As I already have a podcast produced by the Texas Standard, Stories from Texas, I wanted to launch a new one that would go beyond the limits of where my stories are typically corralled. I'm calling it Beyond Texas so that I can share the many inspirational and astounding stories I know that don't fit the theme I'm most known for. Here you will get me, for better or worse, unabridged.
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The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
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Often listed as one of the top ten best short stories ever written in America, The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce remains, even today, a particularly haunting story for everyone who has ever read it, or seen the Twilight Zone episode based on the story which Rod Serling aired in 1961. Support the show…
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Excerpts from the extraordinarily poignant book by Nobel Prize winning Spanish author, Juan Ramón Jiménez. I call it a children´s book for adults, but children can certainly enjoy it, too. Like all great literature, it works on many levels. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Jack London's To Build a Fire is often listed among the top 100 of best short stories ever written. Now that North America and Europe are in the deep freeze of winter, it seemed to me a great time, given the natural ambiance, to share London's masterpiece. wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The Boys in the Boat - Interview with author Daniel Brown
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An interview with best-selling author Daniel Brown concerning his book, now a movie, The Boys in the Boat. This interview is ten years old but has fresh relevance given that the book is once again a best-seller, thanks to Clooney's film. In this interview Daniel shares the story of how this inspiring saga found him and how he was deeply moved by th…
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Julius Caesar: Part II. The Assassination
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Part Two of our conversation with Lindsay Powell, an expert on classical Roman history and co-author of a book about Julius Caesar, as well as a solo author of a book about his successor, Caesar Augustus. In this episode we talk about the events that led up to the assassination of Caesar and the general incompetence of the assassins in preparing fo…
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A reading and brief analysis of the one of the best short stories of all time, "The Yellow Wall Paper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Contact: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Bill Steele, Explorer and Mapper of the Deepest Cave in the Western Hemisphere
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Interview with Bill Steele, a man National Geographic has called one of the world's leading speleologists, tells all about his 30 years of exploring the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere, Huautla, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. To great photos of Huautla check out peshcaving.org Support the show…
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Adam Shepherd arrived by bus at midnight in Charleston , SC, with only $25.00 in his pocket. He gave himself one year to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Relying only on his high school diploma and with no skilled labor background to claim, he had to rise up out of homelessness, get himself an apartment, furnish it, buy a car and put 2500 dollars…
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A good long informative chat about Julius Caesar with author, Lindsay Powell, who is an expert on Julius Caesar and who has just released a new book on the life of the great politician and military leader. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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This is a beautiful very short story for the holidays. The author is anonymous. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The Gospel According to Mark by Jorge Luis Borges
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Sharing a wonderful, now iconic short story, by Jorge Luis Borges, It is representative of the sort of mesmerizing short-stories that he regularly produced in the middle of the last century. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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What Internet Data can Teach us About Life, the Universe and Everything
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A conversation with Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, Elad Yom-Tov, about big data and what we are learning from it that can improve our lives in many ways. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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PART II of Spare Parts with Paul Craddock
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Part II of my interview with the incomparable Paul Craddock, author of Spare Parts: the story of the history of transplant surgery. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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An interview with Paul Craddock, PhD, concerning his page-turner of a best-selling book about the fascinating history of transplant surgery. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Mariupol: One Woman's Story of Survival and Escape.
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This is Alyona's story of surviving the Russian bombing and shelling of her beloved Mariupol and her harrowing escape to safer territory. You can write to her here: alenarromanovaa@gmail.com wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The second half of Saint-Exupéry and Prevot's struggle to survive the brutal challenges of the Libyan desert after they're plane crashed there. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Stranded in the North African Desert: Part 1
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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, along with his co-pilot and mechanic, Andre Prevot, crashed in the North African Desert in 1935 while trying to set an air speed record between Paris and Saigon. They survived the crash, but barely survived the desert. They walked 120 miles and came within hours of dying of thirst and exposure to the unrelenting sun. This …
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Carville - America's only National Facility for the Treatment of Leprosy
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An interview with former NPR reporter, Pam Fessler concerning her captivating book, Carville's Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice. To comment write to: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Hemingway's Christmas on the Roof of the World (in the Swiss Alps)
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This is Hemingways' famous Switzerland Christmas post which he wrote for the Toronto Star in 1923 when he was 24 years old. He was on a skiing holiday with his first wife Hadley and his best friend, Chink. I posted it an earlier version a last Christmas, but before it was remastered with appropriate sounds by my buddy Daryl Missen, audio guru down …
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WILD with Cheryl Strayed. An Interview
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An interview with the gifted memoirist, Cherly Strayed, about her now classic nonfiction work, WILD, which has been a decade long bestseller and popular movie starring Reese Witherspoon. To comment write to: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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A Gentleman in Moscow - Interview with Amor Towles
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My interview with Amor Towles about his exquisitely flawless novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. To comment write to: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The Premature Burial - Halloween Edition
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Edgar Allan Poe's frightening tale about premature burials is a perfect Halloween treat. My suggestion is that you listen to it in the dark, lying on your bed in silence, if possible. as you know, the right ambiance is everything with horror fiction. To comment write to: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the show…
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Rainer Maria Rilke's famous advice to a young poet is great advice for us all, and particularly for young artists, not matter their passion. He advises to look within and tells you how. If you downloaded this episode before 8:00 p.m. October 8th, you might want to download it again for the new improved version. Only 1% of the whole was changed, mos…
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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
