Summary: I got the idea for this episode when I listened to an interview on the CBC podcast, Tapestry. The interview was with the editor of the book, Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us. That book is a compilation of essays written by the authors about a pivotal experience with a stranger. The editor, Colleen Kinder, observed, “There’s a power in slowing down and circling around a story.” This got me thinking about how we often we forget to pay attention and let our lives pass by in unconscious blips. In this episode, I argue that we’d all benefit from a practice of circling around our stories, not just our stories of wonder and awe, but also our stories of deep suffering and pain. One of the stories I refer to in this episode is Allison Russell’s story of transmuting the sexual abuse and racism she suffered as a child into exquisitely beautiful songs and music. Allison Russell was nominated for 3 Grammy awards in 2022 for her album, Outside Child, and her hit single, Nightflyer. Allison is currently on tour in the US (May and June 2022). You can see her concert schedule at https://allisonrussellmusic.com/. Here’s a link to Allison’s 2022 Grammy Premiere Ceremony performance of Nightflyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPw7tfcBlr0.
