Episodes
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
In part 1 of this 2-part series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, interviews Amanda Reilly Sayer, a pediatric psychiatric nurse practitioner by day, to discover how and why she turns to painting, poetry, and photography. "It's important to me," she says, "to think about how I can inspire or offer gifts to other people...sharing the love, paying it forward." In a frank discussion about emotional pain and healing, Amanda says grief and emotional pain can be transformed through creativity. The act of transforming, itself, is an act of creation, she explains. "Where are your wellsprings?" she asks herself and patients.
For more about Amanda's paintings, poetry, and photography, visit her blog, Painting Poetry in Motion.
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
In part 2 of this week's series, podcaster Tracy Crow, author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, talks with novelist and Navy veteran, Jeffery Hess, about the value of writing workshops and about his own writing process. Jeff is the author of the forthcoming novel, No Salvation, and the novels,Tushhog and Beachhead; the story collection, Cold War Canoe Club; and the editor of the award-winning anthologies Home of the Brave: Stories in Uniform and Home of the Brave: Somewhere in the Sand. Prior to earning a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Florida, he served aboard the Navy’s oldest and newest ships. He’s published numerous short stories that recall this period of his life, and he's held writing positions at a daily newspaper, a Fortune 500 company, and a university-based research center. He lives in Florida, where he writes and leads the DD-214 Writers’ Workshop for military veterans.
Tuesday Apr 02, 2019
EP #22: Part 1 -- Novelist, Navy vet crafts newest book from historic events
Tuesday Apr 02, 2019
Tuesday Apr 02, 2019
In part 1 of this 2-part series, podcaster Tracy Crow, author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, interviews novelist and Navy veteran, Jeffery Hess, to discover how the 1970s' race riots aboard U.S. ships inspired his forthcoming novel, NO SALVATION, and how he knew to allow his fictionalized version of history -- and his memorable cast of characters -- to set sail on their own purpose-driven course. This incredibly insightful craft discussion about fiction is also chocked full of life lessons, such as Jeff's insistence that societal or literary pressures about who can, or should be allowed to, write certain material based on one's gender or ethnicity are just modern forms of censorship to rebel.
By the way, Jeff is also the author of the novels,Tushhog, Beachhead, and the story collection, Cold War Canoe Club, as well as the editor of the award-winning anthologies Home of the Brave: Stories in Uniform, and Home of the Brave: Somewhere in the Sand. Prior to earning a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Florida, he served aboard the Navy’s oldest and newest ships. He’s published numerous short stories that recall this period of his life, and he's held writing positions at a daily newspaper, a Fortune 500 company, and a university-based research center. He lives in Florida, where he writes and leads the DD-214 Writers’ Workshop for military veterans.
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
EP #21: Part 2: Discovering stillness, gifts through life-changing Vision Quest
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
In part two of this week's series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, discovers what outdoors enthusiast and friend, Teana Kivett, learned about herself and about her life during days 2, 3, and 4 of her Vision Quest. Despite planning elaborate, hilarious escape plans, Teana confesses she finally found the stillness she'd been so desperately searching for, and she shares the life-changing lessons she took with her for reintegration with her normal life that included a job, home, and lots of family and friends. "For two days, all I wanted was to leave and go home, and during the last two days, all I wanted was to stay where I was." And she'll explain why!
For more information about the Vision Quest, contact Sam and Novella Kennedy through their website, Earth Visions.
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Monday Mar 25, 2019
In part one of this two-part series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, talks with friend Teana Kivett, a North Carolina native and outdoors enthusiast, who shares when and why she knew it was time (finally) to search for answers about her life through a four-day Native American rite-of-passage known as the Vision Quest. For years, she admits, she waved off suggestions of a Vision Quest from close friends who lead such ventures. The concept of heading into the woods with nothing more than water, clothing, a sleeping bag, and a tarp just never appealed to her, largely because of her fear of the dark. Whenever she'd been hiking and camping with friends, she says she'd curl up in the fetal position, afraid she'd be eaten. "And I was in a tent," she laughs. No tent allowed on a Vision Quest! Teana shares how she chose her site for the Vision Quest and why her first day solo in the woods was, and still is considered, the longest day of her life.
Be sure to return March 28 to learn what happens Days 2, 3, and 4 of Teana's Vision Quest, and for her life-changing self-discoveries. And for more information about a Vision Quest, contact Sam and Novella Kennedy through their website, Earth Visions.
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
In part 2 of this week's series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, shares her teaching methods for helping us find the stories of our lives, and especially the meaningful patterns that have possibly shaped or distorted our perceptions of...our Self! When her first book, Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine, released on April Fool's Day 2012, with an excerpt appearing on AOL/HuffPo to a storm of negativity, Tracy made a surprising life-changing self-discovery about the power of self-reflective writing. And now she's passionate about sharing her proven writing methods with the world.
This episode includes excerpts by writers published in Tracy's anthology, Red, White, & True: Stories from Veterans and Families, WWII to Present.
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
In part 1 of this week's two-part series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, shares the harrowing experience of her first book release in 2012 that led to a surprising life-changing self-discovery about the power of self-reflective writing. When an excerpt of her memoir, Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine, appears online April 1, 2012, on AOL/HuffPo, and under the most salacious headline imaginable, Tracy wants to believe this is some sort of elaborate April Fool's joke. But it's not. Soon, the article has attracted hundreds of unflattering comments filled with anger and slut-shaming attempts, and Tracy's college students plead with her not to read the comments. Later in the day, the Daily Mail contacts her for an interview, and Tracy's beginning to believe this could be her final day as an assistant professor. "Don't read the comments," she hears throughout the day from students, her daughter, and friends. But Tracy does read the comments. Every. Single. Comment. And makes a startling self-discovery!
Be sure to return Thursday, March 20, to hear Tracy share her proven workshop method for helping writers find the stories of their own lives!
Thursday Mar 14, 2019
EPISODE 17: Part 2 -- Army veteran reads excerpt of compelling PTSD memoir
Thursday Mar 14, 2019
Thursday Mar 14, 2019
In part two of this series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, talks with Army veteran, Antoinette Lee Toscano -- a contributing writer for Culturs Magazine -- about how she transformed from post-traumatic-stress related agoraphobia to her "new normal - BIG life" that includes outdoor adventures in Colorado and international travel. While therapy is necessary for some, she insists, the most effective tool she found for recovery from PTSD -- the result of a military sexual assault that left her with a traumatic brain injury -- has been self-reflective writing. Thanks to a workshop experience several years ago in one of Tracy's On Point Women Warriors Writing Workshops in Raleigh, North Carolina, Antoinette says she finally had permission to tell her story, the whole truth and all of it. And so she has, recently completing a book-length memoir she's titled, "4 Hours to Live: Memoir of a Female Soldier." And today, she reads an excerpt for us!
For more information about Antoinette, visit her website!
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
In part one of this two-part series, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, talks with Army veteran, Antoinette Lee Toscano -- a contributing writer for Culturs Magazine -- about how she transformed from post-traumatic-stress related agoraphobia to her "new normal - BIG life" that includes outdoor adventures in Colorado and international travel. While therapy is necessary for some, she insists, the most effective tool she found for recovery from PTSD -- the result of a military sexual assault that left her with a traumatic brain injury -- has been self-reflective writing. Thanks to a workshop experience several years ago in one of Tracy's On Point Women Warriors Writing Workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina, Antoinette says she finally had permission to tell her story, the whole truth and all of it. And so she has, recently completing a book-length memoir she's titled, "4 Hours to Live: Memoir of a Female Soldier." Be sure to return March 14 to hear Antoinette read a compelling excerpt from her memoir!
For more information about Antoinette, visit her website!
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
In this episode, podcaster Tracy Crow, an author, writing coach, and Marine Corps veteran, talks with friend Susan Gray about how creativity is helping her overcome enormous trauma. "Sewing makes sense to me...when nothing else about the world makes sense," she explains. After discovering that her husband of nearly thirty years had been molesting their son and others, and was facing criminal charges that included witness tampering, Susan filed for divorce -- a move that, sadly, alienated her from her children. "They blamed me for making their dad's life even harder," she says. On the first day of the trial, she shares that her ex-husband abruptly left the courthouse after looking over the lengthy witness list that included the name of their son who was prepared to tell the whole truth. Susan says her ex-husband -- father of her four children -- committed suicide in the courthouse parking lot. As a mother, she longed to comfort her grieving children, but they blamed her for their father's suicide. Susan reveals how creativity through sewing has kept her "sane" throughout the trauma, and how sewing has served as a healing bridge of communication between her and the children. These days, she's also creating a complex quilt from a design requiring 37 types of fabric. One day while cutting strips of fabric to re-create a new pattern alongside strips of other fabrics, she had an epiphany: "This quilt is actually a metaphor of my life." Just like the quilt design, she, too, is re-purposing the less-than-beautiful strips of her past into new patterns. "I can't go back to my old life," she says, "but I can create something beautiful from the pieces of it."