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Upstart Crow
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Dedicated to promoting books and culture through engaging and informative podcasts. Our mission is to inspire our listeners to explore the literary arts and appreciate the diversity of ideas within our amazing world. We invite a diverse range of writers, historians, and cultural influences to share their expertise. From established artists to up-and-coming creatives, our guests provide unique perspectives on writing, the literary arts, and culture. Hosted by Ken Budd, Jennifer Disano, and William Miller.Upstart Crow Podcast Art Sciences sociales
Épisodes
  • Lina Patton - The Lake Club

    Lina Patton - The Lake Club
    Jun 16 2026

    Lina Patton – The Lake Club

    A spirited read about the sort of people who spend summer days sitting poolside and playing golf, versus ambitious young adults starting their lives and wanting to right all the wrongs they know of even as they make their own mistakes. Competing goals among a troika of main characters, mysteries, wrongs to be set right—all within a tight-knit community in the land of 10,000 lakes.

    Lina Patton is a writer, illustrator, and teacher. She is a native of Maine who spent her teen years in Minnesota. She earned her BA from Elon University and her MFA from George Mason University. Her writing has appeared in Elle, The Cut, Narrative, and Driftwood Press, among other publications. She and her husband lived abroad for seven years and currently live in Washington, DC. The Lake Club is her first novel.

    Hosted by William Miller

    Key Takeaways and Highlights
    • Lina Patton discusses how her debut novel The Lake Club evolved from a single character's perspective into a layered story about class, power, ambition, and belonging.
    • The conversation explores the realities behind wealth and privilege in exclusive communities and how fiction can reveal hidden social dynamics.
    • Patton explains how mystery, romance, and character-driven storytelling work together to create narrative tension.
    • A fascinating discussion on writing craft, including lessons learned from acclaimed author and teacher Alan Cheuse at George Mason University.
    • The episode examines how character motivation drives plot and why understanding what characters truly want is essential to compelling fiction.
    • Patton shares how real-life experiences in Minnesota country clubs, advertising, and international living informed the novel's setting and characters.
    • Insights into the difference between literary and commercial fiction—and why great storytelling can successfully blend both.

    "Writing is an act of empathy. Reading is an act of empathy."

    "When you're young, you think if you just put the puzzle pieces into place, you'll become the version of yourself you want to be." - Lina Patton

    Find out more about Lina and purchase your own copy of The Lake Club on her website.

    #LinaPatton

    #TheLakeClub

    #AuthorInterview

    #BookPodcast

    #LiteraryFiction

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    This entire episode is also available for viewing on our YouTube channel.

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    Recorded & Produced by Jon D PodCom

    Be sure to check out our website for more information about our hosts, guests, and ways you can support the show: UpstartCrow.org

    Follow us on Facebook here.

    Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio.

    © 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast – All Rights Reserved
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    51 min
  • Melody Lomboy-Lowe - Author & Founder, Luna Peak Foundation

    Melody Lomboy-Lowe - Author & Founder, Luna Peak Foundation
    Jun 9 2026
    Melody Lomboy-Lowe — Founder, Luna Peak FoundationMelody Lomboy-Lowe was 6 years old when she planned her own funeral. She had been diagnosed with leukemia, and in 1983, treatment options were limited. But Lomboy-Lowe survived, and today her Los Angeles-based organization, the Luna Peak Foundation, publishes books on cancer and grief. Luna Peak has donated over 4,000 books to children, families, hospitals, palliative care and hospice centers, therapist offices, schools, and universities. This includes workbooks, children’s books, and an inspirational photography book, Beyond Remission. Upstart Crow host Ken Budd profiled Melody for his “Everyday Heroes” column in The Saturday Evening Post and he interviews her here about survival, hope, and helping others.Episode HighlightsMelody Lomboy-Lowe shares her remarkable journey from being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age six to becoming a long-term cancer survivor.Hear how she planned her own funeral as a child and why that experience gave her a sense of control during treatment.Learn how surviving cancer in the 1980s shaped her outlook on life, family, and purpose.Discover how the Luna Peak Foundation uses books, care packages, and creative resources to support cancer patients and their families.Melody discusses the inspiration behind her books Beyond Remission, Follow Me Cancer Free, Sean's Best Week at Camp Luna Peak, and more.An emotional story about a young cancer patient named Zoe illustrates the power of representation and hope.Why Melody believes cancer doesn't have to define a person—and can even become a source of strength and purpose.A candid conversation about grief, mortality, and why we need to talk more openly about death.Key TakeawaysChildren are often more resilient than adults realize when facing serious illness.Honest communication can help young patients feel empowered rather than helpless.Cancer affects entire families, not just the person receiving treatment.Seeing yourself represented in stories can provide comfort, encouragement, and hope.Community and connection are critical for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and siblings.Surviving a life-threatening illness can profoundly change your perspective on everyday life.Hope doesn't always come from grand gestures—it often comes from knowing you're not alone."Cancer doesn't have to define you. It can enhance your life and you can become a different person because of it.""There's always a possibility of doing something. Maybe you have to adapt, but there's always a way to reach your goals.""If you can see a survivor, you can see yourself in them."Discussion TopicsChildhood leukemia and cancer treatment in the 1980sGrowing up after a life-threatening diagnosisThe role of honesty when talking to children about illnessCancer survivorship and long-term emotional impactsCreating books that inspire hope for patients and familiesSupporting siblings and caregivers during cancer treatmentGrief, loss, and preparing for life's difficult conversationsThe mission of the Luna Peak FoundationWho Should Listen?Cancer patients and survivorsParents and caregiversHealthcare professionalsNonprofit leadersAnyone facing adversity or life challengesReaders interested in inspirational true storiesPeople seeking hope, resilience, and perspective---This entire episode is also available for viewing on our YouTube channel.---Recorded & Produced by Jon D PodComBe sure to check out our website for more information about our hosts, guests, and ways you can support the show: UpstartCrow.orgFollow us on Facebook here.Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio.© 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast – All Rights Reserved
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    28 min
  • Caroline Bock - The Other Beautiful People

