Emeritus Professor of American Literature, Memoirist, Writing Instructor, Book Author, and Teller of Family Secrets on Multiple Writing Platforms
Dear Community Members,
I trust this message finds you well. Happy weekend! I couldn’t share the interviews conducted with many experienced writers lately. However, today I allocated my time to introduce you to an accomplished and inspiring writer, Dr Georgia Kreiger, who contributes to my publications on this platform. Apart from her insightful content, I also admire Georgia’s captivating writing style.
Meet Georgia Kreiger, PhD
Hi Georgia, thank you for your time. Let’s start with your background.
Hi Mehmet, it is my pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity.
I was born in Cumberland, Maryland, in the eastern far reaches of Appalachia, to hardworking parents who were largely uneducated. A natural student, I was the first in my family to earn a college degree, after which I went on to earn a PhD in English from West Virginia University.
For twenty-five years, I taught American literature and writing as a college and university professor. My career took me from Maryland to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I now live.
I recently retired from my academic career to pursue my lifelong love of writing. Besides scholarly work, I have been writing poetry and creative nonfiction for decades.
You are a friend of Medium as an avid reader and writer on this platform. Why do you write on Medium?
I love writing on the Medium platform because it allows me to engage directly with readers and hopefully to benefit them.
Though I am relatively new on the platform, I have had the opportunity to write for a number of publications about some of the subjects that are important to me: childhood abuse and trauma, lessons learned from personal experiences, and navigating the aging process.
I have also been able to use my experience and skills as an English professor to work with other writers, particularly as an editor on one of Medium’s publications. That has been an enriching experience for me. I am happy to use my talents to serve other writers.
Do you write on other platforms like Substack? If so, how do you find them?
Yes, I write on Substack too. I recently developed a publication called Dare to Tell that is focused on therapeutic personal writing. I have enjoyed learning about Substack and sharing my writing there. I have been hoping to build a community of those who want to write about their difficult personal experiences in a way that is both therapeutic and artistic.
How do you connect with your readers?
When I write, I always have my readers in mind. What do they need to know in order to fully understand my message? How can I say what I want to say to them as clearly and concisely as possible? What can I share from my own experiences that will be useful and beneficial to them?
As a writing instructor, for years, I told my students to consider their audience when they write. Writing is communication — an interaction between human beings. Thinking of writing in that way helps us to communicate effectively.
What are your plans as a writer?
I plan to devote the rest of my life to writing. I always knew I was a writer, but for much of my life, I have had to set my writing aside to attend to other important things: family and career. Now that I am retired, I can focus solely on my writing and see where that pursuit takes me.
I have plans to write at least two books. One will be a memoir of my troubled childhood in which I will seek to make sense of the abuses I endured and to reach others who have endured similar trials in their lives. The other will be a craft book that will provide readers with insights and instructions on how to write about deeply personal experiences.
To say that I am going to write two books is easy. Now I have to maintain the discipline and the confidence to actually accomplish these goals.
What do you recommend to new writers?
Throughout my career, I have worked with many new writers in my creative writing classes. One thing I recommend to people who are developing their writing skills is to slow down.
Be willing to write and rewrite and rewrite. Paying attention to every word. Be willing to take a writing project from a first draft, through many revisions, to a final product.
Another thing I recommend to new writers is to write primarily for the love of the craft itself. We should always keep our readers in mind and consider how what we write may benefit them. But if we want to sustain a writing practice, we should write to experience the challenges and rewards that our work yields to us.
What do health and well-being mean to you?
I believe that a significant degree of our health and well-being is within our control. We can work consciously to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and to manage our minds so that we experience some level of inner peace.
A health-promoting activity that interests me most is therapeutic writing. Having studied James Pennebaker’s research on the health benefits of writing and the work of psychologists such as Judith Herman and Bessel van der Kolk on the importance of telling one’s story in treating victims of trauma, I recognize the value of writing as a therapeutic tool.
However, writing is also an art. Through writing, we can take the difficult experiences in our lives and turn them into something beautiful — works of art.
Among my goals as a writer is not only to write both therapeutically and artistically myself, but to show others how they can do it, too.
What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?
