Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. In this first episode of Season Nine, Barbara talks with Jon Rackley of Dalton, GA, about how he uses creativity in his industrial setting (safety compliance) and more to the point, public speaking, through his experience in Toastmasters, International.

Links:

Toastmasters International (find a local group): https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

Barbara Tucker’s website: https://www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

Dr. Tami Tomasello, Associate Professor Communication at Dalton State College, joins us to discuss creativity, boredom, AI, and online teaching, sharing from her vast knowledge of mass media and communication studies.

Books mentioned

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

Hitmakers by Derek Thompson

Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi

How we Got to Now by Steven Johnson

Barbara talks about her latest book and gets personal and a little controversial.

Barbara Tucker and Linda Gambill, author of The Geography of Desire: A Memoir of West Africa, discuss this new memoir about Linda’s time in the Peace Corps in The Gambia. Leaving the United States in 1979, Linda spent three years as a volunteer in health education. Her heartfelt memoir explores her immersion in a new culture, struggles, and joys.

lindagambill.com

The Geography of Desire on Amazon

The Geography of Desire on Barnes and Noble

Apprentice House Press

Barbara interviews visual artist Daryl Thetford of Chattanooga in this episode. They talk about how he moved from being a mental health professional to a professional artist, his processes, and the connections of written art and visual media.

Daryl’s work can be seen here:

https://darylthetford.com/

https://chauvetarts.com/artist/daryl-thetford

https://www.wescover.com/creator/daryl-thetford?srsltid=AfmBOooCXofftp2f_60-iU3h5Pxzrc43nT-D1qMeYdmOiM70PNLTMvMD

https://holtermuseum.org/exhibitions/daryl-thetford/

In this solo podcast, Barbara Tucker shares from her 50 years of experience studying public speaking, rants against Generative AI, and throws in some other thoughts to enlighten or infuriate you.

In this episode, Barbara has the deep honor and joy to interview two old friends, Bill and Becky Petite. In May 2026, they returned to their work with the Japanese people. Barbara was able to sit down (via Teams!) with them–she was in Dalton, they were in Northern Ohio–before they left. Along with an in-depth discussion on intercultural communication, Japanese culture and language, and mission work, the three reminisced on recent travels to the Mediterranean.

Links:

https://abwe.org/

https://abwe.org/blog/the-reality-of-missions-in-japan-with-bill-petite/

Join Dr. Barbara Tucker as she discusses The Stranger by Albert Camus.

Meursault, a detached French Algerian, attends his mother’s funeral with striking indifference. Shortly after, he begins an affair with Marie and befriends Raymond, a local pimp. While on a beach trip, Meursault—disoriented by the intense heat and sun—inexplicably shoots an Arab man.

During his trial, the prosecution focuses more on Meursault's lack of emotional remorse and failure to weep at his mother’s funeral than the murder itself. Deemed a "moral monster" for refusing to play by society’s rules, he is sentenced to death. He ultimately finds peace by embracing the "gentle indifference" of a meaningless universe.