{"podcast":{"title":"Perennial Pen (What Matters Most): A Silver Maple Strategies Podcast with Nate Birt","slug":"perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224","podcast_index_feed_id":7833224,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/615900/rss","website_url":"https://sites.libsyn.com/615900","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/c/c/f/3/ccf3c6bcee19d5acd959afa2a1bf1c87/Gemini_Generated_Image_cy20fgcy20fgcy20.png","author":"Nate Birt","episode_count":11,"summary":"Perennial Pen is a podcast for people who miss deep conversation and still believe the best questions in life deserve more than a rushed answer. I'm Nate Birt, and each episode is an invitation to slow down, pull up a chair, and listen in on the kinds of stories, memories, and life lessons that usually don't come out unless somebody makes the time and asks with care. We'll talk about family, faith, regret, joy, keepsakes, growing older, what lasts, and what we hope the people we love will remember about us when all is said and done. This isn't polished advice from on high. It's closer to a fireside chat, a front-porch visit, or one of those long conversations that leaves you feeling more awake to your own life. My hope is that you'll hear something here that helps you ask better questions, tell the truth a little more bravely, and start leaving a legacy now, while there's still life in your veins and people to love. If you're hungry for deeper connection—with your parents, your kids, your friends, your own story, or simply the life you're living—welcome. There's a seat for you here.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T00:18:16.294929+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224"},"episode":{"title":"#2: How to Achieve Your Lifelong Dream of Becoming an Author After Age 60","slug":"2-how-to-achieve-your-lifelong-dream-of-becoming-an-author-after-age-60","published_at":"2026-05-25T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224/2-how-to-achieve-your-lifelong-dream-of-becoming-an-author-after-age-60","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224","url":"https://2570ab7b-bc69-46ef-85e7-1fcaa2ab09bb.libsyn.com/2-how-to-achieve-your-lifelong-dream-of-becoming-an-author-after-age-60","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/2570ab7b-bc69-46ef-85e7-1fcaa2ab09bb/02_Mace_from_Missouri_-_Perennial_Pen_MST_260519.mp3?dest-id=5372295","summary":"What happens when a childhood dream waits quietly for decades—and then finally gets its chance? In this episode, I talk with Mace from Missouri about writing, history, friendship, and the long road between wanting to do something meaningful as an author and finally beginning the journey. Mace grew up on a small farm in northeast Kansas, spent much of his career telling the stories of farm families and rural America, and later turned a sixth-grade dream of becoming an author into a new chapter of life after 60. We talk about the spark behind his historical fiction, the real-life people and places that inspired his books, and why stories from the past still have something to teach us today. Along the way, Mace shares a remarkable moment at a cemetery, the importance of friendship in shaping his work, and the simple but difficult truth that getting started is often the hardest part. In this episode, we explore: The childhood dreams we carry with us for years Why getting started can be the hardest step How history helps us understand conviction, friendship, and human struggle The role of rural life and farm families in Mace's storytelling Why good characters sometimes begin to \"tell\" a writer where the story should go The power of friendship to support the work we are called to do Reflection question: What is something you've wanted to do since childhood that might still be waiting for your attention? If you or someone you know has a meaningful, life-affirming story to share on Perennial Pen , email me at nate@silvermaplestrategies.com . I reply to every message personally! Resources mentioned on this episode Mace Thornton's author site: https://www.macethornton.com/ Book Links The Ghosts of Gumbo Flats https://www.macethornton.com/the-ghosts-of-gumbo-flats Freedman Kansas…","meta_description":"What happens when a childhood dream waits quietly for decades—and then finally gets its chance? In this episode, I talk with Mace from Missouri about writ…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2240,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224/episodes/2-how-to-achieve-your-lifelong-dream-of-becoming-an-author-after-age-60/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perennial-pen-what-matters-most-a-silver-maple-strategies-podcast-with-nate-birt-7833224/2-how-to-achieve-your-lifelong-dream-of-becoming-an-author-after-age-60.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}