36: Hurricanes and Stories Define Us, Since the Beginning of Time

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This podcast is equal parts heart (the truth) and art (the craft). This episode was conceived after Hurricane Irma blew through South Florida. The entire state seemed to be preoccupied if not scared to death, leading up to the moment Irma made landfall on September 10, 2017. Afterward, Andrea couldn’t wait to get back to class to write and share hurricane stories. But University of Miami was closed for repair, so she had to wait. In the meantime, she went to Rosh Hashanah services at Beth Am and was so moved by Rabbi Jaime Aklepi’s sermon, she went back a few days later with her recorder.

You’ll hear how the rabbi of one of the biggest synagogues in Florida prepares for a sermon and how she prepared for this one, delivered just days after the community went through this traumatic event. She helped her congregation put the storm into perspective by repeating the story her father-in-law told her of being herded away to Siberia by the Russians, when he was 9 years old. His stories came out for the first time in the dark during the storm.

Rabbi Aklepi says we are shaped by the stories we share. Stories hold us together as a community. They help us make sense of difficult times and in doing so help us survive.

This episode is also a collaboration with The Miami Foundation’s #MyMiamiStories.

In this episode, you will hear students Karen Collazo, Misha Mehrel, Allison Langer, and teacher Andrea Askowitz tell their raw, first draft stories in response to the prompt A Hurricane’s Coming, Stay or Go. You’ll also hear from listeners Valerie Vargas and Carol Coombes.

Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.

Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.

Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora, Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).

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