And Then Suddenly

Jennifer Tan was working a demanding job at a management consultancy firm when she had the idea to create a business empowerment program for women. Through a series of events her idea developed into a financial literacy program for domestic abuse survivors. Now the Founder of the Shine Foundation, we talk about her unexpected journey to starting a nonprofit, how social impact work has changed her, and the financial pressures facing survivors.

Additional Resources

• Shine Foundation
• Ladies Get Paid

Jack Ridl was walking with his 7-year-old daughter when she said "with" was the most important word because people always have to be with something, someone, or themselves. When she added that it meant everyone has to makes sure they have a good "with," Jack's perception of the world changed. We talk about how a simple and profound concept has since shaped his life, health, and poetry.

Additional Resources

• Jack Ridl
  • ridl.wordpress.com
  • on Facebook
• Saint Peter and the Goldfinch by Jack Ridl (Wayne State University Press)

My Brother—A Star My mother was pregnant through the first nine games of the season. We were 7- 2. I waited for a brother. My father kept to the hard schedule. Waking the morning of the tenth game, I thought of skipping school and shooting hoops. My cornflakes were ready, soggy. There was a note: "The baby may come today. Get your haircut." We were into January, and the long December snow had turned to slush. The wind was mean. My father was gone. I looked in on my mother still asleep and hoped she'd be OK. I watched her, dreamed her dream: John at forward, me at guard. He'd learn fast. At noon, my father picked me up at the playground. My team was ahead by six. We drove toward the gym. "Mom's OK," he said and tapped his fist against my leg. The Plymouth ship that rode the hood pulled us down the street. "The baby died," he said. I felt my feet press hard against the floorboard. I put my elbow on the door handle, my head on my hand, and watched the town: Kenner's Five and Ten, Walker's Hardware, Jarret's Bakery, Shaffer's Barber Shop, the bank. Dick Green and Carl Stacey waved. "It was a boy." We drove back to school. "You gonna coach tonight?" "Yes." "Mom's OK?" "Yes. She's fine. Sad. But fine. She said for you to grab a sandwich after school. I'll see you at the game. Don't forget about your hair." I

got out, walked in late to class.

"We're doing geography," Mrs. Wilson said. "Page ninety-seven. The prairie." That night in bed I watched this kid firing in jump shots from everywhere on the court. He'd cut left, I'd feed him a fine pass, he'd hit. I'd dribble down the side, spot him in the corner, thread the ball through a crowd to his soft hands, and he'd loft a star up into the lights where it would pause then gently drop, fall through the cheers and through the net. The game never ended. I fell into sleep. My hair was short. We were 8 and 2.

for my mother and my father

Jack Ridl

First published in The Journal/Ohio State University Subsequently published in Saint Peter and the Goldfinch (Wayne State University Press)

Jack Ridl, Poet Laureate of Douglas, Michigan (Population 1100), in April 2019 released Saint Peter and the Goldfinch (Wayne State University Press, 2019). Jack's Practicing to Walk Like a Heron (WSUPress, 2013) was awarded the National Gold Medal for poetry by ForeWord Review./Indie Pub. His collection Broken Symmetry (WSUPress) was co-recipient of The Society of Midland Authors best book of poetry award for 2006. His Losing Season (CavanKerry Press) was named the best sports book of the year for 2009 by The Institute for International Sport, and The Boston Globe named it one of the five best books about sports. In 2017 it was developed into a Readers Theater work. Winner of The Gary Gildner Prize for Poetry, Jack has been featured on public radio ("It's Only a Game with Bill Littlefield," "The Story with Dick Gordon," and Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac.") Then Poet Laureate Billy Collins selected his Against Elegies for The Center for Book Arts Chapbook Award. He read in NYCity with Billy Collins and Sharon Dolin at Christmas after 9/11. He and Peter Schakel are co-authors of Approaching Poetry and Approaching Literature, and editors of 250 Poems, all from Bedford/St. Martin's Press. With William Olsen he edited Poetry in Michigan in Poetry (New Issues Press). He has done readings in many venues including being invited to read at the international Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, and was one of twelve people in the arts from around the U.S. invited to the Fetzer Institute for their first conference on compassion and forgiveness. In 2014, Jack received the "Talent Award" from the Literacy Society of West Michigan for his "lifetime of work for poetry literacy," and The Poetry Society of Michigan named him "Honorary Chancellor," only the second poet so honored. His poem "Remembering the Night I Dreamed Paul Klee Married the Sky" was selected by Naomi Shihab Nye and featured in The New York Times Sunday Magazine for November 3, 2019. Following the presidential election in 2016 he started the "In Time Project," each Thursday sending out a commentary and poem. Christian Zaschke, the NYC based U.S. correspondent for the leading German Newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, wrote a feature about his work. Jack and his wife Julie founded the visiting writers series at Hope College where he taught for 37 years. The students named him both their Outstanding Professor and Favorite Professor, and in 1996 The Carnegie (CASE) Foundation named him Michigan Professor of the Year. Nine of his students are included in the anthology Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25 edited by Naomi Shihab Nye. More than 90 of Jack's students have earned an MFA degree and more than 90 are published authors, several of whom have received First Book Awards, national honors. In retirement Jack conducts a variety of writing workshops, welcomes readings, holds one on one sessions, etc. For further information about Jack and these activities, check out his website at www.ridl.com.