    Caroline Bock - The Other Beautiful People
    Jun 2 2026
    Caroline Bock – The Other Beautiful PeopleIn the entertainment world, there are the on-stage, front-of-camera, beautiful people, and there are those who actually make things happen. The ones who work behind the scenes, who make the deals, sell the projects, ensure the funding, move things forward. It is their lives that are the focus of this taut and evocative novel. The story juxtaposes the shocks and aftereffects of 9/11 with the more routine shocks of normal everyday life when business-world reasoning comes to bear on entertainment-world decision-making, and catches the lead character, Amy Greene, in the vortex. She has a life and a love she understands, until she doesn’t, until she is sure of almost nothing, including herself.Caroline Bock was a movie-loving executive of tv, working for 20 years in the cable television industry at AMC, Bravo, IFC and IFC Films, before stepping out of that world and writing. She is the author of the short story collection Carry Her Home, winner of the Fiction Award from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and also the young adult novels Before My Eyes and LIE. She graduated from the City College of New York and its MFA Fiction program, and she also attended Syracuse University. The Other Beautiful People is her first novel for adults."The other beautiful people are the people behind the scenes—the ones who make everything happen, but rarely get the credit.""It doesn't matter if the world's ending. What matters is what you're going to do today."-Caroline BockHosted by William MillerKey Takeaways1. Every Industry Has Its "Other Beautiful People"The novel shines a light on the overlooked professionals working behind the scenes in television, film, and media—the people who make success possible without ever appearing in the spotlight.2. Personal Stories Help Us Understand Historic EventsBock discusses how experiences surrounding 9/11 shaped both her life and her fiction, demonstrating how major historical events are ultimately experienced through individual lives.3. Career Success Often Comes with Difficult ChoicesAmy Green's journey explores the tension between ambition, family, relationships, and personal fulfillment—questions many professionals continue to face today.4. Change Is ConstantWhether it's technological disruption, corporate mergers, or shifts in personal identity, adapting to change becomes one of the novel's central themes.5. Writing Doesn't Have an Expiration DateBock's path to publishing her first adult novel demonstrates that creative success can happen at any stage of life.6. Fiction and Reality Often IntertwineThe conversation explores autofiction, memory, and how writers transform real-life experiences into compelling stories.Episode HighlightsCaroline Bock discusses the inspiration behind The Other Beautiful People.A behind-the-scenes look at cable television during the early 2000s.How the events of 9/11 influenced both her life and her fiction.The challenges of balancing career ambition, marriage, and family.Why the "other beautiful people" are often the most important people in the room.The role of autobiographical experiences in shaping fiction.Caroline's journey from YA fiction to publishing her first adult novel.The surprising story of how the book found its publisher.Purchase a copy of The Other Beautiful People here at Regal House Publishing, or wherever books are sold.#WritingCommunity #LiteraryFiction #AuthorInterview #UpstartCrow #TheOtherBeautifulPeople #CarolineBock #9/11 #BehindTheScenesThis entire episode is also available for viewing on our YouTube channel.---Recorded & Produced by Jon D PodComBe sure to check out our website for more information about our hosts, guests, and ways you can support the show: UpstartCrow.orgFollow us on Facebook here.Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio.© 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast – All Rights Reserved
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    48 min
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