My guest today is Sharon Charde. Sharon is a poet, teacher and author, who recently published a heartfelt, beautifully written book "I Am Not A Juvenile Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At Risk Young Women". For over a decade Sharon volunteered as a poetry teacher at a residential treatment facility for delinquent girls. Her initial intention was to reach out to these young women and have them tell their stories, but what happened was that Sharon fell in love with the girls, and as we know about true love… love takes us places we don't expect to go! This book is a testament that love heals, expands, empowers and transforms us. Sharon compassionately weaves the story of her personal grief and suffering, seamlessly into the stories of the girls' grief and suffering. She facilitated and witnessed the girls pull the dark shadows from the corner of their souls, bring them into the light, transforming pain and suffering into poetry. Sharon's authentic dedication to the girls, their lives, along with her tenacity to have their stories heard is priceless. The girls' courage and realness and the profound power of poetry taught Sharon how to carry her own grief differently, making room for more love than pain. Check out the show notes for links to Sharon's website, a promotional video highlighting the voices of these young women, resources she mentioned, along with 2 independent book stores that carry her book. With the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I encourage you to watch a 12 minute video on YouTube called "Boatlift". My previous podcast guest Rick Velleu co-directed this short film with his business partner Eddie Rosenstein. It's a poignant, inspiring account of resilience and the human spirit. Enjoy the podcast! Links: www.sharoncharde.com Oblong Books Partners Village Store Teen Voices Magazine Ellen Bass Hotchkiss "I Am Not A Juvenile Delinquent" - video by Jon Baskin