Monday, June 23, 2025

Joining Janeane on Wednesday June 25th at 9:00am pst - award-winning author Heather Clark shares a stunning debut novel: the story of an intense first love haunted by history and family memory, inspired by the startling WWII scrapbook of Clark’s own grandfather, hidden in an attic until after his death.



From the award-winning author of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, a stunning debut novel: the story of an intense first love haunted by history and family memory, inspired by the startling WWII scrapbook of Clark’s own grandfather, hidden in an attic until after his death.


“An elegant, unsettling novel about the burden of history and the illusions of love.” —Sana Krasikov, author of The Patriots

The traumas of the past and the aftershocks of fascism echo and reverberate through the present in this story of a lifechanging seduction.

Harvard, 1996. Anna is about to graduate when she falls hard for Christoph, a visiting German student. Captivated by his beauty and intelligence, she follows him to Germany, where charming squares and grand facades belie the nation’s recent history and the war’s destruction. Christoph condemns his country’s actions but remains cryptic about the part his own grandfather played. Anna, meanwhile, cannot forget the photos taken by her American GI grandfather at the end of the war, preserved in a scrapbook only she has seen.

As Anna travels back and forth to Germany to deepen her relationship with the elusive Christoph, her perspective is powerfully interrupted by chapters that follow both of their grandfathers during the war. One witnesses the plight of Holocaust victims in the days after liberation and helps capture Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, while the other fights for Nazi Germany. Their fragmented stories haunt Anna and her lover two generations later—and may still tear them apart.

Not a “World War Two novel” in the traditional sense, The Scrapbook delivers a consuming tale of first love, laced with a backstory of dark family legacies and historical conscience.

Not a “World War Two novel” in the traditional sense, The Scrapbook delivers a consuming tale of first love, laced with a backstory of dark family legacies and historical conscience.


“A potent story of two lovers, one American and one German, reckoning with the legacy of WWII … It’s a revelation.” —Starred review, Publishers Weekly

“Clark writes about this milieu with grace and elegance, capturing Anna’s emotional frustration in acute detail… Clark ultimately sells the idea that a present-day relationship can be shaped by forces that reside in a past we’d prefer to ignore.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Heather Clark’s THE SCRAPBOOK is a masterpiece. This beautifully crafted, quietly devastating love story reminds us of the epic impact of the Second World War across continents and through generations, its scars perhaps most poignantly felt in the intimate interactions between two solitary people.”
—Rebecca Donner, New York Times bestselling author of All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days

“Through an exquisitely observed love affair, Clark explores how the Nazis’ lingering legacy can still haunt the lives of those born long after the war. A stunningly good novel.”
—Julia Boyd, author of A Village in the Third Reich

“An elegant, unsettling novel about the burden of history and the illusions of love. With a biographer’s eye for detail and a novelist’s grasp of human frailty, The Scrapbook traces the fault lines between past and present, between nations and individuals, revealing how history lingers—not in grand narratives, but in intimate entanglements.”
—Sana Krasikov, author of The Patriots




More about THE SCRAPBOOK:

The traumas of the past and the aftershocks of fascism echo and reverberate through the present in this story of a life changing seduction.
Harvard, 1996. Anna is about to graduate when she falls hard for Christoph, a visiting German student. Captivated by his beauty and intelligence, she follows him to Germany, where charming squares and grand facades belie the nation’s recent history and the war’s destruction. Christoph condemns his country’s actions but remains cryptic about the part his own grandfather played. Anna, meanwhile, cannot forget the photos taken by her American GI grandfather at the end of the war, preserved in a scrapbook only she has seen.

As Anna travels back and forth to Germany to deepen her relationship with the elusive Christoph, her perspective is powerfully interrupted by chapters that follow both of their grandfathers during the war. One witnesses the plight of Holocaust victims in the days after liberation and helps capture Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, while the other fights for Nazi Germany. Their fragmented stories haunt Anna and her lover two generations later—and may still tear them apart.


Author Bio: 
HEATHER CLARK earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Harvard University and her doctorate in English from Oxford University. Her recent awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship; the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism; the Slightly Foxed Prize for Best First Biography; a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Fellowship; a Leon Levy Biography Fellowship at the City University of New York; and a Visiting U.S. Fellowship at the Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library. 

A former Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing, she is the author of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath; The Grief of Influence: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes; and The Ulster Renaissance: Poetry in Belfast 1962-1972. Red Comet was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the LA Times Book Prize in Biography, and was a New York Times Top Ten Book of 2021. Red Comet was also a "Book of the Year" in The Guardian, The Times (London), The Daily Telegraph, The Boston Globe, Lit Hub, The Times of India, Trouw (Netherlands), and elsewhere, and has been translated into five languages. Clark's work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Harvard Review, Time, Air Mail, Lit Hub, and The Times Literary Supplement. She lives outside of New York City.

