Episode 43: From Selma to Derry: Dr. Forrest Isaac Jones Connects Civil Rights Movements

Last month, Tikiman and the Viking Podcast had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Forrest Isaac Jones, an award-winning author and historian who recently published his groundbreaking book, "Good Trouble, The Selma, Alabama, and Derry-Northern Island Connection, 1963 to 1972."

The Unexpected Connection

Dr. Jones's journey into this fascinating historical connection began during his master's studies at Hollins University. While his initial research focused broadly on the Troubles in Northern Ireland, it wasn't until a 2021 visit to Derry that he discovered something remarkable: the profound influence the American Civil Rights movement had on Northern Ireland's own struggle for equality.

"People came up to me saying, 'we stole so much from you guys,'" Dr. Jones recalled. "Being a history major, I was blown away." Throughout Derry, he found murals depicting Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, tangible evidence of this cross-Atlantic inspiration.

What makes this connection even more compelling is how well-known it is in Northern Ireland, yet how little awareness exists in America. Dr. Jones noted that even his own parents, who had marched in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, had no idea about this historical parallel.

Creating "Good Trouble"

The book itself came about through serendipity and relationships formed during the pandemic. After reading Julieann Campbell's powerful book "On Bloody Sunday," Dr. Jones connected with her online. When he later visited Northern Ireland, Campbell not only became a friend but also encouraged him to write this book and ultimately wrote its introduction.

The writing process was comprehensive and collaborative. Dr. Jones described his approach to historical writing, emphasizing the importance of creating a narrative arc even in nonfiction: "I think you're always looking for that story arc. You're looking at what's the beginning, what's the middle, how you're gonna wrap everything up."

The Power of Primary Sources

What elevates "Good Trouble" is Dr. Jones's commitment to primary sources. He conducted extensive interviews with participants from both movements, including Sheyann Webb-Christburg (known as "King's little soldier"), who marched with Dr. King in Selma at just eight years old, relatives of Selma's "Courageous Eight," and Eamonn McCann described as "the John Lewis of Northern Ireland."

Perhaps most meaningful to Dr. Jones was the opportunity to interview his own parents about their experiences in the American Civil Rights movement, incorporating their stories into the historical narrative.

Looking Forward

As for future projects, Dr. Jones hints at additional books focusing on American history while planning an eventual return to Northern Irish topics.

For those interested in uncovering hidden historical connections and understanding how social movements inspire one another across oceans, "Good Trouble" offers essential reading from a passionate historian dedicated to preserving these vital stories.

Check out on Dr. Jones upcoming book tour schedule: https://www.forestissacjones.com/.

Good Trouble is available from several retailers:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781839994623

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1839994622

https://www.waterstones.com/book/good-trouble/forest-issac-jones/9781839994623

https://www.hodgesfiggis.ie/book/good-trouble/forest-issac-jones/9781839994623

Middle-Aged Man in a Trashcan Preorder now available

Middle Aged Man in a Trashcan

Preorder now available

Releases 06/25/25

https://wildrosepress.com/product/middle-aged-man-in-a-trashcan/

Episode 42 (That Magic Number) with Samantha Ryan

 

From Faulkner to Flash Fiction: A Writer's Journey with Samantha Ryan

Podcast Link: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/3kuL4fR3CSb

In the ever-evolving world of publishing, finding your path as a writer often means exploring different genres, forms, and approaches before discovering where your voice truly shines. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Ryan, an author from Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose creative journey offers valuable insights for writers at any stage.

The Spark That Ignites

Like many writers, Ryan's journey began in a high school English class. Her first literary "hook in the mouth" was William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" - particularly the famously brief chapter consisting solely of "My mother is a fish." That moment of realization—that literature could break conventions in such profound ways—sparked something within her. With the encouragement of a perceptive English teacher, Ryan pursued a degree in creative writing.

However, her path wasn't without detours. After writing her first novel and facing the challenging reality of querying, Ryan stepped away from writing altogether for nearly a decade. "I'm way too thin-skinned for this," she recalls thinking. It wasn't until after the COVID pandemic that she reconnected with her passion for writing, this time with a renewed perspective.

Finding Freedom in Form

What's particularly fascinating about Ryan's approach is her willingness to experiment across different genres and forms. Her upcoming works include:

• Pride - A queer retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" (releasing February 2025)
• Words My Friends Have Thrown Away - A chapbook collection of flash fiction (Spring 2025)
• These Are Not My Final Words - A novel about grief featuring an animated duck character that appears at a funeral (November release)

This variety reflects Ryan's philosophy of "taking the pressure off" and allowing herself to explore creative possibilities without limiting herself to a single genre or style. As she puts it, she and a writer friend are "collecting genres like they're infinity stones."

