S1 Ep 4: The Power of Being Yourself, With Danusha Laméris

Best friends since the age of nine, it's my pleasure to present to you this intimate conversation with poet Danusha Laméris. One of my favorite moments of this interview is when Danusha says "Every poet was a person who once felt they didn't have a voice". We discuss how our lifelong friendship has helped us grow into powerful voice, how Danusha has learned to be herself in front of an audience, being feminine while feeling empowered, how taking oneself seriously doesn't mean being serious, and how Danusha prepares to speak.

"Small Kindnesses", by Danusha Laméris went viral during the pandemic. Danusha Lameris' poetry uplifts the minutia of the every day to the gorgeous - worlds within worlds, as well as coaxing the redemptive from the darker aspects of our human lives.

Danusha Laméris’ first book, The Moons of August (Autumn House, 2014), was chosen by Naomi Shihab Nye as the winner of the Autumn House Press poetry prize and was a finalist for the Milt Kessler Book Award. Her second book, Bonfire Opera (Pitt Poetry Series, 2020), was a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and the winner of the Northern California Book Award in Poetry. Some of her poems have been published in: The Best American Poetry, The New York Times, The American Poetry Review, The Gettysburg Review, Tin House, Ploughshares, and The Sun Magazine. She’s the winner of the Morton Marcus Poetry Prize, and the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award. She lives in Santa Cruz, California and is on the faculty of Pacific University's low-residency MFA program.

HOW TO FIND DANUSHA
Investigate being part of Danusha's Hearthfire Writing Community, which she co-hosts with James Crews.  You can find her on her website and buy her books right here! 

HOW TO FIND SJ & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCAST
If you'd like to learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website and here's my free online class. Here's the video of this podcast. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.