"I remember Dorothy Allison telling me, 'This is going to be hard for you. It's going to hurt you, hurt your health.' And she was right ..."

Speaking with Kelly Wallace on her Recognize Your Power podcast about the steep challenges and costs, but also potential transcendence, of writing childhood trauma

I had the opportunity to speak with Kelly Wallace on her Recognize Your Power podcast, joining a cadre of writers I deeply admire including real life friends like Laura Davis and Kati Standefer.

You can listen here.

We spoke a lot about the craft of writing childhood trauma, especially childhood sexual abuse. But we also talked about grad school, shopping tough memoir material, and the impact of memoir on real-life relationships. Plus, James Pennebaker’s expressive writing research and writing to heal methodology, super scary literary readings, and the way in which making art from a “pile of horror” can change everything, including us.

"I remember Dorothy Allison telling me, 'This is going to be hard for you. It's going to hurt you, hurt your health.' And she was right ... There is risk and there is sacrifice. But the women who did that for me literally changed my life. They opened a door that changed everything."

I loved speaking with Kelly and hope the dialogue is helpful for other writers and humans. Let me know what you think. And you can share this post if you like, it’s free for all.

Love,

Jeannine