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The Story:

For some, Christmas can bring up a lot of issues and when you add children to it, you might have to re-think the whole holiday.

Writer:

John McDonnell

I've done many kinds of writing in a long and varied career, and I am always amazed at the power of words and stories to illuminate and bring joy to our lives. If you get the words right even the humblest catalog copy, which I wrote at the beginning of my professional life, can make commonplace products shine. People need good writing to make them see the beauty of the world, the importance of their lives, the mystery and wonder of each moment.

I now have more than a dozen books on Amazon Kindle. They're not predictable. I write horror stories with no blood or gore in them, humor stories with an edge, poetry that sometimes rhymes and sometimes doesn't, and a few very sentimental stories. I expect to try my hand at other styles and genres too. In fact, recently I began writing humorous plays. I have clips of them on YouTube -- lookup Love Bite by John McDonnell, and you'll get a few laughs. I live outside of Philadelphia, PA, with my wife and four children, and I am so happy to be alive during this revolutionary time in the publishing industry. The rise of electronic publishing is the biggest thing since the invention of the printing press, and I am so glad to be part of it.

Support the show

Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...