Uncorking a Story
In-depth conversations with storytellers including authors, filmmakers, comedians, and podcasters.
Getting Smart, with Maya Smart
I remember the days before our triplets could read and I’d spend at least an hour between the three of them reading stories every night. By the time I got to my son, who always wanted to be last so he could get “more daddy time,” my eyes would be so heavy that I’d...
Till I Drop, with Joy Jordan Lake
One thing stayed with me after my conversation with Joy Jordan Lake. She opened up to me about how a fear of failure as a writer prevented her from fully embracing it as a career. Don’t get me wrong, most authors have a challenging time making ends meet solely by...
Leaving Home Behind, with Abdulrazak Gurnah
Prior to meeting Nobel Prize winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah a few weeks ago, the only thing I knew about his home country of Zanzibar was that Freddie Mercury was born there and Billy Joel wrote a song by that name, though I’m pretty sure it was about a nightclub in...
Flipping the Script, with Steve Borys
Do you wonder why bad things always seem to happen to good people? Do you want to know how to overcome adversity and become successful despite terrible odds? Would you like to know what a parkway on Long Island has to do with two evil dictators? Well, today’s Guest,...
Where the Sky Begins, with Rhys Bowen
Many years ago I was taking guitar lessons with a great teacher named Ken Volpe, or Master Ken as I liked to call him. When shooting the breeze over a song one day, I said to him, “I don’t like the solo. I would do something differently.” He said, “Oh really. Well,...
Love and Murder, with Alicia Thompson
When I was eighteen, I was very clear on what I wanted to be when I grew up—a psychologist. Two people are to blame for my fascination in this social science; Mr. Michael Roper, who taught Intro to Psychology at my high school and Thomas Harris, who wrote Silence of...
Mass Class, with Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP
I’ll admit it, I became a subscriber to Sirius XM when Howard Stern left terrestrial radio for satellite. One evening, though, on a long drive from Boston to Connecticut, I came across The Catholic Channel and listened to a program called The Busted Halo show, in...
Catching a Wave, with Lauren Forsythe
Sometimes when I’m writing I get into what I call "The Zone." Time seems to stop and I’m only pulled out of it when my presence is missed, which is a nice way of saying someone is yelling at me to rejoin the family. Lauren Forsythe calls this catching a wave, and I’m...
From Outsider to Insider, with David Pepper
I’ve interviewed a lot of lawyers turned authors on Uncorking a Story but who I haven’t interviewed is a lawyer turned author who received a call from former President Bill Clinton to shoot the breeze about his work. That all changed the day I interviewed David Pepper...
Forgiveness is Freedom, with Giovanni Ruscitti
For the past twenty years, I’ve been the father of triplets and so much of my identity is tied to my role as father. But what happens when they fly the nest and begin living independently? I’ll admit it, I had a bit of an identity crisis when they went off to college...
Just Keep Going, with Sangu Mandanna
About Sangu Mandanna: Sangu was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. She joins me today to talk about her latest...
Timeless Maverick, with Allison Gilbert
Allison is an award-winning journalist and author of numerous books including Passed and Present and Parentless Parents. Her forthcoming book, Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman, is the inspiring story of a timeless...
Happy Little Accidents, with Katherine Linn Caire
I’ll admit it, I love watching The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. Here’s the thing, though, I can’t draw to save my life, but I am drawn to that show the way some people are drawn to watching fish swim in a tank. He was a talented artist, no doubt, but what I...
Runaway Train, with Ava Glass
About Ava Glass: Ava Glass is a former civil servant and journalist who once worked closely with spies. She lives in the same town in the south of England as Christopher Steele. But this is, of course, a coincidence. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about...
Seeing in Color, with Annette Libeskind Berkovits
Every now and then I uncork a story that just won’t leave me and Annette Libeskind Berkovits’ story is exactly one of those. While this is a story about a person growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust, I want to be clear, as does Annette, that this is not a...
Addressing Shame, with Jim Young
About Jim Young: Jim is on a personal mission to help men defeat burnout. He does this through his coaching business where he is known as The Centered Coach, and is also doing it through his new book entitled Expansive Intimacy: How Tough Guys Defeat Burnout. In this...
Mindset is a Muscle, with Carrington Smith
About Carrington Smith: Carrington Smith is a single mom, attorney, business owner, and executive search professional. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, life gave her a hard kick in the tail. She has survived sexual assault, two divorces, piles of...
Enjoying The Ride, with David Bell
About David Bell: David is the USA Today-bestselling author of twelve novels from Berkley/Penguin, including THE FINALISTS, KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, THE REQUEST, and LAYOVER. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages, included on several bestseller...