The Business vs. The Art

One of the most insightful aspects of Ryan's interview was her discussion of the disconnect between her creative writing education and the business side of publishing. While her degree provided incredible exposure to literature and honed her craft in small, focused classroom settings, it left her unprepared for the realities of querying, finding an agent, and navigating the publishing world.

"They don't teach you the business side of writing," Ryan noted, explaining how this gap contributed to her initial retreat from writing. Her experience highlights the importance of writing conferences like OWFI (Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc.), where writers can learn practical skills from agents, editors, and fellow authors.

Creative Experiments

Ryan's approach to generating material is refreshingly playful. For her flash fiction collection, she solicited random words from friends on social media—everything from "flabbergasted" to "defenestration"—and used these as prompts to create short pieces from various queer perspectives. This collaborative approach resulted in a cohesive collection built from words her "friends threw away."

Her current project—a novel about a husband and wife puppetry team at Comic-Con dealing with the husband's announcement that he wants a divorce—demonstrates her continuing interest in unique premises and settings.

The Writer's Community

Perhaps the most valuable takeaway from Ryan's experience is the importance of community. Writing is often solitary work, which makes connections with other writers all the more crucial. Conferences, workshops, and other gatherings offer not just professional development but also the emotional boost that comes from being among "your people."

"You go home and you have that high," Ryan says of attending writers' conferences. "I'm going to go home and write my next novel tonight!"

Finding Balance

Like most writers today, Ryan juggles her creative work with full-time employment and other responsibilities. When asked about maintaining balance, she admitted with refreshing honesty: "My therapist would probably say I don't." But she remains motivated by her ultimate goal of becoming a full-time writer, using her evening hours (she describes herself as a "night owl") to work toward that dream.

Lessons for Writers

Ryan's journey offers several valuable lessons for writers at any stage:

1. Experiment across genres - Don't feel confined to a single style or format
2. Seek community - Writing conferences and groups provide both professional knowledge and emotional support
3. Return to abandoned projects - Sometimes early work deserves a second look with more experienced eyes
4. Focus on craft - Even while learning the business side, remember that strong writing is the foundation
5. Use constraints creatively - Like Ryan's word-prompt approach, sometimes limitations can spark innovation

As writers, we're all collecting our own "infinity stones" of experience, technique, and insight. The path isn't always direct, but as Samantha Ryan's journey shows, sometimes the detours and experiments lead to the most interesting destinations.

Episode 41 Interview with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LLCPUJ95BpxFisel54gHF?si=Yy2sFtDxQ22dNWM2mehQBg

Episode 41 Interview with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt

In this episode, we talk about time management for creatives and we talk about our hectic lives with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt.

Nick Lyon:

⁠https://writernicklyon.wordpress.com/⁠

⁠https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nicholas-Lyon/author/B0BLT1WW4Q⁠

Aleasha Wells Shelnut: ⁠

https://www.facebook.com/thestudiopromessa

https://thenutthousediaries.blogspot.com/⁠

Finding Your Writing Rhythm: Balancing Creativity in a Busy Life

In a recent episode of Tikiman and the Viking Podcast, hosts H.B. Berlow and William Brian Johnson assembled a roundtable discussion on a challenge familiar to all creatives: time management. Their guests, Aleasha Wales Shelnutt and Nick Lyon, offered valuable insights into how they balance their creative pursuits with demanding professional and personal lives.

The Three-Way Balance

As the hosts pointed out, most people are familiar with the concept of work-life balance—the ongoing struggle to divide time between professional responsibilities and personal life. For writers and other artists, however, there's a third element at play: creative time. Finding space for artistic expression means squeezing it into an already packed schedule of work and family obligations.

Consistency vs. Flexibility

Nick Lyon, author of the award-winning novel "The Baptist Bootlegger" and a high school English and speech teacher, emphasized the power of daily consistency. His approach involves writing 400-500 words every day, typically in the evening after his children are in bed. This habit helps maintain his connection to writing regardless of where he is—even writing from a hotel room during travels.

"I write better in the evenings than I do in the mornings," Nick shared, highlighting the importance of identifying your personal creative rhythm. "I just try to make sure that I do it at some point."

