Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Interview with memoirist and poet Rebecca Fitton

My special guest to wrap up the first month of 2017 is Rebecca Fitton. We're talking about her spiritual memoir, book of poems, Wave Rider: Poetic Journey from Abuse to Wholeness.

Bio:
Rebecca Pott Fitton explored different places and professional work. She grew up in Delaware and went to college in upstate New York. After graduating from Keuka College, she earned an M.A. in international relations at the University of Delaware. Then she headed to Michigan for careers in urban planning and health-care administration and an MBA from the University of Detroit. She continued working in health care in Ohio and retired as president of CareView Home Health in Middletown, Ohio. Retirement can be a busy time. Fitton brought her business acumen to service on five nonprofit boards. After her husband, Richard, died, she realized that the time had come to remake herself. As the lyrics of the song go, “I’d built a life wrapped so tight it was strangling me.” Freedom was a spirit call from Santa Fe, New Mexico.


Welcome, Rebecca. Please tell us about your current release.
Wave Rider Poetic Journey from Abuse to Wholeness is a poetic reflection of my healing path from childhood sexual abuse, abandonment and neglect to wholeness of body, mind and spirit. This book tells the story of my hero’s journey. While I enlisted the guidance of many healers and teachers, I learned that only I could heal myself by uncovering my layers hidden in darkness.

The first section in the book is named “Darkness” and reveals my struggles, demons, and despair. The second section “Between” captures the spiral process of my multi-dimensional healing. “Spaciousness” begins with my arrival in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a city which supports my spirit. The last section “Wave Rider” is my connection with the universe and the shifting paradigm that is movement toward the spirit of the divine feminine. Just as we seek balance of our individual masculine and feminine energies, so does the universe.

What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote the poems over a number of years without any intention of publishing. The poems would come to me in the middle of the night. About a year after most of the poems had been written, I decided that my work would not be complete unless I published. So I organized my poetry and found a publisher.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I continue to write poetry but have not determined if the poems will become a book.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Throughout my professional life, I always wrote clearly and succinctly. So I could write. I’m not sure that I consider myself a ‘writer’ even today.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I have never written full time. I write whenever the poetry comes to me. Because I am retired, my days are very fluid and full of all of the life activities that require attention for my well-being, for my dog and for my home.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Writing in the middle of the night

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Actress on Broadway

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Do not under-estimate your power.

Links:

Thanks for being here today, Rebecca.



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2 comments:

Crystal Otto said...

Thank you Lisa for hosting and to Rebecca for not only sharing her story through poetry, but also for such a great and insightful interview!

Rebecca said...

Lisa, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. Rebecca