Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling

Andrea Carter Brown's new collection of award-winning poetry, September 12, was published for the 20th anniversary of 9/11

 Her previous collections are Domestic Karma, The Disheveled Bed, and Brook & Rainbow (winner of the 2001 Sow’s Ear Press Chapbook Prize)

 Her poems have won awards from Five Points, River Styx, The MacGuffin, and the Poetry Society of America. 

 They are cited in the Library of Congress Online Guide to the Poetry of 9/11, and have been featured on NPR, Poetry Daily, and as Split This Rock Poem of the Week, A Founding Editor of Barrow Street and Managing Editor of The Emily Dickinson Journal, she has been Series Editor of The Word Works Washington Prize since 2017. 

 An avid birder, she lives in Los Angeles, where she grows lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines in her back yard.

 Some key points from our interview

·         How her sister’s called saved her life when she phoned to ask if she was ok as the Twin Towers had been hit

·         How when she returned to her apartment, she was aware that the dust contained ashes of thousands who vanished four mornings ago

·         How she has so much gratitude to all the people and strangers that helped her along the way and believes she survived because of them

·         How writing “September 12” impelled her to bear witness to that day and its aftermath

·         How she also believes in the power of sharing stories

·         How she feels that her book, which took twenty years to write, is the evidence of being Unbroken by 9/11

 You can get more info about Andrea here:

https://www.andreacarterbrown.com

                                *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Andrea Carter Brown's new collection of award-winning poetry, September 12, was published for the 20th anniversary of 9/11

 Her previous collections are Domestic Karma, The Disheveled Bed, and Brook & Rainbow (winner of the 2001 Sow’s Ear Press Chapbook Prize)

 Her poems have won awards from Five Points, River Styx, The MacGuffin, and the Poetry Society of America. 

 They are cited in the Library of Congress Online Guide to the Poetry of 9/11, and have been featured on NPR, Poetry Daily, and as Split This Rock Poem of the Week, A Founding Editor of Barrow Street and Managing Editor of The Emily Dickinson Journal, she has been Series Editor of The Word Works Washington Prize since 2017. 

 An avid birder, she lives in Los Angeles, where she grows lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines in her back yard.

 Some key points from our interview

·         How her sister’s called saved her life when she phoned to ask if she was ok as the Twin Towers had been hit

·         How when she returned to her apartment, she was aware that the dust contained ashes of thousands who vanished four mornings ago

·         How she has so much gratitude to all the people and strangers that helped her along the way and believes she survived because of them

·         How writing “September 12” impelled her to bear witness to that day and its aftermath

·         How she also believes in the power of sharing stories

·         How she feels that her book, which took twenty years to write, is the evidence of being Unbroken by 9/11

 You can get more info about Andrea here:

https://www.andreacarterbrown.com

                                *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

James is an author and trained counsellor who lives with anxiety, PTSD and depression

His books include; The Recovery Letters, What I Do to Get Through, How to Tell Depression to Piss Off, How to Tell Anxiety to Sod Off and How to Get to Grips with Grief (released in July 2022).

He is the founder of the internationally renowned The Recovery Letters project. 

I read “How to Tell Depression to Piss Off” before I interviewed James and was pleasantly surprised to find it was such a funny and light book to read.  I asked myself if I could really love a book about depression!  

It made me so intrigued to meet James and find out how he could treat such a serious topic so light heartedly

And only after a few minutes of speaking to him I understood that his dark humour is just one of the many tools he has in his depression tool kit.

Both of us have seen the darker side of life and both of us have used to see us through those times too.

I really enjoyed my conversation with James and think you will too as he describes living with his depression and anxiety and the many ways, he has found to support him on his journey.

We know that there has been an increase of mental health during lockdown and Covid. And it can present in many ways such as a panic attack, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, social anxiety, depression and pain.

