short story reading

Short Story Reading of Flatulent Fred by Bill Lawrence

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Performed by Val Cole

 What is your short story about?

Supernatural vengeance against a corporate bully

What genres would you say this story is in?

Horror, business, computers

How would you describe this story in two words?

Supernatural vengeance

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

High Plains Drifter (That’s for real and I never thought about it until you asked that question. I like the spooky coincidence considering my last answer)

What is your favorite song?

(Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Thunder Road (Springsteen)

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

August 1914 by Solzhenitsyn. It’s been a long time since I read it though.

What motivated you to write this story?

Niece and nephew wanted a ghost story with a hint of childish humor.

. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Jesus. Of course, I have it every Sunday so no big deal.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Freedom

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

An email

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Not until I have success.

****

Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

Camera Operator: Mary Cox

Story Transcript Reading of They Drove on Streets Paved with Kindness by John Bauer

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Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

They Drove on Streets Paved with Kindness narrates how God operates in strange ways. He never pounds the table, showing who He really is. Instead, He seats the table with a cast of arguing brothers, their irreligious father and Roman Catholic mother, decrepit nuns, and a car ready for the junk heap, named Lucy. Oh yeah, there’s this white-haired man who’s not related to anyone who flits in and out. In the end, well, I’m not going to tell you the end. Simply, though, God blesses individuals whether they deserve it or not. Strange God.

What genres would you say this story is in?

Family, Inspirational, Christian, Contemporary Adult

How would you describe this story in two words?

God’s Grace

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Tie-It’s A Wonderful Life and the Big Lebowski

What is your favorite song?
(Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Suzanne by Leonard Cohen

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Everything written by Ernest Hemingway. His prose was pure.
Farewell to Arms; The Sun Also Rises.

What motivated you to write this story?

Maybe, as a result of hearing or reading this story, it moves others to love others a little bit more, and show their love in positive ways.

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Jesus Christ, of course – but since he was God and you are asking for a person— I would like to have dinner with Muhammad Ali, several evenings after he’d recover from the Thrilla in Manila with Joe Frazier.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Grandkids come first. Being a productive human being, second.
Notre Dame football, NY Jets, Mets, and Knicks, a masochistic third.

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I would like to eventually write a screenplay and see it brought to film. This was a first step. To subject it to public criticism and critique which will only refine it and make it better. Maybe a producer will hear it and be interested.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

There’s only a puddle of sweat awaiting you as a writer.
Drink plenty of water so you don’t get dehydrated.
And, if you are old, like me, have a toilet nearby.

 

****

Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

Camera Operator: Mary Cox

Short Story Reading of ARYAN BLOOD by Albert Russo

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Performed by Val Cole

 Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

A German woman married to a Jewish American learns years later that her biological mother whom she is told to meet was forced to copulate with a blond man in the Lebensborn politics during the Nazi era, in order to insure the so-called purity of the aryan race.

What genres would you say this story is in?

mainstream – historical

How would you describe this story in two words?

the discovery of a painful past: the protagonist’s mother was part of a Nazi fertility selection.

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

‘King Solomon’s mines’ – shot not far from where I lived, in the hills of Rwanda-Urundi, at the source of the Nile.

What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

There are so many: La Cumparsita was the first one, for my parents used to dance to it.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

‘In search of lost time’, by Marcel Proust (in it’s original French version)

What motivated you to write this story?

The real story that was recounted to me by a relative.

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Jesus, for I would really want to know what he thought of the atrocious way his people – the Jews – were treated for over 2000 years, in the name of Christianity. I’m sure he would be devastated by the manner in which his followers have distorted his teachings.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Photography, art: classical and modern, reading, the cinema, all kinds of music

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I had already submitted two novels made into films and was very pleased with their result.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

To write as if your life depended on it.

****

Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

Camera Operator: Mary Cox

Winning Short Story: Before and After by S. Pfeiffer

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Story performed by Elizabeth Rose Morriss

Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

The story’s about a woman facing the impact a shocking experience from childhood has had on her life.

What genres would you say this story is in?

It’s mostly a thriller with a hint of film noir i suppose.

How would you describe this story in two words?

I’d say odd and uncomfortable 🙂 Someone described it as Lynchian which i find evocative.

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

I tend to forget movies i’ve seen:( Even the ones I really loved. Casablanca stands out though.

What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

hmmm. Tubthumping or Paper Planes by MIA maybe.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Jane Eyre

What motivated you to write this story?

A deadline for a workshop! I don’t really know what motivated me to write it to be honest. I write intuitively and it usually comes from whatever current fixation I’m on that comes and goes after a few weeks or so.

