This Podcast Will Change Your Life

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Liz Mason and Keidra Chaney (Rough Draft with Keidra and Liz Podcast & so much more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Mason and Chaney's home offices in greater Chicagoland in April 2026. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars G. Riley Mills (Synergy And Sparks, The Bullseye Principle, The Pin Drop Principle). It was recorded in-person at Pinnacle Performance Company's podcast studio in Chicago, IL in April 2026.

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Steve Lafler (Crazy for You, Death Plays a Mean Harmonica, 1956 Book One: Sweet Sweet Little Ramona, Bughouse & many, many other fine works). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Lafler's family compound in Northern California in March 2026.

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Jotham Austin, II PhD, Nick Elizalde, and Georgia Geis (Rabbit Hole of Research The Podcast & lots of other cool stuff). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Rabbit Hole of Research The Podcast's home studio, which can be found somewhere in the Hoosier state in January 2026.

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Patrick Wensink (The Great Black Swamp, Fake Fruit Factory, Broken Piano for President & many, many more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Wensink's home, which can be found in the general vicinity of the Cumberland Gap in January 2026.

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Deborah Shapiro (Watching the Detective, Consolation, B-Side Editions). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Shapiro's Chicagoland home in January 2026. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Lucie Frost (How The Hell Did I Not Know That?). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Frost's Lone Star State home in December 2025. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Tracey Gee (The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Gee's City of Angels home in December 2025. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life* stars Josh Dale (Thirty West Publishing House, The Light To Never Be Snuffed, Duality Lies Beneath). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Dale's Thirty West Publishing House office in greater Philadelphialand in November 2025. 

*Do note, that this is a rare three-episode month. After I noticed I somehow inexplicably posted only one episode in August, I couldn't unsee it, became obsessive, and had to recitfy this oversight. This is said rectification. This is also the last episode of 2025. Enjoy! And Happy New Year.

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Peter Mountford (Detonator, The Dismal Science, A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Mountford's home office in the City of Goodwill in October 2025. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Shayne Terry (Leave: A Postpartum Account). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Terry's home in New York City's most populous borough in October 2025. 

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Denton Loving (Feller, Tamp, Crimes Against Birds). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Loving's farm near the historic Cumberland Gap in September 2025. 

This episode stars Joseph G. Peterson (The Perturbation of O, Memorandum from the Iowa Cloud Appreciation Society, Wanted: Elevator Man, Beautiful Piece & so many more). It was recorded in-person at the iconic Winter Garden at Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, IL in September 2025.

This episode stars Maureen Aitken (The Patron Saint of Lost Girls). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and what was Aitken's home in Michigan or possibly Canada, our neighbors to the North, in September 2025.

This episode stars Katharine Coldiron (Out There in the Dark, Wire Mothers, Junk Film & many more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and what I believe is Coldiron's home, which just may be somewhere in The Golden State, in September 2025.

This episode stars M. M. De Voe (A Flash of Darkness, Book & Baby, Pen Parentis). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and De Voe's awesomely bookshelf'd Gotham City home in September 2025.

This episode stars Lee Matthew Goldberg (Miles in Time, The Great Gimmelmans, The Ancestor & many others). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Goldberg's Gotham City home in August 2025.

This episode stars Curtis Smith (Deaf Heaven, Communion, Bad Monkey & many others). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Smith's Keystone State home in July 2025.

This episode stars Hosho McCreesh (Psalms from the Badlands, Chinese Gucci, A Deep & Gorgeous Thirst & many others). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and McCreesh's New Mexico compound in July 2025.

This episode stars former (and forever) guest Giano Cromley (American Mythology, The Prince of Infinite Space, What We Build Upon the Ruins, The Last Good Halloween). It was recorded live and on a walk along Division Street in Chicago, IL that started and concluded at Rite Liquors in July 2025.

This episode stars Hannah Pittard (If You Love It, Let You Kill You, We Are Too Many & many others). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Pittard's home in Kentucky in June 2025.

This episode stars Seth Rogoff (The Castle: A Novel, Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible, The Kirschbaum Lectures). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Kafka's (and Rogoff's now) home city of Prague in April 2025.

This episode stars Dr. Stacey Diane Arañez Litam (Patterns That Remain: A Guide to Healing for Asian Children for Immigrants). It was recorded in-person at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown* in April 2025.

*Please do ignore the occasional outside noise, unlike the host and guest, there were people actually working the day of the recording.  

This episode stars Judy and Adam Tanzer, the host's mother and brother respectively. It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and their homes which are located in greater Philadelphia-land in April 2025.