Some people might use CBT, psychotherapy or a light therapy lamp to help, but there are many different types of approaches.  It’s just about finding out what works best for you

Here’s what the comedian, Robin Ince, says about his latest book:

A book to play anxiety bingo with and one that will help you realise you are not alone in experiencing absurd mental terrors that feel horribly real. James makes it very funny too, because the ludicrousness of where our anxiety imagination can take us can be as funny on the page as it is horrifying when it is playing out in our mind. You will laugh and come away from this tooled up for the next battle in your mind's darker corners

Some key points from our interview:

·         How looking back now he realises that losing his father at five and being abused at seven, shaped his life and had an impact of his mental health

·         How he has learnt to find meaning in his life and moments of absolute joy

·         How he had to learn to celebrate the small wins on his darker days and to take it second by second rather than day by day

·         How he became aware that his illness lied to him and not to believe his negative chatter 

·         How he still gets anxiety when writing his books but knows that when we share our pain and connect with others something beautiful happens

·         How he looks at the many approaches he has tried as his homework with depression and anxiety and writes down what works for him

·         How he’s learnt to hold on to the fact that things can change and get better, despite what his illness may be telling him and is passionate about mental health awareness

Website: http://www.jameswithey.com

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
                                                                     

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

James is an author and trained counsellor who lives with anxiety, PTSD and depression

His books include; The Recovery Letters, What I Do to Get Through, How to Tell Depression to Piss Off, How to Tell Anxiety to Sod Off and How to Get to Grips with Grief (released in July 2022).

He is the founder of the internationally renowned The Recovery Letters project. 

I read “How to Tell Depression to Piss Off” before I interviewed James and was pleasantly surprised to find it was such a funny and light book to read.  I asked myself if I could really love a book about depression!  

It made me so intrigued to meet James and find out how he could treat such a serious topic so light heartedly

And only after a few minutes of speaking to him I understood that his dark humour is just one of the many tools he has in his depression tool kit.

Both of us have seen the darker side of life and both of us have used to see us through those times too.

I really enjoyed my conversation with James and think you will too as he describes living with his depression and anxiety and the many ways, he has found to support him on his journey.

We know that there has been an increase of mental health during lockdown and Covid. And it can present in many ways such as a panic attack, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, social anxiety, depression and pain.

Some people might use CBT, psychotherapy or a light therapy lamp to help, but there are many different types of approaches.  It’s just about finding out what works best for you

Here’s what the comedian, Robin Ince, says about his latest book:

A book to play anxiety bingo with and one that will help you realise you are not alone in experiencing absurd mental terrors that feel horribly real. James makes it very funny too, because the ludicrousness of where our anxiety imagination can take us can be as funny on the page as it is horrifying when it is playing out in our mind. You will laugh and come away from this tooled up for the next battle in your mind's darker corners

Some key points from our interview:

·         How looking back now he realises that losing his father at five and being abused at seven, shaped his life and had an impact of his mental health

·         How he has learnt to find meaning in his life and moments of absolute joy

·         How he had to learn to celebrate the small wins on his darker days and to take it second by second rather than day by day

·         How he became aware that his illness lied to him and not to believe his negative chatter 

·         How he still gets anxiety when writing his books but knows that when we share our pain and connect with others something beautiful happens

·         How he looks at the many approaches he has tried as his homework with depression and anxiety and writes down what works for him

·         How he’s learnt to hold on to the fact that things can change and get better, despite what his illness may be telling him and is passionate about mental health awareness

Website: http://www.jameswithey.com

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
                                                                     

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Michelle Bowdler is the author of Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto. 

 This book was longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, on the best books lists for Publishers Weekly and the Boston Globe as well as named a Must Read by TIME Magazine and the Massachusetts Book Awards. 

 Bowdler is the recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Award for nonfiction. Her writing has been published in two anthologies, the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Psychology Today, the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, Literary Hub, and other journals. 

 Anita Hill writes of this book, "Is Rape a Crime? is beautifully written and compellingly told. In 2020, we were all looking for solutions and this book was right on time. It is one we should all be reading."

 I was introduced to Michelle by a mutual friend who said I should have her on the show to discuss her powerful book and the work she is doing around violence against women

 She was raped in her home by two men during a burglary and reported it to the Police who sent her to the hospital to have DNA taken using a rape test kit

 Many years later she read an article about 1000’s of untested rape kits in the Police labs which led her onto a journey of enquiry about what happened to these tests and hers too.