THE SCRAPBOOK Q&A






--


Leslie Rossman
510-847-7477
www.openbookpublicity.com

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Wednesday June 18th at 9:00am - Babs Walters, author of “Facing the Jaguar” (She Writes Press, June 17, 2025), a powerful memoir on surviving childhood sexual abuse in which Babs shares her story of healing after 70 years of secrecy.

Listen to today's episode featuring Babs Walters


After holding onto a dark secret for nearly 70 years, an abuse survivor finds healing in sharing her story.

Palm Beach, FL –For fans of “The Glass Castle” and “Educated,” an abuse survivor-turned-advocate examines the full circle of generational trauma, resilience, and healing in “Facing the Jaguar” (She Writes Press, June 17, 2025).


The average person can keep a secret for forty-seven hours. Babs Walters held onto the worst kind of secret for nearly 70 years.

Since age 11, Babs suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her father. His edict–children should be seen and not heard–defined her childhood. Desperate to be loved and seeking approval, Babs absorbed both the responsibility and the shame that was not hers to begin with.

Now, decades later, Babs Walters shows us how uncovering the truth is a critical step to healing. “Facing the Jaguar” is an inspirational story of resilience and courage—a story that proves anything is possible when we claim our truth and shine a light in even the darkest of places. As Babs says, “We are not what happens to us. We are the meaning and purpose we give to what happens to us.”

Babs Walters, author of “Facing the Jaguar” (She Writes Press, June 17, 2025), a powerful memoir on surviving childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in which Babs shares her story of healing after 70 years of secrecy.
Babs is a seasoned public speaker with RAINN’s speakers bureau, and she’d be a great fit for an interview discussing child safety, generational trauma and speaking out as a necessary step toward healing.

Since age 11, Babs suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her father. His edict–children should be seen and not heard–defined her childhood. Desperate to be loved and seeking approval, Babs absorbed both the responsibility and the shame that was not hers to begin with. Now, decades later, Babs Walters shows us how uncovering the truth is a critical step to healing. “Facing the Jaguar” is an inspirational story of resilience and courage—a story that proves anything is possible when we claim our truth and shine a light in even the darkest of places. As Babs says, “We are not what happens to us. We are the meaning and purpose we give to what happens to us.”

Babs Walters is a speaker, advocate, and author as well as a survivor of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse. She brings difficult subjects to the surface through the power of storytelling. With a Masters’ in Counseling Human Relations, Walters developed creative, healing, journal-writing workshops for women in alcohol and drug recovery. During her corporate career, she led workshops on Preventing Sexual Harassment and continues to teach women to raise their voices today. Babs lives in Florida where she teaches Jazzercize and enjoys time with family. Learn more at: www.babswalters.com


Contact: Jackie Karneth

jackie@booksforward.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Facing the Jaguar: A Memoir of Courage and Confrontation

Babs Walters | June 17, 2025 | She Writes Press | Nonfiction, Memoir


Praise for “Facing the Jaguar"


“In this honest and raw memoir, Walters exposes a secret that burdens the souls of countless children–because most don't tell. Her story is a plea to all adults to believe and help the courageous children who do tell. An important and brave journey from a frightened child to an empowered woman.”

–Feather Berkower, M.S.W., Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Educator and author of “Off Limits: A Parent's Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse”



“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is one of the few books that will hold you spellbound from the very first page to the last. Walters is a beautiful writer and I look forward to reading more of her work. I also applaud her bravery, courage, and strength in sharing her story.

–Readers’ Favorite




“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is a powerful story of reclamation. Without offering advice or excuses, Walters’ reveals what it takes to heal. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand a survivor’s journey or for survivors looking for healing and hope.”

–Jane Epstein, author of “I Feel Real Guilty: A Memoir of Sibling Sexual Abuse”




“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is a chilling, honest account of parental abuse, but it is also a story of hope, tenacity and the belief that with hard work and a determination to understand, the cycle of generational trauma can be terminated.”

–Patti Eddington, author of “The Girl with Three Birthdays: An Adopted Daughter’s Memoir of Tiaras, Tough Truths and Tall Tales”




About the author…



Babs Walters: is a speaker, advocate, and author as well as a survivor of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse. She brings difficult subjects to the surface through the power of storytelling.


With a Masters’ in Counseling Human Relations, Walters developed creative, healing, journal-writing workshops for women in alcohol and drug recovery. During her corporate career, she led workshops on Preventing Sexual Harassment and continues to teach women to raise their voices today. 

