Podcast appearances and mentions of jessica handler

To write a clear and compelling grant proposal, we need accurate data and a convincing call to action, woven throughout a  persuasive narrative. At the heart of our work, we are storytellers. And who better to chat with about storytelling than best selling author Jessica Handler. Not only is she an author, she is also a lecturer in English at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and a grant reviewer. Join our discussion on how to improve our craft.

In the late 19th Century, Lulu Hurst transfixed audiences as the "Georgia Wonder." An electrical storm supposedly gave the teenager supernatural powers to catapult grown men from chairs. She performed on stages from Cedartown, Georgia, to the East Coast and Midwest. Hurst appeared in front of members of congress and government scientists. She was tested by Alexander Graham Bell, the faculty at Mercer University and the Medical College of Georgia — all baffled by mysterious force of the "electric maid."

She was a kind of real-life superhero before the days of cosplay and Dragon Con. Lulu Hurst called herself the “Georgia Wonder” in the late 19th century, saying an electrical storm had given her supernatural powers. Atlanta author Jessica Handler uses Hurst's life for the basis of her novel, The Magnetic Girl . Unravel the tales of fact and fiction ahead of Handler's appearance at the AJC Decatur Book Festival. Beyoncé, Cher, Elvis…and Googoosh. The Iranian superstar's name carries as much weight in some parts of the world as those other legends do in the U.S. Ahead of the singer-songwriter's performance at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, learn about her life and career.

For the 35th episode of Bookin', host Jason Jefferies is joined by Jessica Handler, author of the magnificent new novel The Magnetic Girl, published by Hub City Press out of Spartanburg, SC.  Jessica and Jason discuss Lulu Hearst, mesmerism, electricity, the art of the historical novel, Jason Voorhees, and many other fascinating topics.  Signed copies of The Magnetic Girl can be purchased in-store at Quail Ridge Books and online here (while supplies last).

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, Anjali Enjeti and Lacy Johnson speak with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about recent news and legislation about abortion, as well as its depiction in literature and film. Guests: ●      Lacy Johnson ●      Anjali Enjeti Readings for the Episode: ●      “Is Masculinity a Terrorist Ideology? Lacy Johnson on Rachel Louise Snyder and the Ways We Name Violence,” on LitHub ●      The Reckonings by Lacy Johnson ●      “Governor Kemp Is Turning Georgia Into Gilead,” by Anjali Enjeti in Dame Magazine, April 1, 2019 ●      “Borderline,” by Anjali Enjeti, from Prime Number Magazine No. 79 ●      Abortion Bans: 8 States Have Passed Bills to Limit the Procedure This Year ●      “Embryos Don't Have Hearts,” by Katie Heaney●      Invisible Sisters by Jessica Handler ●      Dirty Dancingdir. Emile Ardolino (1987) ●      The Mothers by Brit Bennett ●      The Cider House Rules by John Irving ●      Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates ●      “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway from Men Without Women ●      Hemingway's “Hills Like White Elephants” from “The Girl's” Point of View by Rachel Klein from McSweeney's Internet Tendency, July 21, 2017 ●      “Missouri could become first US state without an abortion clinic,” by Jessica Glenza, May 28, The Guardian. ●      “The Real Origins of the Religious Right” by Randall Balmer in Politico Magazine May 27, 2014 ●      Gwendolyn Brooks, “the mother” ●      Pro, by Katha Pollitt ●      The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood ●      Our Bodies, Ourselves ●      “An Abortion That Saved My Life,” by Susan Ito, in Refinery 29, January 22, 2015. ●      The Bible Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Handler, author of the novel The Magnetic Girl, explores the myth and legend of Lulu Hurst, a teenager from rural Georgia whose alleged powers enthralled the nation in the 1880s, and explains why she wrote a novel about her. Handler, an Atlanta resident, also discusses her award-winning nonfiction.

Jessica Handler of NFL On Location Experiences hosts fellow Penn State alumna Halle Stockton of PublicSource to discuss the ins and outs of startups.

