Kurtis Lamkin Will Take Your Breath Away on the Healing Power of Art
Here we are for our video one-a-day vitamin! This time, however, there’s a bonus. You will want to watch two videos, because these are amazing! I had the privilege of being the interviewer (off camera) when Kurtis told the story of how art healed him and his wife as they struggled to have a baby–and how art has now been a joyful bond between him and his daughter.
Kurtis Lamkin has been interviewed by Bill Moyers, and has been a star at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. Below, you can see him tell two stories. The first is a perfect visual memoir, which I hope you will share with young parents, especially those who have suffered from miscarriages and difficulty in childbirth. The second is a song accompanied by Kurtis’ West African kora called “We Are Going Home.”
Here is a second video, this time of a song. You can imagine Kurtis playing the kora as his daughter dances.
Thanks so much for this, Shirley! I more than identify with the healing power of art and memoir: I lost my mother when I was a boy, and actually wrote a memoir of her as part of the healing process. As an adult I had found a box of her writings (novels, plays, stories, poems), which are themselves very autobiographical, and was able to reaquaint myself with her. I’ve begun creating a blog of the memoir: http://aproperending.blogspot.com/. I would love to hear your thoughts as it unfolds.
Good luck writing yours!