Bend In The River

In "Night Games," if life is a game, every decision counts, even when you're 13. And as Tommy discovers on his 13th birthday, sometimes that's when decisions matter most. This episode is written by the talented Ken Szymanski. In his early days, Ken Szymanski found writing opportunities as a freelance music critic for the Leader Telegram, as a regular performer at the Running Water Poetry Slam, and as an early senior editor at Volume One-where he later earned a Lifetime Achievement Award, Recently, his voice work found airwaves on the Bend in the River podcast and Wisconsin Public Radio's "Wisconsin Life." He's taught middle school English for the past 20 years in Eau Claire, where he lives with his wife and two sons.

In "Aurora Borealis Cantus," in a small town isolated by floods, the Aurora Borealis can bring great healing... or bitter division. This episode is written by the talented Jim Jeffries and Jane Jeffries. Jane and Jim Jeffries have been writing plays together since 1995-and they are still married. They have published 19 plays, to date, with various publishers. They also sell madrigal dinner scripts. Their scripts have been performed in 49 states (that one holdout is really bugging them) and internationally in countries such as Canada, Germany, Croatia, Japan, Qatar, and Guatemala. One play was even pirated in Thailand.

In "On the Market," first-time homeowners in a long-term relationship have their commitment tested by shag carpeting that keeps coming back. This episode is written by the talented Jodie Arnold. Jodie is a second-year creative writing graduate student at UWEC. She writes plays, creative non-fiction, and poetry and has been published in Volume One, Twig, Nourrir Magazine, and has blogged for BabyFirstTV. She recently won the Lakefly Writing Contest for her poem, “A Dead Mother’s Child.” When she’s not writing, she’s co-hosting a podcast, “Tell Me Something Weird”, planning women-centered literary events, and drawing hotdog comics for the Eau Claire zine, “Fanboy.” She is starting a new TV show for Valley Media Works called, "WisWomen" and is a poetry reader for Barstow & Grand.

In "BIG IDEAS," office workers maintain a cheerful facade, as they must ignore a dark workplace undercurrent to stay employed and with benefits -- or maybe even alive. This episode is written by the talented Laura Buchholz. Laura wrote for A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor from 2003-2013. She is currently a freelance contributor to Reductress and Volume One. She has produced and hosted Story Slams in St. Paul for The Moth, and has written and performed in several Fringe shows in Minneapolis and New York City. This episode features the voice talents of Molly Barnes, Jen Sellmeyer Kieffer, Mike Theiste, Jill Thiel Markgraf, Wayne Dallman, Ken Szymanski, Sekaidah Dillon, Matthew Kiskunas, and Neil Dunbar. A project of Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and produced by Converge Radio 99.9's Scott Morfitt, Nathan Baughman, and Alexx Stadtlander. Showrunning by Karen Drydyk. This is all made possible by a grant from the Jamf Nation Foundation!

"Night of the Living Lennies" written by BJ Hollars The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and Converge Radio are proud to present Oddly Enough, a radio drama written, performed and produced in western Wisconsin and airing on Converge Radio every Friday at 7:00 PM from January 18 through February 15. Part Twilight Zone, part X-Files and with a healthy dose of humor, too, Oddly Enough seeks to share stand-alone tales that are both timeless and timely, relevant today, tomorrow, and forever. Season one will feature five episodes written by Laura Buchholz, B.J. Hollars, Jodie Arnold, Ken Szymanski, and Jim and Jane Jeffries. Showrunner Karen Drydyk has worked closely with Scott Morfitt Converge Radio, along with local actors, to bring the show from the page to the airwaves. A special thanks to the JAMF Nation Foundation!

Some of the content was created when the station was still Blugold Radio.

Some of the content was created when the station was still Blugold Radio.

With her twentieth studio album, Binary, the iconic singer/songwriter/activist/poet/DIY trendsetter returns to territory that brought her to the world's attention more than twenty-five years ago. One of the first artists to create her own label in 1990, she has been recognized among the feminist pantheon for her entrepreneurship, social activism, and outspoken political lyrics. At a time of global chaos and confusion, DiFranco is kicking ass and taking names, with a set of songs offering a wide range of perspective and musical scope.