Beyond Texas with W.F. Strong

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 show

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.comSupport the show

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 the then old men who told him, in intimate interviews, about their magical win at the 1936 Olympics, and the incredible bonds that ...

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 for the power vacuum that would follow. They did not anticipate the chaos of Rome without Caesar, nor did they realize that the majority ...

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.comSupport the show

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.orgSupport the show

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 in savings as a safety net, all within one year. This the story of how he tried to do this. Support the show

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 show

This is a beautiful very short story for the holidays. The author is anonymous. Support the show

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 show

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 show

Part II of my interview with the incomparable Paul Craddock, author of Spare Parts: the story of the history of transplant surgery. Support the show

An interview with Paul Craddock, PhD, concerning his page-turner of a best-selling book about the fascinating history of transplant surgery. Support the show

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.comwfstrongpodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

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 show

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 is the story, in his words, of how they survived. Support the show

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.comSupport the show

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 under in Melbourne, Australia. I think it's truly worthy of the Christmas season, now. Enjoy. To comment write ...

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.comSupport the show

My interview with Amor Towles about his exquisitely flawless novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. To comment write to: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

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.comSupport the show

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, mostly deletions of unintended duplicate narration.For comments and questions: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

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: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

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.comSupport the show

Here we look at the original Baron Munchausen and how his stories because the basis of the now famous syndrome. Support the show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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 internet, and it his books and movies and plays - and podcasts like this one. Photo attached is one of th...

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 show

An interview with Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking. Support the show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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.comSupport the show

Somerset Maugham shortest short story, and some say the most shocking. Support the show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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 show

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

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🇦🇺Australia🇧🇷Brazil🇬🇷GreeceHong Kong SAR China🇳🇱Netherlands🇷🇺Russia🇶🇦QatarSupport the show

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 anautobiography of Dennis Raider, the BTK Killer. Dr. Ramsland also provides psychological insights into the minds of serial killers in general. Support the show

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@gmail.comSupport the show

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

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: wfstrongpodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

Marcus Aurelius is enormously popular today, even though he lived nearly 2000 years ago. Quotes from his famous Meditations are ubiquitous. It is now the Bible of stoicism. In this episode I take a look, with the help of classical scholar and author, Lindsay Powell, at how Marcus Aurelius was perceived in his time, how his private notes to self survived the dark ages and wound up as a best selling book today, and why his wisdom is so embraced still. Support ...

Dr. Bass tells two stories about fascinating cases he worked on to identify people from their remains. Support the show

How Dr. John Snow solved the cholera riddle and changed the medical world forever. Support the show

A man dies in fiery crash in Mexico. Dr. Bill Bass, father of CSI and creator of the first body farm, is brought in to identify the charred remains of the victim. I talk with Dr. Bass about how he created the body farm and how he identified the skeletal remains of man said to be "burned beyond recognition." Evidently, dead men tell a lot of tales these days. Here's a link to photographs taken at the body farm: https://www.sallymann.com/body-farmSupport the show

This story traces Dr. Gorgas's inspirational saga from Brownsville to Cuba to Panama, in which he constantly sought a cure for, or containment of, Yellow Fever. He ultimately succeeded in the latter, which made the completion of the canal possible and made the whole world a bit smaller. Because of his success there, he has been called "the Medical Hero of the Panama Canal." Support the show

The story of Robert Falcon Scott's heart-wrenching effort to be the first man to the South Pole. Support the show