Inside Voice

'Conscious Comedian' Abby Lodmer reads an excerpt from her untitled memoir. Abby has more energy and interests than G*d. She is a Renaissance woman if there ever was one! Abby completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona with a major in Media Arts and minors in Religious Studies and Dance. Abby worked for the U of A's Wellness Center, creating healing programs and delivering lectures about health and drug education. During that time, Abby also embarked upon an aerobics training program- and has taught dance, aerobics and yoga in various capacities for the past 14 years. Abby is a passionate environmentalist, and co-founded the University's Greek Recycling program. Abby went on to do her graduate studies in Geosciences and Broadcast Meteorology at Mississippi State University, becoming a "Weather Girl" for 2 years, until she realized that her true calling was PURE PERFORMANCE, minus the science!~ (the teaching podium was her stage by day, and the comedy club, her venue by night)! While at M

Award-winning poet Patty Kinney reads her piece "Mrs. Hogan" published by Lifeboat Journal and "Song" by Adrienne Rich 1929-2012. Nominated for a 2014 Pushcart Prize for her poem, How To Talk To Your Schizophrenic Child, Olympia native Patty Kinney's work has appeared in: The Sun, Crab Creek Review; Floating Bridge Review; University of Iowa's Examined Life Journal; and other places. She embraces yellow ranunculus and the moon. Patty holds an MFA in nonfiction/poetry from Antioch, Los Angeles and a BA from The Evergreen State College. She recently completed a full-length poetry collection, Fertility Is A Found Object that is being published by Last Word Press, coming Winter '16 and is working on two memoirs. Adoptee, mom of six sons and army veteran, Kinney teaches memoir/poetry workshops, volunteers with at-risk youth, mentors new writers/poets and leads OlyWriters, a creative writing workshop. Patty writes and speaks about the sometimes messy intersection of art and life — mental illness

Liz Catalano from Zoe vs. the Universe reads a chapter from her novel Becoming the Girl Detective about a girl who makes a deal with God to be Nancy Drew to save her brother's life. E.R Catalano is a writer and mother of one evil mastermind living in Brooklyn, NY. She writes a humor blog at www.zoevstheuniverse.com, and she's a contributor to I Just Want to Be Perfect, The Bigger Book of Parenting Tweets, and Never Will I Ever (and Then I Had Kids.) Her writing has also appeared on McSweeney's, Scary Mommy, In the Powder Room and HaHas for HooHas, among others. You can follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zoevstheuniverse and on Twitter @zoevsuniverse. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Zoe vs. the Universe | Blog Zoe vs. the Universe | FB Motherhood: How to Maintain Your Professional Distance | The Huffington Post HaHas for HooHas In the Powder Room McSweeney's MockMom New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on

Joanna McClanahan from Ramblin' Mama reads her satirical piece, 'Husbands Who Do Dishes Get More BJs, Says Science.' Joanna McClanahan is an Editor at MockMom. She's also a Contributor at Sammiches & Psych Meds and has been published on Scary Mommy. You can find more from her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Ramblin' Mama | FB MockMom Husbands Who Do Dishes Get More BJs, Says Science New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

George is a 5'9 mananimal who likes to drink whiskey and play giant Jenga. Follow him on his Tinder adventures! Links Mentioned In This Episode: Tinder New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Alison Tedford from Sparkly Shoes and Sweat Drops reads her piece To G or Not To G. "Having giant boobs is like waking up in Thailand when you meant to go to Toronto", these days she is in the market for something a little less exotic, like one of those built-in bra tank tops. Alison Tedford is a funny suburban mom who can never find her keys. She is passionate about mental health, physical fitness and being a good parent. Alison likes naps and long walks on the patio with a skinny vanilla latte. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Sparkly Shoes and Sweat Drops To G or Not To G Contents Under Pressure Facebook Twitter Instagram New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Joel Ryan from The Glad Stork reads his short dark fiction story 'Dead Bunny Hopping.' As it turns out, Little Bunny Foo Foo was kind of an asshole. Joel Ryan is not a stork; he just pretends to be one on the Internet, creating absurd content as The Glad Stork about parenting, marriage, cubicle life, rap music, and more. In real life, he is a husband, father, cubicle dweller, writer, designer, photographer, humorist, children's book author, illustrator and idiot. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and thegladstork.com. Links Mentioned In This Episode: The Glad Stork Facebook Twitter Instagram New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Abby Byrd from Little Miss Perfect reads her fantastically funny essay Radical Expression. She takes us on a not so perfect journey to the Burning Man festival with her hipster douchebag ex-boyfriend as our tour guide. Abby Byrd mothers, frets, writes, teaches, and corrects other people's grammar in an undisclosed location on the East coast of the United States of America. Her work has appeared on Scary Mommy, BLUNTMoms, Mamalode, In The Powder Room, Sammiches and Psych Meds/MockMom, The Reject Pile, The Big Jewel, the Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop, and in two anthologies, Scary Mommy's Guide to Surviving the Holidays and Martinis and Motherhood: Tales of Woe, Wonder, & WTF?! She is seeking an agent for a memoir about her decade-long search for a partner and why correct use of the semicolon may not be the most important quality in a mate. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Little Miss Perfect | Blog Facebook Twitter Radical Expression The Ma

