107: Can You Hear Me if I Can’t Hear You?

For the month of August, 2021, we’re bringing back four of our listeners’ favorite episodes. Writing Class Radio brings you personal stories and tips on how to write your own stories. This episode originally aired April 20, 2017 on episode 29.

Allison Langer loves the process of working out her shit and reading it out loud. In class, she can’t hide behind a facade. Andrea Askowitz loves thinking about writing and ways to make stories stronger. She breaks down every sentence and takes out needless words. Andrea loves the craft.

Cheryl Strayed, Author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things, says writing is equal parts heart and art. Andrea loves the art. Allison loves the heart. That’s what you get on this podcast. Equal parts heart and art.

This episode is about connecting through writing. It’s also about the job of storytellers to bring us into their world. Student Nilsa Rivera tells a story about her fear of isolation because she’s hard of hearing. This is especially true and important today, during covid, when people are wearing masks and reading lips is impossible.

Andrea relates to Nilsa in a very small way and emails her after class, which she immediately regrets doing. In class, students (and teacher) are only allowed to give feedback on the writing, not someone’s life because whether or not a reader or listener has had the exact same experience is irrelevant. When a story is well-told, anyone can relate to it.  

You will hear how Nilsa felt about Andrea’s email and more about what it sounds like to be hard of hearing.

Nilsa Rivera writes about gender and diversity issues. She’s the Non-Fiction Editor of Doubleback Review. Her work appears in Huffington Post, 50 GS Magazine, Six Hens Literary Journal, Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies, Selkie Literary Magazine, and Writing Class Radio. Her work has appeared in Turning Dark into Light: A Mental Health Anthology and Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and The Literature of Uprootedness. She's currently an MFA Nonfiction candidate at Vermont College of Fine Art and lives in Riverview, Florida. She can be found at @nilsawrites and Nilsa Rivera on FB

Thank you for listening. If you love this podcast, tell your friends. 

The original episode 29 was produced by Virginia lora, Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Theme music by Daniel Correa. Additional music by Ari Herstand. Episode 107 was put together by Matt Cundill and Evan Surminski of the Sound Off Media Company,

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There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?