 I really believe that violence against women and misogyny is a hate crime and the rape laws in both of our countries need so many changes, not just in reporting rape and domestic violence but how victims are treated during a trial and the sentences that are given out, because we know that just a small percentage of trials end in a conviction.

 Some key points from our interview:

 ·        How sharing her “me too story” publicly for the first time was liberating ·        How she found it harder to come out about being raped than being gay

·        How she started to do research into untested rape kits after reading an article in her local paper
·        How her feminism and activism got reignited as she wanted to do something about the untested rape kits, which has a huge impact on women’s health and bring it to people’s attention 
·        How she feels lucky that she met someone who was patient with her 

·        How she recognises that we all have the ability to heal and move on despite going through hard times 

 Connect with Michelle  here:

https://michelle-bowdler.com/about 

To buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rape-Crime-Memoir-Investigation-Manifesto/dp/1250255635

                                             *                                *                                  *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Michelle Bowdler is the author of Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto. 

 This book was longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, on the best books lists for Publishers Weekly and the Boston Globe as well as named a Must Read by TIME Magazine and the Massachusetts Book Awards. 

 Bowdler is the recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Award for nonfiction. Her writing has been published in two anthologies, the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Psychology Today, the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, Literary Hub, and other journals. 

 Anita Hill writes of this book, "Is Rape a Crime? is beautifully written and compellingly told. In 2020, we were all looking for solutions and this book was right on time. It is one we should all be reading."

 I was introduced to Michelle by a mutual friend who said I should have her on the show to discuss her powerful book and the work she is doing around violence against women

 She was raped in her home by two men during a burglary and reported it to the Police who sent her to the hospital to have DNA taken using a rape test kit

 Many years later she read an article about 1000’s of untested rape kits in the Police labs which led her onto a journey of enquiry about what happened to these tests and hers too.

 I really believe that violence against women and misogyny is a hate crime and the rape laws in both of our countries need so many changes, not just in reporting rape and domestic violence but how victims are treated during a trial and the sentences that are given out, because we know that just a small percentage of trials end in a conviction.

 Some key points from our interview:

 ·        How sharing her “me too story” publicly for the first time was liberating ·        How she found it harder to come out about being raped than being gay

·        How she started to do research into untested rape kits after reading an article in her local paper
·        How her feminism and activism got reignited as she wanted to do something about the untested rape kits, which has a huge impact on women’s health and bring it to people’s attention 
·        How she feels lucky that she met someone who was patient with her 

·        How she recognises that we all have the ability to heal and move on despite going through hard times 

 Connect with Michelle  here:

https://michelle-bowdler.com/about 

To buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rape-Crime-Memoir-Investigation-Manifesto/dp/1250255635

                                             *                                *                                  *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Claire Dyer’s poetry collections are published by Two Rivers Press, her novels by Quercus and The Dome Press. 

 Her latest novel, 'The Significant Others of Odie May' is published by Matador, and she has a new collection forthcoming with Two Rivers Press in 2024. 

 She has curated Reading's Poets’ Café for the past five years, teaches creative writing and runs Fresh Eyes, an editorial and critiquing service. 

 She has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Berkshire

 Today though we are discussing the story behind her poetry collection “Yield” which beautifully shares her journey of her son becoming her daughter

 Yield can have three meanings  

 Some key points from our interview:

·         How when her child first told them they thought they were trans she felt fear for their future

·         How she writing Yield has been cathartic but took five years to complete

·         How they have always been met with love, support and understanding 

·         How it’s felt like a grief process and had to learn to surrender and accept the changes within her family

·         How she recognises that the heart of her daughter has never changed, even though outwardly she may look different to the gender she was assigned at birth

 Depend – Supporting the families and friends of trans people

https://www.depend.org.uk

 Mermaids - UK organisation for young trans people and their families, with support and resources for both

https://mermaidsuk.org.uk

 You can get more info about Claire here:

 www.clairedyer.com

 Twitter: @ClaireDyer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claire.dyer.98 and https://www.facebook.com/Claire-Dyer-Author-131347343704266

Insta: @clairedyerwriter

https://tinyurl.com/yckp79uy  << Buy Book Here!

https://tworiverspress.com/?s=yield

                                     *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Claire Dyer’s poetry collections are published by Two Rivers Press, her novels by Quercus and The Dome Press. 