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A short biopic of Johnathon Edwards with a focus on his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. " This was the prototypical "hell fire and brimstone sermon" that became afterwards a popular salvation strategy by priests and ministers who preferred the power of fear over love in their preaching. For comments and questions: wfstron…
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An examination of one of the most famous essays ever written, "A Message to Garcia." Was it true? Was it accurate? Why was Elbert Hubbard inspired to write it and how did it affect his life? For comments and questions: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy - Part II
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Here we look at the original Baron Munchausen and how his stories because the basis of the now famous syndrome. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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First Part of a two part series examining Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and its origins, tracing the phenomenon all the way back to the fabulous storyteller himself, Baron Munchausen. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Here's a commencement speech that is to my mind the best ever because it is short and packed with extraordinary advice that is truly useful to young graduates. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
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The 19th century wasn't ready for Kate Chopin - so it was the latter 20th century that rediscovered her and the 21st that continues to embrace her groundbreaking perceptions. This is one of her best short stories, often listed among the very best in the world - and of all time. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Oscar Wilde - The Prison Years and Life Advice
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Oscar Wilde was sent to prison for two years of hard labor for the crime, essentially, of being gay. The time in prison influenced some marvelous writing completed later. He died young (at 46) likely due to the prison conditions he suffered through. But his humor and wit did not die with him. They live on today, everyday, in prolific memes on the i…
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In 1982-83 Oscar Wilde toured America and lectured on great design - in clothes, in furniture, in homes and cities. His style of dress, his wit and humor and his erudite knowledge of world art and history had audiences eager to see what he was all about. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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An interview with Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Oscar Wilde rose to fame quite rapidly as a young man. How did he achieve that? Was it all literary genius at work? Or did he have a genius of another sort as well? Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Con Man III - Frank's Coolest Caper
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The third installment of Frank Abagnale Jr's adventurous life as one of the world's top ten con men of all time. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The continuing saga of Frank Abagnale, rated as one of the 10 greatest con men in history. We look further at his imposter roles and how he managed to be successful at these diverse cons. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Perhaps the Greatest Con Man in American History
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The story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. , who is often cited as one the ten most infamous (and talented) con men of all time. We'll examine his "career" as a Pan American Airline Pilot. We'll take a look at how he pulled off this audacious con. It's the little things that matter. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The Universe in Your Hand with Christophe Galfard, Stephen Hawking's Protoge
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An interview with Christophe Galfard concerning his book The Universe in Your Hand. Dr. Galfard is a theoretical physicist and says the universe has a story to tell, if you know how to look and listen. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Mark Twain's Gives Life Advice in his 70th Birthday Speech
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Twain gives advice about smoking, drinking, eating, exercise and living well in his 70th Birthday Speech. Also covered is his acceptance of his honorary doctorate in Literature at Oxford. The picture here is of Twain receiving his Oxford doctoral robe. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Two major themes in this podcast: How Twain became a celebrity and how he nurtured and maintained his enormous fame and a look at his most famous book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and how it contributed to the lasting fame he achieved. wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the show
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Somerset Maugham shortest short story, and some say the most shocking. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Twain's unique humor as demonstrated in his live performances and short stories. He was the paradigm shift that moved American humor from European to a truly American style. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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A brief overview of Somerset Maugham's genius as a writer accompanied by a reading of one his best short stories, The Verger. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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How Joan of Arc was captured and tried, resulting in her being burned at the stake as a heretic. This episode covers also how she was fully exonerated by the church 25 years after she died and was canonized as a Saint in 1920. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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The second in the series on Joan of Arc. This episode includes perspectives shared by the famous British historian, Dan Snow. In part 2 we take a look at Joan's religious visions and voices and her astounding skills as a military tactician. Support the showAv W. F. Strong
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Part One of a Three Part Series. This podcast concerns Mark Twain's adoration of the Maid of Orleans and presents Twain's introduction of her in the last novel he ever wrote, which was essentially a creative biography of Joan of Arc. Support the show
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A couple of short pieces that have been inspirational for me and I hope they will be for you. Six minutes of insights. I'm happy to see that there are listeners in many parts of the world. Glad to have you on board: Ecuador 🇮🇱 Israel 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇫🇷 France 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇩🇪 Germany 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇦🇹 Austria 🇵🇦 Panama 🇻🇳 Vietnam 🇦🇺 Austra…
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The BTK Serial Killer - Bind, Torture and Kill
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This podcast is a thorough interview with Dr. Ramsland, serial killer expert, who discusses her book, The Confession of a Serial Killer, which she calls an autobiography of Dennis Raider, the BTK Killer. Dr. Ramsland also provides psychological insights into the minds of serial killers in general. Support the show…
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How Much Land Does a Man Require - by Leo Tolstoy
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This short story by Tolstoy is regarded as one of the finest in all of literature. I've always admired it for its O'Henry-like ending. It would have made a fitting story for The Twilight Zone or for today's Black Mirror. I present it here in a shortened 12 minute version. The full story takes about 40 minutes to read. W.F. Strong: wfstrongpodcast@g…
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Madame Curie's Scientific Genius changed the world in priceless ways, but beyond her contributions to physical and medical sciences, perhaps her most important achievement was opening doors for, and inspiring women (and men) in the fields of science and medicine. W. F. Strong: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.com Support the show…
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Hemingway's "Christmas on the Roof of the World"
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Sharing Hemingways' famous Switzerland Christmas post which he wrote for the Toronto Star in 1923 when he was 24 years old. He was on a skiing holiday with his first wife Hadley and his best friend, Chink. Special thanks to Daryl Missen, podcast audio pro of Australia, who re-mastered this piece to add some magic to this classic story. W. F. Strong…
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