44. Healing through creative writing and journaling w/ Rebecca Evans

Are you curious how writing can foster healing, which practices you might try, and how to protect your well-being if you tackle difficult memories?Joining today’s conversation is Rebecca Evans, a memoirist, poet, essayist, and professor of creative non-fiction. In this episode, you’ll discover how Rebecca uses creative writing and journaling not only to reconnect with herself daily but also to find purpose in her traumatic experiences. You’ll also learn how to set up a safety dismount practice for those emotionally difficult writing sessions. And you’ll hear how journaling helped Rebecca to connect with her struggling teenager. Topics discussed in this episode: Bookending our days with journalingLosing the use of her hands for yearsSafely dismounting from writing as therapyThe power of funding your voiceConnecting with our kids via journalsHow art informs life, and life informs artThe challenges of staying intentionally presentBeing open to exploring someone else’s POVFavorite booksAbout Rebecca: Rebecca Evans is a memoirist, poet, and essayist. In addition to writing, she teaches Creative Nonfiction at Boise State University and mentors high school girls in the juvenile system. In her spare time, she co-hosts a radio program, Writer to Writer, offering a space for writers to offer tips on craft and life. Rebecca is also disabled, a Veteran, a Jew, a gardener, a mother, a worrier, and more. She has a passion for sharing difficult stories about vulnerability woven with mysticism. She’s earned two MFAs, one in creative nonfiction, the other in poetry, both from the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. She lives in Idaho with her sons, her Newfies, and her Calico.Connect w/ Rebecca: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccawrites33 Facebook: https://facebook.com/rebeccawrites YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhPAJcZV0CEtlCwr_UuMvDuQIm8-UW_ME Get her books: Tangled by Blood: A Memoir in Verse: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957799080 When There Are Nine: https://www.moontidepress.com/books Links to her essays, poems, and more: Website: https://rebeccaevanswriter.com/published-work/ Books discussed during the show: The Warrior of Light, by Paulo CoelhoCome the Slumberless to the Land of Nod, by Traci BrimhallThe Book of Nightmares, by Galway KenkThe City in Which I Love You, by Li-Young LeeThe Alchemist, by Paulo CoelhoJude the Obscure, by Thomas HardyAll the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony DoerrLemon, by Kwon Yeo-sunGarlic Ballads, by Mo YanThe Monster at the End of This Book, by Jon StonePeanut Butter and Brains, by Joe McGeeMoby-Dick, by Herman MelvilleSend us Fan MailREADY TO TAKE YOUR WRITING FURTHER? Join our Patreon community and access our vibrant Discord writing group to get writing prompts, participate in sprints, download free resources, and more: https://www.patreon.com/erinptcanningeditor