Recovery Lit Up!

The reason I actually went to AWP 19 was because my dear friend, Perry Gaidurgis, said that he was organizing a reading and book signing for writers who were in recovery.  On a wing and a prayer, I signed up, registered for the event, booked a flight, and went.

Huge shout out to Perry for his efforts and his success in organizing this off-site event while on the East Coast and to Bridges to Change Treatment Center and 4^th Dimension Recovery Center for their sponsorship of the event.  There are some amazing books about the recovery experience written by equaling amazing women. 

Shannon Egan has written “No Tourists Allowed: Seeking serenity and recovery in war torn Sudan.”  It is as much a course in Issues in Contemporary Africa as it is about the process of seeking recovery.  I was fortunate enough to swap books with Shannon, and read the entire text during my flights and layovers back to the East Coast. I couldn’t put it down, not even on the red eye that was the final leg of my journey.

Kristi Coulter’s work, “Nothing Good Can Come from This,” is a collection of essays charting the uncharted path of alcoholism and recovery.  Much of the literature about alcoholism is from the male point of view.  Kristi approached the journey from an unabashed feminize perspective, and the result is often a hilarious walk in her shoes as she finds recovery.

There were others who shared works in progress that promise to be worthwhile additions to the body of recovery memoirs.  I was grateful for the opportunity to be part of this event, and to be part of its creative energy.  Thanks, Perry!