Jessica Handler is the author of Invisible Sisters: A Memoir, Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss, and The Magnetic Girl, which is forthcoming from Hub City Press in 2019. Her nonfiction has appeared on NPR, and in Tin House, Drunken Boat, The Washington Post, and more. A founding member of the board of the Decatur Writers Studio in Decatur, Georgia, she teaches creative writing and coordinates the Minor in Writing at Oglethorpe University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ABOUT MELANIE BROOKS I am a writer, teacher, and mother living in Nashua, New Hampshire, with my husband, two children, and yellow Lab. I grew up in the Canadian Maritimes, and the deep ties to water and rugged spaces that live in me are rooted in that background. I graduated with a degree in English from Gordon College and then earned a Bachelor of Education from Dalhousie University. I later earned a Master of Science for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire. I began my career teaching high school social studies and then went on to teach middle school English. After my children were born, I began teaching college writing. I currently teach professional writing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, and creative writing at Nashua Community College in Nashua, New Hampshire. I completed my MFA in creative nonfiction through the Stonecoast Creative Writing Program at the University of Southern Maine. I love words. And I love to play with words on the page. My head is a busy place. An endless film reel plays in there, its frames alive with images and moments, actual and imagined, that I’ve tucked into the folds of my memory. I watch them over and over again, shaping and reshaping, ordering and reordering, trying to make sense of them, searching for the story they want to tell and the language with which to tell it. Unpacking experiences of life and loss is at the core of my writing. When I was thirteen, my father was infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood during open-heart surgery. He died of an AIDS-related illness ten years later. The complicated nature of his disease and the grief of his death have had a lasting impact on me. My writing is the vehicle through which I'm learning to understand that impact. The stories filling the pages are helping me to better understand myself. https://www.melaniebrooks.com/ I first read about Melanie Brooks in Poets & Writers Magazine. Her book, Writing Hard Stories, grabbed my attention and I just had to invite her on my show! Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma "An inspiring guide to ennobling personal stories that travel to the dark sides of life." - Kirkus Reviews ​ “Writers of all genres will glean golden nuggets of advice about writing and living from this book, while all readers, because they, too, have unique personal stories, will be comforted and inspired by the everyday and creative struggles of some of their favorite authors.” - Booklist ​ "[I]t unearths gems of insight, especially about the natures of truth, memory, subjectivity, and fact, and about what memoirs can mean to readers. And it leaves no doubt about the strength required to confront old ghosts." - Publishers Weekly ​ PUBLISHED WITH BEACON PRESS (February 2017) Order Your Copy Here In Melanie's own words Two years ago, I began writing a painful family story that has now become a memoir, A Complicated Grief. Writing into the memories of this part of my life left me with some difficult questions: What does it take to write an honest memoir? And what happens to us when we embark on that journey? Would I survive the process? I decided to approach the writers whose memoirs moved me and ask these questions. Their replies – honest and soul-searing – comprise Writing Hard Stories. This book profiles my conversations with some of our country’s most prolific writers including: Alysia Abbott, Richard Blanco, Kate Bornstein, Edwidge Danticat, Mark Doty, Andre Dubus III, Jessica Handler, Richard Hoffman, Marianne Leone, Michael Patrick McDonald, Kyoko Mori, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Sue William Silverman, Kim Stafford, Abigail Thomas, Jerald Walker, Joan Wickersham, and Monica Wood. These writers invited me into their homes, into their lives, to share the intimacies of finding the courage to put words to their stories. Their candid descriptions of their own treks through the darkest of memories and the details of the breakthrough moments that opened up their stories gave me the mooring I needed to keep writing my own.

The Sugars begin a two-part series on early childhood death. In Part 1, they read letters from siblings who live in the the shadow of their parents’ grief. They're joined by the writer Jessica Handler, whose two sisters died from different blood disorders. “I grew up knowing that I would be the only one left,” says Handler, “and I very often feel the need to live for three people.”

