This is ATM STORYTELLERS, a storytelling adventure brought to you by Across The Margin and ATM Media. In this podcast, you will hear stories that were — or will be — published at Across The Margin…read by the authors themselves. This podcast belongs to the writers and authors who bless our pages with their cunning wordplay and meticulously crafted stories.

In this finale of Season 3, we feature a work that is near and dear to the host of ATM STORYTELLERS. A personal tale in which a traumatic life event changes everything. A story in which the author realizes something was different within them, far beyond the inability to ever take the presence of their father for granted ever again: "ICU” by Michael Shields.

"ICU” by Michael Shields was first published at Organic Coffee, Haphazardly, helmed by the outstanding author / editor Allie Burke.

In this fifth penultimate episode of Season 3, ATM STORYTELLERS features a work we present with a heavy heart in an episode that we hope serves as a tribute to a writer who is no longer with us who we fortuitously had the privilege to work with and publish on multiple occasions. This episode presents a story by Patrick Dalton called “Living Remnant.” It is the tale of a journey into a life of chaos, one that needs to be fueled, fed, and even shared with others. Here is “Living Remnant” by Patrick Dalton, read by Patrick Dalton.

In this fourth episode of Season 3, ATM STORYTELLERS features two compelling works, the first a work of fiction that argues sometimes we can’t change without first being destroyed.:“The Invitation” by Carolynn Kingyens. And that is followed by an essay that acts as an ode to the empowering, feminist masterpieces penned by Betty Friedan and Maggie Doherty: “Feminine Mystique : How Betty Friedan and Maggie Doherty Upended My World” by Claire Wilcox.

Carolynn Kingyens is the author of two poetry collections: Before the Big Bang Makes a Sound and the newly released Coupling, both published by Kelsay Books (Coupling is available on Amazon). In addition to poetry, Kingyens writes essays, book and film reviews, micro fiction, and short stories. Today, she lives in New York and Canada with her husband and two amazing daughters.

Claire Wilcox is an addiction psychiatrist, associate professor of translational neuroscience and writer. She has published essays in the El Portal Literary Journal, Wilderness House Literary Review, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and elsewhere. She has also written articles for the Santa Fe Reporter, Psychology Today and Science in the News. She authored the book Food Addiction, Obesity and Disorders of Overeating: An Evidence-Based Assessment and Clinical Guide, published by Springer in 2021, and numerous academic articles.