Be Afraid, But Tell the Hard Truths Anyway with Helena Fagan, Author of Stalking Truth

This week on Voice Lessons, I had the privilege of chatting with Helena Fagan, an award-winning poet, memoirist, and young adult fiction writer from Juneau, Alaska, and Cape Meares, Oregon. We reminisced about our years in a writing class together, where our friendship began, and then discussed her distinguished writing career and a recently published work, 'Stalking Truth.' 

This deeply personal piece resonated with many readers due to its honesty and vulnerability, addressing the universal quest of understanding oneself through the lens of family and personal history. Helena shared insightful anecdotes about her experiences writing about family members and navigating their responses, as well as the challenges and rewards of staying true to one's voice despite external pressures. 

She also shared some advice for writers striving to uncover and claim their unique voices, emphasizing the importance of honesty, embracing fear, and allowing oneself to be surprised by the writing process. We also touched on Helena's extensive teaching career and how she taught young writers to find and express their voices using moments from their own lives. 

Our conversation offers a rich exploration of the intersections between personal experience, family dynamics, and creative expression. It was a pleasure to hear Helena's thoughts and experiences, and I hope you find our conversation as enlightening and inspiring as I did.

Key Topics:

• About Helena’s recent work, ‘Stalking Truth’ and how it deeply resonated with so many readers
• How writing ‘Stalking Truth’ helped Helena explore her innate “goodness” through past journal entries through the lens of a family conflict
• How the responses to Helena’s writing reignited an old friendship, and changed her life for the better
• Navigating the inclusion of family and close friends in writing — especially when dealing with different people’s truths
• Letting go of the need to ask for permission to share your story
• Clinging to honesty and truth in writing — no matter the opinions of others
• Going for the moment in our writing
• Being afraid, but telling your hard truths anyway
• Writing can bring about the discovery of your truths — be surprised by them
• Do what you would do if you weren’t afraid

Connect with Helena online:

Read Stalking Truth: https://chicagostorypress.com/literary-journal/f/stalking-truth-by-helena-fagan?blogcategory=Essays

Find more from Jill:

Email: jill@thewritersrefuge.com

Website: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/

Writing Coaching Programs: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/coaching

Sign up for my free 3x weekly writing session: write to jill@thewritersrefuge.com for ZOOM info

Special thanks to LVDY for allowing us to use their song, Saltwater, in the intro and outro of the podcast!