Sep 14, 2020
My guest today is Sharon Charde.
Sharon is a poet, teacher and author, who recently published a
heartfelt, beautifully written book “I Am Not A Juvenile
Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At Risk Young Women”. For
over a decade Sharon volunteered as a poetry teacher at a
residential treatment facility for delinquent girls. Her initial
intention was to reach out to these young women and have them tell
their stories, but what happened was that Sharon fell in love with
the girls, and as we know about true love… love takes us places we
don’t expect to go! This book is a testament that love heals,
expands, empowers and transforms us.
Sharon compassionately weaves the story of her personal grief and
suffering, seamlessly into the stories of the girls’ grief and
suffering. She facilitated and witnessed the girls pull the dark
shadows from the corner of their souls, bring them into the light,
transforming pain and suffering into poetry. Sharon’s authentic
dedication to the girls, their lives, along with her tenacity to
have their stories heard is priceless. The girls’ courage and
realness and the profound power of poetry taught Sharon how to
carry her own grief differently, making room for more love than
pain.
Check out the show notes for links to Sharon’s website, a
promotional video highlighting the voices of these young women,
resources she mentioned, along with 2 independent book stores that
carry her book.
With the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I encourage you to
watch a
12 minute video on YouTube
called "Boatlift".
My previous
podcast guest Rick Velleu
co-directed this short film with his
business partner Eddie Rosenstein. It's a poignant, inspiring
account of resilience and the human spirit. Enjoy the
podcast!
Links:
www.sharoncharde.com
Oblong
Books
Partners Village
Store
Teen Voices
Magazine
Ellen
Bass
Hotchkiss
"I Am Not A Juvenile
Delinquent" - video by Jon Baskin