Dropping In: Recent Episodes

Diane Dewey

Drop in to the dream of becoming an author. How does the book publishing business actually work? If you’re ready to tell your story, what’s the best way to do it?

Her Lovage titles alone are so mouthwatering you just have to read them napkin in hand: A Diary: Marta's Fish Tacos; Metta, the Forest Through the Trees, Tarajia's Paris List; La Favorita, Sicilia; José Ignacio & Garzón, a guide; Last Supper – Shad Roe and much more.

You'll surrender your pages, shut your laptop, and run to pack upon perusing Tarajia's travelogues: Men’s Journal, January 2018: West Texas Swing; Monocle Hotel Book: Hotel du Cap Eden Roc—the hotel as artist's studio; Food & Wine Magazine, July 2017: The Capri, Marfa; WSJ. Magazine, September 2017: Les Grands Verres Opens at Palais de Tokyo, Paris; T Magazine: In Marfa, Eating the Ancient Way; WSJ. Magazine, April 2016, The Iñaki Effect, Troutbeck 2020 Gift Guide, Departures: Two British Columbian Properties Emphasize Conservation, Departures, July 2019: Galleria Vik Milano; Departures: St. Regis Rome, Casting Light on a New Era, among other limitless and tantalising destinations.

And of course, dining deliciously as a way of life occupies great mental, emotional, and creative space, not to mention social consciousness, thus; Soul of New York; PHAIDON Today's Special: 20 Leading Chefs Choose 100 Emerging Chefs, and future titles. You get the picture. If you want to keep a toe on the pulse of authentic lifestyle--at the intersection of climate awareness and palettes, daring do and wondrous adventures, Drop In with us as we speak with Tarajia Morrell, writer extraordinaire, mom of Viva, daughter to gustatory & oenological connoisseurs, friend to wine folk, farmers, growers, and cooks everywhere.

New York Times Bestseller will drop in with us to talk about the making of Fly Girl An entertaining and fascinating memoir of “gifted storyteller” (People) Ann Hood’s adventurous years as a TWA flight attendant named one of Spring 2022's Most Anticipated Books by Apple Books

In 1978, in the tailwind of the Golden Age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world, Ann Hood joined their ranks. She carved chateaubriand in the first-class cabin, found romance on layovers in London and Lisbon, and walked more than a million miles in high heels, smiling as she served thousands of passengers. She flew through the start of deregulation, an oil crisis, massive furloughs, and a labor strike.

As the airline industry changed around her, Hood began to write—even drafting snatches of her first novel from the jump-seat. She reveals how the job empowered her, despite its roots in sexist standards. Packed with funny, moving, and shocking stories of life as a flight attendant, Fly Girl captures the nostalgia and magic of air travel at its height, and the thrill that remains with every takeoff. ? Flying into a bookstore near you on May 3rd, 2022! Pick up a copy and learn from a master how it's done. Ann will speak about publishing her memoir, revisiting memories, and how the airline industry changed not just itself, but her, into a self-confident, uber competent woman during the 1970's and to this day, informs her writing, her book tours and herself.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a website media business with affiliates to enhance our service to visitors. It is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Their goal is to offer assistance and guidance. IWSG wants to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

Alex J. Cavanaugh, the founder, noticed a lot of blog posts from writers mentioning their doubts, concerns, and lack of confidence. He also saw the positive replies they received and realized that the writing community offered an abundance of support. Writers want to see other writers succeed, which is how he came up with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This group would act as a form of therapy, letting writers post about situations where they need encouragement, or to offer words of encouragement to others if they have experience.

On September 7, 2011, Alex launched the monthly blog posting of the IWSG and it has been going strong ever since.

On the first Wednesday of every month IWSG shares thoughts about writing on our blogs. We also have an optional monthly question to assist with member's posts, which can be found on the Sign-Up page.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group has grown since conception. Over 150 people are a part of the blogging community that posts on the first Wednesday of every month, known as IWSG Day.

The group has expanded beyond blogging into other forms. It has a Facebook Group with 4800+ members. Our free monthly newsletter, which has featured industry experts like Jane Friedman and Sandra Beckwith, has 600+ subscribers.We are on Instagram, Twitter, and it also has a Book Club.

IWSG offers a free guide for writers: The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Guide to Publishing and Beyond, plus our Guide to Writing for Profit. It has an annual anthology contest, which include titles such as Parallels: Felix Was Here, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, and Dark Matter: Artificial. They even have their own merchandise which include pens, magnets, and T-shirts!

Alex and the nine other administrators are actively pushing the group to greater heights. Nothing is impossible when insecure writers band together.

Drop in with us to find out how Insecure Writers Support can help you & your project!

Facebook Group / Newsletter Twitter / Book Club / Instagram IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond and IWSG Writing for Profit Anthology: Parallels / Anthology: Hero Lost Anthology: Tick Tock / Anthology - Masquerade Anthology: Voyagers Anthology: Dark Matter IWSG Merchandise

Start with an idea and end as a novelist -- NaNoWriMo has a proven track record with creating authors! What Is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists. NaNoWriMo officially became a nonprofit organization in 2006, and our programs support writing fluency and education. Our website hosts more than a million writers, serving as a social network with author profiles, personal project libraries, and writing buddies. NaNoWriMo tracks words for writers like Fitbit tracks steps, and hosts real-world writing events in cities from Mexico City, to Seoul, to Milwaukee with the help of 900+ volunteers in thousands of partnering libraries and community centers like… well, like nothing else. NaNoWriMo is internet-famous. It’s community-powered (hello, Wrimos!). It’s hosted authors drafting novels like Water for Elephants, WOOL, and Fangirl. It’s a teaching tool and curriculum taught in 5,920 classrooms, and NaNoWriMo’s programs run year-round. Whatever you thought NaNoWriMo is, it’s more than that. Drop in with us to find out how you can get writerly support, online or in your area, for your own project! Find your writing tribe at NaNoWriMo ~ it's adult educators for writers.

The Writers Happiness Movement is based on two unwavering beliefs: 1) Kindness, inclusion, and joy matter. 2) The written word is one of the most powerful ways to promote courage, empathy, and ferocity of the heart. The goal of the movement is to create more happiness for every writer while making the world a better place for all writers. Everything we offer is here to help you access more joy, more writing time, and more spaciousness for and around your writing and life. This includes free online writers’ retreats, free online yoga for writers, and micro-grants for writers, as well as a long-term vision of adding in large-scale programs such as bigger grants, residencies, and retirement homes for writers completely funded by the Writers Happiness Movement. This is all funded through an alternative economic structure rooted in kindness and inclusion, an economic sructure that is part of our little corner of how we change the world. The Writers Happiness Movement is meant to be both a revolution and a refuge. There’s nothing you have to do to be part of it, other than be who you are and write what you write. Whether you’ve been writing for decades, are just starting to think you might like to write, or are somewhere in between, the Writers Happiness Movement is here to remind you how important what you do actually is. Breathe. Write. Love. We’ve got your back.

Writers Happiness Movement founder Lori R. Snyder is the author of The Circus at the End of the Sea Published by HarperCollins Publishers Available Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook A vibrant and enchanting debut novel about a lonely girl who discovers a magical street circus, perfect for fans of Kelly Barnhill and Rebecca Stead! Maddy Adriana knows that magic is real. All her life, her heart has pulled her towards things too perfect to be ordinary—not to mention her mysterious silver bracelet that never comes off. One day, the tug of her heart leads her to Il Circo delle Strade, the magical street circus hidden in plain sight among the canals and boardwalks of Venice Beach, California...and for the first time in her life, Maddy feels like she might belong. But the circus is in grave danger, and it seems only Maddy can help. Her journey will take her to the end of the sea, where she will have to confront the frightening side of magic as well as her own deepest fears if she is to save the place she hopes to call home. This unforgettable debut shows readers the magic of following your heart and finding where you belong.

Lori will Drop In with us to talk about the two worlds of writing, all the myriad aspects of writer's support -- and the why's & how's of Happiness is a key component to writing well. Join us!

What happens when an author, Liz Keller Whitehurst, has written an exciting book, Messenger, that hasn't yet found its publishing home? The clock is ticking. The author gets itchy and she begins to wonder: Maybe there's another way? Liz has her book read and recorded professionally with gorgeous sound accompaniment, and releases it by episode as a series of podcasts. And the world starts to listen, and listen, and listen some more. Until our author realises that she has discovered a way that Messenger was perhaps meant to be released. Its widespread popularity translated to over a thousand downloads. And then, Warner Publishing had the wisdom to realize that many readers still want to hold a beautiful book in their hands, and that Messenger could be transformed once again.

Hear Liz Whitehurst document the journey that has the publishing world's attention and has captivated the imagination of authors and readers everywhere. As Liz writes of her subject:

A Slight Swerve That Changes Everything

“You know that message everybody’s been waiting for their whole lives, as long as they can remember? They’ve looked for it in the mail, e-mail, text, letter, in every book or magazine they’ve ever read. On billboards. In others’ faces. Well, I bring that message. That’s my job. It’s up to me. That’s why I came.”

From Messenger’s Composition Book, MESSENGER

We'll find out how Liz created the slight swerve that changed everything for her; how she intuited what needed to be done, and how she did it. Delving into the query of if Messenger has more messages and how we'll find them, Drop In this week. Its a Godsend!

As the first hybrid publisher recipient of the 2019 Independent Publisher of the Year, She Writes Press, where Lauren Wise serves as Associate Publisher, is unique in the world of publishing because we’re neither traditional publishing, nor are they self-publishing. As an independent publisher, they bill themselves as a “third way” for authors, and they proudly occupy the gray zone, a much-needed alternative in a rapidly changing publishing landscape.

Unlike self-publishing platforms that publish whatever comes through regardless of quality, SWP is a curated press that works with authors to ensure that their books will be well-received in the marketplace. Unlike traditional publishing houses, which buy the majority stake in your book but often don’t deliver when it comes to providing the editorial and marketing help you need, SWP gives authors an experienced editorial and production team, while allowing them to retain full ownership of their project and earnings.

We have been called hybrid publishing, partnership publishing, and co-publishing, and all of these terms are representative of what She Writes Press does.

WHAT IS HYBRID PUBLISHING?

The hybrid publishing model of She Writes Press is unique in the world of publishing, not only because of its mission and built-in community of women writers and readers, and also because it offers a much-needed alternative in a rapidly changing publishing landscape. There is a big difference between hybrid, self-publishing, and vanity presses; most notably that our hybrid model has traditional distribution, manuscript vetting, and was involved in the creation of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) list of 9 criteria defining what it means to be a professional hybrid publisher.

IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria Define a mission and vision for its publishing program. Vet submissions. Publish under its own imprint(s) and ISBNs. Publish to industry standards. Ensure editorial, design, and production quality. Pursue and manage a range of publishing rights. Provide distribution services. Demonstrate respectable sales. Pay authors a higher-than-standard royalty.

7 reasons authors love their hybrid formula: Expertise; Distribution; Reputation; Royalties; Curation; Celebrated; and Partnership

Drop In w/ Lauren Wise, Associate Publisher at She Writes Press to answer your author questions about these important elements to publishing!

Bern, Switzerland—known for its narrow cobblestone streets, decorative fountains, and striking towers. Yet dark currents run through this charming medieval city and beyond, to the idyllic farmlands that surround it.

After a rave on a hot summer’s night erupts into violent riots, a young man is found the next morning bludgeoned to death with a policeman’s club. Later that day, an elderly organic farmer turns up dead and drenched with pesticide.

Seasoned detective Giuliana Linder is assigned to the first death, while her younger colleague Renzo Donatelli heads out to the countryside to investigate the second. Giuliana’s disappointment that they won’t be working together is tinged with relief. Her life is complicated enough without having to deal with the distractingly attractive Renzo.

But when an unexpected discovery ties the two victims into a single case, Giuliana and Renzo are thrown together closer than ever before. Their investigation takes them down a dangerous path, threatening not only Giuliana’s marriage but also her assumptions about the police. To prevent the murderer from killing again, she’ll have to put her life on the line—and her principles.

This debut mystery in the Polizei Bern series is a suspenseful detective story laced with romance. An inventive tale with a fascinating Swiss setting, it’s packed with enough surprises to keep you guessing till the end.

Drop in with us to find out how Kim Hays wrote her first crime novel to much acclaim, how she'll turn it into a series, and turn her dream of writing a murder mystery into reality!

Enter the world of your local Indie bookseller and find yourself again! Bookstores have become a hub in your community, a place to browse, to sit a spell, to have a conversation. And there's more fun to be had in an Indie bookstore, where salespeople actually talk!

What does it mean to be an Indie bookseller? How do trends affect book buying, book writing and book reading? Should anyone follow trends? What about the rare finds in the used book section? Can anyone trust the shelf headings or is a conversation with a knowledgeable bookseller the most meaningful interaction you've had in a while? Traveling? or traveling through books. It's possible to be transported through your imagination. And if you find yourself in NOLA? By all means stop in. If not? Tune into Book Banter, hosted by our guest Rayna Nielsen from your phone, laptop or device!

Blue Cypress Books is a local, woman-owned, New Orleans bookstore and has been a warm and welcoming place to find high-quality used and new books since 2008. BCB is an inclusive and welcoming place where we speak our minds and invite open conversations. We pride ourselves on our selection and believe that anyone who walks in the door will be able to find something they will want to take home. With a focus on modern literature, New Orleans writers and subjects, children’s books, science fiction, foreign language and more, we have carefully cultivated our selection. And, of course, if you don’t see something you are looking for, we are happy to order it for you. Our courteous and knowledgeable staff are always happy to make recommendations for you (and we know what we’re talking about). We are proud members of the American Booksellers Association and the Southern Independent Booksellers Association, and we are consistently rated as a top bookstore in New Orleans. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Drop In with us and enter the legendary Garden District of New Orleans and beyond!

Please join us for a conversation with a New York Times Bestselling author to talk novel writing, editing, coaching and getting your book published!

Emily Colin’s debut novel, THE MEMORY THIEF, was a New York Times bestseller and a Target Emerging Authors Pick. She is also the author of THE DREAM KEEPER’S DAUGHTER (Ballantine Books). Her young adult titles include the anthology WICKED SOUTH: SECRETS AND LIES and the Seven Sins series, both from Blue Crow Publishing, as well as the anthology UNBOUND: STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION, LOVE, AND MONSTERS (Five Points Press), which was a Suspense Magazine “Best of” 2021 pick as well as a 2021 Foreword INDIES Award finalist.

SWORD OF THE SEVEN SINS, the first book in her Seven Sins series, was a Foreword INDIES Award finalist, the YA fiction winner of the North Carolina Indie Author Project, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy. SIEGE OF THE SEVEN SINS is a 2021 Foreword Indies finalist as well. Emily’s diverse life experience includes organizing a Coney Island tattoo and piercing show, hauling fish at a dolphin research center, roaming New York City as an itinerant teenage violinist, helping launch two small publishing companies, and working to facilitate community engagement in the arts. Currently, she finds joy in teaching classes for the Writers Workshop at Authors Publish and working as a freelance editor. Originally from Brooklyn, Emily lives in coastal North Carolina with her family. She loves chocolate, is addicted to tiramisu, and dislikes anything containing beans. You can find her trying to do yoga, with her nose buried in a book, or getting dragged down the block by her over-enthusiastic dog, Moo. Visit her at www.emilycolin.com, on IG at @emily_colin, or get a free short story at emilycolinnews.com.

Drop In with Emily this week!

