Lelina Durrette Smith

Author of The Girl Who Was Too Much And Not Enough & The Girl Who Saved Them All
Writer of YA, romance 🖤, horror 🦇🩸
🎸punk/emo music lover, 🐱cat person

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

#melboune #podcast #community #storiesandstanza
A few words on the Stories and Stanza community and live events plan.

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

#betareader #writingcommunity #collaboration

📖 Calling Beta Readers — Bonus Points If You Write Sci-Fi
✍️ A dear friend and fellow member of my local writing community is looking for a beta reader for his science fiction manuscript — and he brings something rare to the table: a genuine willingness to read your work in return.
This isn't a paid arrangement. It's a creative exchange built on mutual generosity and a shared love of storytelling. He's retired, thoughtful, and ready to give your pages the kind of attention most of us only dream of getting.
If you're a beta reader — especially one who writes in the science fiction or speculative fiction space — I'd love to make this connection happen.
A special call-out to writers who've been guests on Stories and Stanza: you already know how much I value authentic creative voices. This feels like exactly that kind of energy.
Drop a comment, send me a DM, or tag someone who might be interested. Let's make something good happen. 🙏

[Stephen Black @stephenRB4]

Pope Leo hates AI.

Pass it on 👀

[Lelina Durrette Smith @LelinaSmith]

@stephenRB4 I can very much relate to this statement, my friend.

[The Atlantic @TheAtlantic]

“I was holding myself together, but just barely. In time, maybe I’d be able to convince myself that never happened.” Read “Dinah’s Hat,” a new short story by Stephen King: https://t.co/zkGvOsYTvm

🎨: Hokyoung Kim

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

71 years old. Debut author. 13 years sober.

Robert Rickelmann spent decades undiagnosed, self-medicating with alcohol, and surviving psych wards — then turned it all into a memoir.

We spoke about men's mental health, the carer's invisible burden & writing as survival. 🎙️

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

https://t.co/o2nYe5qhAt

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

#podcast
#mentalhealthmatters
#storiesandstanza

“I've known since I was a pre-schooler that there was something wrong with me, that I was afraid of everybody, and it was just a crippling anxiety, but I didn't know it was anxiety. In 1996, it wasn't my first suicide attempt, but I made one that was a pretty good one. And I spent a month in a psych ward after I was on the ventilator for a few days, and my stomach was pumped, and I was designated as seriously mentally ill.
The only thing that gets rid of everything, I hate to say it, is alcohol, but it also destroys everything. But it is not okay for men to be nervous, shy, or timid. They have to be men, and they have to face whatever challenges come their way, and they have to stand up to them, and they have to rise to the challenge.
And when you can't do it, it's like almost double failure.”

From Stories and Stanza: The Dark Humor That Saved My Life in the Psych Ward, 18 May 2026

https://t.co/ZqtAKya2Ar

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

#podcast #mentalhealthmatters #memoir #writingcommunity

Some conversations stay with you long after they end. 🎙️

In this episode of Stories and Stanza, I had the honour of sitting with Robert Rickelmann — a man who has lived through crippling anxiety, multiple suicide attempts, years of hospitalisation, and the long, winding road of recovery. And through it all, he found his way to writing a memoir.

What moved me most wasn't just his story — it was his honesty. The way he talked about how men are conditioned to hide their fear. The way he spoke about his wife, who stood by him through the darkest nights and never got to write a book about it. The way he said, simply: *seek help. Your life can really turn around.*

Robert's memoir has just been published, and May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I can't think of a better time to share this conversation.

If you or someone you love has ever felt alone in their struggle — please listen. This one is for you. 💙

https://t.co/5jVoUrXhnS

[BruceSmithscreenwriterauthor @bs283805]

https://t.co/eGuPJsyTfC what fun this was.

[FOX26Houston @FOX26Houston]

A spokesperson for Buc-ee’s confirmed the news, stating that the chain will open in at least seven new states: Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Buc-ee’s will also open in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and San Marcos, Texas.