Lola Lolita from Sammiches & Psych Meds reads her piece about what it feels like to take the easy way out during childbirth. You know, when you 'choose' to have surgery instead of breaking your vagina. Lola Lolita runs SammichesPsychMeds.com and plays on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Hobbies include introverting, determining how cheap the wine has to be before she can't tolerate it, and trying to sleep while thinking about that one embarrassing thing she did in high school. Links Mentioned In This Episode: C-Sections: The Easy Way Out Sammiches & Psych Meds | Blog Sammiches & Psych Meds | FB MockMom | Blog MockMom | FB Instagram Twitter New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.      

Jen Mann from People I Want to Punch in the Throat gives us the lowdown on '8 Ways to Say Fuck You' - sit back and get ready to laugh, this one is hysterical! Jen Mann is the hilarious New York Times best selling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges as well as several anthologies and short collections. Her books are inspired by her immensely popular blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat. Jen lives in Kansas with the Hubs and her two children, Gomer and Adolpha - no, those aren't their real names, their real names are actually worse. Jen spends her free time crafting and volunteering with the PTO. Seriously. Links Mentioned In This Episode: People I Want to Punch in the Throat | Blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat | FB 8 Ways To Say Fuck You I Just Want To Be Perfect New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Karen Johnson shoots from the hip with her hilarious essay '7 Things I've Learned Now That I'm 35', sit down with a glass of wine and some bacon for this one, it's a fun ride! Karen Johnson is a writer and editor whose blog, The 21st Century SAHM, is a cathartic mix of sarcasm, angry mama bear rants, and confessions about how she's screwing up her kids. She's had work featured on Scary Mommy, The Good Men Project, and Sammiches and Psych Meds, among others. Karen is also a contributor in Lose the Cape: Never Will I Ever (and then I had kids!) and What Does It Mean to Be White In America? Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Links Mentioned In This Episode: The 21st Century SAHM | FB The 21st Century SAHM | Blog 7 Things I've Learned Now That I'm 35 This Is What Transgender Looks Like Sammiches & Psych Meds | Isms & Social Justice New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Christine Organ reads her heartfelt essay A Letter To My Longtime And Faraway Friends; get ready to reach out to your BFF's with a giant hug after listening to this episode! Christine is the author of Open Boxes: The Gifts of Living a Full and Connected Life, which is a collection of stories about the paradoxes of parenting and the fullness of life. When she isn't chasing around her two boys or scolding her two ill-behaved dogs, she writes at www.christineorgan.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Christine Organ A Letter To My Longtime And Faraway Friends Open Boxes I Just Want To Be Perfect Motherlode Scary Mommy babble New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

New York Times best selling author Andra Watkins reads her personal essay 'A Shotgun Wedding.' New York Times best selling author Andra Watkins lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, Michael T Maher. A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University. She's still mad at her mother for refusing to let her major in musical theater, because her mom was convinced she'd end up starring in porn films. She's the author of three books and counting. Her acclaimed first novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was published by Word Hermit Press on March 1, 2014. Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace is a memoir about her dysfunctional family adventure; it is a National Book Award nominee and a New York Times best seller. Natchez Trace: Tracks in Time is a book of photography, shot during her 15-mile daily hikes on her 444-mile Natchez Trace walk. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Andra Watkins A Shotgun Wedding

Olga Mecking from The European Mama reads her advice essay, 'A Writer's Guide On How Not To Write.' Olga Mecking is a blogger, writer and translator living in the Netherlands. Originally from Poland, she and her German husband raise their children to speak three languages and appreciate different cultures. Olga still doesn't feel that living in different countries prepared her for motherhood but she takes each day as it comes and tries to do her best.  She blogs over at The European Mama, and is also a regular contributor on BLUNTmoms and World Moms Blog. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Links Mentioned In This Episode: European Mama A Writer's Guide On How Not To Write FB |The  European Mama New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Kristine Laco from MumRevised is one funny lady with some sage advice, "If you are not yelling at your kids, you are not spending enough time with them." Tune in to hear the results of her no-yell strategy mothering! Kristine Laco is a writer, storyteller, and badass. She is the author at MumRevised.com and has been successfully keeping two children and a dog alive in Toronto for quite some time. In her spare time, you can find Kristine binge-watching TV, oversharing, and embarrassing her teens. Her middle finger is her favorite. You can also find Kristine at BLUNTmoms, Mock Mom, or on the couch hogging the remote. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Blog | MumRevised I Stopped Yelling At My Kids, And It Ruined My Life BLUNTmoms Scary Mommy MockMom Canada's Favourite Justin Chimik The Beaver - Thunder Bay Nordic Ski Championships New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Insid

Glynis Ratcliffe from The Joy of Cooking (for Little Assholes) reads her fantastically funny essay 'Why I've Got A Placenta In My Freezer.' Glynis Ratcliffe is a singer and writer by trade and a creative soul by birth. Together with her husband, they negotiate parenting a teenager, a fournado and a sweet toddler who doesn't know how the hell he ended up in this mess. Hilarity ensues. So do the meltdowns. Glynis' writing can be found on The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, The Mid, BluntMoms, and on her blog, The Joy of Cooking (for Little Assholes). Links Mentioned In This Episode The Joy of Cooking (for Little Assholes) Glynis Ratcliffe | FB Twitter 'Why I've Got A Placenta In My Freezer' BLUNTmoms Romper New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Jill Ginsberg is an author, speaker, health coach and mother of three wild little humans. She combines her offbeat humor with her wellness and business knowledge to teach busy people everywhere how to run their lives like a boss. Jill's wellness articles and parenting humor have been featured on The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy and TODAY Parents, among other notable sites. Her entertaining self-help book titled Self-Made Wellionaire is being published by Flower of Life Press on May 1st. She's also the voice behind thejillist.com, an irreverent parenting and lifestyle blog that helps moms lose their shit and get it together - all at the same time. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Jill reads an excerpt from her hilarious debut book Self-Made Wellionaire. Are you ready to finally get your shit together? Pre-order your copy today! In this hilariously entertaining self-health book, author, speaker and health coach, Jill Ginsberg, offers a compelling new system for implementing wellness

Amy Hunter from The Outnumbered Mother reads her laugh out loud essay 'The Piercing Incident.' Labor and delivery is chock-full of surprises but it usually doesn't entail bolt cutters on the operating table. Hold onto your vaginas, this is one wild ride! Amy grew up in the suburbs of Long Island singing Barbara Streisand hits into her hairbrush.  When she's not writing her hilarity fueled parenting memoir as The Outnumbered Mother, she's a Florida living, butt wiping, soccer team carting, gourmet chef attempting, tennis skirt wearing, non-tennis playing, self-proclaimed bad mamma jamma to 3 sons and a very understanding husband.  Find her on her blog, The Outnumbered Mother, on Facebook and Twitter. Links Mentioned In This Episode: The Outnumbered Mother | Blog The Outnumbered Mother | Facebook It's Really 10 Months Special Delivery: A Collection of Stories from Girth to Birth Scary Mommy The Happiest, Healthiest City in The US is Naples, Florida Toddler vs. The Water Fountain New episodes every Thur

Sarah Cottrell from Housewife Plus reads her heartwarming essay 'What My Mother Taught Me About Being Poor But Getting Things Done.' She talks about the life lessons learned from her tenacious mother and how she manages her own family in rural Maine. Follow Sarah Cottrell on Facebook where you can keep up with the fun! As a Maine-based writer, Sarah is the voice behind Housewife Plus at the Bangor Daily News and is a regular contributor to Scary Mommy. She is a co-author in several books including I Still Just Want To Pee Alone from the New York Times Bestselling series. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Housewife Plus | Bangor Daily News Housewife Plus | Facebook Scary Mommy New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

Tara Wood from Love Morning Wood reads her humorous essay 'Hey Kid, Slow Your (Toilet Paper) Roll.' A public service announcement to six of her seven children (the one in diapers doesn't count - yet!) Tara Wood is a writer, mother of seven vibrant, decent-looking children, and wife of one long-suffering, exceptionally handsome man. Her talents include cursing, polishing off large burritos, making friends with old people and always remembering her next Xanax dose. You can read more of her writing on Facebook, Twitter and her blog. Links Mentioned In This Episode: Love Morning Wood Hey Kid, Slow Your (Toilet Paper) Roll LTYM | Atlanta New episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to subscribe to Inside Voice on iTunes. You can also follow Inside Voice on Twitter and Facebook.