This week on Dropping In, we have Scottish author Michael Miller. He began writing his debut book, The Reborn King, when he was 10. In 2015 he renewed his writing efforts and released The Reborn King in November of that year. Since then he has sold over 200,000 books, hit numerous Amazon bestselling charts. He has worked at Bloomsbury Publishing and co-founded the digital publisher Portal Books. His new award-winning series, Songs of Chaos, begins a new type of dragon rider epic fans of Eragon, How to Train Your Dragon, and Pern are sure to love. Join us Friday! 11 am EST

Michael R. Miller in conversation with his fans about his books, fantasy, and what they all might mean. Also, how does one build a career out of such an outright passion? How could you ask for more?

A little bit abut his writing from Michael's Homepage; HELLO FANTASY FANS!

My goal has always been to write the books I’d want to read - to take the best of what’s been done before and spin it into something new. My hope is to write stories that take you in and spark your own imagination as my favourite reads did for me.

Drop in with us to hear Michael speak about his works!

Elysse helps authors determine the most effective promotional path for their book releases, and for crafting their brand. Prior to joining the Books Forward team, Elysse worked as a content strategist in the nonprofit sector. She is also a seasoned book blogger and social media influencer, amassing a following of more than ten thousand avid readers who value her savvy book recommendations. She was even a trusted reviewer for Books Forward authors and championed the company’s talented writers before joining the Books Forward family. Dreams really do come true (for us and Elysse!) as she landed a job with Books Forward and turned her passion into a full-time career. She lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, Nick, and their yellow lab, Murphy.

In case you didn't know .... A Content Strategist, or Content Marketing Specialist, is responsible for working with a team of Content Creators to come up with unique content ideas for publication across online or digital platforms. www.indeed.com

Every book benefits from a unique and tailor made content strategy. Why not engage one who has respect as a social media influencer and a book blogger with valued recommendations? Elysse comes equipped with an array of tools, resources, critical thinking and creativity to position your book, whether traditionally published or hybrid published, or another venue. Let's talk to her about the possibilities! Drop in with us ~

Ever wonder why great books, favourite stories, or even quirky blogs go unnoticed even though they're so wonderful? With the number of books being published annually now exceeding one million, which Bowker points out breaks down to 2,700 per day, how can any one author expect visibility?

The answer is in the publicist. Jenn Vance and her team at Books Forward, are one of the top and certainly the most beloved publicists working in the communication arts today. If you've written a book that you want readers to read and enjoy, engage in this conversation with Jenn to find out the reasons why, and why not to hire a publicist, and when. You might be surprised by the answers.

Everything from audiobooks to podcasts need a boost to be seen and heard. Is your social media profile serving you well? What is the right criteria to choose a publicist? How do you choose the areas in which you want to market? What is the process for entering competitions to win literary awards? Beyond this book, how can you connect to a community that will continue to support you and your creative efforts and offer a forum to contribute and exchange ideas for the long term?

“I would like to rave about the job Jennifer is doing for me. I am beyond pleased and impressed. She is getting gigs for me and is super responsive and encouraging. I just love a ‘can do’ attitude.” – Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt, author of the irreverent, laugh-out-loud Move on Motherfcker: Live, Laugh, and Let Sht Go

Find out how to differentiate and get yourself connected with Jenn Vance, our resident marketing expert. It will be time well spent, and, it's free! Drop In with us this week!

You've always wanted to publish a book. Now it's written. Where do you turn for an expert publisher? Jen Hutchison has been an author. She knows the journey and can show you the way. By way of background:

Jen is a very dynamic and capable 60 something year old, who has succeeded at a number of careers. But in 2012, her world imploded when her 31 year old son Raif died of an accidental drug overdose. ‘Motherling' is her story of how she walked the 800km Camino de Santiago through France and Spain with his ashes as she attempted to come to terms with his death.

It’s a beautiful read, you’ll find yourself laughing and crying, and she has received staggering feedback from other ‘ motherlings’ (the word she has adopted for women who have lost a child) who have identified so keenly with her book and taken enormous strength from it.

Many women are happily going quietly into retirement in their late 60s, not Jen, instead she launched publishing services house, Journeys to Words Publishing, working with mature age writers to hone their craft.

When she’s not publisher and editor at Journeys to Words Publishing, Jen is completing a Master of Writing and Publishing at RMIT. She’s passionate about writing, writers and good reads and this little company is the fulfilment of a dream. ? She has found her tribe. Along her journey to words, Jen has engaged with and learned her craft from some of the best writers and teachers on offer – Patti Miller, Anne Manne, Toni Jordan, Tracy O’Shaughnessy, Stuart Horwitz and Kate Ryan. They have become her mentors and friends.

Drop In with Jen to discover what makes the promise of a good read come true and potentially, how to make your own publishing dreams come true!

If your dream is to publish a book? In this episode we'll address essential questions: Should you hire an agent for your book, the book you're almost finished writing, or the book that's been in your hard drive forever? You decide, but with education from the experts. April Eberhardt of https://aprileberhardt.com will talk us through the process, the pitfalls and the magnificent summits of hiring an agent to represent you. She'll also talk writers conferences, the value of workshopping, all the various ways to become a published author and much, much more!

April Eberhardt, a literary change agent and author advocate, is passionate about helping authors be published in the most effective and satisfying way. After 25 years as a corporate strategist and management consultant, Ms. Eberhardt joined the literary world, where she saw strategic opportunity to play a role in the changing world of publishing.

Ms. Eberhardt advises and assists authors worldwide as they choose the best pathway to publication for their work, be it indie or traditional, digital or print. She represents authors traditionally, and also provides guidance to those who wish to explore non-traditional paths to publication. She serves as a consultant to new publishing startups, serves on the Advisory Council for The American Library in Paris, and is a reader for the Best American Short Stories series published annually by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Ms. Eberhardt represents clients worldwide, and speaks regularly at literary conferences in the U.S. and abroad. She will be presenting virtually at the following conferences in 2021: San Miguel Writers' Conference; Stanford Continuing Studies Program; Geneva Writer’s Group Conference; Paris Writers’ Workshop; and James River Writers' Conference, Richmond, VA.

Each summer April Eberhardt offers writers' retreats at a private chateau in Chateau-du-Loir, France for small groups of carefully selected authors. You can learn more about it here. We currently are accepting applications for Summer 2022.

What is the right course for you to publish? We'll help you decide. Drop in with us!

Update and Refresh for 2022: What is your life's purpose? Wouldn't you like to know what makes relationships work according to the stars -- in a way that enables us to know ourselves better? Ahead of Valentine's Day, we talk with Brian Hill, Humanistic Astrologer, about finding love within ourselves and in the world, and making relationships work.

Most traditional seekers have historically wanted to know what will happen and how it can be avoided if it's unpleasant. Isn't it more meaningful and sustainable long-term, and in-depth, to understand our essential characteristics? The goal is to discover our innate potential and life purpose. That is the essence of Humanistic Astrology and the core of the work that Brian delves into with us.

It's a big picture view and Brian Hill will break it down for us. We'll talk about the effects of the pandemic, our changing sense of destiny, our need to make meaning out of life, and the more pressing issue of discovering our life purpose. With so many people re-examining their work, their careers and its rewards, their worldly contributions and innermost desires, this is a conversation that you won't want to miss. Find your peace and purpose now.

Drop in with Brian Hill, and drop us a line with any questions or comments on your mind!

The Shoebox Effect

Marcie Keithley's shoebox contained a secret, one she kept for decades, one released when her shoebox was unexpectedly revealed in a moment of grief. A flood of memories and emotions were unleashed when the lid was knocked off. No longer able to deny what she had sequestered away in her closet and in her spirit, the revelation created challenges for Marcie, but it also did something positively unexpected. Releasing the truth began a cascade that resulted in a freedom Marcie did not know was possible. The Shoebox Effect gives you the steps you need to face your truths, heal your past and find the freedom you deeply desire. You’ll see how you can transform your pain into purpose and fortitude so you can embrace and live to your fullest potential.

As a result, Marcie Keithley is a co - founder of this organisation NAAP, that can help unlock your potential if you are part of the adoption mosaic.

OUR STORYThe roots of the National Association of Adoptees & Parents began in 2009 when Pam Kroskie and Marcie Keithley joined forces in an effort to unseal Indiana’s closed adoption records.

In 2015, Hoosiers for Equal Access to Records (HEAR) a 501(c)4 non-profit organization, was formed dedicated to educating legislators and the public about the importance of original birth certificate (OBC) access for adult adoptees, and mobilizing those touched by adoption to stand up for their rights.

In 2016, upon the passage of SEA91, HEAR formed Indiana Adoptee Network, Inc. (IAN) a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization when it became clear that the education/awareness of state’s lawmakers and the general public around adult adoptee matters was limited.

Over the course of four years, IAN was able to build a nationwide network allowing them to impact education, attitudes, and legislation through their alliance with other nonprofit organizations, annual conferences, newsletters, social media, and webinars.

Author #LifeStoryCoach | Host of #AdoptionHappyHour #PersonalDevelopmentJunkie #DoodleMom #ShoeBoxSherpa

Have you ever wondered what goes into the making of tennis champions like Serena, Venus, and Naomi? The answer would surprise you. Tennis presents obstacles to people of color, starting with proximity to tennis courts. Are there public tennis courts in neighborhoods around New York City, Chicago, Houston, Miami? Drop in with author Cecil Harris to find out the intricacies both personal and systemic of navigating the tennis circuit.

Different Strokes chronicles the rise of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, as well as other champions of color, closely examining how African Americans are collectively faring in tennis, on the court and off. Despite the success of the Williams sisters and the election of former pro player Katrina Adams as the U.S. Tennis Association’s first Black president, top Black players still receive racist messages via social media and sometimes in public. The reality is that while significant progress has been made in the sport, much work remains before anything resembling equality is achieved.

The days of tennis as a country club sport for the aristocracy have long passed, as have the pre-Open era days when black players faced long odds just to be invited to the four Grand Slam events. An entire generation of sports fans has grown up seeing Venus and Serena Williams as the gold standard in American professional tennis.

Although the Williams sisters have done more than any other players to make tennis accessible to a diverse population, it’s not as if the tennis revolution is over. When you watch tennis next, take a close look at the umpire, the person sitting in the high chair of authority at courtside. Look at the tournament referee and the tournament director, the officials who run the tournament. In those seats of power and influence, blacks are still woefully underrepresented.

Take a tour behind the scenes with Cecil Harris in this pre-recorded episode of Dropping In. Right now, Cecil has his keen eye trained on the Australian Open and what happens next!

This is one searing story that will surprise you with the resourcefulness, faith, determination, and ultimately, the will to survive and thrive of the author, Angela Howard. Although none of what happened to her should happen to any child, she overcame her childhood to become a loving mother of two and a mentor to many through her work with PTSD-ACED. Now, an accomplished author, Angela is a testament to the human spirit, to resilience, and to finding a way through the dark. Drop in with us to understand the human toll of child abuse and neglect and how those affected by it can find hope and light with their mental health issues and physical manifestations. It's important to find role models in this and Angela is one.

Angela Howard grew up in rural Mississippi and was the only person in her immediate family to attend college. She currently holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and further certifications in medical case management and life care planning. Angela has begun a new journey as a motivational speaker to bring increased awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and those who have suffered adverse childhood experiences (ACES). She is the founder of the PTSD-ACED Foundation, providing valuable resources to educators, healthcare professionals, and those who have endured ACEs. She resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Sin Child marks her debut as an author.

As a first time author of Sin Child, Angela Howard is the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc. Angela is a registered nurse and has worked in the medical field for the past 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and certifications in Life Care Planning and Medical Case Management.

She is highly impacted by the adverse effects of PTSD secondary to ACEs. She herself has overcome extreme adverse childhood experiences with the highest ACE score of 10. Angela’s health has been adversely affected as she suffers from multiple autoimmune disorders. Angela’s desire is to bring increased awareness of ACEs by educating those in the medical and educational fields.

Dr. Gary Reiss holds an LCSW, PhD., and is a certified trainer in Process-oriented Psychology. Drop in with us to learn how you can benefit from Getting Off the Wheel; A Process-Oriented Psychology Approach to Personal and World Liberation!

I live in the country near Eugene, Oregon with my partner Sage Emery. My daughter Eliana is working on her doctorate in child clinical psychology. My work includes my private practice, teaching Process Work and writing books. When I am not working I love being active including running, skiing, biking, and camping as well as having time to meditate, practice Akido and especially enjoy the time for laughter and fun with family and friends.I am particularly interested in applying World Work in situations of ethnic conflict, and as an alternative to war and violence. I have always considered World Work a spiritual path, and am researching moments of oneness and the use of sentient methods in the midst of great tension and violence. My work has often taken me into working with not only countries in crisis, but organizations of all kinds. I especially focus on preventing violence, and avoiding burnout, as part of organizational life. I also have been writing on connections between Coma Work, World Work, and Process Oriented Family Therapy, and am about to begin my next book on Coma Work. My main focus has been on developing this method of family therapy; on working with people in coma and recovering from head injuries; on work with the psychology of body symptoms; and on conflict resolution.

Gary has a private practice in Eugene and Portland, Oregon, has been Director of Rivers Way Community Clinic in Portland for 20 years, and teaches Process oriented Psychology worldwide, now actively teaching in 17 countries. He is a senior faculty member at the Process Work Institute, and brings 40 plus years’ experience to his work. His specialties include family therapy, sex therapy, working with coma patients, Worldwork in hot spots in the world, organizational development, and integrating Process Work with different spiritual traditions.

He has published 10 books including The Dance of Sex; Dreaming Money: and Families that Dream Together. His latest book is Love, Power, and Wisdom.

“Gary Reiss is a deep teacher. He has a wizardry about him, in that he is able to tap into many levels of consciousness at once. He is acutely aware of the students, consistently responding to us with a very direct and unique brand of sensitivity. Gary has a way of teaching through personal experience and story that paints a picture and invites us into a world of symbolism and metaphor. He has a great sense of humor, a lightness that creates a surprisingly colorful, fun atmosphere in which to learn about difficult topics. He is also a very physical person, which helps us connect more deeply to an inner awareness of our own bodies. I always feel at ease when I’m around Gary, knowing I am welcome and valued in his class.” – Student

It's never been more essential to figure out what is your life's purpose, what you long for, and how to manifest it. Drum roll for our next guest: Brian Hill, who has an uncanny knack for helping you find your life purpose and passion! An astrologer for the NYT and other publications, and author of The Ace of Wands – Brian can situate his clients in the real world of the moment, reach into their past and gently encourage their future course. He truly merits the titles humanistic astrologer and renaissance healer/ alchemist. Join us for a synergistic conversation Friday, December 31, at 11 am EST! Brian has walked the walk. Drop In! . .

A Mindful Year: 365 Ways to Find Connection and the Sacred in Everyday Life is a lens on life. From two experts on the psychology of behavior change comes A Mindful Year, the first book of its kind to join the age-old wisdom of mindfulness with cognitive behavioral science—the best-tested set of practices for alleviating stress and anxiety. Written from friend to friend, one day at a time, the authors invite you to start a new pattern—one that begins with taking just a few quiet moments to reconnect with what is most important, each day. As practical as it is inspirational, A Mindful Year marries moments of mindful reflection with calls to action to live in a way that is grounded, authentic, and compassionate. Drop In with us to find out how it works and why.

Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh, DClinPsy, CPsychol, is a doctor in clinical psychology and an expert in the fields of behavior change and long-term health (dr-aria.com). A mindfulness specialist and creator of the F.I.T. Method, he works internationally with clients on their mindset, exercise, and nutrition. He is co-author of the best-selling book A Mindful Year (Blackstone Publishing) and is regularly featured in popular lifestyle publications such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Marie Claire.

Seth J. Gillihan, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and host of the Think Act Be podcast. He specializes in mindfulness-centered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Evelyn's new memoir, Love in Any Language beautifully illustrates the trials and joys in the blending of two cultures. Love is tested when Evelyn falls in love with Antonio, a handsome university student. At the end of her two-year commitment in Peru, Evelyn finds herself pregnant and the 23-year-olds marry in Cusco and then move to Northern California. Evelyn expects her husband to support their family, and Antonio tries to take his place as head of the household. But he must first learn English, complete college, and find a job.

Parenthood, financial stress, the pull of both countries, and long visits from Antonio’s mother threaten to destroy the bonds that brought them together. Readers will delight in witnessing Evelyn come into her own — as a woman, as a wife and as a mother — in this moving depiction of partnership and all the intricacies that encompass marriage and love.

Drop in with us to discover the bonuses, the benefits and the challenges that she endured, and the lasting peace she has found.

A child, mother, and grandmother travel all the way to the end of the earth in this picture book that celebrates multigenerational love?perfect for fans of Drawn Together and Alma. “I want to see what’s at the end of the earth!” Sejal, Mommy, and Pati travel together to the southern tip of India. Along the way, they share meals, visit markets, and catch up with old friends. For Pati, the trip retraces spaces she knows well. For Mommy, it’s a return to the place she grew up. For Sejal, it’s a discovery of new sights and sounds. The family finds their way to Kanyakumari, where three oceans meet, and delight in making it to the end of the earth together. This own voices picture book celebrates the beauty of India and the enduring love of family.

Drop In with us to find out how Rajani LaRocca uses storytelling to do positive messaging about things that matter for young people!

Northwest Washington State, 1985 For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods. So when her mother’s depression worsens, Harris shows the girl how to find and sketch the nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Aggie is in a tree far overhead when her unpredictable mother spots her and forbids her to climb. Angry, the ten-year-old accidentally lights a tragic fire, then flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, where she hides among the trees and creatures she considers her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered. A search party gathers by Aggie’s empty boat hours after Celia, fresh off the plane from Houston, arrives at her grandmother’s nearby farm. Hurting from her parents’ breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible young men who compel her to stay. One is autistic; the other, dangerous. Perfect for fans of The Scent Keeper, Where The Crawdads Sing, and The Great Alone, Sugar Birds immerses readers in a layered, evocative coming-of-age story set in the breathtaking natural world where characters encounter the mending power of forgiveness—for themselves and for those who have failed them. Drop in with us for a conversation about transcending shame, guilt and loss.

MESSENGER is the story of a mysterious old woman who delivers life-changing messages to seemingly random people all over New York City and Alana, a young journalist determined to uncover Messenger’s story. Who is this mysterious old woman? Why does she give people messages? How does she know what to put in the message? In the surprise ending, Alana discovers what their journey together is really all about and meanwhile there's a love story brewing at Starbucks. (Ha-ha!)

Author Liz Whitehurst emphasizes that everyone can be a messenger. We all have the ability to affect one another's lives. And it will take all of us to create a swerve -- make a change that goes against the tide. Most of all, random acts of kindness do add up.

Follow this unlikely band of change agents, who'll break through your perceptions and help to rethink modern spirituality. Liz will discuss the process of creating a book in podcast form and how dozens of people who've listened to Messenger contributed their own stories of life changing messages they've received. Drop In w/us!

Author Bio:

Liz Keller Whitehurst is the author of the forthcoming debut novel, MESSENGER, and author/creator of the serial podcast MESSENGER: A NOVEL IN 16 EPISODES, which she launched in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and journals, including Gargoyle, The Portland Review, Five Fingers Review and Nimrod International Journal. She was a finalist in Nimrod International Journal’s Short Story Competition. She earned an MA in English from The University of Virginia.

In addition to fiction writing, Liz has spent her professional life writing and teaching. She’s done corporate, non-profit and freelance writing and has taught English and writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Her last teaching post was co-leading a memoir writing class at the city jail.

Though an Ohioan by birth, Liz grew up in Winchester, Virginia and has lived her adult life in Richmond, Virginia. She shares her current 1891 home, located in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, with her husband. Her second-floor writing desk overlooks the James River.

The empowerment of women in hip-hop begins with acknowledging their accomplishments.

Every history of hip-hop previously published, from Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop Won’t Stop to Shea Serrano’s The Rap Yearbook, focuses primarily on men, glaringly omitting a thorough and respectful examination of the presence and contribution of the genre’s female artists. For far too long, women in hip-hop have been relegated to the shadows, viewed as the designated “First Lady” thrown a contract, a pawn in some beef, or even worse. But as Kathy Iandoli makes clear, the reality is very different. Today, hip-hop is dominated by successful women such as Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, yet there are scores of female artists whose influence continues to resonate. God Save the Queens pays tribute to the women of hip-hop—from the early work of Roxanne Shante, to hitmakers like Queen Latifah and Missy Elliot, to the superstars of today. Exploring issues of gender, money, sexuality, violence, body image, feuds, objectification and more, God Save the Queens is an important and monumental work of music journalism that at last gives these influential female artists the respect they have long deserved.

Will there ever be unity for women rappers in hip-hop or is the sisterhood not a relevant ideal? Hip-Hop has dominated rock in the music industry. It is the new pop. What is the future for this medium? Will it survive its demons, come back to lyricism, and evolve into a cultural force that accurately reflects its fan base? Drop In to find out with Kathy Iandoli ~

A journey through misdiagnosis, intellectual capabilities and professional accomplishments, this memoir traces Vivian Conan's stages and mis-steps toward wholeness and healing. As a person with mental illness who is competent in the world she inhabits, Vivian tours us through her states, her illusions, and phobias, as she regains autonomy over her wellness.

Born in 1940s Brooklyn to a father prone to rages and an emotionally erratic mother, Vivian Conan grew up in two different worlds: Outside and Inside. Outside, she had friends, excelled in school, and was close to her cousins and brother. Inside, she saw faces that weren't hers in her bedroom mirror and was surrounded by an invisible Atmosphere that bathed her in the love and understanding she craved. Moving between these worlds enabled Vivian to survive her childhood but limited her ability to live fully as an adult. To others, her life seemed rich with work, friends, music, and boyfriends. But her mind and soul were filled with chaos and pain. Neither she nor her therapists could figure out why. Losing the Atmosphere is Vivian Conan's riveting account of her journey toward self-understanding and wholeness; her encounters with a string of more and less helpful therapists; and her unconventional relationship with the therapist who was finally able to guide her through the courageous, messy work healing required. Told with honesty, humor, and grace, Losing the Atmosphere is a never-too-late story about the growth possible for anyone with the guts to pursue it, and a testament to the redemptive power of love: not the perfect kind Vivian experienced in her imaginary world, but the imperfect kind that connects us, flawed human being to flawed human being, in the real world she lives in now.

Drop In with us to speak candidly and honestly with Vivian Conan about her journey, her self-exploration, and discovery in the context of her family, therapists, and friends' network.

Hello, Rest of My Life

When Danny Maytree, an ambitious young 1970s film actor, met Samantha on a blind date and fell in love, he decided he no longer cared about Tinseltown stardom. He still acted sometimes, but he became a writer too.

Now married and in their seventies, they find a dog whose faded tag has the name “Tali” and a Beverly Hills phone prefix from fifty years earlier.

Writing a time travel novel in 2021, Danny gets a call from a mysterious, velvet-voiced acting agent. He has a meeting tomorrow.

Now, Danny is in Beverly Hills—not at the meeting, but in the elegant home where he lived in 1974, forty-seven years ago. He is twenty-seven again, bewildered, but with a second chance at his Hollywood dream.

He doesn’t want it, because Sam is not in this world.

Unhappy in his new “now,” he realizes his journey back to “Kansas” hinges on the magic of film. A sharkish agent helps him navigate Hollywood’s rocky shoals. A worldly-wise teen and a New Age fortune-teller offer spiritual advice. And a sexy wicked witch throws a monkey wrench in his path.

Drop In with us to find out how it all ends -- or doesn't!

After her mother’s death, Gabrielle Robinson found diaries her grandfather had kept while serving as doctor in Berlin 1945—only to discover that her beloved Api had been a Nazi. Api’s Berlin Diaries offers a first hand and personal perspective on the far reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich and the author’s own inconvenient past.

Moving and provocative, Robinson’s award winning memoir shows her grandfather’s work as doctor in the devastated Berlin of 1945. But his diary also reveals that her beloved Api had been a member of the Nazi party. Confronting her family’s past, she reflects on German guilt as well as all our political responsibility. Her memoir also is a tribute to Api with who gave her the first stable home. Readers come away with compassion for Api’s struggles and a renewed awareness of our common humanity.

Perhaps it’s a sign of having found a home at last that Gabrielle has won a number of local and statewide awards for her writing and community engagement.

The lingering questions her story raises: Can it happen now? What would we do if it did -- how could we demonstrate resistance? What about the disheartening events of our own pasts? You'll hear it here with Gabrielle Robinson on Dropping In.

When her seven-year relationship with Buddhist beach boy Peter comes to an end, Carolyn, an independent, free-spirited, fiftysomething researcher, challenges herself to go on fifty dates to figure out what the best type of man for her really is—and to find a committed partner.

Set in the milieu of a New Age, sexually open community, Fifty First Dates After Fifty traces the adventurous path of Carolyn’s very universal quest for love. Enlisting friends and lovers to support her through the highs and lows of dating, the goal of fifty dates pulls her forward—from the magical and ecstatic to the awkward and heartbreaking—while her heart soars, falls, and keeps on going. Her dating research project helps her avoid the trap of settling for the wrong guy, slowly reveals the type of man she wants and needs, and shows her how to reconcile her love of independence and sex with her desire for commitment and emotional connection.

Explicit in places, funny in others, this upbeat, sexy memoir offers a positive and successful view of dating for older women, celebrating the search for Mr. Right as an enjoyable journey of self-discovery that can lead women to their own unique type of relationship and partner.

Drop In with us to find the erotic, the meaningful, and the merely fun in midlife dating and in finding who is right for you.

Self-help title turns the trauma of being fired into opportunity An expert’s debut empowers women to be resilient after experiencing job loss

New York, NY – A quick-witted and fast-paced self-help book from debut author and rainmaker, Robin Merle, dives into the emotional trauma of women whose job loss wasn’t part of the original plan. Involuntary Exit: A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Being Fired (She Writes Press, Oct. 19, 2021) is about moving forward, illustrated by women’s remarkable stories of pain, progress, and purpose as they chart their own journey to more meaningful success.

It can take less than a minute to get fired. Less than a minute to hear the words that change your life as you’ve known it. You’re stunned, shocked, humiliated because your career has defined your life and you’ve been blindsided. You’re a company Loyalist with a capital L, and you’ve been sucker punched professionally. How do you even talk about this?

With advice for every unexpected twist, turn, and emotional trigger, this book is based on author Robin Merle’s experience at the top of billion-dollar organizations, as well as her interviews with accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations and navigated their way back to success. The real-life examples she offers in these pages prove that readers are not alone and that they, too, can get through this. Whether being fired or needing to move on, Involuntary Exit will help readers rediscover their value and emerge as stronger leaders on their own terms.

Find your resilience -- no matter what has happened to your job, whether voluntary or involuntary -- with Robin Merle on Dropping In.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar tells the story of Rea Chettri, a 12-year-old girl living a simple, if boring, life on the tea plantations of Darjeeling, India. Without warning, Rea's life gets turned on its head when her twin brother, Rohan, goes missing. Determined to save him, Rea embarks on a secret adventure by portaling into the enchanted world of Astranthia. In this thrilling tale of family and friendship, Rea will have to grapple with dark truths, discover her true self, and save Astranthia from a potentially deadly fate. But the clock is ticking. Can Rea rescue Rohan, save Astranthia?

Drop In with us to find out what's important to an adolescent girl ,as she makes her way on the journey of a lifetime!

OFTEN USING HISTORY AS A LENS TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE ROLES GENDER AND RACE PLAY IN SELF-DETERMINATION, CHANDRA CREATES VIVID CHARACTERS IN STORIES THAT ENGAGE READERS AND INSPIRE DISCUSSION.

Prasad says, “I knew from an early age, eleven or twelve, that I wanted to be an author. When I was a child, one of my favorite activities was spending quiet hours in my room writing short stories (come to think of it, that is still one of my favorite activities). I also reveled in make-believe games with my two brothers; I remember pretending to be pirates and Ghostbusters and jewel thieves and deep-sea divers. Those early, fanciful imaginings no doubt gave me creative fodder for the books that I’ve written, and the books that I hope are still to come.”

After her life is upended by divorce and a cross-country move, 16-year-old Saskia Brown feels like an outsider at her new school—not only is she a transplant, she’s biracial in a population of mostly white students. One day while visiting her only friend at her part-time library job, Saskia encounters a vial of liquid mercury, then touches an old daguerreotype—the precursor of the modern-day photograph—and makes a startling discovery. She is somehow able to visit the man in the portrait: Robert Cornelius, a brilliant young inventor from the nineteenth century. The hitch: she can see him only in her dreams.

Saskia shares her revelation with some classmates, hoping to find connection and friendship among strangers. The other girls steal portraits from a local college's daguerreotype collection and try the dangerous experiment for themselves. Soon, they each form a bond with their own Mercury Boy or Girl from an injured Union soldier to a charming pickpocket in New York City.

At night, the girls visit the boys in their dreams. During the day, they hold clandestine meetings of their new secret society. At first, the Mercury Boys Club is a thrilling diversion from their troubled everyday lives, but it's not long before jealousy, violence, and secrets threaten everything the girls hold dear.

Drop In with us to find out what happens and whether there is a real life happy ending ~

This week on Dropping In, from the author of A Delightful Little Book on Aging Stephanie Raffleock joins us with her new book Creatrix Rising . Raffelock lays out—through personal stories and essays—the highlights of the past fifty years, in which women have gone from a quiet strength to a resounding voice. Over time, maiden, mother, and crone have represented the three stages assigned to a woman’s life cycle – the limiting categories of both ancient and modern (neo-pagan) mythology. None of us has ever truly fit the old-crone image, and for today’s midlife women, a new archetype is being birthed: the Creatrix. She invites us along on her own transformational journey by providing probing questions for reflection so that we can flesh out and bring to life this new archetype within ourselves. Friday at 11 am CT

A chance to finally understand the pain of separation & loss, and how to move through it awaits in this week's Dropping In conversation.

Odyssey of Ashes: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Letting Go begins with the sudden death of Cheryl Krauter’s spouse. Five months later, in a stroke of irony and magic, her husband wins a long-desired guided fly fishing trip in a raffle?and Cheryl decides to go in his place, fulfilling a promise to scatter his ashes by a trout stream.Part I of this memoir is an account of the first year after Cheryl’s husband’s death, where she becomes an explorer in the infinite stream of grief and loss, a time traveler between the darkness of sorrow and the light of daily life. Part II concludes with stories of the poignant and humorous adventures she had during the ensuing year. Tying it all together and woven throughout is Cheryl’s account of the creation of an altar assembled during the three-day ritual of Los Días de los Muertos.Poetic and mythological, Odyssey of Ashes is a raw story of loss and the deep transformation that traveling through darkness and returning to light can bring.

