November 1 2021
“It’s all about the harmonica,” insists musician, author, and all-around funnyman Sam Barry


Our spotlight is on: Author, musician, and all-around funnyman Sam Barry.
Our hot topic: Why it’s important to write that book already! And how to keep your sense of humor—even when the proverbial poop is hitting the fan.
Your host: Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher of Be Inkandescent magazine, and founder & president of The Inkandescent Group, LLC
Click here to listen to the podcast.
On the “I Got the Music In Me” radio show, we give voice to songbirds, and always ask: “What’s your story?”
That will be easy to answer in this episode, thanks to our guest is Sam Barry. He is the author of the humorously inspirational book, “Write That Book Already: The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now,” which he co-wrote with his wife, author and literary provocateur Kathi Kamen Goldmark.
Barry also wrote, “How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons,” and currently is a contributing editor at Zyzzyva, the West Coast’s premier literary magazine. For the last 12 years, he was a marketing manager for HarperOne, a division of HarperCollins.
If that’s not enough, Barry is equally creative on stage, and plays in and around San Francisco in the band Los Train Wreck. He also tours with the all-author rock band, The Rock Bottom Remainders, with whom he appeared on Good Morning America, and The Craig Ferguson Show. He has also been a regular performer on the national radio show West Coast Live.
A gifted music teacher, Barry has helped thousands of people discover the joy of making music on the harmonica and piano (not at the same time). In a previous life he was the co-founder of a nonprofit art gallery and performance space in San Francisco’s Mission District, and a Presbyterian minister in Omaha and Boston.
In this episode of The Inkandescent Radio Show:
- We talk to Barry about his beloved wife Kathi Kamen Goldmark, who died on May 24, 2012. She was a friend to many, including us at Be Inkandescent, and we were deeply saddened to hear of her passing. Barry was by her side at every step as she battled cancer, and just weeks later after her death, he posted a beautiful tribute to her on his website.
- We also take a deeper dive in the art of writing books, based on his latest book, “Write That Book Already!”
- In our 25 Publishing Rules of Thumb From Bestselling Authors, Barry’s advice to other authors was to “Promote, promote, promote.” Does that advice still hold?
- Barry recalls his fondest memory as a member of The Rock Bottom Remainders. Was it the shows he played with Roger McGuinn, founder of The Byrds?
- He was once a Presbyterian minister. What inspired him to get into that field, and why did he leave the ministry?
- What’s he’s working on these days? Any new books in the works?
More:
• Read our Q&A with Sam here
• Find out why it’s time to Write That Book Already! by Sam Barry, and his wife, Kathi Kamen Goldmark
• And check out our interview with Sam, and his brother — award-winning humor writer brother Dave Barry — in The Funny Issue: Be Inkandescent magazine of the Month featured on her monthly business magazine, www.BeInkandescent.com — as well as the Truly Amazing Women she has interviewed for her international book project, www.TrulyAmazingWomen.com.
Gibbs also interviews the bestselling authors, nationally renowned artists, and expert columnists featured in “Be Inkandescent” magazine, and on her popular networking website, www.InkandescentNetworking.com, which lists hundreds of the best networking events—and the professionals—in 7 East Coast cities. Plus, she’ll be talking to top restaurateurs, chefs, foodies, and hoteliers whom she spotlights in her “From Soup to Nuts” reviews.
Promoting, educating, and inspiring entrepreneurs is the mission of The Inkandescent Group, LLC — a PR, marketing, design, and publishing company that helps small businesses get the visibility they need to glow and grow, www.inkandescentpr.com.
So, what’s your story? If you’d like to be interviewed on The Inkandescent Radio Show, send Gibbs an email: hope@inkandescentpr.com.