Sue Monk Kidd on The Longings of Our Heart
The One You Feed
The Depths of Mothering and Hidden Stories
This chapter delves into the similarities between mothering and the creative process, focusing on the themes of waiting and nurturing. It also highlights the hidden stories beneath the surface of Mississippi, inviting reflection on the mysteries of life and creativity.
Sue Monk Kidd was raised in the small town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Her 1990 book, When the Heart Waits, has become a touchstone on contemplative spirituality. Sue serves on the Writers Council for Poets & Writers, Inc and is well known for her work in feminist theology. Her new book is a novel called, The Book of Longings.
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In This Interview, Sue Monk Kidd and I discuss Longings of our Heart and…
- Her book, The Book of Longings
- That what you pay attention to will either devour you or save you because we become what we pay attention to
- The particular genius that dwells in every person
- How she first decided that she wanted to write fiction when she was in her 40s
- Asking the prayer that’s at the bottom of your heart
- How being visible and being audible in the world is a choice to express the largeness that’s inside each of us
- That we can nurture the largeness in another person, even if the largeness is inconvenient for us
- God as an essence that lives everywhere, the being-ness in our midst
- The many ways we conceptualize and thereby connect with God
- Why suffering results in increased kindness in some while it hardens others
- The role of vulnerability in our personal growth
- When her therapist told her that the pain won’t kill you but the running from it might.
- What it means to “let life be” when both beautiful and terrible things happen
- Radical acceptance
- How the path to healing is right through the wound
- Facing our pain so our soul can metabolize it and we can move through it and move on
- What it means to be a mother beyond having actual children
- The middle places in life where the waiting and the work happens
- Her writing process
- The silence beneath her words
- Her life as a prayer
- How letting go is not a one-time thing
- That life is like a spiral
Sue Monk Kidd Links:
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