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Stories and Stanza: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Abhra Pal
Welcome to ”Stories and Stanza”, the podcast that delves into the past, explores the world of prose and poetry, and brings you real-life stories, creativity, motivation, and poetry. Join us as we take you on a journey through the human experience, sharing inspiring stories and conversations that will uplift your spirit and leave you feeling motivated and inspired. Whether you’re a lover of literature, a writer, or simply someone who enjoys a good story, ”Stories and Stanza” is the podcast for you. So, sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey of discovery, reflection, and inspiration.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago47 min
Navigating Redundancy: Grief, Identity and Finding Yourself Again
Send us Fan Mail What happens to your sense of self when the job you gave years to suddenly no longer needs you? In this Fail With Me episode, Abhra sits down with Claire, a fellow writer, for an honest conversation about redundancy, job loss and the quiet grief that comes with it. Recorded at Sam Merrifield Library in Moonee Ponds, this is Stories and Stanza's first one-on-one in-person interview. Abhra and Claire have both recently been through redundancy. Instead of a neat success story, ...
- 1 weeks ago1h 22m
Can You Predict How People Will Behave? Jim Marshall on Septemics
Send us Fan Mail #StoriesAndStanza #Septemics #HumanBehaviour #SelfImprovement #EmotionalIntelligence "95% of the problems in industrialised society are because people don't understand people, including themselves." That conviction sits at the heart of Septemics, a system Jim Marshall spent decades building. In this episode, Abhra sits down with Jim to explore his book Septemics: Hierarchies of Human Phenomena. Jim describes Septemics as a philosophical science grounded in direct observatio...
- 2 weeks ago47 min
Art Is an Act of Survival — Dancer Alexandra Beller on Aloneness, Healing & Finding Your Voice
Send us Fan Mail "This is what it feels like to be alive. Does anybody recognise it?" Dancer and choreographer Alexandra Beller believes that's the question at the heart of all art — and the answer is what makes us feel less alone. In this episode of Stories and Stanza, Alexandra shares 25 years of lived experience inside the creative process — from performing with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company to teaching artists how to trust themselves while creating. We explore why authenticit...
- 4 weeks ago50 min
From Trauma to the Page | A Nurse's Journey Through Writing & Forgiveness — Nancy Jasin Ensley
Send us Fan Mail #WritingAsHealing #PTSD #MentalHealth #StoriesAndStanza #Resilience "I decided I didn't want to be afraid all the time." That one decision changed everything for Nancy Jasin Ensley — and it might change something for you too. In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host Abhra sits down with Nancy — a writer, registered nurse, teacher, and grandmother of fourteen from rural Michigan — for a conversation that moves between the craft of writing and the work of healing. Nancy shar...
- Aug 15, 202631 min
What If Your Happiness Isn't Yours? Redefining Happiness With Charu Moorjani
What does it mean when your life looks perfect on the outside but something feels deeply off inside?In this episode of Fail With Me, I sit down with Charu Moorjani — Australian author of The Happiness Pathway, mindset coach, and wellbeing storyteller — for a conversation about what happens when the version of happiness you've been chasing was never actually yours.Charu's turning point came during her honeymoon in Macau, when she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and spent a month in ICU on a mechanical ventilator. For the first time, everything went quiet. No expectations, no performance, no pretending. That stillness forced her to confront how disconnected she had become from herself. Later, navigating an emotionally abusive marriage and divorce, journaling became her lifeline — a nightly practice of sitting with her feelings, asking honest questions, and slowly rebuilding who she really was.What I love about this conversation is how practical Charu makes it. This isn't abstract self-help. She walks us through gratitude exercises, mindfulness prompts, the difference between pleasure and fulfilment, and why happiness isn't a destination — it's something you cultivate through daily micro habits and alignment with who you actually are.In this episode, we explore:→ Why a life that looks good on paper can feel empty inside → How an ICU diagnosis became her turning point → Why journaling works — and what to do if you struggle with it → The one gratitude practice Charu swears by every night → Bringing awareness into mundane moments — the coffee exercise → Steps to heal after a difficult relationship: acknowledge, forgive yourself, forgive the other → The difference between pleasure and fulfilment → Why you're not broken if you feel disconnected"I want people to realize they're not broken if they feel disconnected. Maybe they've just been chasing the wrong version of happiness or someone else's version of happiness, and they really don't need permission to create their own." — Charu MoorjaniConnect with Charu Moorjani: Website → thehappinesspathway.com Instagram → @thehappinesspathway Book (Amazon) → https://amzn.asia/d/0ibK94gUWish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 10, 202642 min
Moonee Valley Writing Group on Craft, Community, Resilience & New Work
What happens when you pass a mic around a library table and ask four writers why they keep showing up?This is the first ever in-person episode of Stories and Stanza — recorded live at Sam Merrifield Library in Moonee Ponds with the Moonee Valley Writing Group.Frances McKay talks about her published nonfiction Pieces of China and reads from her humorous novel-in-progress Postcards from Paris, about a young Australian au pairing in 1970s Paris. Claire describes turning a redundancy diary into fiction. Katherine reflects on memoir writing, dyslexia, composing music, and finding community. And John shares his journey from retirement into science fiction, reads from his series Rogue Genesis, and talks openly about the path to self-publishing.Together they explore why meeting face-to-face still matters, how honest feedback helps you accept imperfect writing, and what keeps a small group of volunteers returning to the same table month after month.📣 Join us for the first ever Stories and Stanza live event on 29 August — an in-person discussion with author and journal coach Sarah Rosse about her memoir So, Who Are You Anyway?, exploring identity, motherhood, caregiving, and healing through writing.🎟️ Register: https://events.humanitix.com/stories-and-stanza-with-sarah-rosseThe Moonee Valley Writing Group meets every month second Monday at Sam Merrifield Library, Moonee Ponds — 7:00 PM. Everyone is welcome.Wish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 9, 202647 min
