BookFest St. Louis author Megan Stielstra was recently interviewed by fellow BookFest author Kea Wilson for Alive Magazine!
From the article:
“How does it feel to put your heart outside of your body? And how do you do it—literally or figuratively? By going under the knife of cardiothoracic surgeon? By having a baby that you know will grow up in a volatile world? Or simply by writing down the way you feel on a piece of paper, where anyone can read it?
In her new collection, ‘The Wrong Way to Save Your Life,’ Chicago-based essayist and storyteller Megan Stielstra interrogates the moments in life when we feel most exposed to fear—and if we’re lucky, when we might just receive the grace to be brave, or to admit what we love, or to laugh our heads off at our own foolhardiness over a drink with a friend at a bar. Her work spans everything from the deafening terror of a school shooting to the gnawing anxiety of an adjunct professor who’s not sure she can afford to pay the rent. But the real heart of Stielstra’s project is her commitment to the idea that while fear won’t save your life, we can certainly save each other, and maybe ourselves—and we can use words and books and vigorous, intentional listening to teach us how to do it.
Keep reading for our interview with Stielstra about the privilege behind our fears, the immense responsibility of teachers, why women are dominating the personal essay genre and her upcoming appearance at Bookfest St. Louis cohosted by Left Bank Books.”
Read the full article at alivemag.com!
