6-minute Stories

Episodi

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  "Free Time" by Randell Jones 19.08.2026 6min

  — If you are doing one thing, you are not doing another.
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  "Is It "Thank You" or "I'm Sorry" by Joe Brown 29.07.2026 6min

  Joe Brown is a retired building contractor. He lives on a small family farm in the Bethania area of Winston Salem NC. He now has time to do all those projects that a busy work schedule didn't allow. He enjoys his grandchildren and great grandchildren and as time allows likes to reflect on his life and write stories about his adventures. Several of those stories have been shared through The Personal Publishing Project. His prayer is that his family can appreciate the history he has lived.
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  "Clouds" by Robin Russell Gaiser 22.07.2026 8min

  – “Why am I still here? Why can't I die?” Then, a single, wispy white cloud appeared and wafted its way past me in an otherwise cloudless blue sky.
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  Preserving Freedom" by Suzanne Cottrell & Deborah Forbes 15.07.2026 8min

   – “Let’s face it. We’re lost.” Our speech is breathy, our lips are parched, and our tongues are like sandpaper.    Suzanne Cottrell, a Buckeye by birth, lives with her husband in rural Granville County, North Carolina, where she’s a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network and the Taste Life Twice Writers. She’s the author of a hybrid book, Nature Calls Outside My Window, A Collection of Poems and Stories, and three poetry chapbooks (Kelsay Books). A retired teacher, outdoor enthusiast, and nature lover, she enjoys monthly misadventures with her best friend Deborah Forbes, her co-author of “Preserving Freedom.” Besides writing, Suzanne enjoys reading, researching, knitting, and Pilates. www.suzanneswords.com. Deborah Forbes, a retired educator, lives in eastern North Carolina with her husband and their Greater Swiss Mountain puppy. She enjoys fitness, gardening, needlework, reading, and video calls with her granddaughters. This is her first published piece, marking an exciting new chapter in her life. After retiring, Suzanne and Deborah rekindled their friendship, beginning monthly adventures. Suzanne’s encouragement and guidance have been instrumental in Deborah’s journey as a writer, offering patience, knowledge, and unwavering support. Though still learning, Deborah hopes this piece will be the foundation for more stories to come.
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  "Free Ink" by Arlene Mandell 08.07.2026

   — “Snorkelers in first!”I felt awkward about the subterfuge and reminded Bob that I was a proofreader, not a writer. "Free Ink" by Arlene Mandell Randell Jones - voice   Arlene Mandell lives in Linville, NC, and is a longstanding artist at the Carlton Gallery in Banner Elk, NC. Abandoning big-city roots to relocate high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains with Captain Dan, triggered a compelling desire to write. Her memoirs are published in Gateways Creative Arts Journal; County Lines Literary Journal; and Personal Story Publishing Project anthologies. Her podcasted memoirs can be heard at randelljones.com/6minutestories. Arlene thanks writing friends Diana, Karen, Cindy, and Carol for unwavering support—and special friend, nonagenarian Emily Rosen for her eye-opening perspective on life!Author’s Talk Arlene Mandell Despite long, grueling hours when “in production,” and the relentless pressure of deadlines, I relished my proofreading job on a travel magazine in Miami. A highlight for me was listening to the colorful tales of island life our writer brought back to the office. One morning, on short notice, I was commandeered to pinch-hit for our writer, who was scheduled to depart on a time-sensitive island assignment. I agreed to go out of fear of losing the job, which I could not afford to do. However, I went with mixed feelings: apprehension, knowing that I’d be well outside of my comfort zone; but also curiosity, as it might be an instrument of opportunity. It all began in Bonaire.  —Arlene Mandell
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  "Lessons from Our Forefathers" by Randell Jones 01.07.2026 7min

  “Before Liberty”—again! Even through the misty lenses of history, they were not giants—neither are we.
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  "Three Gee-Flying Free" by S.G. Benson 24.06.2026 7min

  – “I’m Gus. Climb in; I’ll give you a ride.” The gravitational force pushed the seat straps into my shoulders and my stomach leaped. I couldn’t breathe.
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  "Town Hall Clock Tower" by Jeanne VanBuren 17.06.2026 8min

  – I was unwilling to pour out good beer. I received their conversation and stories and momentary camaraderie as an exchange for the communal feast.
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  "A Hollow and Forgotten Place" by Mark K. Marshall 10.06.2026

   – I found the village of plundered houses strangely peaceful.The broken remains of a swinging bridge across the Gauley, I supposed, had once been someone’s way out. "A Hollow and Forgottten Place" by Mark K. Marshall Randell Jones - voice   Mark Marshall moved to Nashville in 1977 from his home state of West Virginia. He worked for 40 years as a career coach where he heard and shared stories with thousands of people from every walk of life. His writing draws on how growing up in a small lumber and mining town shaped his own life. Mark is member of the writing group, The River Writers. His stories have been featured by The Tennessean, Personal Story Publishing Project, Art Walk Richwood, WV Writers Association, Old Mountain Press Anthology.
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  "Orange Juice and Golf Balls for Free" by Bob Amason 03.06.2026 8min

  – He wasn’t cheap; he just liked free things. He charged into snake-infested palmetto bushes with gusto, flinging balls out to the fairway like a crazed Walmart shopper on Black Friday.
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  "All God's Children Got Shoes" by Phyllis Castelli 27.05.2026 8min

  – Going barefoot is fun…if you have shoes in your closet. Even in old age, Mama remembered hopelessly tugging down the faded blue dress, trying to hide her feet.
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  "My Free Soul" by Mary Floyd 20.05.2026 7min

  I had to hide my secret.Without my bubble, I would cease to live, just blow away like dust.
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  "A Visit with Uncle Gilbert" by Ginny Foard 06.05.2026 8min

  –He could not send others into dangers that he was not willing to face himself. The locals know that date. They honor it. They value it because it gave them freedoms that they live to this day.
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  "The Green Roach" by A. A. Krombach 29.04.2026 7min

   – “If you turn around now, I’ll get you home.”A 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon, her faded, chalky green body panels and acid-etched roof and hood left no doubt as to her ancestry.
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  "A Light in the Tunnel" by Emily Rosen 22.04.2026 8min

  – There are all kinds of marriages. Freedom is not cheap. And it is never “pure.”
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  "Free of the Feds" by Phoenicia Miracle 15.04.2026 7min

  – The cows? The cows were a problem? I walked each check to the bursar's office, fully aware that the cost of my education was far greater than the value of the check.
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  "Free Range" by Vicki Easterly 08.04.2026 7min

  – I am certain we had more fun. There was nothing like the feel of the wind slapping hair in our faces as we leaned out the window and yelled fervent taunts at the opposing cars.
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  "Standing By" by Jo McElroy Senecal 01.04.2026 8min

  – Not so fast, my slowly dying friend! Out there my heart easily held you with the thrum of ancestral music, song, and dance, as consistent as air.
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  "Saints Surprise and How I Learn the Freedom of Speaking Up" by Mary Alice Dixon 25.03.2026 7min

  “Sister, that sounds like fortune telling. Isn’t that a sin?” What would happen to the rest of us who die swallowing pennies and buttons? But not wanting to be the rooster, I stay silent.
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  Introduction to "Free" - Vol. 13, Personal Story Publishing Prioject 18.03.2026 8min

  Freedom and scot-free or freeloader and free-for-all We acknowledge those blessings and those curses in the stories we tell.