In May 2017, Stacy Walsh (& then write podcast) was home sick on the couch when her Dad called to say her Mom felt like her legs weren't working in the shower. Later that day her Mom was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and things rapidly changed. We talk about how her Mom became a different person, the stress of dealing with stage 4 glioblastoma, and how Stacy has worked to see the good in a bad situation.

Additional Resources

• Stacy Walsh: Writer, Editor, Maker
• & then write
  • & then write podcast
    • Episode 17: Expect the Unexpected

As a Deaf woman in Nigeria, Hellen Beyioku-Alase heard stories about the discrimination in hospitals towards the Deaf community but it wasn't until her first pregnancy that she experienced how bad the problem was. After being ignored in the waiting room and a difficult birth, she decided to advocate for Deaf women and girls. We talk about her work to get sign language interpreters into hospitals and what she is doing so all Deaf women know their rights.

*This interview is conducted with a sign language interpreter

Additional Resources

• Hellen's Transcript
  • All the transcripts for the episodes in "And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)"
• Deaf Women Aloud Initiative
  • On Facebook
• Hellen Beyioku-Alase on Twitter
• Voice
  • On Facebook
  • On Twitter

And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us. Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What's a moment that turned your life upside down? Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments. Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.

Neema Tembele was bartending when she had her first panic attack. The painful physical sensations went away once she got to the hospital but the event set her on a new path. Now the Co-Founder and Data Analytics Director TEWWY, we talk about the challenges and unexpected benefits of her moment and how she is now on a mission to increase mental health understanding and access in her homeland of Tanzania.

Additional Resources

• Thrive Global, "One Size Does Not Fit All…"
• Neema Tembele on Instagram
• Tap Elderly Women's Wisdom for Youth (TEWWY)
  • On Facebook
  • On Instagram
  • On Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN)
  • On Movement for Global Mental Health
• Support TEWWY on GlobalGiving
• Voice
  • On Facebook
  • On Twitter

And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us. Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What's a moment that turned your life upside down? Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments. Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.

When Bwiite Lydia was a young girl, she witnessed her widowed grandmother have her land taken by a family member. The event sparked her desire to support people facing injustice, especially women. Now a human rights lawyer, we talk about what it takes to fight for her clients and her current role supporting marginalized workers in Uganda.

Additional Resources

• Human Rights Day
• Platform for Labour Action (PLA)
  • On Facebook
  • On Voice
• Voice
  • On Facebook
  • On Twitter

And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us. Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What's a moment that turned your life upside down? Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments. Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.

This episode is part of a special series: And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

Maureen Ava Mata was eighteen when she was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to have her leg amputated. Her new life as a disabled woman changed her outlook, her family, and the views of her community. Now a cancer survivor, we talk about her mission to challenge misperceptions and advocate for fellow disabled persons in the Philippines.

This episode is in honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Additional Resources

• Leonard Cheshire Disability Philippines Foundation Inc. (LCDPFI) on Facebook
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities
• Voice
• • On Facebook
  • On Twitter

And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us. Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What's a moment that turned your life upside down? Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments. Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.

This episode is part of a special series: And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

About four years ago, Anna Xwexx Morena sought asylum in Denmark for her safety and the chance to freely express herself. But the experience was not what she expected and feeling unsafe and used as a transgender woman, she returned to Uganda. We talk about her mission to help other Ugandan transgender women with their mental health needs, her experience as a grassroots activist, and her vision for the future.

This episode is in honor of Transgender Remembrance Day.

Additional Resources

• Connect with Anna Xwexx Morena on Facebook
• Invisible Scars: a focus on the mental health of queer people in Uganda
• Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

  • "331 Trans People Killed This Year," Forbes

• "Ugandan MPs press for death penalty for homosexual acts," The Guardian

• Human Rights Day

• Voice
  • On Facebook
  • On Twitter

And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us. Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What's a moment that turned your life upside down? Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments. Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.

Mohamed Magassa was in 7th grade when he got a STEM magazine that showed a picture of a white surgeon. Without a second thought, he closed the page. Years later, when he was considering a career in medicine, he thought back to that moment. Now studying to be a surgeon, we talk about why representation matters and his mission to inspire others in his Bronx community through H.O.O.D. Productions.

Additional Resources

• H.O.O.D. Productions on Instagram
  • February-May 2020: H.O.O.D. workshops and programming begins

At twenty-three weeks, Amelia Kent had a miscarriage and she was faced with an experience and grief people don't know how to talk about. Wanting to bring a common experience into the open, she shares how the event impacted her relationships, her farm, and why it's important in today's economy to be a farmer talking about personal issues.

Additional resources

• Amelia Levin Kent
• Kent Farms on Facebook
• Louisiana Farm Life: Amelia Kent - Ivy League Farmer Discusses Mental Health