Out of Place | A Short Stories Podcast

Frank turns down a lead to sell product to a major retailer.  What follows is an adventure with unexpected consequences.  

Frank invites you to take a journey back to a time when news was NEWS, not sensationalism and hyperbole--when there were only three television networks and Walter Cronkite was the most trusted newscaster in America.

Frank brings to light how wrist watches mark time in a whole new way.

A chance racquetball match turns into a career changing event for Frank.  Before long, he's confronted with challenges and encounters adventures he could never have predicted. 

A routine business trip suddenly becomes an experience of a lifetime for Frank and a colleague when they find themselves far from home during one of America's darkest days. 

A beautiful summer day in 1964 is suddenly clouded with fear. Nine year old Frank struggles to cope with possible consequences resulting from his own actions. Will Frank fly under the radar, or be caught red-handed and sent off to reform school?

A surprise call from a former employee sends Frank on a secret mission to explore a massive business opportunity. Suddenly his vision for the future of his company's business is a far cry from sanitizing swimming pool water where images of sunshine, bikini clad women, and kids splashing are commonplace. Will his management share in his enthusiasm or sink the idea?

Frank's corporate bubble is pierced by outside world realities when he is introduced to a new customer by the name of Bud Stocik.  Bud's humble background, rough-hewn appearance and heavy stutter leaves Frank in the lurch.  How will he ever find a way to connect with Bud?

Frank goes "off the track" to help his 7 year old son build a Pinewood Derby car.

Frank's entry into the world of higher education yields life lessons he hadn't bargained for.

Frank helps a magazine publisher get into an "invitation only" customer luncheon hosted by his company's chairman. The publisher's return favor lands Frank in a precarious spot that could cost him his job!

Events leading up to a dream job interview with a premier ad agency throw a spotlight on Frank’s aspirations, and a surprise that rockets him back to reality.

Membership in the Teamsters Union thrusts 19-year-old Frank into a moral dilemma when union representatives and management hit a contract impasse.  To strike or not to strike, how will he vote?

Midnight shift in the Pittsburgh produce yards provides an eye-opening experience into the world of manual labor for a Penn State College kid home for the summer.

Frank is left with a chilled feeling after being introduced to Jim, a much-revered copywriter at the ad agency where they both work.  What Frank doesn’t know is that there is a host of secrets bottled up inside this master of words.  As the ice between them melts, Frank learns more than he ever imagined. 

In this podcast, Frank “takes a swing” at writing fiction and comes up with a whimsical story about the life of a golf ball.   

A life-long relationship unexpectedly goes up in smoke, sparking vivid childhood memories around the storied estate where it all began.