#125 Parlaying Writing Into An Act of Reclamation Featuring Alyson Shelton

Alyson Shelton writes about women across mediums + genres. In the film To Hold The Night she tackles a psychological thriller through fractured realities and self-invention. In her comic Reburn she centers a superpowered and mutli-faceted heroine, and in Eve of Understanding, the award winning feature she wrote and directed, the narrative delves into childhood secrets and their ongoing repercussions. She hosts a weekly Instagram Live series inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From, where she’s welcomed over 160 writers and creatives. And her own Where I’m From poem provides the spine for her memoir in essays, currently in revision. Her writing has been published widely at outlets including The New York Times, Ms., The Rumpus and more. She is thrilled to be a contributor to the  essay collections, Broken Free: Writers on Estrangement (Forthcoming from Catapult in 2026) and Comics Lit Vol. 1 , to host her podcast, Fine Cut for Femme On Collective and to be co-founding a Sibling Loss community and co-editing an anthology entitled, The Loss of a Lifetime: Advice from Grieving Siblings on Loss, Love and Hope.  You can learn more about her through her website, www.alysonshelton.com and her Instagram @byalysonshelton   In this episode:  The genesis of her Where I'm From poetry series, inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem [1:18] The importance of specificity when storytelling [8:05] How storytelling through poetry and fiction can clarify complex relationships and help heal and process childhood trauma [12:32] The difference between writing from the "scar" versus writing from the "wound" [16:19] A discussion of anticipatory grief when it comes to estrangement [13:01] Tips for writers on channeling difficult emotions into creative works [15:54] Alyson’s personal experience towards growth and self-acceptance [17:27] Advice for writers on how to have give themselves self-care while writing memoir [26:17]   Connect with Alyson Shelton   Website: https://www.alysonshelton.com   Where I’m From Poems https://www.alysonshelton.com/where-im-from.html#/   Jeannine Ouellette’s episode referenced #103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing https://estelleserasmus.com/103-launching-into-new-dimensions-with-embodied-writing/   YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwAksUboWwYOEM785ZQMpRw/videos   Estelle’s Episode of Where I’m From #163 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHBtSDWEpI   Instagram https://instagram.com/byalysonshelton Connect with Estelle Erasmus   Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for   Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with.   ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at  https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.   Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest  https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals   Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html   Get Her Book  Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0   Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P   Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests   Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social