Essayists to interview

Hello all! My name is Saif Beg and I am the host, editor, producer, and media manager of the podcast "In The Great Khan's Tent" which focuses on the history, literature, and folk literature of the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East. Currently, we are completing a thorough and comprehensive narrative run through of the One Thousand and One Nights, also called the Arabian Nights. I am trained as a Historian of the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia focusing on conversion narratives of the Mongols in the Chagatai Khanate during the 14th to 17th centuries.

I am an award-winning American journalist, author, and radio broadcaster. My latest book, A Tooth in My Popsicle, is a compilation of sort essays about expat life in the Philippines. A former Los Angeles Times staff writer, I currently divide my time between homes in Joshua Tree, California, and Northern Mindanao, Philippines, where I write a weekly column for the Mindanao Gold Star Daily. My career has spanned more than five decades, beginning as a reporter in the early 1970s covering that era's American counterculture for the legendary and notorious "underground" newspaper, Berkeley BARB.

Laura is a writer, author, educator, and writing coach. She has numerous pieces published in journals like Thin Air Magazine, Stonecoast Review, The Weekly Humorist, and more. She has a forthcoming memoir 'Mosaic' with Unsolicited Press (March 4, 2025). Her current work-in-progress is a historical fiction, using extensive documentation from her own grandmother's life to tell the story of Gertrude, a girl born in eastern Germany between the two World Wars. Before earning her MFA in creative writing, Laura earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology, earned her Professional Counselor license, and worked in the psychology field in various roles. Leaving behind her work in the clinical psychology field, she found how her skill set in observation of life and interest in humanity flows so naturally into writing. Ultimately, she loves teaching and talking about writing--and the stories underneath our personal situations that connect us all as humans.

Liz Alterman is the author of a domestic suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, a young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, and a memoir, Sad Sacked. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, and other outlets. Liz lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. She spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading.

has published nine books with traditional presses, including fiction, memoir, and biography. Most of her books carry themes of breaking down class, racial, and gender barriers. Her latest book is Sheltering Angel, a novel based on a true story of the Titanic follows the relationship between a first-class couple and their steward who discover a psychic connection. Her award-winning writing has appeared in magazines and anthologies. A graduate of George Washington University and Vermont College MFA program, Louella is formerly professor of creative writing at Spalding University. She keeps three blogs, directs a writing group, and works as an independent editor in Vermont.

writes stories that let readers feel while making them think. She is an award-winning novelist and multidisciplinary writer (journalist, speechwriter, playwright, essayist). As a nonfiction book coach, Amy helps guide other writers on their publishing journey. She is a frequent guest on podcasts to discuss writing, publishing, and creativity. Her nonfiction book, Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration will be published in 2024. Watch her podcast pitch reel here: https://vimeo.com/854789557?share=copy

Kathryn Brown Ramsperger is the multi-award-winning author of three novels, Moments On The Edge, The Shores Of Our Souls, and A Thousand Flying Things. Her journalism and international humanitarian careers have influenced her writing, and her work has appeared in many notable publications, from Nat Geo to Kiplinger, from The MacGuffin to Thought Catalog. She's also the podcast host of "Story Hour," where she interviews international, social justice, and multicultural authors like herself. She loves being on the other side of the mic discussing topics in her books such as international communication, the rules of war, multicultural relationships and families, and how to find peace and love in the midst of conflict and war. She is currently working on a memoir, a riches to rags and back again story about how she overcame sudden childhood poverty, homelessness, and her mother's early onset Parkinson's disease, to find the life she has today. A speaker's sheet is available upon request. Contact her through her website contact page.

Frank Bures is the author of "The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death and the Search for the Meaning of the World’s Strangest Syndromes," and the editor of "Under Purple Skies: The Minneapolis Anthology." He writes about culture, language, science, outdoors, narrative and belief. His work has appeared in Harper’s, The Washington Post Magazine, Outside, Bicycling and other places. His stories have also been included in the Best American Travel Writing twice, and selected as “Notable” stories for the Best American Sports Writing, Essays and Travel Writing thirteen times. He speaks Swahili, Italian and a few other languages less well.