complicated courtship with his wife Susan Lambert, while taking us on guided tour through Farah Yurdozu's book of David Huggin's eerie paintings: Love In An Alien Purgatory. “Crescent’s night visits became a routine part of David’s life. She would visit him twice or three times a week. What David experienced with Crescent was much more than a “normal” sex dream. But he still didn’t know whether Crescent was a dream – or a real woman.”  – Love In An Alien Purgatory by Farah Yurdozu.” Join us for a journey through space, love, and Santa Barbara in this episode of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf.  In this episode, Richard explores the complexities of relationships and the fear, joy, wonder, and confusion of commitment as he shares his personal reflections on love, marriage, and aliens.  Love in an Alien Purgatory – The Life and Fantastic Art of David Huggins by Farah Yurdozu explores David Huggins and his relationship with Crescent, his alien lover. David Huggins’ encounters with alien visitors began in the 1950s, spanned decades – and led to the birth of over sixty hybrid children. Paired with his vivid and sometimes unsettling full-color paintings, his story offers a glimpse into a world between two dimensions—a purgatory of hope, sex, fear, and ultimately, love. From alien encounters to existential crises, each perspective within this episode, the relationship of Richard & Susan and David and his alien lover, Crescent, offers a glimpse into the human psyche and the mysteries that lie beyond our understanding. Join us as we navigate the blurred boundaries between reality and the paranormal, guided by Richard Hatem's introspective commentary and Farah Yurdozu's retelling of David Huggins’ experience & art.

“Whether you believe in ghosts or not—these stories are true.” –Ghosts & Specters by Bruce and Nancy Roberts Being a kid can be scary.  In the premiere episode of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf, Richard takes us on a nostalgic journey back to his childhood discovery of the book that changed everything.  Travel back to 1974 as he recounts the pivotal moment when Aunt Sally gifted him Ghosts & Specters by Bruce and Nancy Roberts. This slim hardback, filled with haunting tales and eerie photographs, ignited Richard's fear and imagination and sparked a complicated lifelong fascination with the strange and unexplained that would later fuel his screenwriting career. While Ghosts & Specters by Bruce and Nancy Roberts may seem unlikely to inspire an entire life, to Richard, it is anything but. It started him on a journey into the unknown, and he’s never looked back. Published by Doubleday, this collection of 10 stories describes ghostly apparitions and happenings paired with ghoulish photographs that seem to creep right out of the pages and into reality. Each tale within these pages transports readers to a world where the inexplicable becomes possible, and fear gives way to fascination (and then moves back to fear again). Maybe YOU have a book just like this on your shelf. It terrified you so completely that you couldn't put it down. Or, even stranger, maybe this is the same book that brought you to this podcast. Join Richard as he reflects on the power of books that act as a beacon into the unknown and the transformative journey that book lovers and librarians can have in our lives. 

“Go inside the mind of one of television and movies’ wildest storytellers…”  Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf is a podcast that feels like discovering a secret diary.  Every episode unravels the mysteries of a book from Richard's bookshelf and a story from Richard’s life, weaving together the excitement of the supernatural and the warmth of personal storytelling.