In this solo podcast, Barbara G. Tucker explains her experience with Appalachia, how sense of place informs writing, and the origins of Lying In and other stories she has written about Appalachia.

On this solo podcast, Barbara explains why she writes fiction, specifically novels, and what the value of fiction is to all of us.

In this episode of Dialogues with Creator, Barbara talks with new friend Joyce McPherson, a resident of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, who wears many creative hats. Joyce writes biographies of historical persons for middle-grade students, writes fiction for young readers, teaches college English, and directs a Shakespeare camp. Joyce is a person you should know about.

Links:

https://joyce-mcpherson.blogspot.com/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00665Z6NY?ccs_id=8837662c-caa0-4200-9f14-2a90aa6542bb

https://www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

Host Dr. Barbara Tucker welcomes Dr. Forrest Blackbourn for a lively exploration of one of his favorite novels, Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Their conversation traces the novel’s layered narrative, from the shadow of Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship to the Dominican diaspora in New Jersey. Blackbourn examines themes of fukú and zafa, hypermasculinity, race, and the reclamation of Blackness, while highlighting Díaz’s inventive footnotes and genre-bending style. Together, they consider why Oscar’s tragic story is also “wondrous,” and how literature helps students confront history, identity, and belonging across cultures and generations.

Barbara Tucker’s website:

www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

The show’s GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/keep-our-nonprofit-podcast-alive

Dr. Jennifer Randall, Professor of English at Dalton State College, joins Barbara to provide insight into the value of the world’s foundational philosophical work, Plato’s Republic. Find out why this 2400-year-old book is relevant in today’s world. It’s a lively discussion!

Barbara Tucker’s website:

www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

The show’s GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/keep-our-nonprofit-podcast-alive

Here Barbara lets her opinions be known about the writers she considers the guiding stars. Trigger warning: She may not like the popular ones!

For the first interview on Dialogues with Creators for 2026, Barbara talks to Dr. Margaret Roblyer, known to her friends as Peggy, on writing a memoir and on Peggy’s soon-to-be-published memoir, Strong Glass (June). This is for everyone who has thought about writing about their own personal stories. Peggy also shares vital information about publishing.

As a former textbook author and professor of instructional technology, Peggy brings a wealth of wisdom to this episode.

Links:

https://mdroblyer.com/

www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/

Here are some recommendations and counter-recommendations on books, based on Barbara's reading patterns in 2025. She talks about 26 or so fiction and nonfiction books read over the past year, not to mention a lot of shorter works. Standouts are In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, The Digital Delusion by Jason Horvath, I am a Georgia Girl by Ann Hite, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

There is a pause at the beginning--just a bit. This is a straight-from-me solo recording.

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/55f16ff27

Barbara's website: www.barbaragrahamtucker.net