Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Writing Through Shame: Hannah Sward on Memoir, Resilience, and Being Present
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Writing Through Shame: Hannah Sward on Memoir, Resilience, and Being Present
Send us a text
This week, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a powerful voice in memoir, Hannah Sward, author of Strip. In today’s conversation, Hannah takes us behind the scenes of her writing process—how she wrote her first draft by hand, in one long, unfiltered sentence; how she found the courage to put her full truth on the page; and how she distilled years of experience into a memoir that moves with incredible precision and power. You’ll also learn transcription tricks, sex scene-writing tips, the unexpected doors publishing your book can open, and some somatic techniques for navigating your vulnerability.
Episode Highlights
- 4:46 Hannah’s memoir writing process
- 10:16 Transcription tips
- 17:47 Somatic strategies for writing vulnerable scenes, including sex scenes
- 23:35: Placing insights into your book
- 24:37 Tricks for writing concisely
- 28:57 The post-publication life of your book
- 34:39 Writing what’s next
Resources for this Episode:
- “My life after meth: Learning to open and close the curtains” by Hannah Sward
- “The Sharp Edge of A Shell” by Hannah Sward
- “Making Even The Smallest Mistake Filled Me With Terror. Then 2 Little Words Changed My Life.” by Lisa Cooper Ellison
Hannah’s Bio: Hannah Sward, daughter of the late poet Robert Sward, is the IPPY Gold winning author of Strip: A Memoir. For the past 25 years, Sward’s work has been widely published in literary journals in the US, Canada, and the UK. Her most recent work can be read in the LA Times, HuffPost, The NY Times (Tiny Love Stories) and The Rumpus (Voices on Addiction). Sward is on the board at Right to Write Press, a nonprofit that supports emerging incarcerated writers. She believes strongly in good literary citizenship and is actively involved in the literary community. She lives in Los Angeles where she is working on her next book. Learn more at hannahsward.com
Connect with Hannah:
- Website: hannahsward.com
- IG: @hannahswardauthor
- Threads: @hannahswardauthor
- BlueSky: summerjar.bsky.social
Connect with your host, Lisa:
Gaslight Proof Your Writing Practice with Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/
Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi
Connect with your host, Lisa:
Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn
Produced by Espresso Podcast Production
View all episodes
By Lisa Cooper Ellison
5
7070 ratings
Send us a text
This week, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a powerful voice in memoir, Hannah Sward, author of Strip. In today’s conversation, Hannah takes us behind the scenes of her writing process—how she wrote her first draft by hand, in one long, unfiltered sentence; how she found the courage to put her full truth on the page; and how she distilled years of experience into a memoir that moves with incredible precision and power. You’ll also learn transcription tricks, sex scene-writing tips, the unexpected doors publishing your book can open, and some somatic techniques for navigating your vulnerability.
Episode Highlights
- 4:46 Hannah’s memoir writing process
- 10:16 Transcription tips
- 17:47 Somatic strategies for writing vulnerable scenes, including sex scenes
- 23:35: Placing insights into your book
- 24:37 Tricks for writing concisely
- 28:57 The post-publication life of your book
- 34:39 Writing what’s next
Resources for this Episode:
- “My life after meth: Learning to open and close the curtains” by Hannah Sward
- “The Sharp Edge of A Shell” by Hannah Sward
- “Making Even The Smallest Mistake Filled Me With Terror. Then 2 Little Words Changed My Life.” by Lisa Cooper Ellison
Hannah’s Bio: Hannah Sward, daughter of the late poet Robert Sward, is the IPPY Gold winning author of Strip: A Memoir. For the past 25 years, Sward’s work has been widely published in literary journals in the US, Canada, and the UK. Her most recent work can be read in the LA Times, HuffPost, The NY Times (Tiny Love Stories) and The Rumpus (Voices on Addiction). Sward is on the board at Right to Write Press, a nonprofit that supports emerging incarcerated writers. She believes strongly in good literary citizenship and is actively involved in the literary community. She lives in Los Angeles where she is working on her next book. Learn more at hannahsward.com
Connect with Hannah:
- Website: hannahsward.com
- IG: @hannahswardauthor
- Threads: @hannahswardauthor
- BlueSky: summerjar.bsky.social
Connect with your host, Lisa:
Gaslight Proof Your Writing Practice with Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/
Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi
Connect with your host, Lisa:
Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn
Produced by Espresso Podcast Production
More shows like Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing
View all
Tara Brach
10,530 Listeners
The Terri Cole Show
1,396 Listeners
Sounds True: Insights at the Edge
1,856 Listeners
On Being with Krista Tippett
10,156 Listeners
For The Wild
1,173 Listeners
10% Happier with Dan Harris
12,726 Listeners
Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
2,504 Listeners
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
14,948 Listeners
Oprah's Super Soul
31,969 Listeners
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
774 Listeners
We Can Do Hard Things
41,549 Listeners
Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen
1,084 Listeners
Astrology of the Week Ahead with Chani Nicholas
655 Listeners
Let’s Talk Memoir
162 Listeners
The Telepathy Tapes
8,186 Listeners