Shows
The Hive Poetry CollectiveS8: E4 Lynne Thompson & Patricia Smith Chat with Dion O'ReillyAfter their first time reading together, poet-pals Lynne and Patricia sit down with a seriously sleep-deprived Dion at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, California to read and discuss their poems as the sound of waves pulses in the background.Lynne Thompson was the 4th Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles. The daughter of Caribbean immigrants, her poetry collections include Beg No Pardon (2007), winner of the Perugia Press Prize and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award; Start With A Small Guitar (2013), from What Books Press; and Fretwork (2019), winner of the...
2026-01-2859 min
Knowledgebase NinjasBeing user-obsessed is key to effective documentation: Lynne Thompson, Technical Writer, Spence ConsultingIn this episode of the Knowledge Base Ninjas podcast, Lynne Thompson, Technical Writer at Spence Consulting, discusses how technical writers can successfully gather the information they need and ensure their documentation truly serves users. Thompson emphasizes the importance of being customer-obsessed when creating documentation. Without understanding the user’s context, she says, even well-written content can fall flat. For writers to gain this perspective, they must immerse themselves in the product or application and experience it the way customers do. Check out the podcast to learn more. In the...
2025-12-1517 min
Clocking Out with Raymond LeeLynne Thompson: Lawyer to Poet LaureateIn this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Lynne Thompson — a former lawyer who spent over 20 years in the legal world before answering a call that had echoed since childhood: poetry. Lynne pivoted from litigation to literature, ultimately becoming Los Angeles’ 4th Poet Laureate, a nationally recognized advocate for the power of poetry, and the author of four acclaimed collections, including Blue on a Blue Palette.A native Angeleno and daughter of Caribbean immigrants, Lynne grew up in where books, education, and ambition mattered — and she never let her four older brothers outpace her. Though she began writin...
2025-05-2848 min
Clocking Out with Raymond LeeLynne Thompson: Lawyer to Poet LaureateIn this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Lynne Thompson — a former lawyer who spent over 20 years in the legal world before answering a call that had echoed since childhood: poetry. Lynne pivoted from litigation to literature, ultimately becoming Los Angeles’ 4th Poet Laureate, a nationally recognized advocate for the power of poetry, and the author of four acclaimed collections, including Blue on a Blue Palette.A native Angeleno and daughter of Caribbean immigrants, Lynne grew up in where books, education, and ambition mattered — and she never let her four older brothers outpace her. Though she began writing at a y...
2025-05-2848 min
BookSwell IntersectionsLynne Thompson interviewLynne Thompson, Fourth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, joins host Cody Sisco in conversation about her most recent collection of poetry, Blue on a Blue Palette. They discuss taking inspiration from the world, how women are both elevated and denigrated, palm trees, Black lives, poetic forms, and being a good poetry citizen. Lynne also reads three of her poems.
2025-03-2630 min
Campus Rec PodcastEpisode 34: Lynne Thompson at the University of Illinois ChicagoWelcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.
It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.
In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of Campus Recreation at Towson University and senior advisor to Campus Rec Magazine, chats with Lynn Thompson, the senior director of Recreation and Wellbeing at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
Lynne Thompson didn’t always see herself as a director. But through maximizing every role she stepped into and building a career grounded in mentorship, psychological safety, and team develop...
2025-03-0932 min
Now I've Heard EverythingBut You Knew What I Meant: Lynne Truss On The Degradation of LanguageDoes it irritate you when you see bad spelling, grammar, or punctuation? Then you might be a stickler.British author and journalist Lynne Truss is a stickler, and in this 2004 interview She explains why as she discusses her book Eats, Shoots & Leaves.Get your copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne TrussAs an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases.You may also enjoy my interviews with Mignon Fogarty and Peggy Noonan For more vintage interviews with celebrities, leaders, and influencers, subscribe to Now I've Heard Everything on Spotify...
2025-03-0321 min
Steel Roses PodcastRediscovering Passion and Purpose with Poet Lynne ThompsonSend us a textHave you ever felt the pull between a stable career and a burning passion? Meet Lynne Thompson, our guest, who navigated this very conflict. From her early fascination with poetry, secretly inspired by her father's writings, to a lengthy stint as an attorney fulfilling her parents' dreams, Lynne's journey is anything but conventional. She shares the turning point that led her to leave a 15-year legal career for the world of poetry, exploring how this decision allowed her to truly thrive. Lynne's story inspired me to reflect on my own creative roots and...
