Archive for the ‘Podcasts’ Category

Poetry, Fanfiction, and Chronic Illness with Susanne Barrett

brave Shift Podcast S3E10 Susanne Barrett

As I considered guests for this season of the podcast, it occurred to me that I had never shared our most senior Brave Writer instructor with you! Susanne Barrett and I are homeschool friends, writing colleagues, fellow Californians, and passionate writers. Susanne has taught with Brave Writer for more than a decade, instructing our high school students in topics ranging from the MLA Research Essay to Fan Fiction to Shakespeare! She shares on the podcast about all of that and more—including her own struggle with chronic illness in the midst of her very full life.

Episode 10: Susanne Barrett

Susanne homeschooled her four children, has over 2 million fans of her fan fiction, and is one of our most beloved writing instructors. She shares her teaching and personal writing experiences on today’s episode!

Listen to the Podcast

Download the Show Notes

Want to be notified when a new podcast is released?
Sign up here.

Tune in to the Brave Writer podcast on iTunes, Stitcher (or your app of choice), and here on the Brave Writer blog.

Would you please post a review on Apple Podcasts for us?
Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!

NEW FEATURE! We’ll be sharing interviews with our fabulous writing instructors. Here’s our first written interview with Susanne Barrett!

(more…)

Posted in Brave Writer Team, Podcasts | Comments Off on Poetry, Fanfiction, and Chronic Illness with Susanne Barrett

Learning to Trust Yourself, Your Child, & the Process with Stephanie Elms

Brave Shift Podcast S3E9 Stephanie Elms

Today’s episode will help you learn to trust! As our podcast guest Stephanie likes to quote, “There are no educational emergencies.” We can start with our kids wherever they are, just as they are.

Stephanie Elms is a 15 year homeschool veteran and our senior homeschool coach in the Brave Learner Home. She helps parents find their footing and keep it in this long, challenging, wonderful journey.

Episode 9: Stephanie Elms

Stephanie and I met when she invited me to be a part of the Virginia Homeschoolers’ conference. I knew right away we were kindred spirits. Stephanie has homeschooled her two sons with kindness, intuition, and a hefty dose of trust. Her insight in the Homeschool Alliance is so popular, one member said, “If you close the Alliance, I’m going to have to have Stephanie on speed dial. I can’t get by without her!”

Today’s podcast gives you a chance to get to know Stephanie and her heart for helping homeschool parents live their best lives. Enjoy!

Listen to the Podcast

Download the Show Notes

Want to be notified when a new podcast is released? Sign up here.

Tune in to the Brave Writer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher (or your app of choice), and here on the Brave Writer blog.

Would you please post a review on Apple Podcasts for us?
Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on Learning to Trust Yourself, Your Child, & the Process with Stephanie Elms

Don’t be a Perfectionist & Other Advice for Young Writers with Millie Florence

Meet Millie Florence

Millie Florence is an enthusiastic homeschooler and a published author – and she’s only 14-years-old! Her debut novel, Honey Butter, was published in August 2017, and she’s currently working on two more books: a collection of poems and a fantasy novel.

Participating in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, was a life-changing experience for Millie. It gave her permission to write the first draft of her novel without worrying about perfection, and that’s an incredibly freeing.

Listen to the Podcast

Show Notes

Millie’s Tips for Young Writers

  • The most important part of writing is getting the words out of your head and onto paper.
  • A lot (if not most) of what you write will get left on the cutting room floor.
  • Although revision isn’t always the most exciting part of writing, it’s necessary and it’s where a story comes together – and that can be really satisfying!
  • Feedback is critical. Millie solicits feedback from beta readers, who are other writers and friends willing to provide constructive criticism. She actually finds many of her beta readers online, and she says beta reading with people you don’t know as well “will change your life and will change your story.”
  • It took Millie a long time to find a supportive community of young writers, but she eventually stumbled onto a strong community of diverse writers.
  • Homeschooling can give young writers unprecedented freedom to write when inspiration strikes and focus their education on other things that benefit their writing.
  • If you want to get better at writing, you just have to keep doing it – even if you don’t realize it, you’re always getting better.
  • Think about stories! Don’t be afraid to dream, wonder, or come up with wild ideas. “Your mind is more powerful than you can imagine. You can affect so much of the world around you just by thinking. Your own thoughts can teach you, without you even realizing!”
Millie Florence

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

Posted in NaNoWriMo, Podcasts, Students | Comments Off on Don’t be a Perfectionist & Other Advice for Young Writers with Millie Florence

Coping with Unimaginable Loss with Brian and Tywana Smith

Podcast S3E8 Brian and Tywana Smith

Today’s episode is sure to tug at your heart strings. I welcome personal friends to the podcast who share the story of their strength in the face of unimaginable loss. They offer their pain and healing to help us understand how to treasure our families, and to support each other when suffering invariably hits.

Thank you for honoring them by listening—a gift to them.

Episode 8: Brian & Tywana Smith

Brian and Tywana homeschooled their two darling daughters until high school. They tell the story of what homeschooling has meant to their family and how they’ve transcended one of life’s most challenging experiences. I have been friends with them together and individually for nearly 20 years. They are solid gold and I love the conversation we had. I know you will, too.

Listen to the Podcast

Download Show Notes

Want to be notified when a new podcast is released?
Sign up here.

Tune in to the Brave Writer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher (or your app of choice), and here on the Brave Writer blog.

Would you please post a review on Apple Podcasts for us?
Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on Coping with Unimaginable Loss with Brian and Tywana Smith

Podcast: The Homeschooling Paradigm Shift with Rita Cevasco

Podcast S3E7 Rita Cevasco

Today’s podcast features Brave Writer colleague and dear friend, Rita Cevasco!

Rita is the original creator and architect of the reading and writing program, The Wand, designed for early readers. She’s got 30+ years of experience working with children who struggle with reading, writing, and language processing challenges.

In this episode, we talk about

  • homeschooling,
  • the latest trends in special ed,
  • and how to help foster the right environment for your children to flourish in language arts.

This is a long, joyful conversation filled with practical tips and helpful anecdotes!

Rita and associates have their own website called Rooted in Language. You’ll find all kinds of workshops and tools to help you face the challenges in your homeschool. I was so excited about one of them, we are now selling it through the Brave Writer store!

For years, Brave Writer fans have asked me to write a Glossary of Literary Elements. Rita has done it, saving me time and energy. And it’s great! This tool includes an annotation bookmark that is genius! So clever and useful for reading.

Annotating Literary Elements

Laying a Path: Annotating literary Elements

I met Rita at our local homeschool co-op 17 years go. Her passion for literature and mine for writing created an instant bond. We discovered that my ideas about writing and hers about reading complemented each other’s work. We teamed up again and again over the years, including when she privately tutored my son Liam who struggled with symptoms of dysgraphia.

What I love about Rita is her spunk, her dedication to seeing all children receive the precious gift of literacy, and the way she values homeschool mothers. She told me years ago they were her favorites to work with because they always took her suggested practices and went straight home to implement them with their kids.

If you don’t know Rita yet, or even if you do, tune in! We had a great conversation on the podcast!

Listen to the Podcast

Download Show Notes

Want to be notified when a new podcast is released? Sign up here.

Tune in to the Brave Writer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher (or your app of choice), and here on the Brave Writer blog.

Would you please post a review on Apple Podcasts for us?
Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on Podcast: The Homeschooling Paradigm Shift with Rita Cevasco