About today's conversation:
Today's episode is the second of three episodes with Karissa Swanson who is driven by the desire to help others and to create. As program manager for a nonprofit, she works for equity in music education, coaching music teachers in under-resourced public schools. Karissa’s creative pursuits change with the seasons of life. She’s currently in the final drafts of her first book, a memoir that explores sacrifice, sexuality, and love against the backdrop of her then-Moroccan home. Karissa is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and has recently begun writing and recording original music. She adores travel and adventure, and is also content going on runs in her Lakewood, CO neighborhood.

Where to find Karissa:
Facebook
Instagram

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About Ease Lessons:
Music: “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license

Editor: Damien Pitter

Host: Monna McDiarmid (pronounced Mona McDermid) | Coach, Writer and Counselor

• Website: MonnaMcDiarmid.com 
• Newsletter
• Patreon: where I share monthly excerpts from my writing memoir in progress
• Instagram

Today's episode is the second of three episodes with Rachael Herron, the internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thriller (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, she teaches courses through her own writing school and is a proud member of the NaNoWriMo Writer’s Board. She’s a New Zealand citizen as well as an American, and she currently lives in Wellington.

Where to find Rachael:

• Website:  https://rachaelherron.com
• Podcast: How do you write?
• Twitter: @rachaelherron
• Instagram: @rachaelherron
• Facebook: @Rachael.Herron.Author

Fifteen-Day Writing Frolic
Rachael, Jason Craig Poole and I are teaching a writing class together in February. You can learn about and register for the Fifteen-Day Writing Frolic here.

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About Ease Lessons:
Music: “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license

Editor: Damien Pitter

Host: Monna McDiarmid (pronounced Mona McDermid) | Coach, Writer and Counselor

• Website: MonnaMcDiarmid.com 
• Newsletter
• Patreon: where I share monthly excerpts from my writing memoir in progress 

Today's episode is the first of three episodes with Jason Craig Poole, a self-proclaimed word nerd who loves language. He believes books have the power to save lives--and credits the magic of books for shaping and saving his own life. He's also a process fanatic who can't seem to get enough when it comes to learning how artists (especially word artists) work and play and create. He refuses to pick a genre and insists on playing in all the sandboxes with at least a dozen projects "in the works" at any moment. His dream is to write words that inspire a reader to want to read MORE words. He lives with his husband and his son in a little house under the trees in Pennsylvania.

Where to find Jason:
Instagram: @alohadudenyc
Facebook @Jason Poole or @alohadudenyc

The music in this podcast is “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

Host: You can find Monna at MonnaMcDiarmid.com

Today's episode is the first of three episodes with Brunella, a student at Smith College in Massachusetts. She grew up in Lima, Peru, and has lived and studied in Japan. She likes thinking and writing about the internet, culture, and labor. She also writes Qué Verguenza, a newsletter "about books, and everything else." 

Where to find Brunella:
Newsletter - Qué Verguenza: https://brunella.substack.com/
Twitter: @brunellaism

The music in this podcast is “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

Host: You can find Monna at MonnaMcDiarmid.com

Today's episode is the first of three episodes with Karissa Swanson who is driven by the desire to help others and to create. As program manager for a nonprofit, she works for equity in music education, coaching music teachers in under-resourced public schools. Karissa’s creative pursuits change with the seasons of life. She’s currently in the final drafts of her first book, a memoir that explores sacrifice, sexuality, and love against the backdrop of her then-Moroccan home. Karissa is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and has recently begun writing and recording original music. She adores travel and adventure, and is also content going on runs in her Lakewood, CO neighborhood.

Where to find Karissa:
Facebook: @karissa.a.swanson
Instagram: @karissaswanson

Discussed in this episode:

• Brandi Carlile: ‘In These Silent Days,’ a Reflective Album Written in the Woods | Apple Music 
• “My Own Drum” (Remix) Music & Lyric Video ft. Missy Elliott | Vivo | Netflix Futures 

The music in this podcast is “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

Host: You can find Monna at MonnaMcDiarmid.com

Today's episode is the first of three episodes with Rachael Herron, the internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thriller (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, she teaches courses through her own writing school and is a proud member of the NaNoWriMo Writer’s Board. She’s a New Zealand citizen as well as an American, and she currently lives in Wellington.

Where to find Rachael:
Website:  https://rachaelherron.com
Twitter: @rachaelherron
Instagram: @rachaelherron
Facebook: @Rachael.Herron.Author

The music in this podcast is “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

Host: You can find Monna at MonnaMcDiarmid.com