Hungry Hearts

January 15, 2021
Personals essays from diverse storytellers. The book stems from Together Live, an on-stage event that ran from 2016 to 2020, bringing together storytellers to share their most vulnerable moments with the audience. The goal of the program was to encourage others to share their stories and pave the way for healing. Unable to continue during the pandemic, Together Live evolved into this book, in which 16 contributors open their hearts on the page. "We have all experienced similar feelings of heartbreak, failure, betrayal, longing, triumph, and joy," writes editor Walsh. "Bravely sharing our truth and encouraging others to share theirs creates a type of magic that has the power to heal and connect us more deeply to one another." Sue Monk Kidd writes about how she learned, as Emile Zola wrote, "to live out loud," replacing her restlessness with a sense of direction. Tanya Blount-Trotter examines her feelings of fear and the events that led her to discover that she was the only one holding herself back in life. Looking back at high school, Priya Parker demonstrates how the power of a group ("a mix of brainy-but-irrelevant band nerds like me and popular, cool girls") helped her find her own beat, and Natalie Guerrero explores the importance of speaking her truth despite the risks involved: "Here's what I didn't know about silence until I popped the lid open: once you're through with it, years of unexpressed rage bubble to the surface....I never knew how addicting it could be to stay small until I saw a glimpse of being bigger." Each essay is infused with sincerity and introspection, creating a connection with readers as the contributors reveal their vulnerabilities with candor and emotion. Other contributors include Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Austin Channing Brown, Maysoon Zayid, and Geena Rocero. A cathartic collection with broad appeal.

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