Nick's approach demonstrates that consistency doesn't have to mean rigidity. When life occasionally prevents his daily writing routine, he simply moves forward without guilt: "I might miss one day, but I'm not gonna miss two days."

The Balancing Act

Aleasha, who manages Studio Promessa and numerous roles within the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, offered a different perspective on balance. After "chasing" perfect balance for years, she realized that life balance isn't like a weighted scale with everything perfectly distributed at all times.

"It's more like a bear at the circus on the ball with the spinning plates," she explained. "Nothing's ever going to be perfectly balanced at any one given time, but the balance is over the course of the entire act."

Aleasha emphasized the importance of scheduling but noted that flexibility is equally crucial, especially when living with what she humorously calls "chaos." Being forgiving with yourself and knowing when to pivot helps prevent the metaphorical plates from falling.

Finding Your Creative Rhythm

Both guests stressed the importance of understanding your personal creative cycles. Knowing when you're most productive can make a tremendous difference in your output. As one host noted, forcing yourself to write during non-optimal times can lead to frustration—staring at a cursor rather than producing meaningful work.

Nick pointed out that sometimes, even when you don't feel like writing, the act of beginning can overcome that resistance: "I come in here and I'm like, 'God, I don't even want to do this.' And I sit down and I just start typing away and like, you know, ten, fifteen minutes later, I look up and I'm hitting 500 words."

The Value of Community

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of connecting with fellow writers. The guests emphasized how attending the annual Oklahoma Writers' Federation conference provides both escape and rejuvenation. Nick recalled the powerful experience of having someone approach him at his second conference with the simple question: "What do you write?"

"These people get me," he remembered thinking. "I'm like this lonely dude sitting in a dark room tapping away at a keyboard, and then I can come to something like this and these are all lonely people too, tapping away at keyboards, and they get it."

Aleasha agreed that such events keep writing "in the forefront of your mind" and make you "more invigorated and wanting to do it, a little more hungry for it." She pointed out that "critique groups, writing groups, conferences, workshops—all of these things are instrumental in helping you carve out time for writing."

Beyond Obligation: Writing as Recharging

When asked whether their creative time represents an escape or a recharging station, both guests suggested it's often both. Aleasha described it as "escaping to it, and when I get there, I'm plugging in and recharging," noting that writing had helped her reclaim her voice after "a very long time silencing myself."

Nick mentioned that while he has many escapes—video games, woodturning, guitar—writing serves a different purpose. The daily practice helps him feel authentic in his identity as a writer: "Writing every day makes me feel like a writer."

The Journey Continues

Both writers are continuing to grow in their craft. Nick recently completed a 65,000-word novel and is planning to return to the sequel of "The Baptist Bootlegger." Aleasha is spending the year pushing herself outside her comfort zone by writing in unfamiliar categories and genres.

Their stories remind us that the writing journey isn't about perfection—it's about progress, consistency when possible, flexibility when necessary, and connecting with others who understand the unique challenges of the creative life.

Whether you write daily like Nick or focus on growth through experimentation like Aleasha, the key is finding an approach that works for your life and your creative process.

---

The Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. conference "Conjuring the Mysteries of Writing" is scheduled for May 1-3, 2025. Information and registration details can be found at OWFI.org.

 

Tikiman and the Viking Podcast Episode 40 recap

 

Trying something new.  This is our 40th episode and I'm going to start doing a podcast recap.  If you have questions about being a writer or creative, please reach out to us TikimanViking@gmail.com.  

OWFI: A Writer's Conference That Puts Writers First

The Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc. (OWFI) stands out among writing conferences for its strong focus on writers rather than readers. As Vicki Malone Kennedy, the current OWFI president, explained on  episode 40 of the TikiMan and the Viking Podcast, "OWFI is a writer's conference. Most of the people that attend are writers... We cater primarily to the writers."

What Makes OWFI Special?

OWFI has cultivated a reputation for being structured yet flexible. The conference has sessions from 9 to 5 on Friday and Saturday, but each president and conference coordinator chooses a unique theme that carries through everything from sessions to decorations and parties. This year's theme is 1930s-40s detective noir.

The organization boasts approximately 30 affiliate groups across multiple states including Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Kansas. While about 20 of these groups are very active, OWFI's reach extends far beyond these states, with members from across the country and even internationally.

A Conference Built for Connections

One of the most valuable aspects of OWFI is the opportunity to connect with agents, publishers, and fellow writers. Host Brian "The Viking" Johnson shared his own success story from last year's conference, where he pitched his book "Middle-aged Man in a Trash Can" and connected with a publisher.