This episode stars Wendy C. Ortiz (Excavation: A Memoir; Hollywood Notebook, and Bruja: A Dreamoir) just as all three of her groundbreaking books have been simultaneously re-released. It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Ortiz' home in the City of Angels in March 2025.

This episode stars David Scott Hay ([NSFW], The Fountain). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Hay's home in the City of Angels in February 2025.

This episode stars Ruben Quesada (Brutal Companion, Jane /La Segua, and more). It was recorded in-person and in the host's South Loop office in February 2025.

This episode stars Kurt Baumeister (Twilight Of The Gods, Pax Americana). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Baumeister's home in greater Philadelphialand in February 2025.

This episode stars Ignatius Valentine Aloysius & David Allen Sullivan (Salt Pruning, Fishhead: Republic of Want, Strong-Armed Angels). It was recorded in-person and in the host's South Loop office in January 2025.

This episode stars Christine Marie Eberle (Finding God Along the Way, Finding God Abiding, Finding God In Ordinary Time). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Eberle's home in greater Philadelphialand in January 2025.

This episode stars Cynthia Weiner (A Gorgeous Excitement). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Weiner's home town of New York City in January 2025.

This episode stars Jeremy T. Wilson (The Quail Who Wears The Shirt, Adult Teeth). It was recorded in person at The Coffee Studio in Chicago, IL in October 2024.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life is a most glorious year-end episode, as well as a quite glorious Three Hundred and Fiftieth episode, which stars the equally, and endlessly glorious Rachel Robbins (Sound of a Thousand Stars, In Lieu of Flowers). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Robbins' mother's Northern California home in November 2024.

This episode stars Mathieu Cailler (Forest for the Trees, May I Have This Dance?, Loss Angeles & many, many more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Cailler's Loss Angeles home office in September 2024.

This episode stars William Walsh (The Poets, Pathologies, Questionstruck & many, many more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Walsh's Massachusetts' workplace in August 2024.

This episode stars Ross McMeekin (Below the Falls, The Hummingbirds). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and McMeekin's Northwest home in August 2024.

This episode stars Anne Poirier (Not a Fat Annie, The Body Joyful). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Poirier's Sunshine State home in September 2024.

We want to note that the episode is dropping today in honor of Body Acceptance Week (October 21-25, 2024) an exciting initiative promoting body acceptance—including body positivity, body neutrality, and body liberation—for all.

This episode stars Ben Lindner (Beyond The Zero podcast). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Lindner's down under home studio in July 2024.

This episode stars Michael Tager (Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Edition, Mason Jar Press). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Tager's Charm City office in June 2024.

This episode stars Maddie Norris (The Wet Wound). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Norris' home office in the Tar Heel State in June 2024.

This episode stars Caleb Curtiss (Age of Forgiveness, A Taxonomy of the Space Between Us). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Curtiss' home office in the home state of our 46th President in June 2024.

This episode stars Steven Miletto (Teaching Learning Leading K12 podcast). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and the Teaching Learning Leading K12 podcast studio in the great state of Georgia in May 2024.

This episode stars Cyn Vargas (On the Way, Nothing's Ever The Same). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Vargas' Chicagoland home in July 2024.

This episode stars Dmitry Samarov (To Whom It May Concern, Old Style, All Hack & many more). It was recorded in-person and in the host's borrowed South Loop classroom in May 2024.

This episode stars Ken Volante (Something (rather than nothing) Podcast). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Volante's home in the greater Northwest in April 2024.

This episode stars Spencer Fleury on the release day for his new book I Blame Myself But Also You. It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Fleury's freshy fresh San Diego hotel room in June 2024.

This episode stars Danielle Ariano (The Requirement of Grief, Getting Over the Rainbow). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Ariano's Pennsylvania office in May 2024.

This episode stars Kyler Bingham (Salt Lake Dirt). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Bingham's, yes, Salt Lake City home studio in April 2024.

This episode stars Emily Schultz (Sleeping With Friends, Little Threats, The Blondes). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Schultz's Brooklyn home in April 2024.

This episode stars Syed Ali (The Peer Effect, Migration, Incorporation, and Change in an Interconnected World, Dubai: Gilded Cage). It was recorded in-person at This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL in March 2024.

This episode stars Judith Krummeck (Old New Worlds, The Deceived Ones). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Krummeck's Charm City home in April 2024.

This episode stars Jeff Margolis (We're Live in 5: My Extraordinary Life in Television). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Margolis' office in the City of Angels in March 2024.

This episode stars Tobias Carroll (In The Sight, Transitory, Vol. 1 Brooklyn). It was recorded in-person and in the host's wildly under utilized South Loop office in February 2024.

