Cheryl Wilder and I met four years ago at a writing conference, and I'm so excited to share our conversation to celebrate National Poetry Month! Cheryl’s collection, Anything That Happens, centers around the aftermath of a car crash that she caused in her early twenties. From spending the night in jail to becoming a mother, these poems explore relationships in all their forms—with parents, friends, and ourselves—through the backdrop of shame, self-worth, and forgiveness. We’ve all had moments in life when we’ve made a mistake or wish something turned out differently, and this conversation proves it’s possible to move from the depths of shame to the redemption of self-forgiveness.
Episode Highlights:
How a set of car keys changed the trajectory of her life
Why she didn’t feel she deserved to write for 7 years (and how she found her way back)
How writing a memoir first became another step in the writing and healing process
A writing mantra she lives by
The both/and of denying herself joy while simultaneously wanting to help others
The decision to shift from writing a memoir to crafting a collection of poetry
How her body informs her daily writing practice
The secret to writing while raising young children
Meet Cheryl:
Cheryl Wilder’s book Anything That Happens, a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection (Press 53, 2021), received Second Finalist in the 2022 Poetry Society of Virginia North American Poetry Book Award and Honorable Mention in the Brockman-Campbell Book Award. Her chapbook, What Binds Us, was published in 2017 by Finishing Line Press. Co-founder of Waterwheel Review and president of the Burlington Writers Club, Cheryl received a 2023 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Support Grant.
Links:
Book: Anything That Happens
Conversation Starters
“I made the decision I wouldn’t write because I didn’t deserve anything that brought me happiness. At the same time, I held a thought that I wanted to help people, to share my story at some point in some way so that I could help somebody not get in the car in the first place, or help someone who’s been in that situation, on either side.”
“I’m an optimist. Part of me believed when I read wise writers or philosophers that I did deserve happiness. There was always that beacon of other people’s stories that one day you can find peace and you deserve it. But I had to work towards that.”
“Desmond Tutu talks about how shame hides. By bringing shame into the room, it resonates with people because people feel shame throughout their lives for one thing or another. The allowance of that emotion is huge.”
Linkable Mentions
McIntyre’s Books (Pittsboro, NC)
The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu & Mpho Tutu
Let’s Connect:
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