Monthly Archives: April 2023

Episode 47 – How Many Threads are Woven to Create and Execute a Play: “Eleanor and Alice”



How many threads are woven to created and execute a Play.  After attending the play Eleanor and Alice, Larry is joined by the playwright Ellen Abrams, Director Frances Hill, Actress Trezana Beverly (who plays Eleanor Roosevelt), and Mary Bacon (who plays Alice Roosevelt).  The play is in 8 acts and follows these two iconic wives through the 20th century.

Larry discusses what it is like to see a person’s written word come to life on the stage, the thought process of the actors, whether there is a rhythm to both writing and acting and why  this play is rather unique (which is based in fact but is written in the spirit of history).

If you are interested in attending this amazing play by visiting https://urbanstages.org/eleanorandalice/.


Episode 46 – How Many Threads Connect Puffs of Smoke? Author and Federal Prosecutor Lis Wiehl



How many threads connect puffs of smoke? In this week’s episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry interviews legal analyst and federal prosecutor Lis Wiehl, who sheds light on the shadowy life of FBI spy Robert Hanssen while discussing her new book A Spy in Plain Sight. Wiehl discusses the experience of growing up as the daughter of an FBI agent and how her career as a lawyer influenced her style as an author.

Then the conversation shifts to Robert Hanssen, who is often referred to as “The Unabomber of the FBI” due to the twenty-year hunt to find him. Wiehl analyzes Hanssen’s convincing cover as a devout Catholic, his relationship with his wife Bonnie, his ability to effectively compartmentalize different facets of his duplicitous life, his narcissistic pursuit for accolades that drove him to sell information to Russia and the ultimate reveal of his spy activity. 

 

 


Episode 45 – How does the writer weave the threads to tell their story? Authors Peter Blauner and Vona Groarke



How does the writer weave the threads to tell their story? In this installment of the podcast, Larry sits down with author and friend of the podcast, Peter Blauner.  Peter and Larry discusses his latest book Picture in the Sand. Blauner discusses his research into the political situation of 1950s Egypt (and the surprising connection to the filming of The Ten Commandments), his interview with the remaining relatives of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille and his decision to frame the narrative as a grandfather telling his recollections of his immigration to America to dissuade his grandson from joining an anti-American group. 

After the break, Larry conducts a virtual interview with Irish author Vona Groarke about her book Hereafter: The Telling Life of Ellen O’Hara  , a fictionalized biography of her great grandmother. Groarke goes into detail about the disappointing lack of information about her grandmother and the process of reconstructing her story based on the breadcrumbs of data she did find as well as her research into lives of Irish immigrants in 1880s New York.