Rachel Dickinson @geology26 has lived a rich life full of adventure, joy, loss, and love. A native of Freeville, New York, her family first settled in this region right after the American Revolution when her fifth-great grandfather received a tract of land as payment for his services during the war. The landscape of home has always deeply affected her; in particular, features created during the last Ice Age as glaciers carved waterfalls and gorges and rounded hills. In this episode she tells the story of writing through grief after the suicide of her teenaged son, Jack, a decade ago. Her insights into the wild and mysterious landscape of human emotion will open your mind and your heart. With honesty and vulnerability, Rachel explores the relationship between creativity and healing and what it means to seek her truth and to share it on the page.

Rachel received a degree in geology from Kirkland College, studied American History at the University of Delaware, and eventually got an MFA in nonfiction from Goucher College. She was a travel writer for about a decade, publishing pieces in The Atlantic, Smithsonian.com, Outside.com, and Audubon. Her essays have appeared in Catapult, Aeon, and Salon. As an author, she's written seven nonfiction books including Falconer on the Edge, The Notorious Reno Gang, and her forthcoming memoir The Loneliest Places: Loss, Grief, and the Long Journey Home. Her latest book explores the complicated world of loss and grief and what it means to be part of a family after the suicide of her son.

Notes and Resources:

Rachel on Facebook

Rachel on Instagram: @geology26

Rachel on Twitter: @rachelbirds

This episode was edited and mixed by Chad Clarke, chadtheva@gmail.com