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Gertrude Stein or Buckminster Fuller. Georgia O’Keefe. That’s 3, sorry.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Progressive Politics and Astrology.

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I thought it would be cool to see it performed because it’s got a cinematic feel to it.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Learn to trust yourself and your own process.

Winning Short Story Reading: Always Watching… by Kordale Gibson

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Story performed by Elizabeth Rose Morriss

Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

My short story is about a man killing someone who he feels deserves to die. The story is told exclusively through this man’s stream of consciousness, revealing his beliefs, motives, & revelations.

What genres would you say this story is in?

Suspense, Mystery

How would you describe this story in two words?

Thrilling eye-opener

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Life
If not, The Dark Knight

What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

I Love music way too much to have a favorite song.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

I have so many more books on my list, but as of now, my favorite would have to be The Talented Mr. Ripely.

What motivated you to write this story?

My friends & I were debating whether a serial killer could be completely sane or not. I was on the side saying that they could be. So I, the writer of the group, decided to come up with a story or series of events that would turn a sane man into a serial killer. In other words, this kind of started out as a joke. But when I started writing it, I saw that it was actually coming out pretty good. So I decided to challenge myself & continue the story seriously. I veered away from the whole serial killer thing & kept to whatever was coming to me. I actually wrote the entire thing without knowing what I was going to do or where I was going with it. I literally just thought as I wrote. That’s what I’m most impressed about, personally.

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Probably Albert Einstein

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Music!!

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I’ve been writing for a while now, but I started out writing poems & lyrics. I started getting into storytelling & Loved it. I also found out I was really good at it. This short story was my first attempt at creating a story & it came out great in the eyes of myself & everyone who read it. So after that, I decided to pursue that form of writing. I started writing more stories & realized I could possibly do this for the rest of my life. In order to do that, I’d have to get my work out there. And that’s why I did this.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Keep writing, only if you have passion for it. Try to write as often as you can & constantly challenge yourself. Don’t compare your writing to others’, your writing can touch people others’ can’t. Write for yourself before writing for anyone else.

Short Story: ON THE RUN by Wanda Weaver Kight

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Performed by Amaka Umeh

Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

“On the Run” is about a young woman on the run after a false conviction for first degree murder. She escapes Georgia and ends up in L.A.

What genres would you say this short story is in?

Thriller genre

How would you describe this story in two words?

Wrong Verdict

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Shawshank Redemption

What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Favorite song is TLC’s “Don’t go Chasing Waterfalls”

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Favorite novel is “To Kill A Mocking Bird”

What motivated you to write this story?

Motivated by a true story of a woman who stayed on the run for years, changed her identity til she was finally caught

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Person to have dinner with would be John F. Kennedy

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Love to take pictures and Zumba

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

Just trying to get my writing out in any and all venues

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Keep writing, learning, reading

Winning Short Story – A Far Distant Wind by L S Kleinschmidt

writingfest novel festival, performance reading, short story, Val Cole, wildsound festival review, winning stories, writing, writing festival , , , ,

Performed by Val Cole

 Get to know the writer:

What is your short story about?

A Far Distant Wind tells the story of an everyday person living her life who becomes trapped in an international crisis and learns the importance of living everyday.

What genres would you say this short story is in?

Dramatic Memoir –

How would you describe this story in two words?

Tragic realities

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

I have a LONG list, but definitely one is Schindler’s List. Another is Forest Gump, and of course any movie with Sidney Poitier, Fred Astaire or directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?

It’s not actually a song – I love Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. A favorite song is Moon River.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Again, there are many, and my favorite changes regularly, probably too regularly, but Grapes of Wrath is one of the best.

What motivated you to write this story?

A news story and my deep passion for telling stories, understanding history, and New York City

If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Again, I have a long list, but Pope John Paul and Jacqueline Kennedy would be definite choices. Their courage during terrible times and their dedication to history, country, and human freedom impressed me greatly. As a writer and lover of movies and screenwriting, I would have loved to meet Robert Osborne on TCM.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Improving literacy skills ( writing + reading as without both, a free society is lost); human rights and advocacy also can help everyday persons live happier meaningful lives.

What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

A recent connection I made on LinkedIn told me about the festival. I’ve been writing in multiple genres for years, and I particularly love the power and emotion of oral dramatic performance. So, I submitted the story.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Ideas are everywhere around you, but it is the constant gathering and personal consideration of them that makes you a writer. Being in the right place at the right time is luck, but when that stroke of luck appears, you need the talent and the experience to discover the story only you can tell. Then you have to know how to tell it right. I believe good writing is all about scene, and you learn scene and how scene delivers character, theme, and story by watching tons of movies. I do that all the time.

 

 

Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: John Johnson

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