The first time Stewart suggested he do an interview with me was shortly after my book, “Inner Peace . . . It Isn’t Out There!” was published. Somehow only the audio from that interview was recorded. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t entirely ready to let my vulnerabilities be exposed to the world—especially with my face attached to them. But over time, sharing my unhealthy family perspective transformed from intense guilt to deeply cathartic.
When I began speaking about my experiences at book presentations, facing audiences of strangers, I was surprised, and moved, by how many people approached me afterwards, saying my story resonated with their own relationships. One young man even thanked me for giving him the clarity and courage to acknowledge his feelings about his parents and relatives. He told me that realizing he could walk away from them, and not only survive, but actually thrive, was a revelation that changed his life.
Then, when Stewart’s “It’s Just a Conversation” Zoom series focused on writers and people in creative professions, he finally convinced me to DO IT!
I then, once again, listened to the audio “interview” we did back when Inner Peace was published and decided to share it. Accustomed to seeing as I listened, I inserted pictures of my artwork where the video wasn’t!
Fast forward – when “The Book of Story Rhymes – Tales of unpredictable people and the Baggage they Carry” was published, Rosa Santana, a respected writer and Yoga instructor with a solid Interviewing reputation, sat down with me to talk about my latest writing accomplishment.
Unlike “Inner Peace . . . It Isn’t Out There!“, a serious novelesque memoire, “The Book of Story Rhymes“ is a collection of short, in depth tales with surprise endings about quirky people, told in rhyme form.
As I write my next Book, serious and not so serious “Musings”, I am working with Stewart on a new Center for Folk and Community Art project, What It Feels Like to Grow Older – Part II.