Guests: Jessica Handler & Soniah Kamal Authors Jessica Handler (Invisible Sisters and Braving the Fire) and Soniah Kamal (An Isolated Incident) talk about their lives, the writing process, moving around the world and back, the pressure to make likable women characters, yoga, family, civil rights and shoes. Host: Shannon M. Turner

I met Jessica Handler one night as I was walking through a restaurant in Washington, D.C. with my brother, Peter Conners. Peter was in D.C. to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference and to speak on a panel about the relationships between authors and editors – he is both. Afterwards we decided to head out to dinner at a place where you would naturally expect to find writers…a restaurant called Busboys and Poets. It was there that I connected with Jessica and her cousin, Erika Goldman, Publisher of Bellevue Literary Press.   Jessica's memoir, Invisible Sisters, is her story of growing up with two sisters, Susie and Sarah, who both had fatal medical conditions, and how her family did their best to cope. Through this book, Jessica honors their memory and the challenges that her parents experienced.   Her second book, Braving the Fire, is a guide to writing about grief and loss. Jessica now uses her experiences, wisdom, and talents to help others heal through writing.   In our discussion Jessica reads passages from her books, shares her incredible life journey, and discusses the craft of writing. Jessica is married to a writer and shares what it's like to have two writers in the same house.   If you're considering a life or career transition, you may be interested in my Discover What’s Next coaching program. Send me an email at Lisa@EverBetterU.com and we will schedule a 1-hour complimentary consultation.   Key Takeaways:   [5:36] Living with two writers in one house. [10:46] Transparent to the client is a purified way to say blood, sweat and tears. [11:22] The memoir, Invisible Sisters, is about how Jessica learned to live sister-less. [18:02] Braving the Fire: Acceptance and the Miracle Ticket. [29:29] The act of taking the chaos of life, and making it into the order which is life. [34:36] Get out your journal, or pull out an index card and just write! [44:56] Jessica reads the end of Invisible Sisters. [52:24] Decatur Book Festival. [55:46] Be a good literary citizen.   Mentioned in This Episode: Jessica Handler Association of Writers and Writer’s Program BOA Editions Bellevue Literary Press Discover What’s Next Coaching Lisa@EverBetterU.com @EverBetterU on Twitter    

ABOUT MELANIE BROOKS I am a writer, teacher, and mother living in Nashua, New Hampshire, with my husband, two children, and yellow Lab. I grew up in the Canadian Maritimes, and the deep ties to water and rugged spaces that live in me are rooted in that background. I graduated with a degree in English from Gordon College and then earned a Bachelor of Education from Dalhousie University. I later earned a Master of Science for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire. I began my career teaching high school social studies and then went on to teach middle school English. After my children were born, I began teaching college writing. I currently teach professional writing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, and creative writing at Nashua Community College in Nashua, New Hampshire. I completed my MFA in creative nonfiction through the Stonecoast Creative Writing Program at the University of Southern Maine. I love words. And I love to play with words on the page. My head is a busy place. An endless film reel plays in there, its frames alive with images and moments, actual and imagined, that I’ve tucked into the folds of my memory. I watch them over and over again, shaping and reshaping, ordering and reordering, trying to make sense of them, searching for the story they want to tell and the language with which to tell it. Unpacking experiences of life and loss is at the core of my writing. When I was thirteen, my father was infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood during open-heart surgery. He died of an AIDS-related illness ten years later. The complicated nature of his disease and the grief of his death have had a lasting impact on me. My writing is the vehicle through which I'm learning to understand that impact. The stories filling the pages are helping me to better understand myself. https://www.melaniebrooks.com/ I first read about Melanie Brooks in Poets & Writers Magazine. Her book, Writing Hard Stories, grabbed my attention and I just had to invite her on my show! Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma "An inspiring guide to ennobling personal stories that travel to the dark sides of life." - Kirkus Reviews ​ “Writers of all genres will glean golden nuggets of advice about writing and living from this book, while all readers, because they, too, have unique personal stories, will be comforted and inspired by the everyday and creative struggles of some of their favorite authors.” - Booklist ​ "[I]t unearths gems of insight, especially about the natures of truth, memory, subjectivity, and fact, and about what memoirs can mean to readers. And it leaves no doubt about the strength required to confront old ghosts." - Publishers Weekly ​ PUBLISHED WITH BEACON PRESS (February 2017) Order Your Copy Here In Melanie's own words Two years ago, I began writing a painful family story that has now become a memoir, A Complicated Grief. Writing into the memories of this part of my life left me with some difficult questions: What does it take to write an honest memoir? And what happens to us when we embark on that journey? Would I survive the process? I decided to approach the writers whose memoirs moved me and ask these questions. Their replies – honest and soul-searing – comprise Writing Hard Stories. This book profiles my conversations with some of our country’s most prolific writers including: Alysia Abbott, Richard Blanco, Kate Bornstein, Edwidge Danticat, Mark Doty, Andre Dubus III, Jessica Handler, Richard Hoffman, Marianne Leone, Michael Patrick McDonald, Kyoko Mori, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Sue William Silverman, Kim Stafford, Abigail Thomas, Jerald Walker, Joan Wickersham, and Monica Wood. These writers invited me into their homes, into their lives, to share the intimacies of finding the courage to put words to their stories. Their candid descriptions of their own treks through the darkest of memories and the details of the breakthrough moments that opened up their stories gave me the mooring I needed to keep writing my own.

