From Amy: I had hopes of my audiobook being one thing, and instead it's another. It's my memoir on coming to deeper awareness of the role I play in my homeland, inside institutions, and how I couldn't stay there, and how I let myself wander and grieve. Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again. A book comes into the world in exactly the timing it wants to. The paperback came out on April 21, 2023.
This audiobook wanted to come into the world on November 22, 2024.
Listening to it in this light, I've thanked my former self for writing her story. It contains many things perfectly timed for this time, in ways that I could not have anticipated them landing so fully.
And so although I had already agreed with K.O. Myers that I would share this Foreword and another chapter coming out as podcast episodes to celebrate the release of Tiny Altars, the audiobook, I had no idea how to introduce them until Election Day had come and gone. There are many takeaways and many ways to proceed, too many to list here, especially since my book is not about politics but the context of one woman's life, specifically mine. The takeaway I unpack in this introduction is the one that Tiny Altars has been pointing me to for several years now, as a white Minnesota woman born into a mainstream Christian Protestant tradition. It's the message contained in this Foreword:
It's time to tell your story and stop counting on others (more interesting or worthy) to give you permission.
This Foreword is the frame for my book. Every story has one. Don't forget it. Thanks for listening.
Let me also introduce you to K.O. Myers, the producer of this episode and my Tiny Altars audiobook.
K.O. Myers is the founder an lead editor of Particulate Media, a full-service audio production company that helps podcasters and audiobook presenters sound more professional without sacrificing their authenticity.
K.O.'s Podcast is https://roll-factory.captivate.fm
https://www.facebook.com/particulatemedia
Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.
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