Writing Scary Books: What I Learned from NaNoWriMo
In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host speaks with writer Diana Gunn about her writing journey from starting at age eight and using NaNoWriMo to build discipline and finish projects to publishing five books, including her recent Gothic horror vampire novel Woman of Sorrow and Blood. Gunn discusses planning versus drafting fast, how challenges like NaNoWriMo can help writers start and develop confidence, and why she created the Weeknight Writers community to provide year-round support, especially for marginalized writers. She explains how fantasy and horror offer a safe container to explore trauma, healing, and real-world fears, notes world-building pitfalls, and reads an excerpt from her novel. The conversation also covers drafting-to-editing best practices, beta readers and proofreading, writer’s block as a symptom, and key differences between traditional and self-publishing.00:00 NaNoWriMo Magic Hook01:24 Podcast Intro and Guest02:42 Diana Writing Origins06:05 NaNoWriMo Planning Tips09:53 Why Horror and Fantasy13:07 Classic Horror Metaphors15:43 Worldbuilding Pitfalls17:16 Meet Woman of Sorrow21:00 Cover Art to Draft22:58 Weeknight Writers Programs27:36 Why Writers Need Community30:55 Start Writing When Overwhelmed35:47 Editing and Beta Readers41:11 Writer Block Workbook43:11 Publishing Paths Compared46:18 Final Thoughts and GoodbyeDianna Gunn decided she wanted to be an author when she was just eight years old. Since then, she's devoted her entire life to not just becoming an author - with six published fantasy and horror books to her name in 2026 - but helping other writers become authors through Weeknight Writers, an organization dedicated to creating virtual events and community spaces for authors.https://weeknightwriters.com/writers-block-buster/This is where folks can sign up to receive the Writer's Block Buster, a free mini-workbook designed to help people find the root cause of their writer's block so they can get back to work on their stories. Signing up here also signs people up for the Weeknight Writers newsletter so they can learn more about the community.Wish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 2, 202640 min
From Cancer Diagnosis to Bestselling Novelist
In this episode of Stories and Stanza, I sit down with writer, musician, and cancer fighter Ray Hartjen to talk about his brand new novel, The Iranian Fiasco — a Tom Clancy-inspired espionage thriller published on April 7th and available wherever books are sold.Ray's story is unlike any I've heard on this show. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma — an incurable but treatable blood cancer — in 2019, he didn't slow down. Instead, he grabbed life by the shoulders and asked himself one question: "If not now, when?" That question has since fuelled six published books, a shift from nonfiction to fiction, and a deeply fulfilling creative life built around storytelling and music.In our conversation, Ray reads the opening pages of The Iranian Fiasco and introduces us to Tiger Swanson — a CIA operative who is no princess waiting to be rescued. We talk about how he writes in the detailed, research-heavy style of Tom Clancy but for a modern publishing landscape, how he builds real-world locations into his fiction (right down to motorcycle shops in Western Iran you could find on a map), and why he writes without outlines, letting the story flow organically.We also get into the writing discipline that makes it all possible — 500 words a day, tracked in a spreadsheet — and Ray shares honest, practical advice for anyone who has a story inside them but hasn't started writing it yet.This episode spans both my Between the Lines segment, where we explore the craft behind the writing, and Fail With Me, where we go deeper into the human story — because with Ray, the two are inseparable.📖 BOOKS BY RAY HARTJENThe Iranian Fiasco (2025) — https://rayhartjen.comOutflanked — Espionage ThrillerMe, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma — Cancer Patient MemoirImmaculate: How the Steelers Saved PittsburghThe Indy 500: A Year-Long Quest to Win the Greatest Spectacle in RacingRevenue Orchestration & Today's New Era of B2B Sales and Marketing🔗 CONNECT WITH RAY Website: https://rayhartjen.com Email: rayhartjen@gmail.com Social media: @rayhartjen (across platforms)If you are a cancer patient, caregiver, or ally — Ray personally invites you to reach out. He has connected with patients from Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Europe, and across the United States, and considers it the honour of his life.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Podcast Intro and Guest 03:06 Ray's Writing Journey — From Marketing to Six Books 06:13 Cancer Diagnosis to Purpose — The "If Not Now, When?" Moment 19:44 Inside The Iranian Fiasco — Opening Pages Read Aloud 35:00 Writing Advice, Publishing Realities, and Wrap🎙️ ABOUT STORIES AND STANZA I'm Abhra, and Stories and Stanza is where I amplify the voices of writers, poets, and people with authentic human stories. The show runs two series — Between the Lines (craft and writing) and Fail With Me (wellness, mindset, and emotional intelligence). New episodes drop regularly across YouTube and all major podcast platforms.Wish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About Stories and Stanza
Welcome to ”Stories and Stanza”, the podcast that delves into the past, explores the world of prose and poetry, and brings you real-life stories, creativity, motivation, and poetry. Join us as we take you on a journey through the human experience, sharing inspiring stories and conversations that will uplift your spirit and leave you feeling motivated and inspired. Whether you’re a lover of literature, a writer, or simply someone who enjoys a good story, ”Stories and Stanza” is the podcast for you. So, sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey of discovery, reflection, and inspiration.
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