Babs lives in Florida where she teaches Jazzercize and enjoys time with family. Learn more about her life and work at www.babswalters.com and on Instagram @walters.babs

In an interview, Babs Walters can discuss:
  • How holding onto secrets causes us harm, and why it’s important to share stories of abuse as a path toward healing
  • How we should talk about generational trauma and ways to put a stop to cycles of abuse
  • What she wants people to know about child safety
  • How to forgive without compromising on boundaries
  • Steps we can all take to find healing after life-changing pain

RESOURCES

Brave Voices – the Library of Congress

https://bravevoices.org/


General resources for family secret keepers

The National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)

www.ndvh.org



National Child Abuse Hotline

1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

www.rainn.org



National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org


Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Coming up June 18th at 9:30am pst - A Great Teacher, Robert Reich, Inspires Hope in this Intimate Portrait on Aging, Education, and Leadership in a Time of Crisis THE LAST CLASS with Robert Reich














Presents



A Great Teacher, Robert Reich, Inspires Hope in this Intimate Portrait

on Aging, Education, and Leadership in a Time of Crisis


THE LAST CLASS with Robert Reich








Opening in NY June 27th at Quad Cinema

Expanding to Multiple US Cities

*Official Selection - 2025 DC/DOX*


Directed by Elliot Kirschner

Produced by Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, Josh Melrod

Executive Produced by Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, Ian Cheney



"Who are the teachers today? Who is trying to make sense of the common experiences? Are there people around who are interpreting what we have learned? I'm not sure there are. And that worries me.” **

“Democracy is not a spectator sport. Learning is not a spectator sport. It's active!” **



** Robert Reich in The Last Class



American political economist, professor, author and social media sensation Robert Reich worked under presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. He served as Secretary of Labor in President Bill Clinton’s cabinet, and as a member of President Barack Obama’s economic transition advisory board. Reich is known for his work on economic inequality and as a champion of public education and American democracy. He is among one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals.


The Last Class is a nuanced and deeply personal portrait of Reich as he reflects on a period of immense transformation, personally and globally. It is also a love letter to education. The former Secretary of Labor might be famous for his public service, best-selling books, and viral social media posts, but he always considered teaching his true calling. Now, after over 40 years and an extraordinary 40,000 students, Reich is preparing for his last class.



RT: 71 Minutes

Website


Publicity Contacts

Falco Ink. | 212-445-7100

Adrianna Valentin, AdriannaValentin@falcoink.com

Alex Pelchar, AlexPelchar@falcoink.com

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Coming up Wednesday June 4th at 9:00am PT - Bestselling author, beloved PBS and podcast host, Kelly Corrigan, talks about her new book, Marianne the Maker, written with her daughter, debut author Claire Corrigan Lichty. Marianne the Maker just may be the antidote to the current epidemic of depression and anxiety children are facing today





Bestselling author, beloved PBS and podcast host Kelly Corrigan. You may know Kelly’s podcast, Kelly Corrigan Wonders--it's a top 1% podcast that has hosted guests from Bono to Bryan Stevenson, David Byrne to Dr. Francis Collins (to name a few). Kelly has been called the “voice of a generation” from O Magazine and “the Poet Laureate of the ordinary” by the Huffington Post. But closer to home, she has moved me to tears listening to her — I've watched her relate her way into our hearts.


In the forthcoming lead summer title from Penguin Young Readers, MARIANNE THE MAKER (on-sale: 6/3/25), Kelly Corrigan and her daughter, Claire Corrigan Lichty, make the case for making—which just may be the antidote to the current epidemic of depression and anxiety children are facing today. At a time when arts education programs are being cut at a more vicious pace than ever before, studies show that using our hands to create has incredible benefits: reduction in anxiety, improvement in memory, and for children. Making is vital to their development: tinkering and hands-on play develops new ways of thinking, instills confidence and resourcefulness, and helps make connections.


Here's Kelly's TED Talk, as well as some articles in case you need some inspiration to go make something with your hands today!

The New York Times on Making

Heart Mind Online on the benefits of hands-on play

Montessori.org on the benefits of hands on learning for early childhood


ABOUT THE BOOK
From bestselling author Kelly Corrigan and her daughter debut author Claire Corrigan Lichty comes a new picture book about a determined young inventor!

Marianne's days are filled with schedules, structure, and soccer. There's just one problem: Marianne is a maker. She needs every minute of her weekends to scheme and dream, draw and design, to build and rebuild! This is the story of how a creator with a crackerjack imagination finds a not-so-great way to skip practice and create her masterpiece. But will her dad understand?

Told in delightful rhyme that bounces across George Sweetland's gorgeous collage-style illustrations (chock full of hidden gems,) Marianne the Maker is sure to kindle the creative spark that lives inside all of us.

Kelly's storytelling expertise brings this research to life, and her daughter, Claire's, tech-arts integration provides modern context. Their mother-daughter dynamic demonstrates intergenerational impact, along with real examples from both traditional and digital making.


Review
"A thoughtful role model for aspiring inventors."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Corrigan has been called “the voice of her generation” by O: The Oprah Magazine and “the poet laureate of the ordinary” by HuffPost. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tell Me More, The Middle Place, Lift, and Glitter and Glue. Between books, she hosts a podcast, Kelly Corrigan Wonders, featuring intimate conversations with high IQ/EQ types about well-being, purpose, and impact. Marianne the Maker, a collaboration with Kelly's daughter, Claire, is her second book for children. (Kelly managed to write Hello World! all by herself.)

