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Brent and Dave chat with Chinese-Canadian author Su Chang about the tension between exploring today's truth and the cost it has for those who went before, as well as what it means to write in the insp…

Brent and Dave chat …

Brent and Dave chat with Chinese-Canadian author Su Chang about the tension between exploring today's truth and the cost it has for those who went before, as well as what it means to write in the inspired shadow of a father who is a great writer himself. Su's journey reminds us that for Chinese emigrants, maintaining Relationships with people still in China — as well as with China itself — is delicate, but is also a story worth telling. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever yo…

Elizabeth Mateer is a former professional dancer and actor who now writes poetry as a diversion from her work as a fellow in neuropsychology at Harvard University. We chat about the inevitable rejecti…

Elizabeth Mateer is …

Elizabeth Mateer is a former professional dancer and actor who now writes poetry as a diversion from her work as a fellow in neuropsychology at Harvard University. We chat about the inevitable rejections in the artistic life, what it's like to be a research-focused doctoral fellow in Trump's America, and how reject is about learning, or in her words, "failing upwards." Her book of poetry Searching for Home is titled after a poem she calls a "Love letter to a friend." Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Pa…

The death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 has predictably generated a tsunami of Emotions rushing in from around the globe. Looking past the shiny progressive tributes, flowery words, Vatican-generat…

The death of Pope Fr…

The death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 has predictably generated a tsunami of Emotions rushing in from around the globe. Looking past the shiny progressive tributes, flowery words, Vatican-generated propaganda, and wasn't-he-fabulous refrains, Brent & Dave pause for a moment to suggest that his work isn't nearly finished, and the Church still hasn't answered for an awful lot of horrors it has inflicted on the vulnerable and marginalized. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherev…

Aamir Hussain is a writer, political advocate, TTRPGer, and all-round interesting guy. He joins us to talk about the disappointments and rejections that have brought him to today, where he's releasing…

Aamir Hussain is a w…

Aamir Hussain is a writer, political advocate, TTRPGer, and all-round interesting guy. He joins us to talk about the disappointments and rejections that have brought him to today, where he's releasing a book into the world. He also talks about election disappointments, life as a Muslim who really believes in listening to others, and how writing about a speculative matriarchal society in his novel Under the Crescent Moon can challenge us all. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever…

Celebrating the release of his newest bestseller Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of Catholic Church, veteran journalist and writer Philip Shenon joins us to talk about Rejection, t…

Celebrating the rele…

Celebrating the release of his newest bestseller Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of Catholic Church, veteran journalist and writer Philip Shenon joins us to talk about Rejection, the Church, the 7 modern popes who have shaped how we think about Catholicism, and the one thing the Church should be talking about more. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening…

Brent and Dave sit down with award-winning and story-redefining writer Anuja Varghese to talk rejection, writing across the genres, writing for writing's sake, and what cats can teach us about rejecti…

Brent and Dave sit d…

Brent and Dave sit down with award-winning and story-redefining writer Anuja Varghese to talk rejection, writing across the genres, writing for writing's sake, and what cats can teach us about rejection.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Actor, writer, director, producer, and life-lover Carrie Schiffler joins us to talk about her memoir From the Corner of Bad and Ass (and the forthcoming Beyond the Corner of Bad and Ass) rejection and…

Actor, writer, direc…

Actor, writer, director, producer, and life-lover Carrie Schiffler joins us to talk about her memoir From the Corner of Bad and Ass (and the forthcoming Beyond the Corner of Bad and Ass) rejection and perseverance and how a life in the arts can carry a person forward. In a wide-ranging conversation, we get real about all of it: laughter, pain, Trauma, and joy, and how creativity is sometimes the only response. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us …

Our instincts might say otherwise, but uncertainty can indeed be a safe space. Therapist and writer Jen Watt joins us in studio to have a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about creativity, pare…

Our instincts might …

Our instincts might say otherwise, but uncertainty can indeed be a safe space. Therapist and writer Jen Watt joins us in studio to have a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about creativity, parental kid-shaping, religious questioning, and creating safety.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling novelist and fabulous human, and the author of the newly released The Lightning Bottles. She is the only Canadian writer ever to have been chosen for the prestigious R…

Marissa Stapley is a…

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling novelist and fabulous human, and the author of the newly released The Lightning Bottles. She is the only Canadian writer ever to have been chosen for the prestigious Reese's Book Club, a massive nod to her craft and storyweaving, and she has gotten the chance to work with some big, big names as a result. Still, life is life, and rejection finds even those who earn successes and accolades: for Marissa, Family and staying present are the keys to keeping a successful life on the ground. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van S…

In the middle of another chaotic week in Washington, Brent chats with Ukrainian political strategist Kateryna Odarchenko about shepherding the challenges of post-Soviet democracy through DC's halls of…

In the middle of ano…

In the middle of another chaotic week in Washington, Brent chats with Ukrainian political strategist Kateryna Odarchenko about shepherding the challenges of post-Soviet democracy through DC's halls of power, navigating the polarized atmosphere in the media, and the power of gratitude amidst global conflict and upheaval. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by award-winning and bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listen…

Lana Starchuck is an author, speaker, motivator, producer, screenwriter, and record-holding skydiver with a dream of helping others. She sits down with Dave and Brent to talk about what happens when a…

Lana Starchuck is an…

Lana Starchuck is an author, speaker, motivator, producer, screenwriter, and record-holding skydiver with a dream of helping others. She sits down with Dave and Brent to talk about what happens when a parachute fails, life gets complicated, and how rejection can give you a new perspective on life. The answer, of course, is to turn those rejections into something better, of course, and fill the gaps with creative and artistic things. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get yo…

When Caroline Topperman returned to her ancestral homeland of Poland, she discovered that having heritage from a place and being from the place don't always line up, and that one can feel like a rejec…

When Caroline Topper…

When Caroline Topperman returned to her ancestral homeland of Poland, she discovered that having heritage from a place and being from the place don't always line up, and that one can feel like a reject in places that seem familiar from that familial connection. We sit down and talk dancing, pilates, Poland, famous clients, and her fabulous memoir Your Roots Cast a Shadow. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us kno…