 Her latest novel, 'The Significant Others of Odie May' is published by Matador, and she has a new collection forthcoming with Two Rivers Press in 2024. 

 She has curated Reading's Poets’ Café for the past five years, teaches creative writing and runs Fresh Eyes, an editorial and critiquing service. 

 She has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Berkshire

 Today though we are discussing the story behind her poetry collection “Yield” which beautifully shares her journey of her son becoming her daughter

 Yield can have three meanings  

 Some key points from our interview:

·         How when her child first told them they thought they were trans she felt fear for their future

·         How she writing Yield has been cathartic but took five years to complete

·         How they have always been met with love, support and understanding 

·         How it’s felt like a grief process and had to learn to surrender and accept the changes within her family

·         How she recognises that the heart of her daughter has never changed, even though outwardly she may look different to the gender she was assigned at birth

 Depend – Supporting the families and friends of trans people

https://www.depend.org.uk

 Mermaids - UK organisation for young trans people and their families, with support and resources for both

https://mermaidsuk.org.uk

 You can get more info about Claire here:

 www.clairedyer.com

 Twitter: @ClaireDyer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claire.dyer.98 and https://www.facebook.com/Claire-Dyer-Author-131347343704266

Insta: @clairedyerwriter

https://tinyurl.com/yckp79uy  << Buy Book Here!

https://tworiverspress.com/?s=yield

                                     *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Kijuan Amey is a retired US Air Force veteran who was forced to retire due to a motorcycle accident which resulted in his loss of vision 

Kijuan has many talents to include being a musician, singer, actor, and an athlete. 

Yes, he still performs those talents, but recently has added motivational speaking and self-published author to the resume, despite his blindness symptoms

Mr. Amey likes to believe his target audience for speaking is high school, college, and military, but it seems he relates to more by presenting the human side of himself. 

His newly published book, “Don’t Focus on Why me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle,” relays a lot of messages people need to hear when going through hardships and life altering changes. 

As he always says, “I may have loss my sight, but I didn’t lose my vision to help others.”

Some key points from our interview:

·         How he had to hit a low point in his healing before he found his resilience

·         How he realised that he had a choice in his recovery and attitude 

·         How he had a profound moment when he was in hospital when he heard a still voice come over him and asked “Well, why not you”

·         How his faith has always been a big part of his life and a support.  He never questioned God and his chronic illness, but accepted it as his path

·         How he now believes that sharing his story is his destiny to help others

You can order his book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/B097TRW



                                    *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Kijuan Amey is a retired US Air Force veteran who was forced to retire due to a motorcycle accident which resulted in his loss of vision 

Kijuan has many talents to include being a musician, singer, actor, and an athlete. 

Yes, he still performs those talents, but recently has added motivational speaking and self-published author to the resume, despite his blindness symptoms

Mr. Amey likes to believe his target audience for speaking is high school, college, and military, but it seems he relates to more by presenting the human side of himself. 

His newly published book, “Don’t Focus on Why me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle,” relays a lot of messages people need to hear when going through hardships and life altering changes. 

As he always says, “I may have loss my sight, but I didn’t lose my vision to help others.”

Some key points from our interview:

·         How he had to hit a low point in his healing before he found his resilience

·         How he realised that he had a choice in his recovery and attitude 

·         How he had a profound moment when he was in hospital when he heard a still voice come over him and asked “Well, why not you”

·         How his faith has always been a big part of his life and a support.  He never questioned God and his chronic illness, but accepted it as his path

·         How he now believes that sharing his story is his destiny to help others

You can order his book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/B097TRW



                                    *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE