Embracing Your Weirdness: Allison Landa on Self-Acceptance and Social Stigma

Send us Fan MailWhat makes you weird? Is it something that fills you with pride or something you try to hide, a secret you’re constantly working to cover up? In today’s episode, I’m beyond excited to sit down with the brilliant author, Allison Landa, whose memoir Bearded Lady takes us on a raw and transformative journey of self-acceptance, societal judgment, and the complex relationship we have with both our inner and outer weirdness. Whether you’re a writer or simply someone who wants to connect with a compelling story of resilience and identity, this conversation will inspire and resonate with you. Episode Highlights1:00: The Challenges of Being Weird3:17: How Weirdness Both Unites and Separates Us5:11: Owning Your Story9:36: Overworking Your Story Dough 11:45: The Shame of Being Seen and Not Seen17:50: Building Rounded Characters 23:22: Navigating Time in Memoir29:48: How Writing Changes Your Point of View 32:50: Dealing with Reader Responses38:58: Building Your Resilience Resources for this Episode: Cold Crematorium: Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz by Deckle EdgeThe Fact of a Body by Alex Marzano Lesnevich “The Biggest Memoir Mistake: When Too Much Backstory Derails Your Narrative” by Lisa Cooper Ellison“3 Ways to Experiment with Memoir Structure to Improve Your Narrative Arc” by Lisa Cooper EllisonAllison’s Bio: Allison Landa is the author of Bearded Lady, an exploration of what makes you feel weird in the world. Her work has been featured in Business Insider, Parents Magazine, HuffPost, The Guardian US, and The Washington Post, among other venues. She has been awarded artist residencies at MacDowell, WordSpace, Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow. ConnectFacebook: @matzohbreiInstagram: @adlandaThreads: @ adlandaWebsite: www.allisonlanda.com Personal Blog: www.allisonlanda.blogspot.com Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production