In July, 2005, Arts Connection listeners were introduced to Irene Zabytko, a Chicago author of 2 award-winning books, who is now living in Apopka. The Sky Unwashed was her debut novel, a fictional story based on true events where elderly Ukrainians returned to the dead zone - their irradiated villages near Chernobyl. She also wrote a collection of short stories called When Luba Leaves Home, based on her Ukrainian neighborhood in Chicago. Irene teaches online classes through the Gotham Writers' Workshop, and she is working on a documentary film project based on her novel, to tell the true story of those living in the dead zone. Producers are now seeking funding for travel to Chernobyl this springs; click HERE to read more.

Award-winning nature writer Bill Belleville's most recent book is a personal story of loss. Losing It All To Sprawl documents the creeping development that wiped out the agricultural lands around his home in Sanford. This February 2006 interview aired as part of WMFE's In-Depth Series. Bill is also a documentary film producer and co-founder of Equinox Productions. See his upcoming book appearances at his website.

Tobias Wolff came to Orlando last February as part of the Winter with the Writers series at Rollins College. From a January, 2006 interview, Irene Zabytko talks with Wolf about the various forms in which he writes, including his memoir, This Boy's Life.

If hearing from these writers has inspired you, then you might want to check out opportunities to develop your own writing skills. Mad About Words is one such company that offers workshops and intensives and a monthly basis. Poetic Logic producer Sara Schlossman talks to owner Mary Ann de Stefano.