015 - Writers Finding Community During The Pandemic
Release Date: 09/14/2021
033 - Letting Go, Celebrating, and Moving On
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Welcome to the final episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast. It is with bittersweet feelings that I announce I'm discontinuing the podcast, just for the time being. Life is calling me to address different creative work right now. I appreciate all of you who have steadfastly listened to the show. Here today to help me reflect on the last six months and discuss my next adventure is my friend and cohort, Ben Gioia. What You Hear/Learn/Discover [1:40] Mag explains why she started the podcast in the first place. [03:08] Mag talks about her successes and disappointments with...
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032 - Cultural Lens Shapeshifter
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Jill Mott is a “cultural lens shapeshifter,” photographer, and photojournalist who brings a unique, sparkling energy to everything she does. Armed with only her camera and imagination, she once traveled the world from England to Zimbabwe… with a stop in Italy for art school! Today, Jill teaches and shares her understanding of communication and storytelling — across a myriad of forms — particularly with the camera.
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031 - A Gourmet Destination on the Northern California Coast
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Andrew and Liya Truong are stunningly talented chefs. They own and run Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant in the sleepy, small town of Bodega Bay, California. Their fantastic menu garnered them a Michelin Star in 2011. And they have the love and devotion of Bodega Bay citizens and all those traveling along the coast who happen to stop by for a bite.
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030 - The Writer and Her Hammock
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
An author, a poet, and phenomenal woman, Bella Mahaya Carter is a writing teacher and coach who promotes self-awareness and mindfulness. Bella believes in the power of writing to heal and transform lives. She sees publishing one’s work as an opportunity to deepen self-awareness, nourish meaningful connections, and delight in peak experiences while being of service.
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029 - Becoming a Scholar
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
A creative soul and lifelong scholar, Sands Hall is a blessing to everyone who meets her. She shares her brilliant spark in many ways: as a teacher, musician, actor, and writer. And today, she joins us to talk about her moving memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology. In her memoir, Sands shares what first led her to Scientology, the darker undercurrents of Ron L. Hubbard’s leadership, and how she eventually disentangled herself from the Church.
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028 - In The Shadow of Poets
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Meet Author Gretchen Cherington, who, after many years of silence, chose to share her story of abuse. Sexually molested by her father, Richard Eberhardt, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Gretchen broke decades of silence to share what life with him was really like. Her memoir, Poetic License, is an authentic, brave piece of work.
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027 - The Seasons of Life
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Tania Casselle calls herself a book doctor, a spiritual follower, a therapist, and a teacher. This multi-talented woman emigrated from England to the United States, where she now lives in Taos, New Mexico. She’s received multiple awards for her writing.
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026 - Burma & Bodhisattva Vows
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
To listen to Jack Kornfield is to be brought close to his heart and exquisite mind. Come hear him speak about his love for Burma. Listen to his thoughts on renunciation and the spiritual effects of the pandemic.
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025 - The Art of Storytelling
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
Today, my honored guest is Michael Katz, a professional storyteller who performs and works with children in the Santa Barbara area and teaches mindfulness in elementary schools. Michael has worked as a storyteller since 1985 and was the host of a radio show dubbed The Katz Pajamas. He also performs at elementary schools, festivals, and illustrious events like the opening of the Disney Concert Hall.
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024 - Feeding, Healing, & Loving The Soul
Bowing To Elephants Podcast
If anyone could light up a room or a person's heart, it’s Allison Post. An integrative health coach and somatic educator, Allison is a healer and a lover of all life. Over the last four decades, Allison taught courses in many massage modalities plus breath and bodywork.
info_outlineIn this episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, I offer my first roundtable conversation. Carol Menaker and Wayne Lee join me to discuss our respective manuscripts. We touch upon death, grief, and the racism firmly entrenched in our judicial system.
Carol, Wayne, and I bonded through our writing program, Write to the Finish. We embarked on our writing adventure during the frightening and chaotic early days of the pandemic. Over time, the three of us inevitably became close. Today, we share our works in progress and what inspired us to write them!
What You Will Hear/Learn/Discover
[0:23] Guest introductions
[2:45] Wayne answers the question, "How hard was it to separate your book content from your feelings about the pandemic?"
[7:55] Mag reveals hidden blessings she found in the pandemic.
[13:57] Carol shares details about her experience serving as a juror on a black man's murder trial.
[16:49] Mag, Carol, and Wayne discuss how the pandemic forces them to read and write more.
[26:21] Wayne talks about the painful experiences that led him to write Service Husband: A Caregiver's Journey Through Disability, Suicide, & Recovery.
[33:09] Carol explains her inspiration for The Worst Thing We've Ever Done.
[44:16] Mag discusses how writers get overly attached to particular passages and how hard it can be to let go of them.
[48:44] Wayne and Carol share things they’ve realized about themselves and their manuscripts.
Quotes
From Carol:
"I served on a jury 40 some years ago that convicted a black man of murdering a white prison warden. And it never left my mind that maybe things could have gone a different way. And at some point, before I started actually working on this project, I made up my mind that I wanted to figure out what really happened there."
From Wayne:
"[While writing my memoir], there were just so many times when it was just like reopening a wound over and over again. And there were so many times when I just wanted it to have a chance to heal more, but I felt like I just had to keep doing that work … to honor the truth of the book."
"My view is that the first draft is the time to throw all the paint on the wall."
From Mag:
"And all of us know about the awesome task of letting go and how powerful that is and how incredibly hard it is killing our darlings … You can be convinced that you need certain ways of saying things or certain anecdotes, but it turns out that you don't. And, it takes somebody else to look at it [for you to realize this]."
Connect with Carol Menaker & Wayne Lee
Wayne's website: https://wayneleepoet.com/
Carol’s email: [email protected]
Appreciation
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven’t already, come join the community!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
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