Q&A With Teal Swan
In order to celebrate the release of Teal Swan’s newest novel HUNGER OF THE PINE, I wanted to share this Q&A with you guys and also share a giveaway that will be hosted over on my .
Hunger of the Pine centers on Aria Abbott, who has drifted throughÌýtheÌýfoster system for mostÌýofÌýher life. When she finally finds herself in an abusive home so unbearable, she has no choice to run away. Sleeping onÌýtheÌýstreets pushes Aria beyond any suffering she has felt before;ÌýtheÌýonly thing worse than seeing no escape isÌýtheÌýknowledge that no one inÌýtheÌýworld cares enough to try and find her.
She soon meets Taylor, an LGBTQ homeless young man with a charismatic smile and a dreamÌýofÌýfame, fortune, andÌýtheÌýsunshineÌýofÌýLA. Swept up in his energy, Aria and Taylor board a greyhound bus and never look back. In this bright new world, Aria will discover a whole communityÌýofÌýpeople living inÌýtheÌýshadows, inÌýtheÌýmarginsÌýofÌýsociety. As Taylor follows his dreams, Aria follows her heart. But she will discover that it isn’t always clear who you can trust, that strangers can be kind, or treacherous, or sometimes as familiar as your own reflection if you’re willing to look hard enough.
Q&A
Question: Tell us what your newÌýbook,Ìý±á³Ü²Ô²µ±ð°ùÌý´Ç´ÚÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌý±Ê¾±²Ô±ð,Ìýis all about?
°Õ±ð²¹±ôÌý³§·É²¹²Ô:ÌýHungerÌýofÌýtheÌýPineÌýis my first fictionÌýnovel, and is a poeticÌýnovelÌýabout life onÌýtheÌýstreets in America.ÌýTheÌýbookÌýcenters on Aria Abbott, a teen inÌýtheÌýfoster care system. She has been placed in a Christian foster home whereÌýtheÌýfather is molesting her and her delinquency problems have turned her intoÌýtheÌý‘scapegoat’ÌýofÌýtheÌýfamily. WhenÌýtheÌýtension between her and her foster parents rises, she runs away and begins her life onÌýtheÌýstreetsÌýofÌýChicago. She soon meets Taylor, another homelessÌýyouthÌýwho is dreamingÌýofÌýfame, fortune andÌýtheÌýsunshineÌýofÌýL.A. Together they board a Greyhound bus and never look back. In this bright new world, Aria will discover a whole communityÌýofÌýpeople living inÌýtheÌýshadows, inÌýtheÌýmarginsÌýofÌýsociety. As Taylor follows his dreams, Aria follows her heart. But she will discover that it isn’t always clear who you can trust, that strangers can be kind, or treacherous, or sometimes as familiar as your own reflection, if you’re willing to look hard enough.
Q: What was your inspiration behindÌýtheÌýwritingÌýtheÌýbook?
Swan:ÌýAs far as I know, no one has ever written apoeticÌýnovelÌýabout life onÌýtheÌýstreetsÌýofÌýAmerica. I wanted to highlightÌýhomelessnessÌýthrough descriptive writing and used a main character as a lens through which to see a snapshot. I also wrote it because I feel that we as a society â€� especially in America â€� need to look inÌýtheÌýmirror atÌýhomelessnessÌýand see that it is a problem caused by many systemic failures within society. For this reason, there are many ‘reasonsâ€� someone ends up onÌýtheÌýstreet. And weÌýaren’t really solving those reasons. People are complex, and it we need to see them with more compassion and understanding. And, it is with this ‘understanding,â€� rather than labeling people good or bad, that we may seeÌýtheÌýroot causeÌýofÌýbehaviors and accurately resolve that root cause.
Q: You have written a lotÌýofÌýwonderful non-fiction books. Why did you decide to takeÌýtheÌýleap into fiction?
Swan:ÌýI want people to feelÌýtheÌýraw realityÌýofÌýa sideÌýofÌýlife that they might never have experienced themselves by using descriptive writing to emotionally put them there. I am a descriptive writer first and foremost. My other books are informational, which I love, but they were not an opportunity to exercise my skills as aÌýwriter. Descriptive writing is a whole other beast than writing non-fiction that is engaging yet informative. It is to convey anÌýemotionÌýorÌýsensory experienceÌýwith words insteadÌýofÌýto convey a concept forÌýtheÌýpurposeÌýofÌýcomprehension. I want people to loveÌýtheÌýwriting in andÌýofÌýitself, and remember it forÌýtheÌýwriting, and for their experience learning aboutÌýhomelessnessÌýas well as.
Q: Why did you decide to tackleÌýtheÌýtopicÌýofÌýyouthÌýhomelessness?
Swan:ÌýÌýA Great many people don’t relate toÌýhomelessnessÌýorÌýtheÌýissues surrounding it. But a great many do and those people are drowning inÌýtheÌýfeeling that they were just born to suffer. I wanted to showÌýtheÌýrealityÌýofÌýhomelessnessÌýand make it relatable to those who don’t understand it. But I also wanted to insert some answers and hope into thisÌýnovelÌýfor those who do. To be ‘realâ€� it had to be a mixtureÌýofÌý“this is too much to surmountâ€� and “you can surmount itâ€�. It needed to be tragic but also inspirational. And people who relate to these characters, especiallyÌýtheÌýmain character will not have thoughtÌýofÌýthemselves as a protagonist.. as significant…As someone capableÌýofÌýlove and triumph andÌýofÌýfinding belonging and loveâ€� until now!
Q: What do you think society can do to helpÌýtheÌýhomeless population?Ìý
Swan:ÌýTheÌýissueÌýofÌýhomelessnessÌýis not an easy one because so many systemic factors within society contribute to it. This means there is not a one size fits all solution. For example,ÌýtheÌýfailures within parenting and beyond thatÌýtheÌýfoster care system causeÌýyouthÌýhomelessness.
ÌýSociety’s complete lackÌýofÌýcare forÌýtheÌýmentally ill andÌýtheÌýfact that there is literally nowhere for them to get help if they don’t have money, contributes toÌýhomelessnessÌýinÌýtheÌýmentally ill and veterans.ÌýTheÌýfact that a person on social security is not getting enough money to afford both food and housing and often medications causes senior citizenÌýhomelessness.ÌýTheÌýlackÌýofÌýprioritization within society when it comes to understanding and finding solutions forÌýtheÌýneedsÌýofÌýthose who are in need, create this multivariable factor scenario where suddenly a great many people are onÌýtheÌýstreet. It’s time to seeÌýtheÌýbroken-nessÌýofÌýour system and stop thinking things are being taken careÌýofÌýby ‘someone elseâ€� when they are not.
Q: What do you hope readers take away fromÌýAÌýHungerÌýofÌýPineÌýand Aria’sÌýstory?
Swan: I want people to feelÌýtheÌýraw realityÌýofÌýa sideÌýofÌýlife that they might never have experienced themselves by using descriptive writing to emotionally put them there. Also, a better and more empathetic viewÌýofÌýtheÌýhomeless population. We tend to be so uncomfortable withÌýhomelessnessÌýthat we compartmentalize it and tell ourselves that we could never be inÌýtheÌýsame positionâ€� That homeless are like a ‘breed’ÌýofÌýpeople or another species unto themselves. Understanding thisÌýwhyÌýbehindÌýhomelessnessÌýactually makes it impossible for us to keep this ‘separationâ€� alive. To keep them marginalized. When we stop seeing people as “otherâ€�, when we relate to them, we suddenly haveÌýtheÌýmotive to do something because we identify with them instead. I wrote thisÌýbookÌýto create this identification, understanding and relatability so as to close this perceptual gap.
TEALÌýSWANÌýis an international speaker, best-selling author, and a survivorÌýofÌýsevere childhood abuse. Today, having integrated her own harrowing life experience, she inspires millionsÌýofÌýpeople aroundÌýtheÌýworld towards truth, authenticity, freedom, and joy.ÌýSwanÌýis alsoÌýtheÌýauthorÌýofÌýsix internationally published books,ÌýtheÌýcreatorÌýofÌýhundredsÌýofÌýfrequency paintings, as well asÌýtheÌýpopular “AskÌýTealâ€� YouTube series, which currently has more than 80 million views and almost one million subscribers.
She is alsoÌýtheÌýowner and founderÌýofÌýTealÌýEye LLC, a company focused on bringing self-empowerment and healing back toÌýtheÌýindividual. In conjunction with her visionÌýofÌýcreating positive world change,ÌýSwanÌýfounded HEADWAY FOUNDATION, a nonprofit company that enables ideas, goals and ventures that are aimed at positive world change by ending suffering.
InÌýtheÌýyears to come, Headway Foundation will encompass programs, centers, scholarships and products that better our world; such as inÌýtheÌýareasÌýofÌýjustice reform, education, environmental endeavors, endÌýofÌýlife care, health, parenting, integrative medicine and food industry reform. Headway Foundation seeks to createÌýtheÌýchanges within our society that will create a better life for all beings who call this earth their home.
SwanÌýwas born with a rangeÌýofÌýextrasensory abilities, including clairvoyance, clairsentience, and clairaudience. It was becauseÌýofÌýthese abilities that she ended up being targeted to become a victimÌýofÌýabuse.
In her own words:Ìý“WithoutÌýtheÌýabuse and suffering I experienced, I would be someone who could give you a lotÌýofÌýesoteric information aboutÌýtheÌýuniverse at large, but who would have no real grasp onÌýtheÌýrealityÌýofÌýhuman suffering or how to heal it. I would have only had ½ÌýofÌýtheÌýpictureÌýofÌýhuman existence.ÌýTheÌýgiftÌýofÌýmy own suffering is that I now haveÌýtheÌýfull picture and that has drastically changed both what I teach andÌýtheÌýway that I teach.â€�
For more information, visitÌý Ìýand connect withÌýTealÌýonÌý ,Ìý ,Ìý ÌýandÌý .