Claire Corrigan Lichty is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a double major in computer science and drama. She writes code, stories, and jokes for stand-up, which she has performed in small clubs in Bozeman, Montana and downtown Manhattan. She's been a glue gun kid since she developed fine motor skills and hopes to be a maker indefinitely.

George Sweetland is a freelance illustrator and has illustrated over ten children’s picture books. When he isn’t illustrating or teaching elementary school students, he's having dance parties and watching movies with his wife, two sons, and their energetic golden doodle in their home in Connecticut.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Coming up 5/21 9:00am - Tracie Laymon, writer/director of BOB TREVINO LIKES IT, which premiered at SXSW ‘24 where it won both the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the SXSW Audience Award. The film stars John Leguizamo, Barbie Ferreira, and French Stewart.


LISTEN
to today's show featuring Tracie Laymon.

Written and Directed by: Tracie Laymon
Produced by: Tracie Laymon p.g.a.,
Sean Mullin p.g.a.,
Edgar Rosa p.g.a., Felipe Dieppa


When lonely 20-something Lily Trevino accidentally befriends a stranger online who shares the same name as her own self-centered father, encouragement and support from this new Bob Trevino could change her life. 

Inspired by a true story.

Cast: Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, Lauren "Lolo" Spencer,
Rachel Bay Jones

Watch the Official Trailer
Bob Trevino Likes It - Official Trailer | IMDb


U.S. Release Date: March 21, 2025 Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, and thematic elements Running Time: 102 mins


#BobTrevinoLikesIt
Genre: Dramedy Roadside Attractions
Publicity Contacts Elissa Greer | elissag@roadsideattractions.com

Winner of an astounding thirteen film festival audience awards, BOB TREVINO LIKES IT retains the optimism that big tech can still provide human connection and that true friendship is a powerful kind of love and perhaps the family we need most in today’s world.




TRACIE LAYMON | WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Tracie Laymon is the writer/director of BOB TREVINO LIKES IT, which premiered at SXSW ‘24 where it won both the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the SXSW Audience Award. Starring John Leguizamo, Barbie Ferreira, and French Stewart, the film was recently acquired by Roadside Attractions. It's set to release in theaters March 21, 2025.

 A Texas-native, Laymon spent some of her formative teen years in Russia before returning to the States for college, where she began directing short films. She has been named to IFC’s list of emerging "Icons" and film innovators. Tracie is a fierce advocate for the inclusion and representation of all genders as well as people with disabilities in front of and behind the camera. As a filmmaker, her goal is to amplify diverse perspectives through underdog stories––stories about reluctant heroes who find unexpected ways to succeed in the face of adversity.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Bob Trevino Likes It is inspired by an unexpected friendship I found online with a stranger who shared my father’s name when I was searching for my dad on Facebook. Through nine years of this stranger’s small, simple acts of kindness and consistently supportive words like “Happy birthday!” and “Way to go, kiddo!”, this new friend changed my life, without even knowing he had. I found this unusual friendship to be healing, and it helped fill a void in my life. I made this film to tell the world how the little things we say can greatly impact the lives of others, even if we never get to see the results. Coming-of-age and late coming-of-age stories are often about trying to find a place to belong. In Bob Trevino Likes It, our hero Lily learns her father’s rejection is not about her.


She finds her tribe, her own chosen family, and finally, a place to belong with Bob, his wife Jeanie, and her new best friend Daphne. In many ways, this film is about cycle breaking and learning to let go of people who continually hurt us to make room for people who want to love us. It shows the power even our smallest day-to-day interactions on social media have.


I often hear the statement “everyone has a father” regarding why this film matters and is so universal. I take that further by saying: “Everyone needs a Bob.” Having someone in our lives who shows us empathy and vulnerability should be normal. But when you don’t grow up with that, it can seem like a pipe dream. When Lily finally gets the fatherly love she needs from a new friend, it feels huge, even though in a way, it’s baseline. My hope with this film is for us all to find beauty and poignant humor in her discovery.


We need these kinds of films in our society right now—the stories that show, despite our differences, we are all capable of seeing and feeling our shared humanity. These stories heal us with heart and humor, give us hope, and remind us that we aren’t alone. There are people out there right now who want to love us. While making this film, I experienced the power and love of chosen family through the incredible cast and crew. The inner work and healing that accompany these realizations can really change things—on both a micro and macro level.


Being able to make the film and provide some love, humanity and laughter is more than I could have hoped for; and now, to continue this experience and share this story with even more audiences is surreal.
- Tracie Laymon, Writer/Director/Producer 



Bob Trevino Likes It

Synopsis

BOB TREVINO LIKES IT is inspired by the true friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger in real life while looking for her father online.

