Find Meaning in Your Loss by Giving Back

Counselor Mandy Eppley speaks with author, musician and founder of The Pedestal Magazine, John Amen. He shares his story of a “fundamental heart-break” - losing his mother at the age of 5. John recalls that even from his teenage years the artistic process was where he felt empowered and says “art saved my life.” Mandy ties in Step 6 - Service, of the Model of Heart-Centered Grief, by speaking about the fact that we find meaning in our losses by giving back. John shares that helping people to discover their voice is a passion of his and a way of giving back.

John Amen is the author of five collections of poetry: Christening the Dancer, More of Me Disappears, At the Threshold of Alchemy, The New Arcana (with Daniel Y. Harris), and, most recently, strange theater (New York Quarterly Books). His work has appeared in journals nationally and internationally and been translated into Spanish, French, Hungarian, Korean, and Hebrew. In addition, he has released two folk rock CDs: All I’ll Never Need and Ridiculous Empire. Further information is available on his website: www.johnamen.com. John is a frequent music reviewer for No Depression. He founded and continues to edit The Pedestal Magazine (www.thepedestalmagazine.com).