Annalise Raziq

This week, we welcome Annalise Raziq to the show. Annalise is a Chicago-based storyteller, actor, musician, peace activist and mother. She joins Tyler to talk about growing up in a divorced family surrounded by various forms of mental illness and how she turned that tumultuous upbringing around in order to raise an empathetic and loving daughter. In this candid conversation, Annalise opens up about the complicated bond she formed with her biological father, how she set boundaries with her step-mother and how she developed a loving relationship with her step-father, Bill. This episode highlights the importance of talking about emotions and how creativity can help us form intimate connections with the people around us. Those connections help us realize that everyone is dealing with something - and we just never know without leaning in to connect.Annalise Raziq on The Moth.About the GuestAnnalise Raziq is a versatile performer; she has worked with renowned playwright Tony Kushner and also played the back end of a dragon. She sings professionally in a variety of venues, most recently with the Americana band “Annalise and the Backsliders,” and her warm and arresting voice is garnering attention on the Chicago music scene. She is a writer and improviser and used these skills to help create the show “Sisters Rising” with a group of formerly incarcerated women. Annalise is a three-time Moth Story Slam winner and has had a story featured on public radio’s The Moth Radio Hour. She has also told stories for Risk!, Story Jam, This Much Is True, Story Sessions, The Truth or Lie Reading Series, and the Boston Palestine Film Festival and the Palestinians Podcast. Her solo show "I Know A Place," a memory play with a live band onstage, was part of Chicago's 2017 Fillet of Solo Festival. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshowFind Us OnlineWebsite: TIMFshow.comTwitter: twitter.com/TIMFshowFacebook: facebook.com/TIMFshowInstagram: instagram.com/TIMFshowThe TeamThis podcast is a production of The Story Producer.Executive Producer & Host: Tyler GreeneSenior Producer: Tricia BobedaStory Editor: Katie KlocksinEditor & Engineer: Adam YoffeAssociate Producer: Jackie BallArt Director: Ziwu ZhouComposer: Andrew EdwardsShow Admin: Social Currant About UsThis Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.