Drop In with us to find out how a professional copes with the unthinkable; the sudden loss of her husband, usually the traumatic crisis for which her clients have come to her. Cheryl Krauter gives us an unblinking view of the gaping hole and the wholeness that can ensue, told through the lens of the favourite pastime of she and her late husband -- fly-fishing.

For anyone who has experienced an enmeshed relationship with their mother, who needs or needed to step out of her shadow, or who yearns or yearned to find herself in spite of it, our conversation with Deborah is for you! A vault of family secrets needed prying open here ~

An only child, Deborah Burns grew up in prim 1950s America in the shadow of a her beautiful, unconventional, rule-breaking mother, Dorothy—a red-haired beauty who looked like Rita Hayworth and skirted norms with a style and flare that made her the darling of men and women alike. Married to the son of a renowned Italian family with ties to the underworld, Dorothy fervently eschewed motherhood and domesticity, turning Deborah over to her spinster aunts to raise while she was the star of a vibrant social life. As a child, Deborah revered her charismatic mother, but Dorothy was a woman full of secrets with a troubled past—a mistress of illusion whose love seemed just out of her daughter’s grasp. In vivid, lyrical prose, Saturday’s Child tells the story of Deborah’s eccentric upbringing and her quest in midlife, long after her parents’ death, to uncover the truth about her mother and their complex relationship. No longer under the spell of her maternal goddess, but still caught in a wrenching cycle of love and longing, Deborah must finally confront the reality of her mother’s legacy—and finally claim her own.

Drop In with us to experience the pain, the reflections and ultimately the triumph.

America Calling : A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

We talk about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as our founding fathers declared, but is it for everyone?

Growing up in middle-class India, Rajika Bhandari has seen generations of her family look westward, where an American education means status and success. But she resists the lure of America because those who left never return-they all become flies trapped in honey in a land of opportunity. As a young woman, however, she finds herself heading to a US university to study, following her heart and a relationship.

When that relationship ends and she fails in her attempt to move back to India as a foreign-educated woman, she returns to the US and finds herself in a job where the personal is political and professional: she is immersed in the lives of international students who come to America from over 200 countries, the universities that attract them, and the tangled web of immigration that a student must navigate.

An unflinching and insightful narrative that explores the global appeal of a Made in America education that is a bridge to America's successful past and to its future, America Calling is both a deeply personal story of Bhandari's search for her place and voice, and an incisive analysis of America's relationship with the rest of the world through the most powerful tool of diplomacy: education. At a time of growing nationalism, a turning inward, and fear of the other, America Calling is ultimately a call to action to keep America's borders-and minds-open.

International students and immigrants have been the secret ingredient in America’s recipe for global success. America Calling shares one immigrant’s story, a tale that reflects millions more, and shows us why preventing the world’s best and brightest from seeking the American Dream will put this country’s future in jeopardy.

At a time when immigration could not be more important, Drop In with us to hear firsthand the impact of coming to America -- both for the person and for our country.

COVID-19 has launched a second pandemic: a mental health crisis in America. Since the lockdowns started, calls to suicide prevention hotlines have gone up 1000%; in a recent Census Bureau questionnaire, over one-third of U.S. adults self-identified as clinically anxious or depressed; and experts have predicted that 75,000 additional deaths may be caused by coronavirus despair. There has never been a time in our history when an immediate and in-depth focus on mental health issues was so necessary, or so urgent. Yet despite these alarming statistics, mental illness remains a clouded topic in our society. What does it look like? What can we do about it? In MODERN MADNESS: An Owner’s Manual (Hachette), Terri Cheney provides the answers and clarity we need, now more than ever before. In her celebrated New York Times bestseller Manic, Cheney depicted her harrowing double life as an elite entertainment attorney suffering from bipolar disorder. Now she once again uses her compelling narrative gifts to flip mental illness inside out, exposing the visceral story of the struggles, stigma, relationship dilemmas, treatments, and recovery techniques she and others have encountered. Using the familiar framework of an owner’s manual, MODERN MADNESS brilliantly imposes order on a frightening and forbidding topic. Cheney’s juxtaposition of conventional clinical language with real, lived experience unpacks the myths and realities of mental illness. With a combination of the tongue-in-cheek (“The World’s Worst Party Guest”) and the all-too-real (“The Rules of Suicide”), Cheney’s stories are by turns gritty, brutally honest, slyly funny, and always revelatory. She takes readers to the far reaches of reality, and back again. Her unusual ability to translate madness will forever change how you look at mental health—and mental illness. Not just for readers with a diagnosis, MODERN MADNESS will be invaluable for anyone trying to understand the complexities of the mental health issues currently confronting our nation.

This week, we'll also hear firsthand how Terri, a highly competent lawyer transitioned to being an esteemed writer -- what is her approach to writing? What is her process? What are the implications of mental illness on the discipline of writing? How does one develop a second professional proficiency while coping with mental illness? You'll hear it here. Please do Drop In with us!

Come with us as we travel to Mauritius, to look at a beautiful turbulent country through the lens of a you boy.

In the 1950s, Vishnu Bhushan is a young boy yet to learn the truth beyond the rumors of his family's fractured histories - an alliance, as his mother says, of two bankrupt families. In evocative chapters, the first two decades of Vishnu's life in Mauritius unfolds with heart-wrenching closeness as he battles to experience the world beyond, and the cultural, political, and familial turmoil that hold on to him.

Through gorgeous and precise language, Silent Winds, Dry Seas conjures the spirit and rich life of Mauritius, even as its diverse peoples live under colonial rule. Weaving the soaring hopes, fierce love, and heartbreaking tragedies of Vishnu's proud Mauritian family together with his country's turbulent path to gain independence, Busjeet masterfully evokes the epic sweep of history in the intimate moments of a boy's life.

Silent Winds, Dry Seas is a poetic, powerful, and universal novel of identity and place, of the legacies of colonialism, of tradition, modernity, and emigration, and of what a family will sacrifice for its children to thrive.

Drop In with us to hear this compelling story, so relevant to people in flux today.

Have you ever wondered about the nature of witches? Be they modern or historic, witches never fail to compel us -- to curiosity, to reverence, to awe or fear. Even now, why is that?

Nancy Hayes Kilgore’s powerful new novel, BITTER MAGIC (Milford House, an imprint of Sunbury Press), is based on the life of Isobel Gowdie, who confessed to witchcraft in Scotland in 1662. During this time, witches were burned at the stake, but the historical record is inconclusive about what actually happened to Gowdie. Kilgore’s story springs from that silence to imagine what Gowdie’s fate might have been.

BITTER MAGIC is told by Isobel herself and also by Margaret Hay, a fictionalized seventeen-year-old noble woman. When Margaret stumbles across Isobel one day, it seems as though Isobel is commanding the dolphins in the ocean to jump. Margaret is enchanted. She becomes interested in Isobel’s magic, in fairies, and in herbal remedies; Isobel freely shares her knowledge. While Margaret worries that being around Isobel could be dangerous, she also respects Isobel’s medical successes and comes to believe that acknowledging the efficacy of herbal remedies or believing in fairies does not challenge her Christianity.

But Isobel believes in more than cheery fairies and herbal medicine. She has dark wishes as well, unknown to most people. Isobel seeks vengeance against the local lord who executed her mother for witchcraft. More important, Isobel’s trance experiences (or are they dreams?) lead her to confess to a wide range of sins, including consorting with the devil. Then, during her trial, Isobel names thirteen others, calling them all witches. To her great shock, Margaret hears her own name. Can her tutor, a Christian mystic named Katharine, save them?

In this gripping and beautifully written tale, Kilgore’s characters debate whether Gowdie is fantasizing or a real witch, and whether young Margaret and the others are complicit. But their debate soon expands to consider the effects of Isobel’s poverty, being powerless, and ultimately the very nature of faith and forgiveness.

Drop In with us for a spirited conversation with Nancy Hayes Kilgore!

The Creative Formula: Compose, Choreograph, and Capture Your Masterpiece

Do you feel frustrated or hopeless because you know there's great work inside of you, but you can't seem to get it out of your head and onto the stage? This book can help....

Another resource? Holly's podcast on Voice America! An entrancing look at the world of performance and creativity. Learn about the neuroscience of the “it” factor, listen to artists who channel ghosts to create their work, and hear firsthand from a booking agent about how to promote yourself as an artist. Host, Holly Shaw, a hypnotherapist and performance coach to Emmy award winning and Grammy nominated artists, includes spotlight coaching sessions, the open channel game where guests go into trance and answer questions, and wildly far-out conversations with musicians, actors, choreographers, and influencers on this podcast.

We uncover the common threads between you, your creativity, and the process that can reveal the whole undiscovered continent, where you really live.

Are you spread too thin? Mad with confusion? Making decisions for others? Trying to find the time for self-care, their care, family care and staying sane all at once? You're not alone. Designed to help caregivers understand how to cope with and overcome the overwhelming challenges that arise while caregiving for a loved one?especially an aging parent?Role Reversal is a comprehensive guide to navigating the enormous daily challenges faced by caregivers. In these pages, Waichler blends her personal experience caring for her beloved father with her forty years of expertise as a patient advocate and clinical social worker. It includes hers and her father's voices telling his life story and using it as a springboard to address universal caregiving issues.The result is a book offering invaluable information on topics ranging from estate planning to grief and anger to building a support network and finding the right level of care for your elderly parent.

Iris's book, Role Reversal, How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents winner of :

Finalist Best Book Award 2016 Finalist Indie Excellence Award 2016 Living Now Silver Award Winner 2017 Honorable Mention Readers Favorite Award 2017 Book Excellence Award 2017 Runner Up Award Florida Book Festival 2018 Honorable Mention Hollywood Book Festival 2018.

Iris is also Author of Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster: A Guide to Educate and Inspire:

Mom's Choice Gold Award Winner for Best Book of the Year. Winner of the National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Gold Award for best book of the year. Winner of the finalist award for Foreword Magazine 2007 non-fiction Book of the Year.

Drop in with us as Iris offers her sage advice on these trickiest and deepest life dilemmas.

Facebook Page @ site https://www.facebook.com/RoleReversal1

The marriage pass by Briana Cole twists and turns and turns on in unexpected ways! In a smart, sexy spin-off from her Unconditional Series, Briana Cole continues to explore unconventional relationships and question all assumptions about love, lust, and monogamy in this tantalizing drama that takes the what if of a free pass to a whole new level... Can you really have the best of both worlds? He's rich, successful--and has been faithfully married to his longtime girlfriend for nearly one grueling year. Because for Dr. Dorian Graham, too many women is never too much--no matter how loyal his wife, Shantae, has been since their college days. So when she proposes they both celebrate their first anniversary by spending a no-questions-asked, no-consequences night with their greatest temptation, Dorian is shocked, but can't resist. Especially since Shantae's wild-card younger sister, Reagan, is gorgeous, uninhibited--and the one who got away... It turns out one sizzling night with Reagan isn't enough. Yet the more Dorian takes, the more she demands--and the more he suddenly has to lose. Soon, with his mind games being used against him and his every move checkmated, Dorian will be forced to go all-in on one last desperate play to win. But winning might just be another way to crash and burn... Drop In with us to find out how all the mysteries unravel in a tantalising story of suspense, drama, and straight up sex.

Miriam and Craig are both artists and their four children carry on the legacy. When their teenage son, Nick, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a tumultuous decade ensues in which the family careens permanently off the conventional course.

Like the ten Biblical plagues, they are hit by one catastrophe after another; violence, evictions, arrests, a suicide attempt, a near-drowning, even cancer and a brain tumor play against the backdrop of a wild teenage bacchanal of artmaking and drugs. With no time for hand-wringing, Miriam advances, convinced she can fix everything. This is the story of how mental illness unspools an entire family. As Miriam fights to reclaim her son from the ruthless, invisible enemy, we are given an unflinching view into a world few could imagine. He Came In With It is the legacy of, and for, her son Nick.

Witness the story of Miriam, Craig, Nick & their family when the unthinkable, that could happen to anyone, happens to them. Drop in to the conversation ~

Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she’s been playing a role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom-and her obsession with SLK, K-pop’s top boyband to herself. She doesn’t see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing. So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK’s music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her go is all but impossible…although it’s nothing compared to what comes next. Under strict supervision of her instructors at the label’s headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world. If she doesn’t what it takes to become a perfect, hair-flipping K-pop idol, what will that mean for her family, who have sacrificed everything to give her the chance? And is a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time really worth risking her friendships, her future, and everything she believes in? Drop In with us to find out!

A Mindful Year: 365 Ways to Find Connection and the Sacred in Everyday Life is a lens on life. From two experts on the psychology of behavior change comes A Mindful Year, the first book of its kind to join the age-old wisdom of mindfulness with cognitive behavioral science—the best-tested set of practices for alleviating stress and anxiety. Written from friend to friend, one day at a time, the authors invite you to start a new pattern—one that begins with taking just a few quiet moments to reconnect with what is most important, each day. As practical as it is inspirational, A Mindful Year marries moments of mindful reflection with calls to action to live in a way that is grounded, authentic, and compassionate. Drop In with us to find out how it works and why.

Julie Ryan McGue, Author of Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family & Belonging and Jacob Taylor-Mosquera, Author of I Met Myself in October: A Memoir of Belonging talk with host Diane Dewey, author of Fixing the Fates: An Adoptees' Story of Truth & Lies, about the concept of belonging and what it means.

I Met Myself in October: A Memoir of Belonging is a thought-provoking true adventure discussing international/transracial adoption and what it means to belong to two countries and two families. Taylor-Mosquera weaves together the intricacies of struggling to belong to the Black and Latinx communities in the United States while enjoying white privilege without being white. He masters the Spanish language and goes on live television in Colombia to find his biological family twenty years after they learn of his secret birth. The tensions that arise therein are magical and disturbing, with each page offering intimate details about an international quest to truly belong.

Julie is adopted. She is also a twin. Because their adoption was closed, she and her sister lack both a health history and their adoption papers?which becomes an issue for Julie when, at forty-eight years old, she finds herself facing several serious health issues. To launch the probe into her closed adoption, Julie first needs the support of her sister. The twins talk things over, and make a pact: Julie will approach their adoptive parents for the adoption paperwork and investigate search options, and the sisters will split the costs involved in locating their birth relatives. But their adoptive parents aren't happy that their daughters want to locate their birth parents?and that is only the first of many obstacles Julie will come up against as she digs into her background. Julie's search for her birth relatives spans years and involves a search agency, a PI, a confidential intermediary, a judge, an adoption agency, a social worker, and a genealogist. By journey's end, what began as a simple desire for a family medical history has evolved into a complicated quest?one that unearths secrets, lies, and family members that are literally right next door.

Diane Dewey, surrendered in a German orphanage at age one, was adopted and raised by loving parents near Philadelphia, who withheld information about her origins, seemingly to protect her. Then the axis shifted. When Diane’s Swiss biological father contacted her by letter after forty-six years, her sense of truth was upended. She sifted through competing versions of the story of her birth and adoption, and discovered disturbing secrets about her true identity. These findings Diane sought to substantiate or refute through resonant family reunions and then, another mysterious letter appeared. What followed was an elusive peace. One-part forensic investigation, one-part self-discovery Fixing the Fates is an unflinching saga of facing deception and resetting the compass to live one's truth.

