Speaker. Storyteller. Coach.
Algoma, Wisconsin and Joan of Arc inspired this podcast! As did Mary Oliver’s quote: “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” Listen to the backstory and hear the No Time to be Timid manifesto.
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Several years ago, I heard the writer Janelle Hanchett on the podcast Unmistakably Creative. She was fearless. In short, she said she realizes that some people are going to like her, and some people are not, but what is most important to her is that she tells the truth as she sees it. She got my attention. As a writer — and sometimes as a person navigating this world — I’ve spent a lot of energy putting harmony before truth, just to avoid the fallout. I’m not sure that’s the best use of my gifts.
Janelle writes a blog called Renegade Mothering (Her tagline: join me in the fight against helpful parenting advice). I’m not a mother, but she was so compelling, I checked it out. On her website she says the two blogs that terrified her the most to write — one about her alcoholism, one about race — are the blogs that make her the most proud.
Her blog about her alcoholism was the seed for Janelle’s new and fantastic memoir, I’m Just Happy to Be Here, which is the story of her struggle from young motherhood to addiction and now recovery. I’ve never been in her situation, but I completely related to how she felt, and that’s the measure of a great story. When Janelle recovers, we celebrate the possibility of our own recovery from whatever demons we’re fighting — and we’re all fighting something. Her candor and humor — her truth — show us that we all have a rock bottom, that we all are connected on this human journey, and that creative expression can help set us free.
I’m lucky to now call Janelle a writing mentor and a friend. Buy her book, either online, on audible.com, or at your independent bookstore. You will be all the better for it.
Marion Roach Smith is the author of “The Memoir Project,” one of the best books I’ve read on the subject. I’ve started reading her website, too — it’s incredibly helpful if you’re a writer — and one of her blogs was entitled something like “Ten things I learned about memoir writing in 2017.” I thought it was a great idea, and it made me think about what I’d learned about memoir writing, too. Then it made me think about what else I might have learned that had nothing to do with writing. Looking back, here’s a few things 2017 taught me to do: [Read more…] about Three Things I Learned in 2017
Thirty years ago, on January 6, 1987, I hopped a plane, left my hometown of Tampa, and moved to New York. I had no job and I’d never met my roommates, but to me the risk was worth it — I wanted to do something exciting. I also wanted my long-distance boyfriend who lived in NYC to marry me and I thought proximity might move things along. [Read more…] about On Having an Epiphany
I love being an artist, even though the creative life can be challenging. The best ideas can take years to materialize (e.g., my book) and financial insecurity can almost wear me out (the sculptor Carol Bove said “Becoming an artist is not a good business plan.”). But the blessings far outweigh the stumbling blocks — especially when it comes to storytelling.
I heard at least a hundred stories this year, either while sharing a stage or conducting workshops with The Moth or for my own clients. The stories and storytellers ran the gamut:
Again and again, as I helped people craft their stories, I saw what I already know — when we share our stories, we help heal ourselves and our world.
In 2010, I launched I Will Be Good Productions, a fiscally sponsored art project with Fractured Atlas, to raise funds for my one-woman show How to Draw a Nekkid Man. Since then, I’ve expanded my creative platforms to include the stage, the page (still in progress), digital recordings, and workshops. This year, more storytelling opportunities await, including one in the broadcast world — a podcast is on the horizon!
If you’re looking for a last-minute tax-deductible donation this calendar year, please consider contributing to I Will Be Good Productions. It’s been four years since I’ve launched a targeted fundraising campaign and there are new projects in the pipeline, development costs to recoup, and always more stories to tell.
There are two ways to donate: 1) Online or 2) By check, which must be made payable to Fractured Atlas with I Will Be Good Productions in the memo line. Please mail to Tricia Rose Burt, 1805 Graybar Lane, Nashville, TN 37215 (I’m in Nashville while my husband Eric rides his bike from New Hampshire to South America — as you do.).
Your donation is incredibly helpful and profoundly appreciated. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Wishing you a New Year filled with fabulous stories!
Tricia Rose Burt is a treasure, as a brilliant storyteller and a wise observer of life’s surprising and sometimes unexpected paths to our deepest satisfactions. She speaks from an intimate place where creativity and courage intersect. She’s also hilarious. What a combination. — Charles Kravetz, General Manager, WBUR Boston, the nation’s 5th largest NPR station