"If you're a writer... you got to go to a conference, you got to get out there, you got to do that face-to-face thing," the viking said.

Kennedy agreed, noting that many writers have launched their careers through connections made at OWFI: "You can meet your agent. You can meet your publisher. You can meet your next big deal right there at the conference."

Beyond formal pitching sessions, many valuable connections happen during meals, late-night drinks, and casual conversations. As Kennedy pointed out, "Rising tides lift all ships" in the writing community.

2025 Conference Highlights

This year's OWFI conference will be on May 1-3, 2025, at the Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City. Notable highlights include:

• Keynote Speaker: Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files and the Cinder Spire series
• Master Class: Also taught by Jim Butcher (open to the public for $60)
• Sessions: 23 speakers covering various aspects of writing
• Agents: Four agents taking pitches across most genres
• Awards: The Saturday night banquet will honor winners of the annual writers contest

Kennedy secured Butcher as the keynote speaker in a surprisingly straightforward manner—through Facebook. After initial contact, Butcher directed her to his manager to make the arrangements, which is not always the case. In previous years, securing keynote speakers has sometimes come down to the wire.

Community of Mentorship

At its core, OWFI is about helping writers develop their careers through mentorship and community. "We're all about mentoring people. We want people to come in and ask us whatever they want to know," Kennedy said.

For writers looking to connect with fellow writers, learn from experienced professionals, and potentially meet agents or publishers, OWFI offers a welcoming environment. Registration for this year's conference is still open at owfi.org.

Falling into the Sixth Dimension

In the novel "Middle-Aged Man with a Trashcan," Joe travels through the multiverse via a peculiar portal—a trashcan that opens into a void within six-dimensional space. While this might seem like pure fantasy, the concept of higher dimensions as gateways between universes has fascinating roots in theoretical physics. 

Understanding Dimensions Beyond Our Perception

Most of us are comfortable thinking in three spatial dimensions—height, width, and depth—plus time as a fourth dimension. But theoretical physicists have long proposed that our universe might contain additional dimensions that remain hidden from our everyday experience.

These extra dimensions aren't necessarily "elsewhere"—they could be all around us, just imperceptible because they're curled up into incredibly tiny spaces (a concept known as "compactification" in string theory) or because our biological senses simply didn't evolve to detect them.

The Sixth Dimension: A Multiverse Roadmap

What makes the sixth dimension particularly special when it comes to multiverse travel? Let's build our understanding step by step:

• Fifth dimension: If the fourth dimension is time (our timeline), the fifth dimension would represent alternative timelines—versions of our world where history took different turns.
• Sixth dimension: This is where things get truly interesting. The sixth dimension would encompass not just alternative versions of our timeline, but entire sets of possible universes with different fundamental constants and physical laws. It would be a dimension that contains all possible worlds that could exist with any starting conditions.

In Joe's story, the trashcan operates as a portal that allows him to navigate this sixth-dimensional space, which appears as a "void" from which he can access any reality in the multiverse. This void serves not just as transportation but as a healing space—"it heals all physical wounds," though the mental ones remain.

The Physics Behind Multiverse Portals

While obviously speculative, the idea of accessing other universes through higher-dimensional space does have some basis in theoretical physics:

1. Brane Cosmology: Some models suggest our universe exists on a "brane" (a membrane-like structure) within higher-dimensional space, with other universes potentially existing on parallel branes.
2. Quantum Entanglement: Some theories propose that quantum entanglement might operate through higher dimensions, potentially allowing for connections between parallel universes.
3. Einstein-Rosen Bridges: Better known as wormholes, these theoretical passages through spacetime might connect not just distant parts of our universe but potentially different universes altogether.

Navigating the Multiverse

In "Middle-Aged Man with a Trashcan," Joe can't fully control his navigation through the multiverse—he's caught in "a current he can't control." This reflects an important theoretical challenge: if we could somehow access higher dimensions, the complexity would be overwhelming.

Think about how a two-dimensional being (like a drawing on paper) would perceive a three-dimensional object passing through its plane. It would see slices of the object appear and disappear mysteriously. Similarly, our three-dimensional minds struggle to truly conceptualize six-dimensional space in all its complexity.

Middle-Aged Man in a Trashcan coming from Wild Rose Press on June 25, 2025.

Preorder coming in mid-April.

Middle-Aged Man in a Trashcan

 Coming 6/25/25 from Wild Rose Press.  Preorder available mid-April.