The Sound Between the Notes is the story of a woman’s struggle with timeless questions—Who am I, and where do I belong?— told through the unique perspective of a musician. Described as “sensitive and astute” (Kirkus starred review), “a breathtaking emotional journey” (Readers Favorite review), and impossible to put down, The Sound Between the Notes is the story of an adoptee searching for what it means to be a daughter, a sister, a mother. Given an unexpected second chance with escalating stakes, Susannah struggles to fulfill her artistic passion while reconciling past and present and doing right by those she loves. Drop In with us to hear what Barbara Linn Probst has to say about resolving conflicting emotions, roles, and identities. And, to talk about her beautiful second novel!

Julie is adopted. She is also a twin. Because their adoption was closed, she and her sister lack both a health history and their adoption papers?which becomes an issue for Julie when, at forty-eight years old, she finds herself facing several serious health issues. To launch the probe into her closed adoption, Julie first needs the support of her sister. The twins talk things over, and make a pact: Julie will approach their adoptive parents for the adoption paperwork and investigate search options, and the sisters will split the costs involved in locating their birth relatives. But their adoptive parents aren't happy that their daughters want to locate their birth parents?and that is only the first of many obstacles Julie will come up against as she digs into her background. Julie's search for her birth relatives spans years and involves a search agency, a PI, a confidential intermediary, a judge, an adoption agency, a social worker, and a genealogist. By journey's end, what began as a simple desire for a family medical history has evolved into a complicated quest?one that unearths secrets, lies, and family members that are literally right next door.

Drop In with us to take the wild ride to finding the truth.

At age forty, Margaret quits her sales job to follow her husband’s hotel career to Paris. She’s setting sail on this adventure with a glass half full of bravery, a well-traveled passport, a journal in which she plans to write her novel, and the mentally engrained Davis Family Handbook of Rules to Live By.

Everyone tells Margaret she’s living the dream, but she feels adrift without a professional identity. Desperate to feel productive and valued, she abandons her writing and throws herself into new roles: perfect wife, hostess, guide, and expatriate. When she and her husband move to Cairo, however, the void inside she’s been ignoring threatens to engulf her. It’s clear that something needs to change, so she does the one thing she was raised never to do: asks for—and accepts—help.

Over the next fifteen years abroad, the cultures of Egypt, Thailand, and Singapore confront Margaret with lessons she never would have learned at home. But it’s only when they move back to Chicago—with Margaret now stepping into the role of perfect caretaker to her parents—that she has to decide once and for all: will she dare to let go of the old rules and roles she thinks keep her safe in order to step into her own life and creative destiny?

Drop In with us to find out!

Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?

In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.

Drop In with Mikki Kendall to find out how you can be part of a movement that includes all.

We'll Drop In with Julie Carrick Dalton about her debut novel about secrets -- both the earth's secrets and personal -- values and friendship. When Cadie and her friend Daniela witness a murder as children, they’re forced to keep it a secret. But when the incident resurfaces decades later after they’ve drifted apart, time runs short for both as they try to figure out whether the truth is worth the sacrifice. This is an incredibly timely book in the vein of Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver that has a parallel narrative about the bark beetle infestation and rising threat of forest fires due to climate change that ties together an affecting narrative of friendship and immigration, ethics and the ramifications of our decisions. Dalton’s unique background in science, agriculture and journalism clearly informs her engaging prose and plot.

Waiting for the Night Song is an atmospheric literary suspense debut novel that was recently featured as a most anticipated thriller/mystery for 2021 by both Buzzfeed and Frolic, as well as a most anticipated 2021 read by Betches and Medium’s Angela Lashbrook, who called it “an evocative, beautifully-written debut.”

Some more recent book love: · “A startling and timely debut, Julie Carrick Dalton's Waiting for the Night Song is a moving, brilliant novel about friendships forged in childhood magic and ruptured by the high price of secrets that leave you forever changed.” (Bookish) · Dalton's debut is a story of friendship, family, and the consequences of acting out of fear, especially when those actions are performed to protect those we love. The storytelling is made even more vivid by the way the novel practically breathes the woods of New Hampshire. (Booklist)

Krystal Riordan watched as her boyfriend beat a drunk teenager to death in a vermin infested New Jersey hotel room. Could she have stopped it? Could she be his next victim? Now, Krystal is serving a maximum 30-year sentence, while the man who beat the teenage woman to death is about to be released. And it’s no anomaly, with studies showing more than 80 percent of women who fail to stop their partner from committing a violent crime serve more prison time than the perpetrator. What does it take to survive in a maximum security lockdown for 30 years? Is it possible to thrive?

The answers only lead to more questions in Dickinson’s raw and emotional look into the criminal justice system and how it’s failed not just one but countless victims of violence. And what unfolds is a beautiful depiction of moral ambiguity, loss and redemption within the confines of the prison walls and beyond.

Through the lens of a prison friendship, Stephanie Dickinson unspools the lives and deaths of victims and perpetrators, their families, friends, enemies, and everyone in between. Drop In with us to determine for yourselves whether the law is fair to accomplices to crime by issuing its strong prison sentences or whether moral ambiguity is relevant. What is the role of compassion for the victim of the crime and how long does that compassion extend? We'll ask these and other thorny questions on Dropping In. Join us!

She was going to stab her doctor, but she wrote Prozac Monologues instead. Years later, Willa Goodfellow revisits this account of an antidepressant-induced hypomania that hijacked a Costa Rican vacation and tells the rest of the story, the wrong medication, an overlooked diagnosis of Bipolar 2, and finally a path to recovery. Prozac Monologues: A Voice From the Edge is a comedic memoir of misdiagnosis and self-help book about the bipolar spectrum. It offers information about a mood disorder frequently mistaken for Major Depression with resources for recovery and further study. Plus, Costa Rica. • • If your depression keeps coming back, • If your antidepressant side effects are dreadful, • If you are curious about the bipolar spectrum, • If you want ideas for recovery from mental illness, • If you care for somebody who might have more than depression, She wrote this for you. Drop In with us to meet Willa.

Dori was among the first American correspondents to cover China’s transformation from Maoism to modernization. Her deeply personal memoir follows her rise from rookie reporter to experienced journalist. She reveals details of her cross-cultural romance and marriage, which gave her deeper insights into how China's reforms led to hopes for better lives among ordinary people. This euphoria reached its peak in 1989, when peaceful protesters filled Tiananmen Square, demanding democracy. On the ground in Beijing, Dori lived that hope, as well as the despair that followed. After Tiananmen, she returned to America yet continued to visit her husband's relatives in China as the country resumed its growth. Published in 2020, when China’s rapid rise began setting off fears in Washington, her memoir offers insight into the daring policies that started it all—and perspective on what Chinese people really want. This is a memoir of China's reawakening. Drop In with us to explore the antecedents of today's tensions and the rhetoric that has brought it about. You'll find the healing influences of first hand knowledge of this culture and the special time frame during which the author worked, traveled, befriended both ordinary and extraordinary citizens, made a marriage, and became very much a part of the place. Her observations, insights, and impressions will open the lens on a country with which we, outside its territory, are usually only on headline terms. We'll drop In to learn, live, find the intellectual, political and economic context, and finally, the highly personal and human emotional content. Website: https://dorijonesyang.com/

From debut author Pamela N. Harris comes a timely, gripping teen novel about a boy who must take up the search for his sister when she goes missing from a neighborhood where black girls’ disappearances are too often overlooked. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Tiffany D. Jackson.

When you look like us—brown skin, brown eyes, black braids or fades—everyone else thinks you’re trouble. No one even blinks twice over a missing black girl from public housing because she must’ve brought whatever happened to her upon herself. I, Jay Murphy, can admit that, for a minute, I thought my sister Nicole just got caught up with her boyfriend—a drug dealer—and his friends. But she’s been gone too long. Nic, where are you?

If I hadn’t hung up on her that night, she would be at our house, spending time with Grandma.

If I was a better brother, she’d be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a missing persons list.

It’s time to step up, to do what the Newport News police department won’t.

Bring her home.

Drop In with us to hear about Pamela N. Harris' views on race relations in the criminal justice system -- having written a debut novel whose plot centres around this very thing -- and just after the George Floyd murder trial and successful prosecution of a White Minnesota police officer. Will this landmark verdict change things? Is there hope for better regulation of police violence against marginalised groups? What happens now when White criminals perpetrate violence on African American, Black Brown, or any person of color as a victim? Will African American mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers always have to have 'the talk' with their sons, grandsons, nephews, godchildren and friends? Finally, what can persons of non-color do to ally with the Black community, bear witness to the struggles, and to help create positive change? At a critical juncture in our history, we'll talk openly and search honestly for answers on the way forward. Drop in with us this Friday

What is the purpose of the guided journal? 365 Days of Intentional Living will teach you how to live with intention and purpose. Each day will present you with a statement or question to be contemplated and answered. Halfway through the journal, you will be presented with these questions once again in order to see how your thoughts have changed through the journaling process. Why should anyone buy this journal? In order to remain healthy and whole in life, it is important for us to remain conscious of how we are affected by life's circumstances. All of our actions are shaped by how we feel, and how we feel is directly influenced by how we think. If we intentionally process our thoughts on a daily basis, we will begin to understand where our feelings derive from as well as grow in our ability to make mindful decisions. This journal will help you to embrace the power you can have over your emotions, and enable you to make more clear-minded decisions around everyday situations that affect your life. If you purchase this guided journal, you can be a part of Celeste Viciere private 365 Day of Intentional Living facebook group community. The community is intended to serve as a safe space to share your thoughts and observations from your journaling process with others who are also making their way through 365 Days of Intentional Living. After your purchase, you can send and email to info@theunitingcenter.com to be added to the group.

Relationship Goals: A Guide to a Healthy Relationship is a book to help you navigate. Relationships can be complicated, and many times we tend to struggle alone. We may seek a healthy relationship, but we might not be clear on what that actually looks like. 'Relationship Goals' can help you gain clarity. Whether you have been with your partner for six months or 60 years, this book will help you break down the barriers you are facing in your relationship and help you achieve a solution-focused mindset that can enable you to work through issues with your partner in a healthy and positive way.

Drop In to find out how firsthand with Celeste Viciere!

The world never made any sense to Amanda Stern--how could she trust time to keep flowing, the sun to rise, gravity to hold her feet to the ground, or even her own body to work the way it was supposed to? Deep down, she knows that there's something horribly wrong with her, some defect that her siblings and friends don't have to cope with. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s in New York, Amanda experiences the magic and madness of life through the filter of unrelenting panic. Plagued with fear that her friends and family will be taken from her if she's not watching-that her mother will die, or forget she has children and just move away-Amanda treats every parting as her last. Shuttled between a barefoot bohemian life with her mother in Greenwich Village, and a sanitized, stricter world of affluence uptown with her father, Amanda has little she can depend on. And when Etan Patz disappears down the block from their MacDougal Street home, she can't help but believe that all her worst fears are about to come true. Tenderly delivered and expertly structured, Amanda Stern's memoir is a document of the transformation of New York City and a deep, personal, and comedic account of the trials and errors of seeing life through a very unusual lens.

Amanda currently produces and hosts the popular podcast BOOKABLE. She spent her 20s working in film–for Ang Lee, Terry Gilliam, and Gregg Araki, but primarily for Ted Hope and James Schamus at the famed (and not forgotten) Good Machine, where she worked closely with Hal Hartley. After that she became an accidental comic, co-hosting the Lorne Michaels series, “This is Not a Test“ with host Marc Maron at “Catch A Rising Star.” She was the on-air host of a cable network owned by Lorne Michaels, the name of which is so mortifying she can’t even bring herself to tell me, the fake person pretending to write “her” bio. Later, in the music world, she worked for David Byrne, curating a narrative section of The Talking Heads Box Set, “Once In A Lifetime.” Stern hosts, talks, moderates, and curates for those who pay her. Some of these people and places are the National Book Awards ceremony, “5 Under 35;” the BBC; Soundcheck; the MacDowell Colony; Brooklyn Public Library’s Gala with Paul Auster, and at Powerhouse Arena. She’s also led storytelling workshops for Moleskine, Cirque du Soleil, and Proctor & Gamble. She’s published thirteen books, nine for children (the Frankly, Frannie, series for Penguin under the name, A.J. Stern), two for young adults (You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and its sequel, under the name, Fiona Rosenbloom), and one novel of literary fiction, The Long Haul, under her real name. Her most recent book is a memoir called Little Panic, which came out on June 19, 2018, from Grand Central. She’s held several fellowships at both The MacDowell Colony (once as the Philip Morris Company Fellow) and at Yaddo. In 2012 she was a NYFA fiction fellow, and she was a Barnes and Noble Discover Pick in 2018.

On March 18, 1990 thieves broke into Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 works of art including masterpieces by such renowned artists as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Degas, in what would become history’s largest art theft. Thirty years later, the crime remains unsolved with none of the paintings recovered. This tragic robbery inspired A Discerning Eye [Cavan Bridge Press, October 13, 2020] a debut novel by Carol Orange, writer and fine arts consultant for over twenty years. The novel’s art heist mystery and high stakes international intrigue involves Interpol, the FBI, the Mafia, drug lords, and the daring, clever art dealer at the center: Portia Malatesta. As a Gardner docent Portia is devastated when she learns of the stolen pieces and becomes determined to help uncover their whereabouts. Skillfully, she constructs a psychological profile of the thief by analyzing a common thread in most of the stolen art. She suspects the mastermind behind it all is obsessed with the interaction of dark and light in both art and life. Orange believes, “There is an inherent tension between the shadowy and light sides of most people. Perhaps knowing or observing the shadowy side of life motivates painters to combine the portrayal of dark events with the hopeful promise of light.” When the FBI enlists Portia's help in a sting operation to recover the stolen works of art, she goes on a dangerous trip to Colombia, where she'll have to earn the trust of a notorious drug lord's daughter. With everything at risk, Portia navigates the country’s underworld and uncovers a complicated web of politics and pride, where one misstep could have deadly consequences... Orange utilizes her vast art knowledge and experience working in Latin American to craft a fast-paced, deftly plotted mystery where the fate of several of the world's most prized masterpieces are in one person’s hands. Fans of Donna Leon and John Le Carré will clamor for this action-packed tale filled with marital tensions, temptations, and twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing throughout. Drop In with us to learn about the inner workings of art crime and world class collectors and what makes it all tick!

Ever since she was a child, Linda Joy felt the power of the past. As the third daughter in her family to be abandoned or estranged by a mother, she observed the consequences of that heritage on the women she loved as well as herself. But thanks to the stories told to her by her great-grandmother, Myers received a gift that proved crucial in her life: the idea that everyone is a walking storybook, and that we all have within us the key to a deeper understanding of life–the secret stories that make themselves known even without words.

Song of the Plains is a weaving of family history that starts in the Oklahoma plains and spans over forty years as Myers combs through dusty archives, family stories, and genealogy online. She discovers the secrets that help to explain the fractures in her family, and the ways in which her mother and grandmother found a way not only to survive the great challenges of their eras, but to thrive despite mental illness and abuse. She discovers how decisions made long ago broke her family apart–and she makes it her life’s work to change her family story from one of abuse and loss to one of finding and creating a new story of hope, forgiveness, healing, and love.

Come with us on a sweep through the Midwest plains, on a wind that travels into our hearts, and through the other side of ourselves to form well-lived lives by understanding the undertow of our past, our ancestors, and even our younger selves. How do we liberate ourselves from these ghosts, while fully acknowledging their mark? Drop In with Linda Joy Myers to find out ~

To Hell with It: Of Sin and Sex, Chicken Wings, and Dante’s Entirely Ridiculous Inferno skewers and questions fundamental beliefs: Are we really damned? Part memoir/part spiritual essay, Moore is asking what would our world be like if eternal damnation was not hanging constantly over our heads, stoking our self-loathing and making so many of us vaguely miserable? At the same time, To Hell with It examines the various ways that organized religion inevitably taints spirituality. How can we truly love ourselves, be in touch with our spirituality, and love one another if we can't come to love ourselves. How can we be lovable if we are all sinners? Is it true that God is perfection if we were made in His image? Men are greedy for power, and religion is a way to hold sway over others, so once a religion begins to construct a hierarchy, bad things start to happen. (Plus, Dante who influenced theology for centuries does not even look nice, begging the question: Why do we still hold these beliefs?) The book is written with humor, what one reviewer has termed “stand-up theology.”

You'll never look at chicken wings, medieval poetry, the church (really, any church), your tortured and supposedly damaged soul, and perhaps even your life, the same way again. Debunk with Dinty W. Moore and Drop In with us!

Linda Olson and her husband, Dave Hodgens, were young doctors whose story had all the makings of a fairy tale. But then, while they were vacationing in Germany, a train hit their van, shattering their lives?and Linda’s body. When Linda saw Dave for the first time after losing her right arm and both of her legs, she told him she would understand if he left. His response: “I didn’t marry your arms or your legs. If you can do it, I can do it.”

In order to protect their loved ones, they decided to hide the truth about what really happened on those train tracks, and they kept their secret for thirty-five years. As a triple amputee, Linda learned to walk with prostheses and change diapers and insert IVs with one hand. She finished her residency while pregnant and living on her own. And she and Dave went on to pursue their dream careers, raise two children, and travel the world.

With help from teams of friends and family, Linda and Dave raised their two children to canoe, kayak, backpack, raft and travel in remote places. They learned that it didn’t matter if their mom looked funny, or if she couldn’t do things the way other people did—they could still have a good time and get out and go.

Linda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015 and is committed to empowering Parkinson’s patients and families to live life as full as possible, in spite of their disabilities, and to get up, get out, and go.

Inspiring and deeply moving, Gone asks readers to find not only courage but also laughter in the unexpected challenges we all face. The day of the accident, no one envied Linda and Dave. Today, many do.

Warrior's aren't born, they are forged from the harsh experiences that shape them as they strive to defend what is sacred and true. And geniuses aren't born either-or are they? Courtney Ramm would know, as she's one of 229 offspring born from the controversial Genius Sperm Bank, a genetic experiment that existed in the 1980s and '90s. With a predisposition for genius, Courtney found herself driven toward success. Following her passion for dance, by the age of eight she was studying at the renowned School of American Ballet and soon thereafter, performing on New York's greatest stages. At twenty-five years old, she acted upon a strong inner calling to start her own dance company in Hawaii.

When she first locked eyes with Marcus at a spiritual gathering, she sensed something was off in the uncanny intensity of his stare. But she dove into a relationship anyway, not grasping the graveness and outright danger of the decision.

Eris Rising is a story of breaking deep karmic patterns, grappling with the calling of destiny, and changing long-held karma into mission. With the powerful feminine warrior spirit of Eris as inspiration, this memoir shows how it's possible to move forward after life-altering mistakes, and recover the true genius within.

In this riveting, keenly emotional debut fantasy, a Black teen from Houston has her world upended when she learns about her godly ancestry and must save both the human and god worlds. “Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue's taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston. Evidence mounts about the evil plaguing East Row. Rue must embrace her true identity & wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gogods burn it to the ground.

Where once the United States rarely imprisoned people for violating immigration law, today the country runs the largest immigration prison system in the world. In Migrating to Prison: America’s Obsession with Locking Up Immigrants, César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández takes a hard look at immigration prisons. Political opportunism and profit have shaped government policy at an enormous cost to human life and the legal system. For those reasons, Migrating to Prison urgently calls for the abolition of immigration prisons.

César’s analyses of policies affecting migrants regularly appear in media in the United States and abroad. He has published opinion articles in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Time, and many other venues. Through hundreds of interviews, he has lent his expert analysis to journalists in Brazil, Canada, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. He also served two terms as a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration.

Go backstage on Broadway, behind the scenes on network television, and inside the complicated psyche of a talented performer struggling to play the role of a complete human.

Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories intimately exposes the nature of identity in the life of a performing artist, snapshotting the hopeful search for a self Chartoff could love, and someone else's self to love, too. Spoiler alert: She succeeds.

What does it mean to know who you are when you've played so many others to a T? Who is the Me in She? Find out how one multi-faceted and famed actress discovered herself when we Drop In with Melanie Chartoff.

This Way Back dramatizes a childhood split between Queens, New York, and Cyprus, an island nation with a long colonial history and a culture to which Joanna Eleftheriou could never quite adjust. The book avows a Greek-Cypriot-American lesbian’s existence by documenting its scenes: reenacting an 1829 mass suicide by jumping off a school stage onto gym mats at St. Nicholas, harvesting carobs on ancestral land, purchasing UNESCO-protected lace, marching in the island’s first gay pride parade, visiting Cyprus’s occupied north against a dying father’s wish, and pruning geraniums, cypress trees, and jasmine after her father grew too weak to lift the shears. While the author’s life binds the essays in This Way Back into what reads like a memoir, the book questions memoir’s conventional boundaries between the individual and her community, and between political and personal loss, the human and the environment, and the living and the dead. It is spellbinding! https://www.joannaeleftheriou.com

Have you ever had the desire to live more fully but you don't know how? Drop In with Susan Burrell who says, I have designed this book to give you action steps that may feel hard and some that will seem easy. Done in a consistent manner, they will create a beautiful transformation within you whose final destination is that of living your most empowered life - filled with freedom, happiness and love … Be brave. This journey is not for the squeamish or for one who wants to remain a victim. The journey to empowerment and self-love takes courage and persistence. There will be times when you will hit a wall of resistance. Just breathe and remember your intention, which you will be asked to set at the beginning of the book. So take a deep breath and let’s begin. Susan breaks it down into key words for what Empower symbolises. She gives us insights & affirmations to make the journey truly personal -- & plenty of space to find your own way. If you've ever wanted guidance, she is here!

Betsy Graziani Fasbinder became a second mother to her first son when she married his widowed dad. Filling Her Shoes: A Memoir of an Inherited Family is a series of snapshots of the moments of becoming a second mother to a little boy whose first had been taken. This is a sweet-bitter, happy-ending story of family, revealing that love and loss, grief and gratitude are not opposites, but co-habitants in any family and that patterns of past family abuse can be broken. Filling Her Shoes has been honored with a Gold IPPY Award, a Booklist Starred Review, and a Pinnacle Achievement award as well as being listed by Readers’ Favorite as a “memoir to read”.

Drop In with us as we learn how to adapt, adjust, become better versions of ourselves in order to gain what we do not have -- love, in the form of a new husband and two sons, upon whose gentleness and kindness Betsy's sense of motherhood depended.

What is the role of a dark past? How do we replace the narrative we tell ourselves?

Emily Warren Roebling refuses to live conventionally?she’s determined to make change; knows who she is and what she wants. But then her husband Wash asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible. Emily’s fight for women’s suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when Wash, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. Lines blur as Wash’s vision becomes her own, and when he is unable to return to the job, Emily is consumed by it. But as the project takes shape under Emily’s direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building?hers, or her husband’s. As the monument rises, Emily’s marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it? Based on the true story of the Brooklyn Bridge, The Engineer’s Wife delivers an emotional portrait.

Jen Hutchison took a personal pilgrimage through Spain in 2013 on the Camino Santiago. At special landmarks, chosen-by-whimsy, she placed sachets of the ashes and memorial notes for her first born son along the pilgrims’ pathway. Raif died in 2012. Jen immersed herself in the healing air of the outdoors and the special human energy of the Camino, saturated in her thoughts and reflections on life, joy and grief, marking the passage with the celebration of a young life ended too soon and without warning. The author describes her extraordinary experiences of time and place, and makes keen observations of the lives and energy around her. In a moment of empowerment on behalf of all mothers, she invented a new and loving name for women who have lost a child. Motherling. This is a tale of love and laughter, a pathway from tears to calm: Drop In with us as we hear how putting one foot in front of another can heal a heart, mend a life, and make fear of the future a thing of the past.

Have you been curious about the Plant Based way? This is your place to learn how to join the Gorgeous, Sexy, Fun, Exciting Plant- Based Life. Maybe you have some questions: Is it a diet? A lifestyle? Is it good for me? Can I lose weight? Can I gain muscle? Is it tasty? Is it Fun? If you are ready to let it rip or just want to learn more and maybe stick a toe in, start here! We're not here to tell anyone how right or wrong they are. It is here to show you how fun, easy, delicious and healthy the plant based lifestyle is. You'll get clarity on terms (What’s the difference between plant based, WFPB, vegan, vegetarian, raw). You'll receive help on how to transition from where you are to where you want to be. We assure you that you will be healthy and safe. You can find resources here, if you desire to educate yourself on the whys: be it the science, the compassion, or the environment. It's about empowering YOU to make the choices that work best for YOU. Gladiators did it and you can too!

MESSENGER is the story of a mysterious old woman who delivers life-changing messages to seemingly random people all over New York City and Alana, a young journalist determined to uncover Messenger’s story. Who is this mysterious old woman? Why does she give people messages? How does she know what to put in the message? In the surprise ending, Alana discovers what their journey together is really all about and meanwhile there's a love story brewing at Starbucks. (Ha-ha!)

Author Liz Whitehurst emphasizes that everyone can be a messenger. We all have the ability to affect one another's lives. And it will take all of us to create a swerve -- make a change that goes against the tide. Most of all, random acts of kindness do add up.

Follow this unlikely band of change agents. Liz will discuss the process of creating a book in podcast form and how dozens of people who've listened to Messenger contributed their own stories of life changing messages they've received. Drop In w/us!

Change is sometimes sparked by unexpected characters—outsiders whose clarity of vision and strength of purpose can catalyze a revolution. VISIONARY WOMEN: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters Changed Our World (Ecco; On-sale March 13, 2018) is the story of four renegades who profoundly shaped the world we live in today. Together these women—linked not by friendship or field, but by their choice to break with convention—showed what one person speaking truth to power can do. Rachel Carson warned us about poisoning the environment; Jane Jacobs fought for livable cities and strong communities; Jane Goodall demonstrated the indelible kinship between humans and animals; and Alice Waters urged us to reconsider what and how we eat. With a keen eye for detail, Andrea Barnet traces the arc of each woman’s career and explores how the work of these visionaries collectively changed the course of history. Their efforts ignited a transformative progressive movement.

The Fourteenth of September portrays a pivotal time at the peak of the Vietnam War through the rare perspective of a young woman, tracing her path of self-discovery and a “Coming of Conscience.” Judy’s story speaks to the poignant clash of young adulthood, early feminism, and war, offering an ageless inquiry into the domestic politics of protest when the world stops making sense.

How do movements like Black Lives Matter relate to what happened during the Vietnam War protests? If you look at the world today, you see how we’re questioning our top leadership and governing bodies. Like during the Vietnam War, the situation in the country inspires frustration, rage, and fear. You protest when you don’t have power. In the time frame of my story, the whole atmosphere — aside from genuine fear — was of being powerless. Today, the presidential vote itself was a protest for certain segments of the population who felt they weren’t being heard. Drop In with Rita Dragonette on gaining a Voice

Come join us for a revealing look at domestic violence against children through an award winning novel by author Lisa Braver Moss, herself the victim of domestic violence. How do children cope, survive, even thrive, and ultimately escape the throes of parents who are their sole means of support, their authority figure, and source of love. How do these ideals get twisted to fit the new meaning of family? How does family propel one toward one's truth? Drop in & find out.

AWARDS that Shrug has won --

2020 IPPY Awards Gold Winner, YA Fiction 2020 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver Winner, Fiction 2019 Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner, YA Fiction, Historical 2019 Best Book Award Finalist in YA Fiction 2019 Sarton Women's Book Awards Finalist, Historical Fiction 2020 Goethe Awards (post-1750 historical fiction) Finalist 2020 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite, YA Fiction 2019 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist 14th Annual NIEA Winner, Regional Fiction West

Drum roll for our next guest: Brian Hill, who has an uncanny knack for helping you find your life purpose and passion! An astrologer for the NYT and other publications, and author of The Ace of Wands – Brian can situate his clients in the real world of the moment, reach into their past and gently encourage their future course. He truly merits the titles humanistic astrologer and renaissance healer/ alchemist. Join us for a synergistic conversation Friday, November 20, at 11 am EST! Brian has walked the walk. Drop In! . .

Lily Wong—a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja—has more trouble than she was bargaining for when controlling grandparents arrive in Los Angeles from Hong Kong just as she goes undercover in the dangerous world of youth sex trafficking. As she hunts for a kidnapped prostitution victim, a missing high school girl, and a sociopathic trafficker, members of a murderous street gang hunt for her. Life would be easier if Lily knew who to trust. But when victims are villains, villains are victims, and even family is plotting against her, all Lily can do is follow the trail wherever it leads: through a high school campus polarized by racial tension or the secret back rooms of a barber/tattoo/brothel or the soul-crushing stretch of Long Beach Blvd known as The Blade. She relies on her ninja skills to infiltrate, rescue and kill—whatever it takes to free the girls from their slavery. If only those same skills could keep Lily’s conniving grandparents from hijacking her future. Drop In to find out!

Join us as we open the escape hatch from national news headlines to enter a place of imagination, mystery, suspense, and finely drawn characters riddled with motives both hidden and all too obvious. Drop In with Fay Snowden, creator of:

Raven Burns spent a lifetime running from the sins of her father, notorious serial killer Floyd “Fire” Burns. Now a Louisiana homicide detective, Raven is still running, because Floyd’s voice is always in her head, shadowing her steps, reminding her of who she is and where she came from.

Not that anyone would ever let her forget. Distrust of Raven’s background runs deep in the small Louisiana town that remembers Floyd well and the ritualistic murder of a local socialite fuels the fire, giving many the ammunition they need to see her gone, including those in her own department. With her badge on the line, Raven hunts for the killer, finding clues that make her question if this is more closely tied to Floyd Burns than even she’s willing to admit.

Tired of seeing Muslim women portrayed as weak, sheltered, and limited, journalist Seema Yasmin reframes how the world sees them, to reveal everything they CAN do and the incredible, stereotype-shattering ways they are doing it.

Featuring 40 full-color illustrations by illustrator Fahmida Azim throughout, Muslim Women Are Everything is a celebration of the ways in which past and present Muslim women from around the world are singing, dancing, reading, writing, laughing, experimenting, driving, and rocking their way into the history books.

Showcasing women who defy categorization, Muslim Women Are Everything proves that to be Muslim and a woman is to be many things: strong, vulnerable, trans, disabled, funny, entrepreneurial, burqa or bikini clad, and so much more.

In this episode your eyes will open to a not-well-understood culture, one that has suffered maligning in the years since the 9/11 attacks. But Muslim women have thrived & made indelible strides everywhere. Drop In!

At twenty-one, Evelyn is naïve about life and love. Raised in a small Montana town, she moves at age sixteen with her devout Catholic family to California. There, she is drawn to Latino culture when she works among the migrant workers. During the summer of her junior year in college, Evelyn travels to a small Mexican town to help set up a school and a library?which whets her appetite for a life full of purpose and adventure. After graduation, Evelyn joins the Peace Corps and performs community development work in a small mountain town in the Andes of Perú. She and her roommate, Marie, search for meaningful projects and adjust to spartan living. The two young women work in a hospital, attend campesino meetings, and teach PE in a school with dirt floors. Despite her resolve to resist such temptations?Evelyn falls in love with a university student. She learns about life and love when she must choose between following the religious rules of her youth and giving in to her sexual desires.