This episode stars Mallory Smart (I Keep My Visions to Myself, The Only Living Girl in Chicago, Maudlin House). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Smart's greater Chicagoland home in March 2024.

This episode stars Ben Tanzer, me (The Missing, UPSTATE, Orphans), in conversation with the awfully splendiferous Giano Cromley. It was recorded in-person walking along Division Street in Chicago, IL in March 2024.

This special AWP 2024 episode stars John Reed (The Never End, Snowball's Chance, Tales of Woe, and many more). It was recorded in-person at AWP 2024 in Kansas City, MO in February, wait for it...2024.

This episode stars Lisa Niver (Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Niver's City of Angels home in January 2024.

This episode stars Diego Báez (Yaguareté White). It was recorded in-person at Báez's City Colleges of Chicago office on the north side of The Jewel of the Midwest in January 2024.

This episode stars Dana Kaye (Kaye Publicity). It was recorded in-person at Kaye's home office on the north side of Chicago, IL in January 2024.

This episode stars Eugenio Volpe (I, Caravaggio). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Volpe's El Lay home in January 2024.

This episode stars John Noltner (Lessons on the Road to Peace, A Peace of My Mind). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and wherever Noltner is hanging his hat these days in December 2023.

This episode stars Jacob Budenz (Tea Leaves). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Budenz's Charm City home in December 2023.

This episode stars Christina Olson (The Anxiety Workbook, The Last Mastodon) & Ben Drevlow (The Book of Rusty, Ina-Baby: a love story in reverse). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Olson and Drevlow's home in the Peach State, otherwise known as Georgia, in November 2023.

This episode stars JJ Starr (The Mother I Knew: Race to Thunder Bay And The Battle For The Commons). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Starr's home in the Commonwealth of Virginia in November 2023.

This episode stars Elizabeth Strauss Friedman (The Lost Positive, The Eggshell Skull Rule, Gathered Bones are Known to Wander). It was recorded in-person at Strauss Friedman's home on the north side of Chicago, IL in October 2023.

This episode stars SpiderMeka (SpiderMeka Portraits).  It was recorded in-person at the SpiderMeka Portraits studio on the north side of Chicago, IL in October 2023.

This episode stars Jennifer Banash (The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana, Silent Alarm, White Lines). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Banash's home in the city that never sleeps in September 2023.

This episode stars Shawn Samuelson Henry (Made in Maine). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Henry's home in the Tar Heel state, also known as North Carolina, and not Maine, in September 2023.

This episode stars Matt Micheli (Two Minutes With The Devil, Scratched, The White). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Micheli's home in the Republic of Texas in August 2023.

This episode stars Daniel Cooney, Andrew Fredericks, Gabriel Joffe, Karla Murthy & Jamie Diaz (Love, Jamie, Daniel Cooney Fine Art). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and a variety of locations across the country in July 2023.

Things Start was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Things Start is the final chapter of UPSTATE: The Podcast.

Things Start is read by Sara Lippmann (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Sara Lippmann is the author of the novel Lech (Tortoise Books) and the story collections Doll Palace (re-released by 7.13 Books) and Jerks (Mason Jar Press.) Her fiction has been honored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and her essays have appeared in The Millions, The Washington Post, Catapult, The Lit Hub and elsewhere. With Seth Rogoff, she is co-editing the anthology Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible for SUNY Press. She is a founding member of the Writing Co-Lab and lives with her family in Brooklyn. For more, visit https://www.saralippmann.com/.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Laura Carney (My Father's List). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Carney's home in the great state of New Jersey in June 2023.

Something Like This was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Something Like This is read by Clayton Smith (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Clayton Smith is an award-winning author, a professor, and a podcaster whose work includes the novels Apocalypticon, Na Akua, and Anomaly Flats, and the comedy podcast Is This a Ghost? He is head of the Marketing program at Columbia College Chicago, where he teaches courses in digital media strategy and emerging platforms. He currently lives with his wife and two daughters just outside of Chicago, and he is very good at whiskey. You can find his work at StateOfClayton.com.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Night Swimming was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Night Swimming is read by Mike Smolarek (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Mike Smolarek writes from Riverside, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. He has been published in Train River Short Stories, Two With Water, and Daddy Cool, an anthology of writing by and for dads edited by Ben Tanzer. He has been part of several reading series, including Two With Water/Curbside Splendor and Essay Fiesta. His favorite color is green and he can be found at http://msmolarek.blogspot.com//.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Longing was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Longing is read by Paula Bomer (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Paula Bomer is the author of the novels Tante Eva and Nine Months, the story collections Inside Madeleine and Baby and other Stories, and the essay collection, Mystery and Mortality. She grew up in South Bend, Indiana and has lived for over 30 years in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in The Cut, Bomb Magazine, The Mississippi Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, TalkSpace and elsewhere.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Suzanne Clores (The Extraordinary Project Podcast, Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider). It was recorded in-person, and outdoors, yes, in-person and outdoors, at Berger Park on the north side of Chicago, IL in May 2023, not 2024.

