AuthorTopia

ALEX MESSENGER is the author of THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY: SURVIVING A GRIZZLY ATTACK IN THE CANADIAN TUNDRA. It was the trip of a lifetime that Alex says: “Very nearly became the last trip of my lifetime!” In the summer of his final year of high school, Alex and five buddies took a 600 mile canoe trip into the Arctic Circle. During a short hike he accidentally crossed paths with a grizzly bear. The bear attacked, Alex survived, and his story will get you thinking.

DANIELLA MESTYANEK YOUNG is the author of “UNCULTURED: A Memoir”. She tells a harrowing story about growing up among pedophiles in the notorious Children of God sex cult, escaping at the age of 15, and eventually joining the US Army. Daniella talks to former news producer Frank Silverstein about being completely unprepared for life in an American public high school where she panicked over the simplest things, such as naming her favorite rock star. On the other hand she tells about having no trouble with basic training where the physical endurance requirements hobbled many of the other recruits. These are remarkable stories from a resilient survivor.

BRADLEY NATHANSON is the author of AMERICAN DEPARTURES: THE CURIOUS PLIGHT OF A UNIQUELY PRIVILEGED QUIETLY DESPERATE BABY BOOMER. He recalls his days as a young man, when reality seemed far stranger than what he imagined, and what he did imagine never quite matched reality. Brad talks to retired TV news producer Frank Silverstein about crawling into an igloo in the Arctic Circle, performing an amazing feat of strength while under hypnotic suggestion, and nightlife in Hollywood back in the 1980s.

ERIKA KROUSE is the author of "Tell Me Everything". She talks about becoming a private investigator in a college sports scandal and then discovering she cannot avoid investigating a dark secret of her own.

TESSA FONTAINE is the author of “THE ELECTRIC WOMAN: A Story in Death Defying Acts”. She tells of her days spent on the road with a traveling carnival sideshow. Tessa talks with former news producer Frank Silverstein about how she learned to eat fire, hypnotize snakes and charm the money from the pockets of total strangers. She also explains how the carnival sideshow provides a haven to a community of social misfits. It’s a safe place where performers can earn a living throwing knives at each other among other spectacles, for 14 hours a day. Tessa learned to conquer some of her own fears by working with people who face physical danger every single day. These are dramatic stories from an adventurous life.