How does a girl become an empowered woman? Born when girls were to be housewives and mothers, a Dutch “daddy’s girl” in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam learns about female empowerment when her father is deported to a POW camp in Germany and her mother joins the Resistance. Freedoms taken for granted are eroded with escalating brutality by men with swastika armbands who aim to exterminate those they deem “inferior” and those who do not obey. “Don’t let them make you afraid,” her mother says, when their city is plunged into darkness in the final months. “The warmth and the Light will return.” As mother and daughter fuse in a symbiotic bond, she absorbs her mother’s strength and faith. She learns about moral choice and forced silence. Her hidden Jewish “stepsister” is betrayed and her mother interrogated at gunpoint. Mother and daughter suffer near-starvation and narrowly escape death on the day of liberation. What happens when her family is reunited. How does Hendrika become truly herself?

Family devotion & compassion: Alma Cruz wishes her willful teenage daughter, Luz, could know the truth about her past, but Luz can never know about the journey Alma took to the US to find her missing father when she was a young woman. Alma’s father knows her better than anyone else, encouraging her love of math and her dreams of becoming a teacher, so when he disappears in 1997 after leaving Oaxaca to work on farms in California, a part of her is lost as well. After three years of poverty, Alma and her sister Rosa set out on a perilous trek north to find their father. Along the way, Alma discovers first love and encounters both kindness and profound cruelty. What happens once she reaches the US is a journey from despair to hope. A connection to her father’s past, the truth about a hidden letter, and her determined search to find farmworker-champion Dolores Huerta all help Alma move forward as she finds answers and gains the strength that she needs to begin a new life in Los Angeles.

Self-Discovery, Pop Culture and tool’s for your Spiritual Journey. Dropping Gems with Devi Brown is a show dedicated to demystifying personal growth through Devi’s observations and conscious conversations with familiar faces. Never before have we faced the tests and challenges we now do. We're finding out what we're made of and that we're stronger than we may have believed. Break it down with Devi Brown -- from the centuries of trauma that have hopefully finally turned toward the positive with Black Lives Matter to what's no longer acceptable at any level of disrespect toward the human spirit. What is sacred? What are the spaces we need to hold? Why is self-love and radical self-acceptance the key? Devi Brown shines her inner light and shows us the way to consciousness with the tools to bring them home to our hearts. What fears and anxieties do we need to release during COVID-19? Find out with Devi, for yourself, and for the good of all people and all earthlings everywhere.

At age forty, with two children and a new consulting company she’d recently founded, Gretchen Cherington, daughter of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Richard Eberhart, faced a dilemma: Should she protect her parents’ well-crafted family myths while continuing to silence her own voice? Or was it time to challenge those myths and speak her truth?even the unbearable truth that her generous and kind father had sexually violated her? In this powerful memoir, aided by her father’s extensive archives at Dartmouth College and interviews with some of her father’s best friends, Cherington candidly and courageously retraces her past to make sense of her father and herself. From the women’s movement to the back-to-the-land movement of the ’70s to Cherington’s consulting work through three decades with powerful executives to her decision to speak publicly in the formative months of #MeToo, Poetic License is one woman’s story of speaking truth in a world where, too often, men still call the shots.

A global pandemic, disastrous climate events, erratic U.S. politics and … murder hornets? 2020 has been rough, and our inner voice doesn’t have a problem reminding us. Tell it to fck off with this new irreverent, laugh-out-loud guide, “Move on Motherfcker,” by board-certified psychologist Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt.

When we’re anxious, stressed, or fearful, the negative voice in our heads can be extremely powerful. It tells us we’re not smart or attractive enough. It berates us for our mistakes. And it keeps us feeling stuck in an endless loop of worry, shame, and hopelessness. But there is a way to shut it down. Blending evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and profanity, this unexpected guide will show you how to respond to your negative inner voice with one very important phrase: Move on, mother*cker!

You’ll learn to manage worry and anxiety, put a stop to unhelpful internal dialogue, and approach new situations with humor, levity, & perspective. So Drop In!

My Journey from Rape to Healing and Wellness: When faced with overwhelming hardship, what we believe makes all the difference. This inspiring memoir offers the gripping and uplifting details of a story that sparked national interest. At age twenty-six, Anne was brutally raped by a stranger while riding her bicycle. Years later, still seeking to heal from this trauma, Anne stands alone in her living room and claims her desired belief aloud: “This is my year of strength.” Her clear intention results in a phone call notifying her that her rapist has been identified — fourteen years after the crime. In A Fierce Belief in Miracles, Anne shares her story of healing—demonstrating the importance of clear intention and trusting inner guidance, revealing the transformative power of forgiveness, and lighting the way for those seeking to recover from their own traumas. . The book also includes journaling and other self-awareness exercises to help you put MOMF to work every day. Drop In with Anne!

Traditional definitions equating confidence with a showy bravado that ’takes no prisoners’ are outdated - think about it; in the UK and USA, the white, middle class, extrovert leaders we have embody “confidence” - it’s a BIG PART of why they got elected and their underlying belief that “they always know best” is why our countries were slow to react to Covid. BUT - the fight has actually depended on our hospital workers, transport workers, delivery drivers, teachers and carers. Yet these competent people are routinely underpaid, mirroring the way competence has been undervalued to date. Think about Black Lives Matter. Until now, funding in many non-white communities in the USA and elsewhere has focussed on ensuring a large police presence rather than combatting systemic problems that undermine trust in the certainty they will get ahead through education and the like: This is the VERY foundation upon which confidence is based. People of color know confidence is confused with anger.

I’m So Glad You’re Here is the story of a family disrupted by a father’s mental illness. The memoir opens with a riveting account of Gay, age eighteen, witnessing her father being bound in a straitjacket and carried out of the house on a stretcher. The trauma she experiences escalates when, after her father has had electroshock treatments at a state mental hospital, her parents leave her in a college dorm room and move from Massachusetts to Florida without her.

Decades later, when Gay and her three much-older siblings show up for their father’s funeral, she witnesses her sundered family’s inability to gather together. Eventually, she is diagnosed with PTSD of abandonment and treated with EMDR therapy?and finally begins to heal. I’m So Glad You’re Here is Gay’s exploration of the wounds we carry from growing up in fractured families stay with us, they do not have to control us?a reflective journey that will inspire readers to think about their own relational lives. Drop In with us!

Did anyone ever say to you, Enjoy high school... those are the best years of your life!? Remember the feeling of panic that came over you as you thought, You're kidding. This is it?

Chances are, though, you are saying the same kinds of things to your own kids. When did you drink the Kool-Aid? Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened do us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was, and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

Philiosopher and filmmaker Dr. Rick Stevenson has conducted over 5500 in-depth, personal interviews with kids from six continents over the past two decades.

Find the wisdom from children and our own childhoods to guide us into the future, more in touch, more conscious, and more connected than ever before. Drop In!

Brin Miller’s life is upended one terrible night in 2011 when she learns that her teenage stepson has been sexually abusing her two daughters. Once this secret is discovered, Brin’s marriage, already crumbling and unable to sustain itself, breaks for the final time. But against all odds, Brin and her husband, along with their daughters, are able to learn resilience, forgiveness, strength, and courage, and, miraculously, Brin’s marriage begins to heal.Haunting yet hopeful and beautiful, Buried Saints is a fast and raw memoir of forgiveness and resilience. It is a revelatory look into a family deeply destroyed by deceit. Mostly, it is a truly astonishing story about the love of two parents left in a tragic situation to fall or flourish.

For Sexual Assault Awareness, a good resource for statistics is here https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics A thoughtful piece about the vulnerability of children during this pandemic https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-child-abuse.html

What is Fire in the Belly? Do we all have it? Are we born with it? How do we make it greater? And why is it some people succeed; and some people don’t?

These are the some of the questions we seek to answer in this podcast. It is a great privilege to hear from some truly amazing people who are extremely successful in their lives whether it be money, business, achievements or overcoming adversity.

Our guests talk about how they have overcome, excelled, thrived and shown utter determination to fulfil their potential and become the mightiest person they can be. The personal journeys, insights and lessons that our guests share on this intimate podcast makes for remarkable listening.

We all have phenomenal potential, but not everyone is living their best and mightiest lives. For many ‘Fire In the Belly’ is the invisible drive and knowing feeling that comes from deep inside. There is no right and no wrong as its personal. Do you know, and live with 'Fire in The Belly'?

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Bridging the generational and cultural divide, physician Sam Stea’s debut novel imagines new solutions to the greatest global crisis of our time: climate change. “The Edge of Elsewhere” is a thrilling science meets climate-fiction adventure that follows refugees from the not-too-distant future in a race against time.

In a world reeling from ecological collapse, Abbey Lane’s waking life is a bleak routine. Between protecting her asthmatic older brother, Paul, and scouring gloomy ruins of Princeton with her best friend, Max, Abbey’s world couldn’t be more different from the technicolor eden she imagines in her dreams. But after discovering an old scientific notebook in the ruins of Princeton University, the trio find themselves in a world and a time they could never have imagined: New York City, 1971. There, they rediscover the beauty of the natural world, and meet a tragic music legend whose fate may hold the key to Earth's destiny.

All too true?

Using his groundbreaking and highly effective I-M Approach, Dr. Joe analyses current events and human behavior through a psychiatric lens, discovering who we are and why we do what we do. On the Dr. Joe Show, he asks the question: How can we make the world better? By making ourselves better! Using his groundbreaking and highly effective I-M Approach, The Dr. Joe Show explores who we are and why we do what we do. Dr. Joseph Shrand routinely gives lectures on adolescent addiction and Theory of Mind and its application to re-conceptualize the behaviors of patients. He has developed a strength based model called The I-M Approach that suggests a fundamental paradigm shift, moving away from pathology to viewing a patient at a current maximum potential. It's a hopeful, optimistic approach, one that may engage a positive fulfillment for anyone who embraces it. At any given time, especially this one, we're all doing the very best we can. Show some respect, for yourself and for others here!

Miriam and Craig are both artists and their four children carry on the legacy. When their teenage son, Nick, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a tumultuous decade ensues in which the family careens permanently off the conventional course.

Like the ten Biblical plagues, they are hit by one catastrophe after another; violence, evictions, arrests, a suicide attempt, a near-drowning, even cancer and a brain tumor play against the backdrop of a wild teenage bacchanal of artmaking and drugs. With no time for hand-wringing, Miriam advances, convinced she can fix everything. This is the story of how mental illness unspools an entire family. As Miriam fights to reclaim her son from the ruthless, invisible enemy, we are given an unflinching view into a world few could imagine. He Came In With It is the legacy of, and for, her son Nick.

Witness the story of Miriam, Craig, Nick & their family when the unthinkable, that could happen to anyone, happens to them. Drop in to the conversation ~

Tallia Deljou believes that We all have a purpose and place in this world, and she'll help you find yours. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, Monster, Nerd Wallet, and Real Simple. Tallia notes, Stepping into your power and finding your purpose is really about finding yourself. It takes a commitment to the inner work. It takes accountability, consistency and support. It takes courage, discomfort and strength. It takes you showing up for you. Whether it's conducting workshops, speaking to audiences such as Mailchimp, General Assembly, Spanx, Michigan's Ross School of Business and more, or one-on-one coaching sessions, Tallia engages her positive psychology expertise and transformational coaching to help people find their purpose and place in the world. On her Forbes featured blog, Sincerely Me, a podcast about self-discovery and inner work, Tallia dives deep into topics related to mindset, identity, meaning, vulnerability & happiness. Join Us!

No false notes: Books that grip and twist and stay true are Andre Dubus' specialty. Townie, his memoir, is a story of survival, but also inter-connectedness. In a cynical world, Andre Dubus drives us straight into the emotional center of his life, omitting detours, often without seat belts. Transcending the urge to punch a bully in the face -- often sending him to the hospital -- Andre Dubus learned the verbal powers of persuasion: Knives were dropped, fists were lowered, and a tentative inner peace emerged. For anyone who has experienced anger management issues, this reckoning will resonate. It is one man's story of gaining mastery, awareness, self-control and access to his native talents. It's about tuning into becoming a vessel for creativity and intuition so as to channel characters, their drives and dreams and realizations of truth & lies. The writer knows what it means to be human; from boxing, loss, & living without, to deciphering what's real. We come away stronger for it.

When Cindy Rasicot moves to Thailand with her husband and son, she finds herself adrift in a foreign culture, unprepared for the challenges she encounters there. On an impulse, she signs up for a conference where she meets Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, a Thai Buddhist nun, who leads her on a spiritual journey from which there is not turning back. Set against a backdrop of glittering Thai Buddhist temples and the friendly smiles of the Thai people, this compelling memoir reminds readers that when we go forward with a truly open heart, faith, forgiveness, and love are all possible. None of this would have spelled ordination necessarily, but for Cindy it eventually did. Find out how she came this close to tossing it all but found herself and her diving light instead in the presence of Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni. It's an emotional, psychological, and spiritual journey set in the simple beauty of Thailand. Heal yourself through her quest perhaps on Dropping In, or, start your own~

When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigating a seemingly boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more complicated, however, when Henrietta—much to Clive’s dismay—begins to believe the spiritualist’s strange ramblings. Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her … he search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however, Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own hands . . . with horrifying results. Drop In and escape the world with Clive & Henrietta!

Seventeen-year-old Jane’s a very brave boy. And a very difficult girl. She’ll become a remarkable woman, an icon of her century, but that’s a long way off. A tomato-picking, dust bowl immigrant from Texas to California, Jane is manipulated into a terrible fight with her parents, leading her to leave her father for dead in an irrigation ditch. She steals her mother's Ford and escapes to Depression-era San Francisco, where she fakes her way into work as a newspaper copy boy. Everything’s looking up. Freed by her false male identity, she’s climbing the ladder at the paper, winning validation, skill, and connections with the artists and thinkers of her day. But then her father reappears on the paper’s front page, his arm around a girl who’s just been beaten into a coma. Jane’s got to find her father before he finds her, and before everyone else finds her out. Copy Boy explores the lengths we’ll go to secure our own spirations, and the ties that bind us to family, no matter what. Otherness.

Four Faces of Femininity tells the story of remarkable women who, through their creativity, passion, intelligence, and sheer determination, have left an indelible mark on the history of humankind. The book is divided into four sections, with figures placed in Mother, Lover, Warrior, or Sage. Accessible, informative, and uplifting, Four Faces of Femininity explores the many ways in which women have changed the course of history?and demonstrates how crucial it is that women from every background be provided with role models that inspire. The book includes questions for exploration to help modern multifaceted women see these qualities in themselves and balance them to lead a fuller life. Learn about yourself and your identity as one or more or all of these archetypes. How do they form us? How do they inform our thinking? How do we break free of limiting definitions to embrace fully who we are? Can we have it all, and all at once?Find out on Dropping In this week with Barbara McNally!

A swash-buckling historical novel, one part insider view of the action heroes of the French Revolution, one part love story, another, family dynasty: When French troops occupy the Italian port city of Ancona during the young General Bonaparte's military campaign in 1796-7, freeing the city's Jews from their repressive ghetto, two very different cultures collide. Mirelle, a young Jewish maiden, must choose between her duty — an arranged marriage to a wealthy Jewish merchant — and her love for a dashing French Catholic soldier. Meanwhile, Francesca, a devout Catholic, must decide if she will honor her marriage vows to an abusive and murderous husband when he enmeshes their family in the theft of a miracle portrait of the Madonna. Come along on a fabulous gallop through history and the hearts and minds of the men and women who made it. Author Michelle Cameron divulges the secrets & process of writing a sweeping novel, published by She Writes Press & now available wherever books are sold.