A Different Story was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

A Different Story is read by Dr. Mike McClelland (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Like Sharon Stone and the zipper, Dr. Mike McClelland is originally from Meadville, Pennsylvania. He has lived on five different continents but now resides in Illinois with his husband, two sons, and a menagerie of rescue dogs. He is the author of the short fiction collection Gay Zoo Day and teaches creative writing at Eastern Illinois University. His fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared or are forthcoming in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, WIRED, Boston Review, Vox, The Baffler, Fairy Tale Review, and a number of literary magazines and anthologies. He is a graduate of Allegheny College, The London School of Economics, the MFA Program at Georgia College, and the University of Georgia's Creative Writing PhD program. Find him online at magicmikewrites.com.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

We Were All Here was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

We Were All Here is read by Mallory Smart (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Mallory Smart is a Chicago-based writer and the Editor-in-Chief of the publishing house, Maudlin House. She also talks about music and literature on the podcast, Textual Healing. Her first novel, The Only Living Girl in Chicago, was released from Trident Press.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Gogo Germaine, a.k.a. Erin K. Barnes (Glory Guitars). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Germaine's home in the wilds of Colorado in April 2023.

What We Talk About When We Talk About The Flood was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

What We Talk About When We Talk About The Flood is read by Christian Winn (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Christian Winn is a fiction writer, poet, teacher of creative writing, and literary event producer living and working in Boise, Idaho. He is the author of the story collections NAKED ME and What's Wrong With You is What's Wrong With Me, and has two novel manuscripts and a collection ready to roll out into the world in 2023. He is the cofounder and Director of Storyfort and Story Forward and served as the State of Idaho's Writer in Residence from 2016 - 2019. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Ploughshares, The Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Journal, Glimmer Train, Joyland, and elsewhere. Find out more about things Christian Winn at christainwinn.com.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Vision was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Vision is read by Adam Lawrence (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Residing in New York City’s Lower East Side, Adam Lawrence works for brands, documentary filmmakers, and anyone else who stumbles across his Music Supervision, Footage Research, and related Licensing/Clearance services. Classically Gen-X. Informal post-formalist. Recent enthusiastic convert to planking. Husband, Father. Doer of photos and assorted multidisciplinary art stuffs. Adam can be found on Twitter (@madaecnerwal) & Flickr (flickr.com/photos/adamlawrence/).

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Freddie's Dead was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Watching And Waiting is read by Robert James Russell (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Robert James Russell is the author of the forthcoming graphic memoir Hard Body: A Personal History of My Form on Display (Simon & Schuster, 2024). He is the founding editor of the literary journal CHEAP POP. His illustrations and writing have appeared in print and online at NPR, The Rumpus, The Offing, Shenandoah, Gulf Coast, New South, and Passages North, among others. A native of Michigan, Robert lives and works in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can find his art and writing at robertjamesrussell.com, or on Twitter/Instagram at @robhollywood.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Noah Michelson (HuffPost Personal). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Michelson's home in the borough of Brooklyn in March 2023.

This episode stars Timothy Gager (Best of Timothy Gager: Poems, Essays, and Stories, 
The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan, Short Street, and as you will learn, much, much more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Gager's home in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the second episode in a row originating from the Commonwealth might I add) in March 2023.

Watching And Waiting was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Watching And Waiting is read by Pete Anderson (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Pete Anderson is the author of the novel Wheatyard and the short story collection Where the Marshland Came to Flower. He has lunched and drank with Ben Tanzer for fifteen great years. He once drove through Binghamton on a long road trip, but, unable to find a diner for breakfast, kept going without stopping, and finally settled for Hardee’s along the interstate. 