The following are some of my best stories on Medium. They exemplify the subjects on which I focus in my writing.
Why Trauma Survivors Should Write Their Stories
Teachers Thought I Lied, but the Danger at Home Was Real
For Years, I’ve Longed for Rescue
A Life Measured in Hands
The Wizard of Awe
Many thanks to Georgia for taking the time to share her interesting life.
You can connect with Georgia on LinkedIn, her website, and Substack.
If you enjoy poetry and memoir, you may check out her literary book titled Falling: A Memoir in Verse, published in 2016 by Finishing Line Press.
Thank you for being part of our community and joining our joyful and exciting journey. You may check out some sample interviews I conducted. Please consider reviewing their profiles and stories, sharing them in your network, and reaching out to them to expand your professional connections.
This is an excellent networking opportunity for new writers who want to build their audiences on multiple platforms.
The more successful people you meet, the more successful you can become, from my experience. The more you give without expecting, the more you receive, as my grandparents taught me.
Links to Prior Interviews and Conversations
Interview Hamid Akhtar, Interview Bear Kosik, Interview Dr Russell Carr,Interview Fildy Bejaoui, Interview Peter Mukherjee, Interview Patricia Ross, Interview Ana J, Interview Dr. Jason Hung, Interview Maria Cross,Interview Brooklyn Grace (editor), Interview Grant Lawson, Interview Ute Luppertz ✨, Interview Dr Kenneth Silvestri, Interview MAGDALENA PONURSKA, Interview with Joanie Adams (left Medium), Interview Liat Portal, Interview Dr Dominic Farsi, PhD RNutr, Interview Sara Redondo, MD, Interview Dr Bronce Rice, Interview Yana G.Y. Interview Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Interview Sinem Günel, Interview Recep Taylanhan, Interview John Worthington, Interview, Joellyn Rose Keener, ✍️Author Deaf and Determined, Interview Thomas Cherickal, Interview, Shamim Rajani, Interview, Svyatoslav Biryulin,Interview, Danielle Benvenuto, Interview Scarlet Ibis James 🦩, Interview Biswanath Datta,Interview Veronica Llorca-Smith,Interview James King, Interview Lauren Grawert, MD,InterviewJerry Keszka, Interview Davor Katusic,Interview David Gerken,Interview Claudio D’Andrea, Interview William Spivey,Interview James Boylan, Interview Ruby Noir, Interview Joshua Mason, Interview Michelle Mariscal, Interview Tim Denning, Interview Wendi Gordon, Interview Elle, Interview Bill Petro, Interview Sylvain Zyssman, Interview Matthew Bamberg, Interview Øivind H. Solheim, Interview Payal Koul, Interview Matt Lillywhite, Interview Genius Turner, Interview Shirley Willett, Interview David Mokotoff, MD, Interview Martin D. Hirsch, Interview Gill McCulloch, Interview Adelia Ritchie, PhD, Interview Dr. Lutz Kraushaar, Interview Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD, Interview Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D., Interview Pernoste & Dahl, Interview Luay Rahil, Interview Melissa Kalt, MD, Interview Ayodeji Awosika, Interview Dr. Preeti Singh, Interview Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, Interview Dr John Frederick Rose, Interview Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Interview Hakima T A N T R I K A, Interview Mark Sanford, Ph.D, Interview Raymond M.E. Aguirre, Interview Keri Mangis, Interview John D. Leavy, Interview Toni Koraza, Interview Annelise Lords, Interview, Mike Zillo, Interview Charles Roast, Interview Libby Mitchell, Interview Timothy Key, Interview, Christopher D. Connors, Interview Desiree Driesenaar, Interview Jill Ebstein, Interview Bill Abbate, Interview Anita Lesko, Interview John Cousins, Interview Suntonu Bhadra, Interview Lawson Wallace, Interview Chelsea Renee MAT, Interview MaryJo Wagner, PhD, Interview Martine Weber, Interview Michael Patanella, Interview Tree Langdon, Interview, Agnes Laurens, Interview Liam Ireland.
Our editors compile them in a collection. If you want to be interviewed, please leave a comment on this story or reach out to me via this form.
Thank you for reading my interviews. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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