The new Buc-ee’s locations are expected to open in 2026 and 2027.

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

In solidarity with upcoming Mental Health Awareness Month — I am keen to share a conversation many might need to hear. 🎙️

Most of us struggle in silence with failure—whether it's a setback at work, a personal loss, or feeling like we're "not enough." Often, we suffer alone even within our own circles, afraid to be vulnerable or burden those around us. John, a counseling professional, sits down with us to break down why we stigmatize failure and how we can reframe it as a catalyst for growth.💕

In this episode of Fail With Me, we explore:
✦ Destigmatizing failure in a culture obsessed with success
✦ Why we suffer in silence even among loved ones
✦ Moving from blame to compassion in our relationships
✦ Building resilience through meaningful connections

Your struggles aren't unique. Your response to them is. Watch now on YouTube and subscribe for more honest, human conversations about mental health.

👉https://t.co/37QQLOI0xS

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

I got my first paycheck from #YouTube today and though it’s not a lot but when I look back, I can’t help but admire the fascinating journey it has been.🎉

Stories and Stanza is a #podcast that brings you real and authentic stories on creativity, wellness and mental health awareness.🎙️

Join me on this journey if this speaks to you. 👉 https://t.co/92rLd1u35w

✨💐

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

"Don't quit on a bad day."

That's the rule that changed everything for author Teri M Brown (@TeriMBrown1 )— from her tandem bicycle adventure across America to her journey discovering her voice through fiction.

This week on Between The Lines, Teri shares how adversity becomes art, how to reframe failure as feedback, and why your worth was never in question.

Listen now on Stories and Stanza.

https://t.co/2F7EBfHfiI

Thank you @PodMatch_com for connecting us.

#Resilience #AmWriting #MentalHealth #AuthorInterview

[Stephen King @StephenKing]

Trump is so idiotic it is beyond description even for the guy who wrote PET SEMATARY and MISERY.
I can’t even.

[Stories and Stanza @storiesnstanza]

Hello everyone 👋🏼, I have some exciting announcements regarding the podcast workflow!
🎉 We've achieved monetization on YouTube, which means YouTube will now promote our content more widely, helping with youtube growth.
To streamline our process, we're using @PodMatch_com to work with more likeminded speakers and @descript #Descript for podcast editing, allowing us to focus more on content creation.
This change helps us how to run the podcast more effectively and efficiently.
Stay tuned for more meaningful conversions! 🎙️
Follow 'Stories and Stanza' on YouTube/A podcast platform of your choice.
#podcast #storiesandstanza #podmatch

[Lelina Durrette Smith @LelinaSmith]

@stephenRB4 Sorry to hear that, Stephen. Hugs.

[Lelina Durrette Smith @LelinaSmith]

@ClubSTEPHENKING @StephenKing Happiest of birthdays, Tabitha! 🎉🎂

[Stephen Black @stephenRB4]

I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care.

I don’t want to read your AI scraped slop. You can argue with me until the cows come home about its benefits and how it’s ’the future of writing’.

I don’t care. Give me Bronte, Stoker, Tolkien, Shelley, Plath, and Wilde. Give me the thousands and thousands of fantastic contemporary authors there are out there today, writing across all fiction genres and non fiction.

Give me flawed, but brilliant, passionate prose and poetry not your bland and soulless drivel.

I don’t care.

[Stephen Black @stephenRB4]

I’m excited to announce the launch of a new publishing house @ROP_press with my friend and fellow author @amykdebellis We have been working on this for a while now, and today is the day to push the launch button. Please give us a follow and keep up to date with publishing news from the both of us throughout 2026 and beyond. We have BIG plans!

[BruceSmithscreenwriterauthor @BruceAndLelina]

I just submitted "Devil's Delight Revised." to London Director Awards via https://t.co/uw73UW9hRK! -