I'm here too
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I'm Here Too Podcast

I’m Here Too Podcast

A podcast, hosted by Ara Tucker that explores the intersections of art, culture, creativity, family, identity and all that fills the spaces in between.

We all have a chance to make our own mark, our own impression. Big or small as it ends up being. What a freeing realization that has been for me. Don’t get me wrong. It’s been a long and circuitous road getting to the place where “I” feels authentic and where I don’t apologize for the way I walk through the world.

It took me a long time to get to here, a place where I will be seen and heard. But now that I’m here, I’m eager for some company. I look forward to sharing my journey with you, learning from others, and creating a space where we can feel more connected, inspired and safe to be ourselves.

Off we go!

Writing Our Lives, a conversation with Heather Lanier

You can also find this podcast on YouTube (transcript available), Spotify (video and audio versions), Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts (transcript available) and other fun places where podcasts live so subscribe, follow and tell your friends and your cat to listen and let me know what you think.

Hi everybody!

Welcome to this episode of I’m Here Too: Writing Our Lives, a conversation with Heather Lanier. Heather is an essayist, memoirist, poet, professor and TED speaker whose talk, “Good and Bad Are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves” has been viewed over three million times and translated into 18 languages.

I had the good fortune of meeting Heather back in 2009 when we were roommates at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. It was great to catch up and talk about a number of things including: writing and spirituality, staying attuned to our dreams, making space for more honest emotions including vulnerability, grief and joy, finding community and connection with other writers, and the challenges of writing about the people closest to us.

And make sure you stick around for the lightning round where Heather reveals the secrets to thrifting, among other interesting facts. If you’re a writer, a reader or someone who’s just looking to build connection in an ever changing world, then stay tuned because I think you’re really going to like this conversation.

Off we go, enjoy!

CHAPTERS

(00:00:06) Introduction

(00:02:04) Writing as a Spiritual Practice

(00:07:55) It All Belongs: Joy, Grief and Wholeness

(00:12:22) Finding Creative Community

(00:17:55) Lessons from Teaching and Staying Put

(00:27:02) “Good or Bad, Hard to Say”

(00:31:48) Writing About the People We Love

(00:37:28) Parenting, Memoir and Presence

(00:39:56) Protecting Energy and Finding Rest

(00: 42:24) The Lightning Round: Preoccupations, Superpowers and Building Connection

(00:53:47) Closing

About Heather Lanier

Heather Lanier is an essayist, memoirist, and poet. She’s the author of the memoir, Raising a Rare Girl, along with two award-winning poetry chapbooks. Kirkus Reviews called her full length poetry collection, Psalms of Unknowing, “a powerful poetic reckoning with motherhood and religion.” Her nonfiction has appeared in The Atlantic, TIME, Salon, The Sun, Longreads, The Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. A recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, a Vermont Creation Grant, and a New Jersey Artist’s Fellowship, she works as an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Rowan University. Her TED talk, “‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves,” has been viewed three million times and translated into 18 languages.

PodcastAra Tuckerwriting, memoir, spirituality, TED talkComment