2024-12-1538 min
Ink in Your VeinsHow to Quit Imposter Syndrome - with Lynne ThompsonOn how to quit imposter syndrome (yes, it’s doable!) and on giving voice to the inanimate - you’ll love this episode! Lynne Thompson served as Los Angeles’ fourth Poet Laureate, 2021-2022. Thompson is the author of four collections of poetry, Beg No Pardon, Start With A Small Guitar, Fretwork, and most recently, Blue on a Blue Palette. She serves on the Boards of Cave Canem, Poetry Foundation, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Scripps College which she lead as Board Chair, 2018-2022. Her work can be found in the Kenyon Review, Colorado Review, and Pleiade...
2024-10-0350 min
The Career ChangersHow to Become a Successful PoetIn this episode of The Career Changers, Lynne Thompson discusses her remarkable career transformation from lawyer to Poet Laureate of Los Angeles 2021.Lynne shares her childhood dreams, educational background, and her experience in law, revealing what led her to pursue poetry full-time. She talks about the challenges and rewards of her transition, the importance of community, and her creative process. Lynne also delves into the themes of her latest poetry collection, Blue on a Blue Palette, which reflects on the condition of women and their resilience. Finally, she offers advice to those looking to follow their pa...
2024-09-1127 min
Spoken LabelLynne Thompson (Spoken Label, September 2024)
Latest Spoken Label (Spoken Word / Poetry Podcast) features making her debut,
Lynne Thompson.
Lynne Thompson was Los Angeles’ 2021-22 Poet Laureate and received a Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. She is the author of three previous collections of poetry: Beg NoPardon, Start With A Small Guitar, and Fretwork, winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize. Thompson is the recipient of multiple awards including an Individual Artist Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles, the Tucson Literary Festival Poetry Prize, the Steven Dunn Poetry Prize, the George Drury Prize, as well as fellowships from the Summer Li...
2024-09-041h 09
Poetic ResurrectionLynne Thompson - Fourth Los Angeles Poet LaureateLos Angeles Poet Laureate, Lynne Thompson, as our distinguished guest. Her words flow gracefully and effortlessly as she reads several of her poignant poems, including Ode to Bones and A Woman’s Body, Aging, Still Loves Itself from her latest book Blue on a Blue Palette. Through our conversation, Lynne shares insight into her poetic process, the lessons she has gleaned along her journey, and powerful observations on the current state of women's lives and history. Tune in to experience the eloquent wordsmith at work and delve into an enlightening dialogue with this remarkable poet.
Lynne Thompson wa...
2024-06-1930 min
Prolific Pulse Press PodcastPoet Talk with Lynne Thompson
The adopted daughter of Caribbean immigrants,
Lynne Thompson was Los Angeles’ 2021-22 Poet
Laureate and received a Poet Laureate Fellowship
from the Academy of American Poets. She is the
author of three previous collections of poetry: Beg No
Pardon, Start With A Small Guitar, and Fretwork, winner
of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize. Thompson is the
recipient of multiple awards including an Individual
Artist Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles, the
Tucson Literary Festival Poetry Prize, the Steven Dunn
Poetry Prize, the George Drury Prize, as well as
fellowships from the Summer Literary Series, Kenya,
and the Vermont St...
2024-06-1829 min
Older Women & FriendsFrom Lawyer to Poet with Lynne ThompsonSend us a Text Message.This episode is the first of several that celebrates older female artists. If you or someone you know fits the bill, please email me at j.leder@comcast.net.What makes an artist tick? How can she find the time to create, given all the demands of everyday life? What barriers do female artists face that many men do not? How important is having a purpose in life about which you feel passionate ?What do you do when you wake up one morning with a voice in your head saying, "What's wrong w...
2024-06-0630 min
Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lynne ThompsonSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Lynne Thompson, which was live-streamed on April 14, 2024 closing out National Poetry Month.Lynne Thompson served as the 4th Poet Laureate of the City of Los Angeles. She's the author of four collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon (Perugia Press, 2007), Start With A Small Guitar (What Books Press, 2013), Fretwork (Marsh Hawk Press, 2019) and, most recently, Blue On A Blue Palette (BOA Editions, 2024). In 2022, Thompson was awarded a Laureate Fellowship by the Academy of American Poets and in 2023, she received the...
2024-05-031h 17
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 12 How Deece Casillas went from high paid consultant to successful comedianGo ahead and text me! Deece always loved comedy, in fact he would fake being asleep in the floor while his parents fell asleep on the couch so that he could stay up and watch comedy on TV. Growing up in a California neighborhood better known for its gangs than anything else made life harder for him and he got swept up in the gang life for a while. Eventually, he turned himself into a successful business consultant and even had two homes -- one in Mexico and one in California. But the comedy dream had never l...
2024-03-1854 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 11 -- Meet Trent Brock-- 3 time cancer survivor-- hear his incredible story of strength and resilienceGo ahead and text me! Originally from the Deep South Louisiana, Trent considers himself a little rough-around-the-edges Southern gentleman! He’s a world traveler and small business international entrepreneur who introduced, owns and operates a kettle corn manufacturing business in New Zealand over thirteen years. Hei is also a 3x cancer survivor! He is is over two years cancer-free now, having beat incredible odds.He considers his purpose to share his journey giving others inspiration and hope. He has co-authored a best-seller that has been recently released on Amazon called "Breaking the Si...
2024-02-2652 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 10 James Guzzetta on sudden loss and how he completely changed his life and work (includes interesting Spiritual Shamanic discussion)Go ahead and text me! As a man who switched up his whole life and career, James Guzzetta has an interesting story to share. He had whole careers in IT and later running medical device companies (CEO of 2 of them), but a sudden loss of his business partner and friend caused him to let go of his old life and embrace a new way of working with and coaching others and ultimately, he realized, helping them to heal.Talking to him about his journey was really interesting and enlightening. His shamanic experience with his power a...
2024-02-0653 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 9. How Neurodivergent Spoken Word Artist Traci Neal helps the worldGo ahead and text me! Talking with Spoken Word Artist Traci Neal is like breathing in a breath of fresh air. She is warm and full of energy. I listened to her spoken word poetry and it was the same, it pulses with a lifeforce that I believe is, as she claims, spiritually channeled. The way Traci puts it is: "As a poet, I cannot come up with this poetry on my own. It is my relationship with God that delivers amazing poetry. I am a walking miracle." How Traci chooses to use h...
2024-01-2520 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 8 -- Brittany Johnson shares how to stop sabotaging yourselfGo ahead and text me! I can tell that Brittany is a great therapist, because she puts you at ease and is so easy to talk to! I learned a lot and enjoyed our interview.Brittany learned at an early age the positive benefits of setting intention and setting goals. As a young adult Brittany used those skills to go back to college and get her bachelors in Psychology and her Masters in Mental Health Counseling. As a Licensed Therapist Brittany has worked with several populations including domestic violence survivors, children, families, and individuals. Through...
2024-01-0831 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 7. Finding your way back after Chronic Pain drastically changes your lifeGo ahead and text me! Deana Kiser was 29 years old, living in Boston, enjoying a successful HR career, seeing friends, working out, enjoying a busy social life and her new boyfriend when a sudden and seemingly minor incident on an exercise machine turned into a battle with chronic pain that has lasted for decades.She tried surgery, numerous doctors, drugs, and ended up on her parents' couch, depressed and dependant on opiates. How she made her way back to a new life living with the pain is her inspiring story.Coming out of...
2023-12-2233 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 6. Talking with Sarah Moore, Women's Leadership Coach and Author of "Full of Herself"Go ahead and text me! Sarah T. Moore -- Women's Leadership CoachSpeaking with Sarah was like falling off a log. She puts you at ease right away and has so much wisdom to share. I can see that she must be a great coach!My favorite part of a story is when someone learns something and then decides to pass it on to others. This always warms my heart. Sarah has made it her mission to help women rediscover their true selves and live in authenticity, fully expressing their gifts.
2023-11-2729 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 5. Amanda Preacher tells us about her spiritual journey and how she helps othersGo ahead and text me! Talking with Amanda Preacher was a fascinating time! It all started for her with a crystal. She took it home and one day saw geometric patterns in it.From there, she began to study angel therapy, and followed a path from traditional counselor to spiritual practitioner. She offers her clients a wonderful mix of tools she has learned along the way -- angel communications, reiki (she is a Master), shamanic journeying, and more! From her website:Amanda has been involved with several forms of energy work over the l...
2023-11-0744 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastLynne Thompson on the Role of Poetry in Democracies"There is an understanding that between humans we have this one thing called language and it brings us - or can bring us - together." Writer and poet Lynne Thompson talks with hosts Aida Baghernejad and Tom Zoellner about her journey to becoming a poet, the role of "truth" in poetry and its meaning for democracy. Lynne Thompson is the 2021-2022 Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles, and her poetry collections include Beg No Pardon (2007), Start With A Small Guitar (2013), and Fretwork (2019). Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Poetry, Poem-A-Day (Academy of American Poets), New England Review, Colorado Revi...
2023-10-1926 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 4. How Podcaster Jenilee Samuel turned a page in her life and zoomed into podcasting!Go ahead and text me! It's easy to see how Jenilee Samuel is so popular both as a podcaster and a teacher. She is upbeat, positive and super supportive. No wonder she is in the top 1% of globally ranked shows, she is actively listened to in 80 nations, and has ranked in 7 countries and keeps climibing! I love a good "turn yourself into something else" story and Jenilee's story sure fits that.She is a pastor at a church in Texas, and so is her husband, they are co-pastors, but she found herself not being a...
2023-10-1625 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 3 Author, Mindset Coach and Mountain climber Jodi Greve asks: "What is your Mount Kilimanjaro?Go ahead and text me! Jodi Greve is like a lot of my interviewees in that a setback she experienced forced her to change her path. She was a gifted athlete who competed in college when an ACL injury sidelined her. She decided to stick with athletics and studied to be a trainer. After years doing training with top athletes, she felt the coaching bug and became a coach. Spending time with elite athletes definitely affected her in a good way. She ended up setting her sights on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, despite never having done a...
2023-10-0743 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 2 -- Author Ginger Baerg on following your calling to adoptGo ahead and text me! Ginger Berg was certainly busy before she decided to foster and later adopt children in need. She had three kids already, and a busy job teaching. But something touched her heart when she heard someone give a talk at her church about fostering and adopting. She felt called by God to adopt. Her husband was not immediately on board. But Ginger held her intention close to her heart and prayed every day that God would touch her husband in the same way.Her husband also heard someone in church and f...
2023-09-2444 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 4. Episode 1. How Krysta Maravilla busted out of her old life and became a writer (and her adventures along the way)Go ahead and text me! Krysta Maravilla had a fine life. She worked in the mental health field and did well. She owned her own house. But something was missing. She had a dream -- literally. One night she had a detailed dream (and she rarely remembered her dreams). It ended up changing her life. She became, as she puts it, a Wanderer, and she began to unravel her old life and move into her new life as a writer.She gave up her job, rented out her house, and hit the road with various f...
2023-09-101h 13
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Talking with Sonny Von Cleveland -- Abuse Survivor & Ex-Con who transformed his own lifeGo ahead and text me! Sonny Von Cleveland speaks openly and honestly about the horrific sexual abuse he suffered as a very young child. He ended up going to prison at a young age and found himself as a teenager among hardened criminals. How he got through this and how he found his way to making peace with his past and learning how to forgive -- well it's one amazing story and Sonny credits one prisoner in particular who was near Sonny when they were both in "the hole" (solitary confinement), with teaching him how to change...
2023-08-141h 07
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Author LL Kirchner talks about "overdoing" the mindfulness stuff and how she found her peaceGo ahead and text me! For author and screenwriter LL Kirchner, it's been a long journey to self-discovery and learning what works for her. Moved around a lot as a child, she coped by drinking and smoking at a young age. After a difficult divorce, she left her job in Qatar to go to an intensive yoga teacher training class in India. There, she quit smoking easily and learned a lot about Yoga and Hinduism. She wrote her first book -- American Lady Creature: (My) Change in the Middle East -- about being in the mideast and s...
2023-07-311h 04
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)How Karma overcame her karma! Spiritual advisor, podcast host now helps many people healGo ahead and text me! It was so great to talk to Karma Reese and hear about how she went from a tragic younger life to a powerful, healed one. Podcast personality, workshop presenter, and spiritual channeler, Karma uses all her energy to help guide and heal people.Karma has not let anything stop her from becoming her best self and it is inspiring to hear her story. Her goal is to help as many people as she can.You can find out more about her services at: https://karmplexityonline.com/You...
2023-07-1624 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Richard Conner: Accomplished Obstacle Course Runner and now an Inspiration to othersGo ahead and text me! JUST A REMINDER-- WE ARE ON SUMMER HOURS, SO EPISODES COME OUT EVERY OTHER WEEK. SEE YOU ON JULY 17th!Richard Conner was a runner and he did work out. But he wanted more when a friend mentioned running a Spartan race. Spartan races are super challenging obstacle courses that really test you! If you fail at an obstacle, you have to do 30 Burpees! But Richard knew he could do it and with the help of a coach, kept pushing himself until he was an accomplished obstacle course ru...
2023-07-0425 minThe Storied Human (What is your Story?)Meet Kendal Russell -- Mental Health Activist -- She shares what helped herGo ahead and text me! Kendal is a 23-year-old currently living in Calgary Canada. She grew up playing highly competitive sports, while suffering from depression, anxiety, and what she would later come to find out was ADHD. When she was 17 she suffered a pulmonary embolism due to a blood clot that had transpired after her first knee surgery. She has truly come to the realization of how short life is, and that her true purpose is helping others also get through their mental health struggles. She shares her story so that others can know that th...
2023-06-1929 minThe Storied Human (What is your Story?)Helping the previously incarcerated find their way -- Amanda Dubois, warrior lawyer!Go ahead and text me! Speaking with Amanda about her many accomplishments could be intimidating except it's not -- she is open and warm and just wants to make the world better. She has done just that, with her many contributions to groups who help the previously incarcerated.Amanda DuBois is the founder and managing partner of DuBois Levias Law Group, a woman-owned boutique family law firm on Lake Union in Seattle. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Amanda was a high-risk labor and delivery nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center.Amanda...
2023-06-0440 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)How do you survive multiple brain injuries, learn to walk again and persevere? Bill Copple tells usGo ahead and text me! One thing you notice right away about Bill Copple. He is someone who gives up. Like at all. After a surviving a horrendous motorcycle accident at the age of 19 which left him in a coma, he worked hard to learn to walk again.Several brain injuries would follow! But they did not stop Bill from scuba diving with sharks, parasailing, participating in MS walks, and now, at age 49, living independently and exercising daily!His message to us? "Working out can save your life."His inspiring story reminds us th...
2023-05-2837 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Ahna Hendrix tells us about her own spiritual journey and how she helps others using the Askashic RecordsGo ahead and text me! Ahna came to the Akashic Records after she had been a successful marketing exec. She was the CEO of a marketing company and helping others build their businesses. But she had to close a business down and it broke her heart to do it, but it led to a stunning transformation that she refers to as a "Metaphysical Awakening."It was then that the Akashic Records were revealed to her. She began to access them and gained knowledge that helped her and others with their lives. Think of...
2023-05-2152 minThe Storied Human (What is your Story?)Judge Not Lest Ye Be JudgedGo ahead and text me! In this very short mini episode I I get serious about my judging habit in the past and how I am working on it. Judging others can become a habit but it's not good for us.The problem is when you judge someone, you don't know that person's story. You sort of make them a 2 dimensional object and you rush to judge based on little information.Instead we can try to remember that everyone has reasons for their behavior, lots of human reasons for why they may not...
2023-05-1506 minThe Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 3: Short One - Things to remember to do while your loved ones are still aliveGo ahead and text me! I have talked a lot about Grief on this pocast. I have covered what it feels like to lose someone suddenly, how deep my grief got, how I sought therapy to help it. I even did a short episode on anger and grief, how it's natural to feel angry at the person for leaving you. It usually doesn't last long, but it does happen.But for this very short episode, I wanted to remind you of what you should do while your parents or other loved ones are still alive!
2023-05-1104 min
The Storied Human (What is your Story?)Season 3 Episode 10. Chatting with Sue Ryerson about "Nothing"Go ahead and text me! Some people are just easy to talk to you and you could talk to them all day. For me, Sue is that person. She is really funny and has great insights. She was throwing out the idea of starting a podcast about "Nothing" and we thought we might try a few episodes on here.If you remember Seinfeld back in the day, they were pitching a series to NBC about "Nothing." Sue already has a great Facebook group called "Nuttin'" and it's really funny.In this episode, we...
2023-04-1755 min