Often playing the role of caretaker to people like her father, who should be caring for her, Lily Trevino longs for familial connection. When her father, Robert, finally checks out of her life, Lily looks for him on the internet. She tries to “friend” a man she believes is her father on Facebook. But instead of finding Robert Trevino, she finds Bob Trevino instead.

Bob Trevino works long hours at a construction company to support his wife Jeanie’s elaborate scrapbooking habit. The couple has endured a lot in the past decade, and Bob has prioritized his wife’s healing to the point of ignoring his feelings and sense of loneliness. When Bob gets an unexpected Facebook message from a stranger named Lily Trevino, he discerns she needs a friend as much as he does.

Lily and Bob’s blossoming friendship becomes a vital source of connection and healing for both, holding the power to change each of their lives forever. Winner of an astounding thirteen film festival audience awards, BOB TREVINO LIKES IT retains the optimism that big tech can still provide human connection and that true friendship is a powerful kind of love and perhaps the family we need most in today’s world.




ABOUT THE CAST

Barbie Ferreira’s raw talent, charisma, and distinctive voice have established her as one of the most dynamic talents in Hollywood. Ferreira made her Broadway debut in 2024 and recently completed production on Cult of Love, where she stars alongside Shailene Woodley, Zach Quinto, Chris Lowell, and Mare Winningham.

This year she takes the lead in the independent film Bob Trevino Likes It alongside John Leguizamo, which premiered at SXSW, where it won the Grand Jury prize and Audience Award. Bob Trevino has since won the hearts of audiences nationwide, and continues to dominate the festival circuit.

She also stars in Legendary’s upcoming horror film Faces of Death, a reimagining of the 1980s mondo horror classic, co-starring Dacre Montgomery. Ferreira also appeared opposite Ariana DeBose in the psychological thriller House of Spoils, now streaming on Amazon Prime. Previously, she was handpicked by renowned director Jordan Peele to appear in Nope, which debuted as the number one film in the country in 2022.


Ferreira first gained prominence with her breakout role as fan-favorite Kat Hernandez in HBO’s Euphoria, where she captivated audiences with her fearless and nuanced portrayal of a young woman navigating self-discovery. This marked her return to HBO, having previously portrayed Ella in Sarah Jessica Parker’s Divorce. Audiences also lauded Ferreira’s performance in Unpregnant, a sharp-witted coming-of-age story in which she starred alongside Haley Lu Richardson.


The Greg Berlanti-produced film, which follows a Missouri teen’s journey across state lines for a legal abortion, premiered on HBO Max to critical acclaim. Ferreira initially captivated audiences in her Vice series How to Behave, which explored modern etiquette and societal norms. Her work earned her a place on Time Magazine’s list of the Most Influential Teens in 2016. Beyond acting, Ferreira has cultivated strong creative collaborations, partnering with luxury brands such as YSL Beauty, H&M, Levi’s, and Pandora. Ferreira currently resides in Los Angeles.


JOHN LEGUIZAMO (“Bob Trevino”) Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo has appeared in over 100 films and countless television shows while establishing a career that defies categorization. With boundless and visceral creativity, his work in film, theatre, television, and literature covers a variety of genres, continually threatening to create a few of his own.


Leguizamo is the host and executive producer of MSNBC’s hit travel show, Leguizamo Does America. The series brings viewers inside America’s thriving Latino communities across the country, celebrating the history, culture, food and other contributions of Latinx people shaping America. The show was Peacock’s most-viewed MSNBC original in over two years and is currently in production for the second season, shooting in Philadelphia, Raleigh, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix and Denver.


Leguizamo will star in Apple Studio’s upcoming drama series, Firebug, alongside Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett. Inspired by actual events, the series follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists. Leguizamo will play ‘Esposito,’ a former policeman with bad habits and good instincts. Dennis Lehane created the series, which will begin shooting this summer.






Thursday, May 15, 2025

Support KUCI's Annual Fund Drive May 12-19 - and get our cool swag! Here's Janeane chatting with Olivia, KUCI's Public Affairs Program Director extraordinaire!

 


LISTEN
to Janeane's conversation with Olivia,
KUCI's Public Affairs Program director extraordinaire!

Over the years, KUCI has been fortunate to receive financial support from the UCI campus. In the last decade, the campus has not been able to provide us all the financial support the station needs to operate at the highest level. Luckily KUCI is able to generate additional operating funds through private gifts. It is private gifts that allow us to maintain the status quo, make improvements and to move forward. Help guarantee that KUCI can continue providing new and innovative music, news, and public affairs to Orange County. Make your pledge today!