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

The Runner was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

The Runner is read by Ray Charbonneau (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Ray Charbonneau is the author of a number of books on running. That number is currently five. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, Marathon & Beyond, and other publications. He's also the host of Tardis Jukebox on WMFO-FM, a show that's been called "the best hour of radio in the Boston area." Ray has run more than thirty marathons and ultramarathons, including one and a half 100 mile races, without winning a single one. But there's always tomorrow. Find out more at y42k.com.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Untrammeled was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Untrammeled is read by Gerald Brennan (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Gerald Brennan earned a B.S. in European History from West Point and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. He's the author of Resistance, which Kirkus called “an extremely impressive debut,” and four space books including the forthcoming Alone on the Moon, which prompted one blurbist to dub him "the poet laureate of the desolation of space." His writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune and Newcity, and he was on the latter's 2019 Lit 50 list of notable literary Chicagoans; he's also the founder of Tortoise Books, a Chicago-based independent press that WGN Radio's Rick Kogan recently called “…one of the best, most provocative, and rewarding publishing houses in the entire country.”

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Shannon Downey (Badass Cross Stitch). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Downey's current home in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in February 2023.

God's Work was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

God's Work is read by Barry Graham (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Barry Graham is a writer and a gambler from Pennsylvania Dutch Country. 

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Barely Breathing was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Barely Breathing is read by Tim Walikis (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Tim Walikis aka [OMIT], Timo, Slick Wilson, etc…is an artist, sculptor, musician, and Art Dept. Scenic artist for films. Member of local 829. He has exhibited his art in New York and California. Tim has played guitar bass and sang in multiple bands in New York and California. He has been in the Buffalo band Monkey Wrench since 1989. Tim is from Upstate NY, but has lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe and Buffalo.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Stabbed In The Back was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Stabbed In The Back is read by Leesa Cross-Smith (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Leesa Cross-Smith is a homemaker and the author of half a dozen books: Every Kiss A War, Whiskey & Ribbons, So We Can Glow, This Close To Okay, Half-Blown Rose, and the forthcoming Goodbye Earl. She lives in Kentucky with her high school sweetheart husband and their two teenagers.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Paul Lamb (One-Match Fire). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Lamb's home (albeit, and sadly, not his cabin) somewhere in the greater Kansas City area (which is yes, home to the recent Super Bowl winning Chiefs) in December 2022.

How It Works was published as part of the short story collection After the Flood, which was released by CCLaP in 2014. The collection represents Part Three of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

How It Works is read by Leland Cheuk (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Leland Cheuk is an award-winning author of three books of fiction, most recently NO GOOD VERY BAD ASIAN. Cheuk’s work has appeared in publications such as NPR, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, among other outlets. He’s been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Hawthornden Castle, Djerassi, and elsewhere. He is the founder of the indie press 7.13 Books and lives in Los Angeles. You can follow him on Twitter @lcheuk and at lelandcheuk.com. 

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Daniel Nester (Harsh Realm: My 1990s, Shader, The Incredible Sestina Anthology). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Nester's home in New York state's greater Capital Region in December 2022.

No Nothing was published as part of the short story collection So Different Now, which was released by CCLaP in 2011. The collection represents Part Two of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

No Nothing is read by Ryan W. Bradley (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Ryan W. Bradley is a sometimes writer/artist and a full-time Marketing Manager for a 15-branch library system. He has written too many books and abandoned just the right amount. 

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Goddess was published as part of the short story collection So Different Now, which was released by CCLaP in 2011. The collection represents Part Two of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Goddess is read by Glen Binger (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Glen Binger is an author, teacher, and coach from by-the-beach, New Jersey. He hosts the podcast Betterism and his most recent books are Head Games: The Novel and Darren's Journal. 

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

Never Said was published as part of the short story collection So Different Now, which was released by CCLaP in 2011. The collection represents Part Two of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Never Said is read by Joseph G. Peterson (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Joseph G. Peterson is the author of the novel Memorandum from the Iowa Cloud Appreciation Society.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast

This episode stars Sari Botton (And You May Find Yourself..., Oldster Magazine, Memoir Monday, Adventures in Journalism). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Botton's home somewhere outside of New York City in November 2022.

Just Like That was published as part of the short story collection So Different Now, which was released by CCLaP in 2011. The collection represents Part Two of the linked short story collection UPSTATE re-released in 2020 by Tortoise Books (and originally released under the title The New York Stories by CCLaP in 2015).

Just Like That is read by Giano Cromley (BIO below).

INTRO/OUTRO music is Drinking of Me and was generously provided by Monkey Wrench.

READER BIO
Giano Cromley's latest novel is The Prince of Infinite Space. He's twice been a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. He is the recipient of an Artists Fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council, and recently completed a BookEnds Fellowship with Stony Brook University. He's an English professor at Kennedy-King College in Chicago, where he is chair of the Communications Department, and sits on the committee for the Center of Equity for Creative Arts.

https://www.tanzerben.com/blog/upstate-the-podcast