Dionne Draper and Lisa Marie-Simmons are both black, transracial adoptees and the hosts of 'DAWTA' The Podcast.
Dionne Draper is the writer, actor and producer of DAWTA a semi-autobiographical multi-media work that centres the esxperiences of Sarah, a transracial adoptee. DAWTA, a one woman musical was the first live iteration (2019), then DAWTA Digital and immersive online version (2021) and now DAWTA the Podcast (2023), with support from Arts Council England.
Lisa is a multi-disciplinary storyteller bon in the US, adopted by a white family, subsequently re-homed to a white adoptive mother and her black husband, and raised in Boulder, Co. Lisa's work as a singer/songwriter, poet and essayist uses intimate details of her life to speak to a larger narrative.
DAWTA The Podcast centres on themes in Sarah's transracial adoption, with special guests and a 'Therapists' View'. Each episode covers complex, challenging and always heart-warming stories of the transracial adoptee experience, and the powerful path to self-actualisation.
SHOW NOTES
DISCLAIMER: We hope this episode offers you knowledge, comfort and support - perhaps some laughs too - however it is not meant to serve as a substitute for a relationship with a trained and licensed counselor or therapist.
- Study 'From Being Adopted to Becoming a Parent' June 2018 - December 2021 Research team: Professor Beth Neil (Principle Investigator), Dr Julia Rimmer and Dr Irina Sirbu at the Centre for Research and Families at UEA
- Paper 'Indigenous Adoptees' Experiences of Racism in Transracial Adoption in Saskatachewan: Discovering Truth and Being Authentic (Copyright 2019:CJ McCloy)
- Books 'Surviving the White Gaze' Rebecca Carroll, 'Eyes On The Proze (Black Civil Rights Movement), 'Negroverse' (Pocket Poets), 'The Primal Wound - In Search Of the Missing Piece' Nancy Verrier
- TRA Networks - ICAV UK, Monarch Connections, Adoptee Thoughts
Today's Guest
Vik Fielder was born in London in 1971, adopted and moved to Somerset ata week old she now lives nestled in the Quantock Hills with her children. Vik really got into adoption advocacy during covid and has been running an adoptees only zoom chat since May 2020. Vik is also a founder member of the Adult Adoptee Movement.
Links
https://inews.co.uk/author/vik-fielder
https://adultadoptee.org.uk/kaepernick-transracial-adoption
https://adultadoptee.org.uk/the-importance-of-genetic-mirroring/
More info about:
Dionne and DAWTA at www.dionnedraper.com
Lisa Marie-Simmons at www.lisamariesimmons.com
Lana Lynn Mareno at Journey to Wellness at www.bs2therapyrooms.co.uk
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.