KUCI Facts 

KUCI is run by a volunteer staff. KUCI’s current staff exceeds 140 volunteers, primarily UCI students . KUCI is the only eclectic alternative radio station in Orange County KUCI is an FCC licensed non-commercial educational radio station, on the air since 1969 

Gift levels 

Your $200 donation is less than 55 cents a day. A $100 gift is equal to 27 cents a day. A $70 gift is equal to $5.83 a month or merely 19 cents a day. Your $50 donation is equal to barely $4.00 a month; 96 cents a week; or only 14 cents a day! Again, it’s less than the cost of your cup of coffee A $35 pledge is only $2.92 a month, or 67 cents a week, or 9-1/2 cents a day. 

9-1/2 cents a day and you get 24 hours of unique programming, right in your home, car, office, cell phone or smart device. 

KUCI’s beginnings 

KUCI began as an underground radio station in the late 60’s, broadcasting illegally from a dorm room on the UCI campus for a few hours each afternoon until the Federal Communications Commission shut it down. In 1968 UCI engineering student Craig Will began the process of applying to the FCC for a legitimate broadcast license and started the chain of events that led to KUCI becoming a legal broadcast station. 

Due to the pressures of school, Craig left the project and turned it over to Earl Arbuckle, who became the station’s first chief engineer. (Earl Arbuckle passed away last month). In October of 1969, KUCI received test authority from the FCC and made its first legal broadcast, airing “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies, on October 16, 1969.

On November 25, 1969, KUCI was granted its official broadcast license, transmitting 10 watts at the original frequency of 89.9 fm. KUCI History As a legal radio station, KUCI was originally broadcast from a closet in the Physical Sciences building, but in 1971 the studios of KUCI moved to the third floor of the Gateway Commons building. 

Earthquake renovation in the summer of 1994 caused KUCI to relocate to temporary location in the Humanities Annex. Finally, right after Thanksgiving, 1995, KUCI moved into its new permanent location in the Engineering Facility. This triple-wide trailer module was forced to move in 2004 when the Anteater Parking Structure was built in our location. We’ve been stable and happy in our current space since April 15, 2004. 1970s Highlights 1972 marked KUCI’s first news broadcast. In 1975 KUCI began broadcasting 24 hours a day. Also in 1975, KUCI began coverage of Orange County politics. At the time, KUCI was the only local radio station to provide continuous election returns. 

During the summer of 1976, station managers Nick Roman and Thane Tierney traveled to Kansas City to cover the Orange County delegation to the Republican National Convention, sending news and interviews to KUCI nightly. KUCI’s Frequency Change In August of 1981, KUCI narrowly escaped a near death experience. 

Station KCRW at Santa Monica College and KUCI shared the frequency of 89.9 fm. KCRW applied and received permission from the FCC to move its transmitter to the top of Mount Wilson, the tallest location for transmitters in the Southland. This allowed for a massive increase in coverage for Santa Monica’s community station and essentially wiped out KUCI’s coverage entirely. 

Thanks to the efforts of chief engineer Dave McCue and station manager Sue Simone, KUCI had applied and luckily received permission to change to its current frequency, 88.9 fm. KUCI’s Power Increase In 1984 KUCI seemed to be in trouble again. Station manager Josh Bleier revealed that KXLU at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, also at 88.9 fm, had intentions to move its antenna to a higher location, proving yet again another threat to KUCI’s signal. KUCI spent seven years hoping, dreaming, and researching before an application was filed and the FCC approved a power increase. 

In September 1991, KUCI received approval to increase power to 200 watts and upgrade to stereo, opening the door for broadcasting to more of Orange County than ever before and securing its place on the dial for future generations. Finally on March 15th, 1993, Kevin Stockdale, KUCI’s Broadcast Media Coordinator, flipped the switch in the studio, transforming KUCI’s 24 watt mono signal to a 200 watt stereo signal. 

The coverage map instantly expanded to include cities from Huntington Beach to Anaheim to Lake Forest to Corona del Mar and all points in between. KUCI Programming KUCI offers more types of programming than any other station around. 

Music genres 

KUCI features or has featured over the years: Alternative/ indie rock, punk, rap/ hip hop, reggae, world beat/ international, ska, funk, folk, blues, psychedelic, gothic, grindcore, industrial, underground dance, Christian alternative, techo/ ambient, Middle Eastern, country, Chicana/ Chicano, Latin American, experimental jazz, big band, acid jazz, and gospel, to name just a few. Oh, we can’t forget Radio Internationale, which only played music from communist marching bands! 

KUCI offers a forum and a voice to diverse ethnic groups, with shows or public affairs programs that have featured Chinese, Vietnamese, Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Latino issues and music. The Public Affairs department has 20 hours of diverse programming each week, with shows offering perspectives in health, business, leadership, politics, UCI campus issues, writing, personal enrichment, and more, featuring interviews with local, national, and international leaders. 

Our classical music host Michael Rydzynski has been bringing a wide variety of musical selections, accompanied by a wealth of knowledge, for 48 years now! 

Michael Payne, host of The Darkling Eclectica, has been bringing diverse and eclectic music and short stories since 1984! Friday night’s Riders Of The Plastic Groove electronic mixes by DJs from around the world for over 33 years now. 