Ever dream of leaving home as a teen, headed for California and freedom? It’s 1971 in Connecticut, and sixteen-year-old Sharon’s parents think that, because she’s a girl, she should become a clerical office worker after high school and live at home until she marries and has a family. But Sharon wants to join the hippies and be part of the changing society, so she leaves home and heads out. Upon arriving in California, Sharon is thrown into an adult world for which she is unprepared, and she embarks on a precarious journey amid the 1970s counterculture. On her various adventures across the country and while living on a commune, with friends and lovers filtering in and out of her life, she realizes she must learn quickly in order to survive—as well as figure out a way to reconcile her developing spirituality with her Catholic upbringing. It’s a story of belonging, independence, of surviving against the odds. Is freedom just another word for nothing left to lose as Janis Joplin sang?

In ONCE A GIRL, ALWAYS A BOY, Jo Ivester tells the story of her transgender son Jeremy through alternating perspectives of the Ivester family, including chapters from Jeremy that are based on the video journals he kept throughout his transition journey. From a young age, Jo and her husband noticed that Jeremy was partial to clothing and activities that society viewed as masculine; he called himself a tomboy. But as his preteen and teen years came to pass, he understood that label didn’t fit him at all. In his early twenties, Jeremy began his transition, adopting his new name and eventually undergoing top surgery. ONCE A GIRL, ALWAYS A BOY is “a multifaceted, rich, and moving exploration of the trans experience.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). We will talk with Jeremy's mother Jo, possibly together with Jeremy himself, about the personal aspects of the journey, sharing support and the inner growth of the family together and as individuals. How has advocacy become a common bond?

How does a Republican girl, raised in an agnostic scientific household, become a Pagan Priestess? Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom Journey Through Everyday Magic (published May 12, She Writes Press) by Cerridwen Fallingstar shares profound insight in this charming and wholly unique memoir of meditations on themes such as perception, fear, anger, trauma, healing, magic and gratitude. In this soulful collection of “teaching stories”, Fallingstar recounts her earliest memories of reincarnation, her parents’ denial of the powerful intuition and visions they all shared, and the injustices and abuse which inspired her “career as a hippie, war protester, rebel, feminist, and bisexual Witch.” With a refreshing sense of humor, Fallingstar offers a portrait of a culture growing from denial to awareness – a pertinent reflection for our time. Magic happens when you don't give up, even though you want to. The universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart. Book of Prosperity, Author's FB.

Brin Miller’s life is upended one terrible night in 2011 when she learns that her teenage stepson has been sexually abusing her two daughters. Once this secret is discovered, Brin’s marriage, already crumbling and unable to sustain itself, breaks for the final time. But against all odds, Brin and her husband, along with their daughters, are able to learn resilience, forgiveness, strength, and courage, and, miraculously, Brin’s marriage begins to heal.Haunting yet hopeful and beautiful, Buried Saints is a fast and raw memoir of forgiveness and resilience. It is a revelatory look into a family deeply destroyed by deceit. Mostly, it is a truly astonishing story about the love of two parents left in a tragic situation to fall or flourish.

For Sexual Assault Awareness, a good resource for statistics is here https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics A thoughtful piece about the vulnerability of children during this pandemic https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-child-abuse.html

In 1969, when she is twenty, Martina discovers San Francisco. She lives in a commune, marries her streetcar driver, and moves with her husband to Mendocino County, Ashland, Oregon, and the Virgin Islands. In 1980, Martina comes out and finds her life partner, Tanya. Their son Cooper, conceived by artificial insemination, is born in 1986 during the early wave of lesbians having children. When Cooper is nineteen, the family looks up Cooper’s donor/father and enfolds him and his wife into their family. Meanwhile, in 2008, Martina is diagnosed with tongue cancer. The memoir braids her cancer odyssey and her life story in a chronicle of hope, fear, family, friendship, perseverance, and living with a terminal diagnosis. Failing to die is one of Martina’s favorite accomplishments. This conversation about survival resonates. Overcoming the odds, listening to medical advice & creating practices that are true to yourself show us that we've got the opportunity to become more authentic each day,

Words of wisdom from Stephanie Raffelock and her book, A Delightful Little Book on Aging:

All around us older women flourish in industry, entertainment and politics. Do they know something that we don’t, or are they just, they’re trying to figure it out, too? So many of us feel in our hearts and minds that we are still twenty-something young women who can take on the world. But every day, we have to rise above the creaky joints and achy knees just to move through the world with a modicum of grace. Yet we do rise, because it’s a privilege to grow old, and every single day is a gift. This book is an invitation to celebrate whatever age you are with a sense of joy and purpose and a spirit of gratitude.

I would add that women who are empowered with age are us: digital presence doesn't age discriminate. We'll explore nuggets from this book & add a few of our own. Aging in reverse: It's not about trying to be young. It's a lens of going with & embracing who we are, what we've got.

From the beaches of the Western Pacific to the battlefields of the Middle East and from the lawless streets of Juarez to the darkest corners of the Internet, the two families fight real and perceived enemies – journeying, as they do, through the football fields of Texas and West Point, the hippie playgrounds of Asia, the music halls of Austin, the terrorist cells of Europe and the political backrooms where fortunes are gained or lost over the rights to Western water. Underlying their experiences is the basic question of what constitutes identity and citizenship in America, or in Texas, a land over which six flags have flown. The seventh flag, ultimately, is not one of a state or a nation, but of a mosaic of cultures, religions, and people from every corner of the world – all struggling to define what it means to be unified under an ambiguous banner. Sid Balman takes us on a thrilling ride through history--personal, family, geopolitical & sexual. He deposits us more formed and informed.

It’s hard to put down the news thread. How can we turn away? One more story may stir the emotions of empathy but also helplessness. Relinquishing this pull-push feels irresponsible. It can also become irresistible. Obsession, and how to put it down, is at the core of This is My Body by Cameron Dezen Hammom, a book that ostensibly deals with one woman’s tested faith and a marriage that is pitted against her intense attraction to someone else. Reality and imagination, collide. How do we manage our thoughts in an overwhelming time? Redefining an abiding faith and love is an ongoing evolution, just as our commitment to caring can take up all our space and leave us feeling empty. What vices do we fall back on to fill the void? What is legitimate territory to stake out to preserve our sanity and that of our loved ones? Find out when Cameron Dezen Hammon, who stared down her demons with acute imperfection, Drops In. She doesn't have all the answers. But hearing her gives us tools.

Even before her life cracked open, Liz cracked open. Her pursuit of what made Georgia O'Keeffe tick drove Liz to pose nude for Richard, the photographer in her Tai Chi class. But what really made her do it? In this new work of fiction by Barbara Linn Probst Liz has created an avatar in O'Keeffe, a way of accessing herself. It's personal, not political, so the going gets rough when Richard exhibits the nudes at the local art gallery where Liz, the married mother of two is a doctoral candidate in art history completing her dissertation on Georgia O'Keeffe. Why do we need surrogates in life to bring us to a place we want to be? What is the upshot of all this? The consequences to Liz's life, her family and profession mount up as she tries to get at the missing information about herself -- and the artist. Photographed by Stieglitz, GO'K faced the same questions of manipulation, objectification, self-deception and a desire to strip down. What are the missing pieces of ourselves now?

Follow us on a virtual air boat through the Everglades to alligator wrestling, hurricanes, climate change to boom & bust housing, to quartz sugar beaches and the rising waters that imperil them, then quaff too many libations in the hot sun to get through it all. Craig Pittman has written five books concerning his native state: Florida may be the brunt of jokes to some, but Pittman warns that to dismiss it is to ignore its very real, weird influence on the nation. How about current events -- like elections! This is a practical primer and cautionary tale on how to avoid being scammed on mortgages, real estate, identity theft, the pill mill, tax evasion, and perhaps even liposuction. He warns: Hustlers overhype Florida. The government is complicit. Gullible people are left holding the bag. How can so much deception accompany so much natural beauty? What's a man named Walt got to do its identity? Was there a Florida before Disney? (Or before Art Basel Miami?) Who settled in FL first?

Thrill to the crests and roll with the troughs in the life of a fierce competitor, dedicated mother, and authentic human being, Betty Pembroke Heldreich Winstedt (1913-2011). She picked up a surfboard at age 41 and opened up a new world. Surfing became her passion, her proving ground, and her ineffable bond with her daughter, Vicky Heldreich Durand, author of Wave Woman. It's a charming and intimate biography, a love letter from a daughter to her progressive mother who broke glass ceilings with simple curiosity and desire. Betty trained to swim in the 1936 Olympic Games. She eloped on a hunch and learned the tough lessons of love. With an entrepreneurial creativity and a drive for self-sufficiency, Betty found meaning as a sculptor, a dental hygienist, a jeweler, a potter and a poet, and finally, as a world class surfer. The book dedication says it all: For all the women who have surfed, and who will surf, in Betty's wake. Drop in as we surf the tides of fortune with Vicky Durand.

Do you remember the vivid sights, sounds and smells of being a kid? This episode may bring it all back. Children want to be seen and heard. When we listen, kids in urban centers tell us a lot, like what is fun, boring, meaningful, and scary about the cities they live in. Jump into the Urban Playground to find out what kids think about their cities. Share the insights of author Katie Burke who asks: Have you ever wondered what it’s like being a kid in an urban center? Are you raising a city kid? City life is full of thrills and bummers, both for kids and the adults who love them. Writer of Noe Kids, a column of kid profiles for San Francisco neighborhood newspaper The Noe Valley Voice, Katie Burke brings city kids’ personalities and perspectives to the page, leading readers to see the joys and challenges to being a San Francisco kid. Maybe we can re-discover our inner child through Dropping In with Katie Burke, author of Urban Playground: What Kids Say About Living in San Francisco.

How did a Tampa woman who first called RV-ers old coots tooling around the country give up her home & orchid collection and become an RV-er herself? Amid the protests, came the answers. Freedom. Pairing down to Essentials. Creative Living. Travel & Discovery, Living in the Present. Sensing something larger. Adventure. Ask ourselves: Have we ever wanted to hit the road and see the country, but realized we were a homebody, or too tied to our routines and creature comforts? Can lifestyles be undone? How do we let go to find a freedom that awaits us? Follow this reluctant retiree and her excited husband through two conflicted, humorous years of RV travel. He wanted to do it; she didn't. Travel along with Gerri in her award-winning bestseller “The Reluctant RV Wife”, a #1 Amazon New Release in Senior Travel Guides. This honest and poignant book was a Royal Palm Literary Award winner in 2018, and most recently, won the 2019 SUNNY Award from Sunbury Press.

“Disturbing, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring, Shunned is a must-read for anyone who has endured the pain of saying good-bye in order to find their true home, a place of belonging,” says author John Perkins. This book will reveal little understood beliefs of the Jehovah Witness community in which the writer Linda Curtis was knocking on doors from the time she was nine years old. She separated from herself on one of those calls. She had to ask herself if this was really her beliefs or even her lived experience that those who did not embrace “The Truth” as it’s called, would be doomed. A woman who opened herself up and voyaged passed previous limitations, Curtis tells the story of staying true to ourselves and our hearts even when disappointing or even breaking with those we love — and finding, ultimately, an honorable way to do so. She’s empowered others with her vision, skills, and her fascinating story. The question, & duality, of freedom & belonging will never be the same.

What does life look like when family is created by choice rather than blood? Kate Kaufmann notes the question of having kids is more nuanced and complex than ever, as women explore options that were previously un-contemplated, or accepted. How may a woman's life resonate when it's not including motherhood? What are the personal and professional implications of choosing not to have children? Our culture remains geared toward kids. Yet many factors weigh into the decision to not have kids: economics; infertility issues, impact on population and the possibility that future generations face intractable issues related to climate change and resource depletion; quality of life questions; professional advancement if you are a woman and would be the main caregiver as mother; freedom of time; focus on interests; fear of passing on genetic disease and more intangible fears such as being a good parent or transmitting family trauma. How can we find comfort in our own skin with these decisions?

N. John Shore writes, When love enters your life, everything changes. When love leaves your life, nothing does. Love flies away today and tomorrow you're exactly where you were before it left...relentlessly and inexplicably, life without love continues, (p. 33, Everywhere She's not, 2019, Laughing Moon Books). And what of our ability to separate ourselves from the reality that doesn't change? To dissociate from the tough emotions? And to distance ourselves from pain? We compartmentalize but then something happens to breaks us apart and reassemble ourselves again. Take the trip from comparmentalizaing to allowing it all in with David, Shore's fictional character. The author's own tragic story forms the crux of his wisdom: He'll share both with us on this week's episode when we'll learn how he and his sister coped with the major loss of their mother in childhood, only to return to their lives. Question: Is it possible to bounce back, though not in the predictable ways to 100%?

This is the story of both bondage and bonding -- a sexual lifestyle and an enduring mother/daughter bond, as well as a tender end of life saga. In her memoir, Bound, Elizabeth Anne Wood tours her emotional landscape, that of a young woman who has learned that her mother has become, late in life, a Domme, a sexual dominitrix: “It hasn’t been an imposition or an embarrassment when she’s shared her Domme adventures. It’s been a celebration,” Wood notes, (Bound, 2019, p. 32, She Writes Press.) Early on, the author set boundaries and became herself through her own search for identity. Her mother had struggled with alcohol addiction and attained sobriety for the remainder of her life. Overcoming these dependency issues, Judy, the author's mother, embarked on a voyage of self-discovery through consensual BDSM relationships, some of which lasted until the end of her life. This is an often mythologized culture that resonates with many, yet it's understood by few to be both human and humane.

No false notes: Books that grip and twist and stay true are Andre Dubus' specialty. Townie, his memoir, is a story of survival, but also inter-connectedness. In a cynical world, Andre Dubus drives us straight into the emotional center of his life, omitting detours, often without seat belts. Transcending the urge to punch a bully in the face -- often sending him to the hospital -- Andre Dubus learned the verbal powers of persuasion: Knives were dropped, fists were lowered, and a tentative inner peace emerged. For anyone who has experienced anger management issues, this reckoning will resonate. It is one man's story of gaining mastery, awareness, self-control and access to his native talents. It's about tuning into becoming a vessel for creativity and intuition so as to channel characters, their drives and dreams and realizations of truth & lies. The writer knows what it means to be human; from boxing, loss, & living without, to deciphering what's real. We come away stronger for it.

D. L. Byron emerged as a singer songwriter, recording artist and record producer, who is acclaimed for writing the Grammy award winning song, Shadows of the Night, and his Arista LP This Day and Age. Yet he was in his forties when he first met his biological mother, of whom he'd gleaned an intuitive awareness, and his seven biological sisters! This upended his identity and previous definitions he'd had of himself. Having been raised by adoptive parents in New Jersey, D. L. experienced abandonment, self-sabotage, substance abuse, heartbreak, and failure along his journey to fame. We'll delve into the personas that imploded during his upbringing and then while navigating the world of the music industry. What enabled this man to find trust, a place of peace, and love? D. L. is also a visual artist who writes poetry, studies Buddhism and practices meditation. His 2019 memoir, Shadows of the Night, details a journey through sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll to authenticity and family.