What are some resources to visit to help towards healing and recovery from sexual violence? How do we discover strength through our writing process and use kindness in our revision process? What are some ways to approach sensitive topics during the research process? We take a deep-dive in our conversation with Laurie Halse Anderson.
Laurie is an award-winning young adult author widely known for her novels Speak and Chains, both of which are National Book Award finalists. In her newly released poetry memoir, Shout, she shares deeply personal stories to advocate for survivors of sexual assault and highlight how little our society has changed to help combat sexual assault and support victims.
In our conversation, we discuss the importance of community and creating a safer culture, how we can work towards healing from the damages from sexual violence, and the ways sharing your pain and emotional truths can give you strength. Further into the episode, we talk about writing and the difference between inspiration and craft and how she uses kindness in her revision process. We dive into censorship and why it’s crucial for stories like Shout to be available to younger audiences, ways to approach sensitive research topics, and strategies on grappling with rejection.
Books and resources:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Tarana Burke – The Founder of the ‘Me Too’ Movement
NCTE: National Council of Teachers of English
Authors Jason Reynolds and Ibi Zoboi
Nic Stone (Listen to Nic’s episode on 88 Cups of Tea here!)
Angie Thomas (Listen to Angie’s episode on 88 Cups of Tea here!)
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gays
Laurie’s list of resources to help towards healing and recovery
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Check out these highlights:
- Laurie shares a snapshot of her newly released poetry memoir, Shout, that centers around her experience as a victim of sexual violence and how she has grown to become an advocate for other victims (3:45)
- We discuss the need for strong and supportive relationships between women (5:30)
- How we can help crack open the door to developing a culture in which women feel safe opening up about sexual violence (9:20)
- Resources and tools to help victims of sexual violence begin to heal and how others can be an ally in the healing process (11:30)
- Laurie talks about the moment she first let her shields down and began her own healing (17:10)
- How she found strength through writing and sharing her emotional truths about her traumas in Shout (22:30)
- Advice on crafting challenging stories and how inserting kindness in your revision process is a helpful tool (30:55)
- We dive deep into censorship and the responsibility we have to teach children about healthy sexuality and sexual violence (37:35)
- Laurie’s thoughts on how Shout will be received in today’s climate around the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements (1:04:15)
- The importance of separating your art from the publishing business during your querying process (1:11:40)
- And Laurie answers some of our very own listener questions:
- “How do you approach the sensitive research for the material that you do write that you may need for your books? And do you consider yourself a champion for your readers?” (47:45)
- “Laurie has written about culture and from perspectives outside of her own. How does she go about respectfully crafting those narratives without delving into problematic representations?” (53:00)
- “How would she recommend building emotional and mental resilience to stay in publishing for the long haul?” (58:30)
“This book really is an exploration of feminism and action because for me feminism is treating all people grace and love.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“You have to have your shields down to interact with the world.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“Writing this book made me feel like I was made of fire.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“When we share our stories of pain, it’s actually in a strange way kind of strengthening.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“We must be gentle with the living, but the dead own their truth and are fearless.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“Write in the heat and then let it cool.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“The only thing you can control as a writer is the quality of the book.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“Don’t give your power of self-respect to other people. When you’re chasing reviews, when you’re chasing those pings, those likes, those numbers, those false metrics, you are giving your power of self-respect to people who don’t know you.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
“Rejection is an opportunity to grow stronger.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
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Learn more about “Shout”
Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #MeToo and #TimesUp, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. SHOUT speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice– and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.
Learn more about Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults. Combined, her books have sold more than 8 million copies. She has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award three times. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was short-listed for the prestigious Carnegie medal. Laurie was selected by the American Library Association for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award and has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English.
In addition to combating censorship, Laurie regularly speaks about the need for diversity in publishing and is a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council. She lives in Philadelphia, where she enjoys cheesesteaks while she writes.