KUCI and UCI Sports 

KUCI is the flagship station for UCI Anteater Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The station had been broadcasting all the home games since the mid-70’s, and in 1993 they became broadcasting all games, home and away. KUCI was the only live media outlet that covered the Anteater’s miraculous run in the 1994 Big West Basketball. Since 1997, Men’s and Women’s basketball games have also been broadcast live on the Internet. In 2002, the UCI Baseball program was reinstated after a 10-year absence. KUCI broadcasts select baseball games, with the remainder of the games available on a separate web stream. 

KUCI was the only place to hear UCI baseball when the team advanced in the playoffs to the Super Regionals in 2007, eventually advancing to the College World Series. KUCI also makes available selected volleyball games on the internet.

KUCI Alumni 

Many KUCI DJs over the years have moved on to professional positions in the radio or music industry. Former station manager Nick Roman recently retired from a 44-year career in public radio news in southern California, including long stints at KLON/KKJZ Long Beach and KPCC/ The LAist in Pasadena. For 11 years, he was the LAist host of NPR's "All Things Considered."

 Former KUCI news director Mary Lyon worked in news in southern California for over 35 years, including Associated Press, KFWB AM, KTLA-TV, KLSX FM, KRTH FM (K-earth 101), NBC TV, KHJ AM, KLOS FM, and KNAC FM. 

Two-time summer DJ Vidya Tolani was known up north as Audio Vidya on Live 105 in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Former music director Hilary Schmidt did afternoon radio at 91X in San Diego for 10 years then 94.9 in San Diego and is now music director and on-air host for 91X 

John Lewis, former station manager, was an engineer for Infinity Broadcasting/KROQ, worked in the engineering department for KCRW, Santa Monica and also for KNX-AM 

Vicki Pepper-McDonel worked at KZLA, Premiere Radio Networks, KKGO, KUZZ, has been an on-air personality on K-FROG since 2013 

Former production director Al Stone wrote commercials for Power 106. 

Former DJ and music director Chris from Irvine went on to work at HITS, an industry trade magazine, MCA Records, SPIKE Radio and booked talent for the Viper Room. 

Hilaire Brosio, former KUCI music director, served many years as the Director of West Coast promotions for Arista Records, as well as Elektra Records. 

Former DJ Troy Hansbrough has worked for Triad Artists, a booking agency, as well as for Rick Rubin as an A & R representative for American Recordings. 

Sue Simone, former general manager, was vice-president of Disc Manufacturing, Incorporated, the largest CD pressing company on the west coast, and was president of Myriad, an offshoot company specializing in CD- interactive music media just as that technology was coming out. 

Kevin Murray, one-time DJ and founder, guitarist, songwriter, and singer for Twisto Frumpkin, worked for Alternative Distribution Alliance, which distributed music for Warner-Elektra-Atlantic and its subsidiary labels, and also for the Dreamworks record label. 

Former DJ Scott Askew did morning drive time and production for an AOR station in Olympia, Washington. 

Kathleen Roberts, former KUCI news director and station manager, has done sales for several local radio stations, including MARS-FM, JAZZ-FM, KIK-FM, and is currently working for K-FROG in San Bernardino. 

KUCI’s Financial Needs 

Over the years, KUCI has been fortunate to receive financial support from the UCI campus. In the last decade, the campus has not been able to provide us all the financial support the station needs to operate at the highest level. Luckily KUCI is able to generate additional operating funds through private gifts. It is private gifts that allow us to maintain the status quo, make improvements and to move forward. Help guarantee that KUCI can continue providing new and innovative music, news, and public affairs to Orange County. Make your pledge today!

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Executive Editor and Vice President at W. W. Norton & Company, Jill Bialosky, talks about her new book - The End Is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother



LISTEN
to today's show featuring
Jill Bialosky

Jill Bialosky, the poet behind the “tender, absorbing, and deeply moving memoir” (Entertainment Weekly) History of a Suicide, returns with a lyrical portrait of her mother’s life, told in reverse order from burial to birth. 

Jill is the author of five acclaimed collections of poetry, most recently Asylum. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among others. She is the author of many novels including, The Deceptions, and several works of nonfiction including The End Is the Beginning, History of a Suicide, and Poetry Will Save Your Life. In 2015, Jill was honored by the Poetry Society of America for her distinguished contribution to the field of poetry. She lives in New York City. 


HER LATEST BOOK
When Iris Yvonne Bialosky died in an assisted care facility on March 29, 2020, it unleashed a torrent of emotions in her daughter, Jill Bialosky. Grief, of course, but also guilt, confusion, and doubt, all of which were compounded by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic which made it impossible for Jill to be with her mother as she was dying and to attend her mother’s funeral.

Now, with a poet’s eye for detail and a novelist’s flair for storytelling, Jill presents a profoundly moving elegy unlike any other. Starting with her mother’s end and the physical/cognitive decline that led her to a care home, The End Is the Beginning explores Iris’s battle with depression, the tragedy of a daughter’s suicide, a failed second marriage, the death of her beloved first husband only five years into their young marriage, her joyful teenage years, and the trauma of losing her own mother at just eight years old. Compounding her challenges of raising four daughters without a livelihood or partner, Iris’s life coincided with an age of unstoppable social change and reinvention, when the roles of wife and mother she was raised to inhabit ceased to be the guarantors of stability and happiness.

As we see Iris become younger and younger, we learn how we are all the sum of our experiences. Iris becomes a multi-dimensional, fascinating woman. We come to understand her difficulties and shortcomings, her neediness and her generosity, her pride and her despair. The End Is the Beginning is not just a family memoir, it is a brave and compassionate celebration of a woman’s life and death and a window into a daughter’s inextricable bond to her mother.


The End Is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother. By Jill Bialosky
 May 2025. 272p. - Booklist review

"Novelist Bialosky (The Deceptions, 2022) honors her mother, Iris, by telling her story in reverse, as indicated by the title of this exquisitely written portrait. We meet Iris in the grip of dementia in her final days, when COVID-19 strands Bialosky on Long Island, unable to be with her mother in Cleveland. Looking back, she tracks the relentless stages of Alzheimer’s, including her mother’s move from the family home she’d lived in for five decades to assisted living. 

Earlier, Iris' three older daughters, very close in age, left to launch their own lives, while her youngest daughter, the child of a short-lived second marriage, dies by suicide. Then back to the shocking death of Bialosky’s father when he was only 30, leaving Iris, 25, with three children in diapers. The further back the story goes, the deeper “the legacy of mental pain.” Bialosky captures gorgeously resonant, illuminating details and expresses deeply poignant and keen feelings and insights. The unspooling of time creates a spellbinding and suspenseful narrative, and Iris shines in all her beauty and love, sorrow and courage."  — Donna Seaman


AUTHOR BIO
Jill Bialosky is an Executive Editor and Vice President at W. W. Norton & Company. She edits fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Some titles she has edited in fiction include History of Love by Nicole Krauss, The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang (one of Obama’s favorite books of 2022); The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade, winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel Award, Bonnie Jo Campbell’s The Waters, a Jenna Bush bookclub pick. 

She has edited Booker Prize winning The Seven Moons of Mali Almedia by Shehan Karunatilaka, and Booker Finalists, The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste, Madeliene Thien’s, Do not Say We Have Nothing, and Neel Mukerhjee’s The Lives of Others. 


PRAISE
Praise for The End is the Beginning
“In this new book, Bialosky’s authorship has never been more powerfully poignant. . . . The End Is the Beginning offers an energizing, well-paced meditation on loss and living.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Bialosky delivers a nuanced portrait of her mother, Iris, who died in 2020. . . . [she] approaches the heavy subject matter with a light touch and casually profound prose. Readers will be moved.” —Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

“Exquisitely written. . . [Bialosky] expresses deeply poignant feelings and insights. . . spellbinding.” —Booklist

“[A] daughter’s poignant effort to see the whole of [her mother’s] life… For most of us, it takes a lifetime to see our parents as full and complex people; for Bialosky, it takes just over 200 pages.” —Oprah Daily

“[A]n affecting family history of loss and grief.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Jill Bialosky is a wonderfully talented novelist, poet, and longtime Executive Editor and Vice President of W. W. Norton & Company. Her exquisite prose is evident on every page of The End is the Beginning. . . we can rejoice alongside her in this hard-won accomplishment.” —New York Journal of Books

“This richly sympathetic memoir deserves—and will surely find—a noted position in the history of mother-daughter books through the tender-hearted work of Jill Bialosky.” —Vivian Gornick, critically acclaimed author of Fierce Attachments

“Reading The End Is the Beginning is like opening a set of nesting dolls. With each lyrical, finely wrought chapter, Jill Bialosky takes us back in time, revealing era after era of her mother’s life, from her final days to her girlhood. The End Is the Beginning is as smart and inventive as it is deeply moving. What we find at the center of the story, and the life, is love.” —Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

“Be a lamp or a lifeboat or a ladder, Rumi says. This compassionate, lyrical and clear-eyed memoir is all three. A gift to anyone with a family.” —Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

“Like Annie Ernaux, Bialosky is scrupulous and unsentimental in her account; this rigor is, itself, a testament of great love. The End is The Beginning is an unforgettable and profoundly moving book.” —Claire Messud, critically acclaimed author of This Strange Eventful History

“How do you endure the unendurable? When Jill Bialosky's mother finally succumbed to Alzheimer's at the height of the pandemic, she couldn't even be there to bear witness. This book is an atonement: a brave and eloquent assessment of a life battered by loss and ennobled by resilience.” —Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, most recently of Horse