The Pen — An Original Civil War Story by Don McDonald

About this episode

The episode features an original Civil War story about Henry Pollard's complex relationship with words and the impact of a single moment on his life.

Henry Pollard has always had a dangerous relationship with words. In 1861 Indianapolis, while the country rushes headlong toward war, Henry would prefer to remain where he is: alive, sarcastic, and safely distant from glory. But a simple errand on behalf of a worried mother places him at a recruiting table outside the statehouse, where one ordinary moment begins quietly rearranging the rest of his life. The Pen  is an original short story set in the world of The Line Uncrossed, a literary Civil War novel about family, memory, survival, and the irreversible weight of seemingly small decisions. Told with wit, warmth, and the hindsight of years, it offers a deeply human glimpse into the young men who marched toward war before they understood what war truly was. The Line Uncrossed , available May 22, 2026 at Amazon.com , BN.com , and a host of other book and e-book services. Podcast listeners can get an early access to The Line Uncrossed e-book offer with bonus stories, including this one, at donmcdonald.com We are so honored to have been featured by Apple Podcasts as a great source for summer stories. If you don't want to miss our future stories, please Follow or…

People in this episode

Host: Don McDonald

Topics covered

• Civil War
• short story
• family
• memory
• survival
• decisions

Keywords

• Civil War
• short story
• Henry Pollard
• The Line Uncrossed
• decisions
• memory
• survival

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Line Uncrossed

Places: Indianapolis

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