“I genuinely believe it is almost impossible to choose one version of the truth, one version of a story that stands alone… I like to think of everyone’s different stories all together like threads in a plait, you chose which thread to follow when you tell a story.” ~ Tyler Wetherall
E36 – TYLER WETHERALL ON SECRETS, STORY AND IDENTITY
THE STORIES WE TELL IN ORDER TO SURVIVE
Listen to the conversation:
If you love the show, you can subscribe through iTunes, stitcher or spotify and listen offline on your favourite device (podcasts are great for long drives and commuting!)
About this interview:
How do our stories shape us and how do we shape them?
In this episode Amisha meets author and journalist Tyler Wetherall. Tyler’s recently published memoir “No Way Home” shares the remarkable story of her highly unusual childhood. Together she and Amisha take a deep dive into our understanding of truth, lies, secrets and stories.
Tyler speaks about the experience of growing up, having secrets and being scared about who you are. She tells how it felt holding back a secret that had such a massive influence on her life and how it impacted on relationships, friendships and her sense of identity.
By the age of 9 Tyler had lived in 13 houses in 5 countries and she believed this to be normal. Soon after she was to receive a shock revelation that would shake the foundations of her life as she knew it and her sense of personal identity. She then carried this secret close to her chest until finally writing her memoir. Tyler shares with us the story of her childhood and the circumstances and decisions which led to her unusual upbringing.
Tyler shares with us what she has discovered about the nature of memory and how the process of active remembering creates memories anew. She speaks about how the past and our relationship to it are in a constant state of flux and evolution, pointing to the power we hold to retell and reframe the stories of our past.
“You might tell a story emphasising one part that is more relevant to you, but you solidify that memory as you are telling it. Our past is constantly shifting and changing and morphing along with us, so our relationship to the past is always changing.” ~ Tyler Wetherall
Tyler Wetherall is a journalist and author living in New York. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Vice, The Times, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveler, Electric Literature, and The Irish Independent, amongst others. Her short fiction has been included in publications such as The Gettysburg Review and Brooklyn Vol. 1, and she works as Deputy Editor for literary journal The Wrong Quarterly. She also teaches creative writing and journalism at Manhattanville College. Tyler was also a contributor to The Future Is Beautiful book.
To find out more about Tyler, visit www.tylerwetherall.com
To connect or work with Amisha, visit www.amisha.co.uk
Links from this episode:
Tyler’s book – No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run
The Memory Illusion – by Dr Julia Shaw
Tiu De Haan episode of the podcast
Boe Huntress episode of the podcast
Amisha’s Presence Mentoring Programme
Support this podcast:
You can be part of the community that make this happen by supporting our show through Patreon in $, or direct through donorbox in £.
(this podcast is about people not products, we are disrupting the current model and are an advertising free zone, powered by you). You can donate anything from £2 a month or make a one off donation. Thank you.
Yes I want to be a Patron of The Future Is Beautiful
You must be logged in to post a comment.