E85: Poignancy

E85: Poignancy

Author: Kris Baker Dersch July 7, 2017 Duration: 23:15

What do you do when time away is simultaneously long enough to sink your teeth into and yet not nearly long enough? "Walk a Pavement Once." By Eivend Nerberg, copyright 2007, used with permission. Originally published in 2008 in the anthology Nano2ales, edited by Ziv Navoth (Franc Roddam's Ziji Publishing, UK.) Read Eivend's bio.

It's funny how every familiar place eventually becomes a "Ghost Town." By Jessica Psenski, copyright 2017, used with permission. Originally published over on her lovely blog. Read Jessica's bio.

For today's segment, a grand experiment: Found Literature. This is an anonymous piece and there is no good way to locate its author so as I said on the show it lives in a murky area of U.S. copyright law. I am choosing to take the risk and bring it to you, trying to operate on good faith. Story really is everywhere, and if anyone knows where the author(s) of this piece might be, I hope you'll reach out.

As a Pacific Northwest native, I am a sucker for excellent visual descriptions of this amazing part of the world, such as those found in "Red of 10,000 Years." By Dave Barrett, copyright 2015, used with permission. This piece is an excerpt of his novel Gone Alaska and the excerpt was originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of The Vignette Review. Read Dave's bio.


Kris Baker Dersch hosts No Extra Words one person's search for story, a quiet corner of the audio world dedicated to the power of brevity. Each episode is a complete, self-contained piece of flash fiction, with every story crafted to be under two thousand words. This constraint isn't a limitation but a focus, distilling narrative down to its essential elements-every sentence carries weight. You'll hear tales that span the spectrum of human experience, from subtle character moments to sudden, striking turns of events, all delivered with a thoughtful and intimate narration. The podcast lives up to its name, offering narratives that are precise and potent, leaving room for your own imagination to linger in the spaces between the words. It’s for anyone who appreciates the art of a well-told story and the unique intimacy that audio can bring to fiction. Tune in for a regular dose of concise creativity, a moment of literary escape that fits into the busiest of days.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

No Extra Words one person's search for story
Podcast Episodes
E86: Those Seams Will Never Break [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:02
There are the ties that bind and those we run from. Jim Szabo's six word story is the beginning of (a beautiful?) marriage. Copyright 2014, used with permission. Read Jim's bio or find him on the Second Hand Stories Podc…
Special #16: Drabble on Instagram: Ode to Coffee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15
Today's drabble writer is my buddy and fellow podcaster Kelly J. Covert, and she pays tribute to something sacred to us all. Find Kelly on Instagram or head over to her website to check out her amazing podcast.
Special #15: Feature the Podcaster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:53
I loved my chat with Jim Szabo, host of the Second Hand Stories podcast. We chatted about the inspiration for our shows, how we deal with submissions and what our pet peeves are, how much we love our writers, our recordi…
E84: LIfe After Death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:05
Not what you think. This is what happens to the living that the dead don't have to deal with. "The Adequate News Report" gives us just the facts, and just the end. As in all good microfiction, you get to come up with the…
Special #14: Drabble on Instagram: Magic Contained [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05
One minute, one hundred words, one story. Click here to see the photo that inspired this story and here to learn how to submit your own work via Instagram.
E83: Losing Sleep [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:34
Up late wondering if they know what they are doing to memories of "My Last Husband." By Mary J. Breen, copyright 2013, used with permission. "My Last Husband" first appeared in The Waterhouse Review in January 2013. Read…
Special #13: Drabble on Instagram: Gnome Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:54
This mini-episode launches our Instagram challenge! Click here to see the photo of the found poem that inspired the story. To participate in the Instagram challenge, find us on Instagram @noextrawords Be sure to follow #…
Special #12: Mother's Day 2017 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:46
A little history of the No Extra Words podcast and a story I really want to share with all of you. "Mother's Day in the NICU," by Kris Baker Dersch, is copyright 2015. I shared the true story from this time in my own lif…
E81: You Looking at Me? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:47
Do you think the cop in your rearview mirror knows you are "Tipsy?" By T.E. Cowell, copyright 2016, used with permission. Read T.E.'s bio. Lunch with a friend teaches us that in so many ways there is a "First Time for Ev…