Announcement: Nina Gaby, #author of “Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women” joins Matters Of The Mind tonight at 8p EST! Nina Gaby, editor of the the book “Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women”, chats with Dr. Peter Sacco and Todd Miller about the book , as well as other topics such as why there is an apparent difference between male and female ‘refriending’, and also chat about Patricia Arquette’s Oscar speech! Why do women ‘dump’ other women? This book is full of candid, relatable stories by established and emerging women writers about being discarded by someone from whom they expected more: a close female friend. There are 161 million women in the USA today, and our friendships are still as primary and universal as back when Ruth and Naomi, Elizabeth and Susan B., and Thelma and Louise made history. When a romantic relationship breaks up, no problem—there’s an Adele song for that. Health concerns; problems in school; issues at the workplace? We’ve got our chums to prop us up. Until we don’t. When our most sustaining relationships dissolve—those with the women friends in our lives—there’s never been the fanfare that accompanies the loss of other relationships society deems “more important.” Until now. In Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women, twenty-five established and emerging writers—including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ann Hood, Carrie Kabak, Jessica Handler, Elizabeth Searle, Alexis Paige, and editor Nina Gaby—explore the fragile, sometimes humorous, and often unfathomable nature of lost friendship. These, like your own, are stories that stay with you—maybe for a lifetime. Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dumped-Stories-Women-Unfriending/dp/1631529544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424886567&sr=8-1&keywords=dumped+women+unfriending+women To catch up with Nina: https://ninagaby.wordpress.com/ Hear Nina on “Matters Of The Mind” with Dr. Peter Sacco at 8p EST on Wednesday by clicking the Listen Live button at the top right of the page, but if you miss it, it will be on demand Thursday, right here! Or find us on iTunes Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/rtds-listen-up-talk/id910538503?mt=2 #dumped, #facebook, #friend, #friends, #unfriend, #refriend, #socialmedia, #ninagaby, #author, #podcast, #book, #womenshealth, #sexism, #shewrites,

Kathryn Rhett, author of Survival Stories: Memoirs of Crisis, and Jessica Handler, author of the forthcoming Writing Through Grief, talk about how writing the tough stuff well can be good for you, and for a community of like-minded readers. Everyone will experience difficulty at some point in their lives, and, being writers, we may want to write about the tough stuff, either because we need to, or with the notion that getting it down on paper will be cathartic. The strategies we use for strong literary writing dovetail neatly with the strategies for writing therapeutically. This talk introduces cross-disciplinary research and suggests a variety of compelling writing exercises.